THE CORAL ISLANDS. (By R. Paulin, F.G.S.)

Otago Witness, Issue 2014, 29 September 1892, Page 33

THE CORAL ISLANDS. (By R. Paulin, F.G.S.)

I cannot conceive a more enjoyable holiday ground than these little Tongan Islands between the months of April and November. They are easy of -access. Five days on a comfortable sbeamer takes you from Auckland to Nukualofa, at which place is a very comforbable hotel, now very well conducted by Mr R. Easthope. At Nukualofa arrangements can be made for the island trip at a very moderate expenditure. I am quite sure that some day very many people from Australia and N? w Zealand will yearly go to enjoy for a few weeks the bright sun, white sands, warm sea water, and healthy sea breezes of the outlying islands of Tongatabu. The temperature of Tongatabu is very equal.- In winter the night temperature ranges between 60 and 70, and the day between 70 and 80. > In summer it is between 70 and 80 for the nighfc, and 80 and 90 duriDg the day. From Tongatabu we proceeded to the Hapai group, about 90 miles. We called at the chief town, which is named Lifuka— neariiere. The natives captured and burnt the ship Port au Prince in 1807, of which I have already spoken. Most of the islands of this group are so much like Tongatabu that to describe it is to describe them. There are, however, on the group some interesting volcanic islands, some of which are yet active. Of these perhaps the most oonspicuous is the island of Kao, 3030 ft high, about 40 miles from Lifuka, It has the appearance" from a distance of one of the Egyptian Pyramids rising ouc of the sea. Near it is the island of Tuafu, 1890ffc, which was in eruption in 1890. Lifuka is a small edition of Nukualofa, wanting the wharf. It has a commodious church, and a large new church built by the Free Church people, the site of which interferes as a matter of course as much as possible with the old Wesley.an Church. The new church is entirely of native design, 150 ft long, 50ft high to the centre of the roof, 50ft wide, 12 cocoanut palm columns support 12 beams going the width of the building, and five going the length of the building, which beams support the roof. The whole structure is tied together by native seinile, made from cocoanut fibre, and called kaf a. The walls and roof are of interlaced cane and grass ; and 32 windows, not quibe equal in size, give a sufficiency of light. The building is admirably suited for the climate. Tho king's house at Lifuka is of wood, and contains three goodsized rooms. It resembles au ordinary New Zealand dwelling, and would cost in the suburbs of Dunedin about L3OO. The 6teanier in going from island to island always carries a number of native passengers — male and female, old and young. They crowded on board with their blankets, mats, pillows, utensils, pigs, horses, dogs, and food, smelling much of oil. They were accommodated with the bare decks and hatchway tops.' An awning was spread over them, under which they would congregate— a most amusing compound of heads, arms, legs, mats, clothes, gay colours, cocoanuts, bananas, ddgs, bundles, and oil. Full of chat, laugh, and song. Their singing in the calm tropical evenings is something to be remembered. I never heard a more weird, sweet, plaintive melody in my life than I heard one night going through the Navigator group sung by a party of Samoans. As a rule they had service among thomselves every evening at about sunset. They seem to be able to sing in any position. Sometimes one or two would be singing, then others would chime in, or leave off, as they felt inclined ; bub they chimed in aud left off without in any way interfering with the charming melody.

This native trade must pay very well. They were charged, I believe, from 10s to 20s a passage, and we generally bad about 100 of them between each port, and they got nothing but the deck room they occupied. Ib was amusing to see the purser and his assistant collecting fares. They would start at one end of the ship, and pass evefy native behind as ho or she paid. The natives would try all they could to avoid payment, hiding wherever opportunity offered, and sometimes saying they had no money. In this case they were locked up in an unpleasant part of the ship, which had the effect of very scon producing the desired coin either from them or their friends. The Hapaians are the most robust of the Tongans. This was King George's chief recruiting ground when he wanted soldiers. The group is very fertile, and food is said to be more plentiful here than at Tongababu. From Hapai we steamed about 90 miles, and arrived at Niafu, the capital of the Vavau group— also a part of King George's kingdom. Niafu is approached by a magnificent gulf 17 miles long. As we entered this gulf we passed numerous little islands formed of coral rock, their white cliffs being much hollowed out near high-water mark, and their level tops covered with dense busb, above which waved the plumes of numerous palm trees. Soon we were passing through a beautiful archipelago — a mixture of e'eep blue water, -wave- worn [ cliffs, and bright green tropical vegetation. At 11 miles from Niafu, the gulf had the appearance of being completely land-locked, while in front of us rose the mainland of Vavau, a series of green terraces, dotted with palm [trees. The highest land being about 900 ft above sea level. Much of the land, and most of the islands appeared covered with indigenous native bush, containing many fine tree ferns, and a tree much resembling in appearance the New Zealand broadleaf. I doubt if anything more beautiful than the Gulf of Niafu can be found in this wide, wide world. Niafu boasts a wharf, similar in construction to the one at Nukualofa, only smaller, to which our steamer tied up. From this wharf the visitor steps to a wonder of South Sea island beauty. He wanders over undulating grass-clad ground, dotted with palm trees, by avenues and clusters of orange, lime, bread fruit, and banana trees, and among an interesting medley of natives, pigs, dogs, and horses. He climbs pleasant hills, whose fruifc-clad sides slope gracefully to the blue, blue sea ; and sees from their summits panoramas of green land and blue water, which bewilder by their profusion, and enrapture by their beauty. The haab of the bright sun is tempered by the trade breeze. The temperature of the air is at comfort point, and the climate of this fair spot, as I found it in the winter months, can be described in one word, and that is perfection. And one wonders, after his first visit to Niafu, if Paradise itself could be more beautiful. Perhaps the chief feature of Vavau is its orange trees. Wherever you go you see orange trees, sometimes in avenues, sometimes as a forest. Many of the trees are from 30ft to 4-Offc high, and when I first saw them all were a mass of golden fruib. On the wharf were piles of cases of oranges, inland the ground was strewn with them. I- saw them being used as soap, as missiles by the children, and as food by the pigs, the latter grunting with satisfaction as their ugly jaws crunched the ripe, sweet fruit. Countless numbers of ripe oranges were rotting on the ground, and seeing this I thought I would like very much to get a few hundred street children from London and turn them loose among the orange groves of Vavau. The pigs in Vavau eat more ripe oranges than the people in New Zealand. Oranges form one of the chief exports of Vavau. The price paid is Is a kifc of about 130, and quite enough too, as the way the natives gather them must ensure a large number being bad before they reach New Zealand. I watchedsome of them gathering oranges to send to New Zealand, and the method was as follows : — A man climbed up a tree, and knocked the fruit off its stalk, letting ifc fall to the ground. When he thought he had knocked enough down a party of men and women, who had been sitting in the shade, got up and filled their kits ; they then went to a cart which they had waiting, and pitched the oranges into the cart like so many coals, and away they went to be sold to the trader and packed in wooden cases for New Zealand. As a result, many will be bad a day or two after being packed. I have seen many rotten ones in the cases on board the steamer a day or two after leaving Vavau. If more care were taken in the picking and packing, the trade would be much more profitable. I gofc some kits ot ripe oranges at Niafu, which had been picked and pub into the kits without bruising, which I kept good for two months. I could not see that the indolent natives are planting any new trees, and most of the trees which are not cultivated in apy way showed signs of wearing out; and I would nob wonder if, provided the natives keep on with their present ways, the time will come before . long when one may seek in vain for oranges in Vavau. There I was a proper strike on among the natives, who wanted 3s a kifc instead of Is. The strikers refused to supply oranges, and notified that any native selling to white people for less than 3s would have their crops and houses destroyed. I heard of 1* houses being so burnt by these dusky boycofcters. The result was that for some time there were very few oranges to bo got at Niafu except from the Government, who, collecting their taxes in the form of oranges, sold them without scruple to the traders.