UNDER "TROPICAL SKIES.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20290, 24 December 1927, Page 13

UNDER "TROPICAL SKIES.

A TRIP THROUGH THE ISLANDS. Written for tbe Otago Daily Times. By M. R. P. To book a passage on the Tofua for Ijhe romantic islands o£ the _ South Seas, to leave our New Zealand winter behind, and to see the transition °f all on board the boat from blue to immaculate white ■was a dream which really cams true. Some days after leaving Auckland we steamed into Suva —our first port of call, and all aboard were struck by the heavy tropical darkness which seemed to permeate everywhere. The first evening we visited All Nations street, which proved very fascinating, with its yagona drinking saloons, barbers' shops, and all manner of queer wares exposed for sale. Next morning we saw the coconut palms, the croton with its brilliant-hued leaves, the scarlet hibiscus, the great yellow blossoms of the alamander, and scented the haunting perfume of the frangipanni. As viewed from the heights Suva, with its blue harbour, bounded by hills, made us long for the artist’s brush. A motor car hired for the day took us to some of the sights within easy distance of the town, and we passed through several native villages. Unfortunately, the tourist, as seen through native eyes, is a being for exploitation, and we were no exceptions. The Tofua left Suva before midnight, and at dawn next morning we reached the island of Ovalau, on which Le\ uka—the one-time capital of the Fijian group—is situated. The island is very mountainous, and its lack of the typical coconut palm is very marked. A blight attacked and destroyed these palms some years ago. The picturesque little town nestled right into the mountainside. Our eight-seeing expedition was cut short by the call of the steamer’s whistle, and soon we were racing through the deep indigo waters again. Nukualofa, in the Tongan group, was the next port of call, but on the day of our arrival, Sunday, the Tongans, who are a deeply religious people, were conspicuous by their absence when the vessel drew in to the wharf. Later in the day a party of us visited one of the churches, hut the combination of the hats of 20 years ago perched on top of large mops of hair and the strong odour of coconut oil (in a temperature of well over 80 degrees) robbed the experience of some of the expected romance. Multitudes of pigs were to be seen outside and inside their queer little _ thatched houses, or styes; and this caused us to wonder if pork and bacon were the staple articles of diet of the islanders. Later we learned that large numbers of pigs and mongrel dogs were common throughout the islands. The motoring trips open to tourists on this island are very attractive, one of the best being across the island to a portion of the coast where there are blowholes. The reef at this particular place is very close to the shore, and holes were worn in it by the action of the surf. As the great rollers rushed in spouting up through the vents, the magnificence of the display was comparable only with those to be seen at Rotorua. Another place of interest near this spot was the graves of the ancient kings, which were marked by nuge blocks of stone—the origin of which is unknown even to the Tongans and their mythology. Our attention was then drawn to a colony of flying foxes, which are somewhat similar to bats, but have heads like foxes. The Queen’s Palace, set in its own beautiful grounds, with a chapel attached, formed a very attractive picture, and all of the party regretted that we could not •tay longer on the island. Early next morning the steamer lay at ■ anchor outside Naapai, and in a short time launches from the shore were swarming round it. Some of us spent an hour ashore exploring the palm-clad coast. About 4 o'clock the same afternoon we steamed into Vavau Harbour, after sailing through islands reminiscent of pictures of fairyland, and fringed as ever with the lovely coconut palm, the colours in and rererted in the water varying from deep purple to beautiful shades of green. No sooner was the boat abreast of the wharf than the natives lined the edge with their various wares for sale. These included coral, shells and targe baskets of oranges. Just as the mists were rising the following day we reached the summit of one of the highest peaks in Vavau, and here we obtained a splendid view of the harbour anti a panorama of the numerous small islands near and distant. Later in the morning the ship’s boat took us to the swallows’ cave, situated tn one of the islets in the harbour. This cave, with its stalactite formations, is about 50' feet high, and its real beauty lies in the crystal clarity of its deep water. As one looked over the side of the boat the coral could be distinctly seen about 100 feet below the surface. In one part of the cave there was a rock which, when struck with a hammer, sounded like a church bell. Needless to say, each one of the party, from personal curiosity, struck the rock, and the cavern echoed and re-echoed with the noisp. Near the beach on this island we first had the pleasurable experience of plucking ripe oranges from the trees. Two days later we dropped anchor ineide the first reef of Apia Harbour, which is formed in the shape of a horseshoe, with buildings scattered right round the water front. Rising in the centre of the island and acting as a background to the town is the hill where Robert Louis Stevenson was buried. Presently, little rowing boats, embellished with such names as Billy and Nancy, came in shoals around the Tofua, and in' a short time all the passengers were transferred to the town of Apia. Hero the temperature was the highest that we had experienced. Next morning we made a very early start to climb the mountain, a car taking our party as far as- Vailmia, from which point wo travelled on foot. A Samoan’s services were accepted to carry the cameras and guide us over the rough places. The view from the summit could could be described in no fitter lines than these:— “ Under the wide and starry sky Dig the grave and let me lie.” Then we read those touching lines on the tablet of Stevenson’s tombstone dedicated to his wife: — “ Teacher tender, comrade, wife, A fellow farer true thorugh life, Heart whole and soul free The august Father gave to me.” The return journey was accomplished very much more speedily through the assistance of our Samoan guide, and we agreed to reward him for his services with a tip; but, when the bottom was reached, to our surprise, he demanded 10s, which, needless to say, he did not get, as he had joined our party unbidden. After spending a day and a-half in Apia, we left, and next passed the colourful little islands of Manoni and Apolima, whither the native chiefs were recently deported. Niuafau or Tin Can island came into sight next morning, and as the ship hove to a remarkable sight presented itself in the mail being brought aboard — a man swam out from the island carrying the royal mail on a stick held upright out of the water. A bucket was lowered from the aide of the steamer, and the package placed inside it, while the man for the island waa thrown overboard in a large tin can. Thirty-six hours later we were again in Suva. A trip to the historical island of Bau, where the ancient kings of Fiji used to live, was full of interest. The “ road ” through the island was a mere track, and consequently the ride in the car was scarcely a comfortable one. \Ve reached the dividing spot between the two islands at half-tide, and found a mud flat between us and the water. A sturdy Fijian overcame this difficulty by pushing the party over these flats in a flat-bottomed boat, and when the water was reached he rowed us the remainder of the way. Bau is a beautiful place, with a population estimated at somewhere between 300 and 500. Ratu Rope, grandson of the ancient Cakembou, the last king of Fiji, lives there. _ We saw the slave stones on which the Fijians of the past cracked the skulls of their prisoners of war. On the baptismaj font, also, of a very old church was one of these same slave stones, Ratu Pope’s dining room and bedroom contained the table on which the treaty ceding Fiji to Britain was signed. Fishing seemed to be the sole occupation in which the inhabitants ■were interested, but altogether we decided that Bau, with its care-free and happy people, was one of the most delightful of the many interesting islands Of the South Seas.