Tonga's Welcome

It was a holiday occasion in Nukualofa, Tonga’s pretty capital, in late February when the P & O hner Orsova visited there on an islands cruise from bydney. Passengers agreed that the Friendly islands were jam-packed with friendly islanders, as some of these scenes, taken by Tulua Bros., show.

At left, the Orsova comes in close to the Royal Palace, with its fringe of Norfolk pines, the palace is just out of sight on the left. Left centre, a pretty Tongan lass offers wares ranging from hats to grass skirts to slippers. Immediately below, passengers seat themselves on the grass to watch the dancing, although some of the more avid amateur photographers weren’t content to stay on the sidelines (lower left) but ran into the centre for a close-up. Lower right, a group of dancers in black perform an action song. These dancers were, in fact, practising for the entertainment of the Royal children, shortly due home from NZ on their holidays, so the tourists saw the genuine article.