'All we can do is sit back and pray': Southland's Tongans wait to hear from family

Monday, 17 January 2022

The footage, shot from the top of a hill, shows the power and speed of the tsunami as it quickly submerges a home.

Southland’s Tongans are still waiting anxiously to speak with family on the islands.

Tsunami waves hit Tonga on Saturday night, after a series of eruptions from the underwater volcano Hunga Tonga Hunga Ha'apai.

Most of the communication links to the island nation have been damaged.

Southlander Alini Finlayson, originally from the capital Nuku’alofa, said two of her family’s homes have been destroyed.

Finlayson had been in contact with her brother as the tsunami approached but lost contact and does not know where he, or her sister, is.

Dipton woman Alini Findlayson is waiting to hear from her brother and sister in Tonga after a volcanic eruption and tsunami at the weekend.

Kiwis have been urged to donate cash rather than goods, due to the difficulties in transporting supplies to the stricken islands.

* Tonga community in Nelson has anxious wait in wake of eruption, tsunami

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“It’s so sad, I was crying about Tonga.”

In this satellite image taken by Himawari-8, a Japanese weather satellite, and released by the agency, shows an undersea volcano eruption at the Pacific nation of Tonga Saturday, Jan. 15, 2022. An undersea volcano erupted in spectacular fashion near the Pacific nation of Tonga on Saturday, sending large waves crashing across the shore and people rushing to higher ground. (Japan Meteorology Agency via AP)

“There’s something there that’s not right, I think.”

Findlayson’s nephew, his wife and one or two friends went fishing in a dinghy on Saturday before the tsunami arrived.

She thought they may have gone to an island near the capital called Pangaimotu, but was not sure, and she wished they had taken a larger boat.

Findlayson was also concerned about her deceased parents, who were buried close to the shore in Nuku’alofa.

Invercargill’s Taufa family are waiting for word of their family in Tonga, after a tsunami hit the country on Saturday night. At back, from left to right: Tevita, Cassandra and Tu’iniusili Taufa. Front: Marie, Amie, and Lupe Taufa.

She, who had lived in Southland for 60 years and farms at Dipton, was now waiting to speak to her family, and apprehensively checking whatever news updates she could find.

However, she believed those in the capital would be okay.

Amie Taufa, 24 of Invercargill, was on the phone to family as the waves came in, but had also since been cut off from speaking or communicating with them.

Minister of Defence Peeni Henare has said there is still no time frame for the reconnection of communication with Tonga and is asking for 'a little bit of patience'.

Taufa and her family were now fasting to keep their faith going.

“All we can do is sit back and pray, which is what everyone is doing at the moment.”

Most of Taufa’s family were on ʻEua, about 18 kilometres south-east of Tongatapu, and Vava'u, about 300kms north of Nuku'alofa.

The volcano is about 65kms north of Tongatapu.

Family of hers on Vava’u would have gotten the black ash from the eruption, she said, which she saw from news coverage.

Her dad Tevita had been trying to call every couple of hours since the communication lines went down, she said.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern has confirmed a second aircraft, a C130 Hercules, is departing New Zealand this afternoon headed for Tonga. She said the plane would contain much-needed provisions. It follows the departure earlier this morning of an Orion plane tasked with assessing the impact of the tsunami and eruption.