Vava'u Island Group and More

Finally, we made to the beautiful Vava'u group of islands, about an hour's flight north.
The 'Port of Refuge' is a very popular sailing destination in the South Pacific because it is protected from
rough seas in all directions with much to explore.

Our explorations led us to the Idaho rock.

The reason we went to Vava'u was to train 2 stakes on how to
to start their Self-Reliance Initiative.

We had the opportunity to speak with seniors at Seineha LDS High School about
continuing their education and making career choices.

We got to snorkel in Swallow's Cave where there were thousands of fish.

In Vava'u this baby spotted piglet thinks he's a dog.

Meanwhile, back on Tongatapu, the king is back to his "regular" duties, such as reviewing
the annual Kingdom Agricultural Fair.

These Ufi are a favorite root crop, comparable to our Idaho potato.  They dig a hole 6 feet deep to plant these.

A typical booth at the ag fair to show off the local handicrafts--
Mats and tapa cloth, as shown here, are considered more valuable than money.

Octopus is on every Tongan menu.

Sharks are not

Back home in the office, these Tongan BYU Hawaii students came to research employment
opportunities in both government and private sectors.