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Photo Samples, Pacific
Fiji,
Tonga, Niue and Samoa
To many people in Europe and USA, the Pacific
Islands are like a lost kingdom. So far away and so far in between, island groups like
Tonga, Fiji, French Polynesia and Samoa have had magical names for decades and most
travellers want to go there eventually. To many people's surprise, the islands are not
quite as virgin as they used to. The Pacific peoples are strictly Christian and, for
religious reasons, stopped wearing their traditional top-less dresses ages ago.
Nevertheless, the islands are still great for travelling, yachting and fishing - and
photography!
As usual, all photos are, of course © Claus
Qvist Jessen, and none of them are to used without my permission. |
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Fiji
is the most hilly and most fertile country in the Pacific, and the markets are full of
delicious fruits and vegetables. These Melanese ladies are from Nadi (Nandi), Vitu Levi.
© Claus Qvist Jessen |
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| Fishing at
Fiji is mostly done from small boats, and overfishing is not that much of a problem. These
colourful boats are from Lautoka, western part of Viti Levu. © Claus Qvist Jessen |
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A rockfish,
caught close to the shore of Lautoka, Viti Levu.
© Claus Qvist Jessen |
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| Vanua Levu is
the second largest island of Fiji, but just as fertile as Viti levu. this proud
grandmother happily displays her grandchild at the market of Savusavu. Note her distinctly
African features. Half the populattion are "melanese" (African-like), while the
other half are descendants from the Indian slaves who used to work in the sugar
plantation. © Claus Qvist Jessen |
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| Happy girl at
the Labasa market, Vanua Levu, Fiji. © Claus Qvist Jessen |
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| The local
"drug" in the Pacific is "kava", a cold, muddy tea which tastes just
as dirty as it looks. Nevertheless, kava is a very important for the social life, and
mixing the drink is a great honour. Here in Labasa, Vanua Levu. © Claus Qvist Jessen |
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| In Tonga as
well as the other Polynesian countries, the dead are buried on their own land. For that
reason, land can't be sold, because you don't sell the body of your grandmother, do you?
This one is from the northernmost group, the Vavau Islands. © Claus Qvist Jessen |
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| The
tradutional dress in Tonga is the taovala, a mat-like blanket, wound around the waist and
symbolizing sorrw. Despite the 21st century, they are stillwidely used, even as school
uniforms. Here from Vavau. © Claus Qvist Jessen |
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| The way
beaches and coral reefs should be made: Uoleva Island in the middle Hapai group. ©
Claus Qvist Jessen |
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Or here? The
tiny island of Niue doesn't have any beaches or rivers, and the water around it is
probably the clearest anywhere on earth. Reportedly, more than 40 meters of visibility is
not unusual.
© Claus Qvist Jessen |
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| More corals.
Limu caves on the west side of Niue. © Claus Qvist Jessen |
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| Niue sunset.
© Claus Qvist Jessen |
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| Niue sunsets
just get better when having a fishing rod in your hand. Here from the jetty of the tiny
capital Alofi. © Claus Qvist Jessen |
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| The waters
around Niue are incredibly rich in fish, although this 42 kg (93 lbs) sailfish is quite a
bit above the average. It was caught from the smaal dingy in the bottom of the picture,
and the fight took more than an hour. © Claus Qvist Jessen |
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| A 10 kg
mahimahi (or dolphin, or dorado), one of the most beautiful fish in the tropical oceans.
Here from Niue. © Claus Qvist Jessen |
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| A strange
delicacy, the innards of sea cucumbers are sold on the central market in Apia, Samoa. Yuck!!
© Claus Qvist Jessen |
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The local
game in Apia is checkers, and the men frequently spend most of the day playing while
sipping kava from coconut shells.
© Claus Qvist Jessen |
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| Tattoos play
a significant role in the tribal societies of the Polynesian Islands, here from Apia,
Samoa. © Claus Qvist Jessen |
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| Even without
a boat, the Pacific fishing can be quite good as shown by this huge jack, caught
spearfishing 50 meters from the western shore of Savai Island, Samoa. © Claus Qvist
Jessen |
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