November 18, 2012
We took a walk to the interior of the island in search of the fruit bats rumored to be there. The vegetation was thick and jungle-like, full of hanging vines and primordial-looking plant life. It even sounded like a jungle as some bird was making a howler-monkey-like call. At times, we were surrounded by butterflies, giving this place a magical feel.
Less magical were the giant Tongan spiders hanging about. They are as big as tarantulas, about the size of my hand, but with classic spider characteristics. (That, in my book, makes them worse than tarantulas.) We got to know these creepy crawlies on our mountain walk in Vava’u. Luckily, they like to hang up high; so you’re not likely to run into them. In fact would be possible to hike all over Vava’u and never notice them, but once you do, you can’t help but keep noticing them. We heard they aren’t poisonous, but there’s probably no need to be poisonous when your mere appearance can cause other beings to die of fright. (I know I would if I ever found one of these on me!)
We walked almost to the other side of the island but we never did find the fruit bats. The jungle atmosphere and butterflies made the walk worthwhile anyway, even with the giant spiders. -Cyndi
