Today we had a visit to the 'Botanical Gardens' - actually privately owned, with a tour by the gentleman who had planted most of the garden over many years. Very colourful with some very large spiders. His 'safety briefing' started with the instruction not to stand under palm trees in case of falling coconuts!
The walk ended at a restaurant at the beach where locals were collecting seafood at low water (cockles/ clams I thought) and we were invited to try kava, given lunch and then a demonstration of Tongan style dancing by some of the young people of the village. Curiously, Tongan dance moves for women typically require the girls feet to stay in the same spot, involving lots of gentle hand movements and swaying but no actual movement below the knees. The boys appeared to have much more fun, and clearly all the Tongans watching really enjoyed the show. Photos to follow...