Ovava playground tree | The Family Without Borders

The Family Without Borders

The Travelling family

Tonga

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Ovava playground tree

Tonga, Eua Island: Big 'Ovava Tree (Strangling fig tree)

„Kids-friendly place“, „Perfect family destination“, „We have amazing playground and babysitter, come to visit our hotel“…. You know what? This is an amazing playground!

In the middle of a jungle, in darkness, impossible to catch it whole on one picture: big ovava tree (or banyan, or strangler fig tree) is a place to discover with your kids. Well, and husbands.

This one is 800 years old and people say it was an inspiration for the Tree of Souls in the movie „Avatar“. I don’t really think that James Cameron was really in this jungle but it doesn’t matter. A sunset under, in and on this tree is an activity to be done.

Such a tree starts with the main host tree in the centre and then it sprouts out new roots and vines in the air and hang down and eventually reaches the ground below. There are dozens and dozens of trees in one. A water stream must be nearby, because ovava needs a constant water supply.

Trees like this figure prominently in several Asian and Pacific religions and myths, no doubts about it. We were truly amazed too.

One day we will create such a playground in Europe. I guess some security ropes and helmets will be needed but here we are free to climb, wherever we want. Half of our family climbs more and half less, but even counting those branches and roots, guessing which one is which one and finding beginnings and ends – makes it already the best playground we found on the Pacific.

This one is on Eua island in Tonga, but you can find many of them around. We give it a stamp: „perfect family destination“ ;)


Our first book is out!

We have published our first book (for now just in Polish:) about our Central America Trip.
See, read and order here »

One Comment

  • Gosia
    Posted August 20, 2014 at 10:00 | Permalink

    Gdzie planujecie spotkanie i pokaz zdjec w Warszawie? I kiedy mniej wiecej planujecie powrot z tej podrozy?pozdrawiam:)

    Reply

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