Viani Bay - Lovo and some more pictures

We attended a lovo or feast arranged by Jack to raise funds for his daughter to study over-seas. The food is cooked in a pit lined with hot rocks and covered with leaves and, these days, blue poly tarps. Delicious food!

Lovo food - the coconuts contain a mix of taro leaves and onions cooked in cocunut milk - pasalmi. The pan contains taro and you can see breadfruit to the left side.

Rani helps move the food out of the oven.

Ubiquitous dogs

Charming little Tupo blows bubbles 

Jack shows us how to de-husk a coconut. He is a former champion at this.

Taranui III - Tony, the skipper gave the fleet a briefing on visiting the Lau Group of outer Fiji islands.

Lovely blossom drifts toward Ladybug. Note Ladybug's new red paint.

Blossom (Barringtonia Asiatica) up close

Blossom in place with seed pods

According to Wikipedia, these trees are also known as Fish Poison or Sea Poison Trees. All parts of the tree contain saponin, which apparently can be used to stun fish in freshwater streams. The seeds can float for up to two years on the ocean and like the coconut are great island colonizers. They were among the first seeds to arrive when Krakatoa emerged from the ocean (see http://www.naturia.per.sg/buloh/plants/sea_poison.htm). They line the waterfront near our boat.