Volume 1- Issue 4 www.nukualofatimes.tbu.to March 18, 2015 FREE
TOURIST INTEREST
LOCAL NEWS
New island could be an added attraction for visitors
NUKU’ALOFA (Nuku’alofa Times): The newest island on Tonga can become a tourist attraction if it is confirmed to be safe and will be there for a long time. Local businessman GP Orbassano, who was one of the first to visit the island recently, said the island, which formed between Hunga Ha’apai and Hunga Tonga earlier this year, appeared to be stable “and had already attracted thousands of seabiards”. Mr Orbassano took photos of the island, which appear here in this issue of the Nuku’alofa Times. The Lands and Natural Resources Department and partner experts from New Zealand had visited the island in late January, after the volcanic eruptions which had caused the formation of the new land mass ended. That eruption started in late December 2014. The island is yet to be named. Some say the land mass is fragile and may soon disappear. Nuku’alofa Times is working on getting confirmation from the different government stakeholders on the status of the land mass and what could become of it. But there is certainly a likelihood that the island could become a major tourist attraction - especially for those interested in studying such land formations. If the island is confirmed to be safe and will stand the test of time, it will certainly become an island of interest for tourists who might also want to see what life exists on it. Meanwhile, there are reports of several names being proposed for the island. One proposal is to name the island after Prime Minister Akhilisi Pohiva, a pro-democracy champion who recently became the first elected commoner to be Prime Minister. Another proposal is to name it after Valerie Adams, the Olympic shot put champion from New Zealand whose mother is from Houma. Hon Vuna Fa’otusia, Tonga’s justice minister, said the government would not name the island unless geological authorities confirm that it will remain for a long time.
The new island and what it looks like through the lens of Mr GP Orbassano, who took these photos when he visited the island recently
“Normally the King names new islands but the cabinet has no resolution yet to decide a name,” he told Kaniva News. The first photographs of the island emerged this week after three locals climbed to the peak, some 820 feet high. Mr Orbassano said the island was still hot and smelt strongly of sulphur. He said he believed the island would be there for some time and could become a tourist attraction.
However, most scientists believe the island is unstable and is likely to erode into the sea within months. An island which formed in nearby waters off Tonga in 2009 later connected to the nearby volcanic land mass. Tonga’s Lands and Natural Resources Ministry recorded the birth of the island in the January, stating: “During our observations the volcano was erupting about every five minutes to a height of about [1,300 feet], accompanied by some large rocks.”
Cyclone Pam leaves 24 dead in Vanuatu and thousands homeless REGIONAL NEWS
PORT VILA, VANU AT U ( S B S / P a c i f i c Media Watch): Twenty-four people have been confirmed dead days after Cyclone PAM lashed the Pacific island nation of Vanuatu. “There are 24 confirmed fatalities, 11 from Tafea, eight from Efate and five from Tanna,” the UN’s Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs said in a situation re-
port. SBS correspondent Stefan Armbruster, who is in Port Vila said the storm hit the archipelago on Friday night, damaging up to 90 percent of homes in the capital, with aid agencies warning that conditions were among the most challenging they have faced. “Despite reports of severe and widespread damage, Shefa remains the only province declared an emergency at this stage,” OCHA said, referring to the region
that includes Port Vila. More than 3000 people were in 37 evacuation centres, and aerial assessments have been conducted by military aircraft from Australia, New Zealand and New Caledonia. “Radio and telephone communications with outer islands is yet to be established,” said OCHA. Water restored
In Port Vila, access to water has been partially restored, stores have
begun reopening and the town’s airport has finally begun accepting flights. Aid workers have started streaming in to take the measure of what many have said might be one of the region’s worst weather disasters. “It lasted for hours, it was endless,” said one taxi driver in the capital, still visibly in shock from the storm that hit the island chain on Friday night. “The cyclone terrified us. I have never seen anything like it,” he said.
His house was flooded, but not destroyed like many of the others in the town. Around him, trees, metal roof sheeting and all manner of debris littered the road from Port Vila’s international airport to the town. At the beach, several boats lay on their side. Bigger and more solidly constructed buildings largely remain standing but almost all have suffered some damage. President Baldwin
Lonsdale described the cyclone as “a monster”and appealed for international aid. “This is a very devastating cyclone in Vanuatu. I term it as a monster, a monster,” he said. “It’s a setback for the government and for the people of Vanuatu. After all the development that has taken place, all this development has been wiped out.” He said he could not reach his family due to the breakdown in communications.