“Tropical Cyclone Tino is storming its way across the Pacific and is currently sitting south of Fiji’s western Rotuma Island with gusts reaching 100km/h. That’s prompted evacuation centres to be opened in northern Fiji as it heads towards Vanua Levu. Preparations are also underway in Tonga for the storm to strike.” (NewsHub NZ, 17/1/2020)
Continue reading “Cyclone Alert”Author: Sabine
HOME!
HOME! The word has taken on a whole new meaning. Being immigrants to NZ, we have had two places to call ‘home’ for a long time. We used to travel ‘home’ to Switzerland for many years, and now, we travel ‘home’ to NZ. Home is where the family is. It is a blessing and enrichment to have family in different places in the world.
Continue reading “HOME!”Merry Christmas
We would like to thank all our ‘Blog-buddies’ for going this journey with us over the past six months, for taking an interest, for encouraging us, cheering us on, supporting us in so many ways. We couldn’t have done it without you, our amazing families and friends.
We wish you all a very MERRY CHRISTMAS and a happy New Year filled with joy, peace, love, new adventures and a 20/20 vision!
Looking forward to meeting again, right here, same place, next time! – Watch this space, as usual. Much love and blessings to you all,
Rolf & Sabine
Social Life
I am sitting here at my laptop with one of those little desk fans that you plug into the computer, to cool me down. The summer heat has set in. And I don’t like it. You know how the temperature these days is expressed as: 25°C, ‘feels like’ 28°C. Well, I say it doesn’t really matter what the REAL temperature reading is, it constantly ‘feels like’ about 35°.
Continue reading “Social Life”Random Ramblings
I haven’t walked up a hill in the last five months. Simply because there isn’t a hill to climb. – And there are lots of other things I haven’t done in five months. Like vacuumed the house (remember sweeping and mopping?). Or gone to the mall and had a Starbucks iced mocha. Or taken the train to work. Nor the car for that matter. I haven’t sat in a traffic jam. I haven’t had a day out (or in) with my daughters or grandchildren, or gone to the movies. I haven’t worn jeans. I haven’t eaten a yoghurt. Or Feta cheese. Or canned food. Or red meat. I haven’t been off this island. I haven’t even met or seen our King!
Continue reading “Random Ramblings”Daily Grind
I can FEEL you are all waiting for the next blog post…
Thing is, the last blog (Melissa’s) is hard to beat (it had the most sightings of any post ever), and for us, life has settled back into the daily grind, just as it does anywhere when you have a work routine. That’s not a bad thing, and after all, the adventures we report about are the exception, not the rule. – We do appreciate that the VSA, very much encourages us to have regular time out for rest and recreation, to explore the sights of the islands.
Continue reading “Daily Grind”And so I took him snorkeling
Following on from the last Blog by Rolf: Rolf is no longer waiting for me to take him snorkeling.
Continue reading “And so I took him snorkeling”New Perspectives
We’re nearly at the three-months mark; the ‘magical milestone’ that everyone says means you’re settled in and have adapted to the ‘new normal’. We find this to be true in our case, too. It’s daily life Tonga style.
Continue reading “New Perspectives”Ooops? A new Look!
Yes, you ARE on the right site! – Lofi just had a bit of fun today creating a new photo, taken at the Nuku’alofa harbour, a true original, with the help of a coconut seller at the market and a friendly post office assistant who sold him a stamp and let him borrow the other stamp – the one for stamping.
Our next post is in the making… Thanks for checking in! Have a nice week!
Dear Grandchildren,
Dear Tobias, Noah, Benjamin, Giselle, Lucas, Jonah, Ezra, Abigail, Cassandra and Selina: We love you.
In my ‘post of challenges’, I didn’t mention our biggest challenge of all: Being away from you all, our beloved families! We think of and miss you every single day. – So, a little while ago, we received a parcel from you, with chocolate (chocolate!!), letters, cards, drawings, paintings, booklets, created especially for us. We were so happy and touched by the different ways you were thinking of us. THANK YOU! (Hugs, kisses…)
Continue reading “Dear Grandchildren,”Hon. Samuela ‘Akilisi Pohiva
Today, the market stalls looked very different. Void of any fruit and vegetables, draped in black and purple. Just like many other parts of the city, clad in mourning colours. – Today, a great man was brought home to be laid to eternal rest this coming Thursday. ‘Akilisi Pohiva was the Prime Minister in office who passed away in the hospital in New Zealand last week. He was 78 years old.
Preparations for a week of mourning 
Everyone hands-on
Abundance and Need
Just a quick post to add some more of Rolf’s great photos of the Saturday market – which is particularly rich in variety . Everything is sold in ‘piles’. You can’t just buy one or two of something – you have to take at least one pile. Depending on the product and season, a pile is between two and five Pa’anga each.
Looking at these pictures, one wonders why poverty and need exist right next to abundance. A common paradox in many Third World countries.
