by Alan Kilpatrick.
See below. A Burton Bros image 2707 of Nukualofa, the capital of Tonga. A wooden building is being constructed; the Royal Palace was constructed in 1867, so it is probably the Faiva Tokaikolo Church, immediately adjacent to the Palace.
In June-August 1884 Alfred Burton made two separate trips from Auckland to the Pacific Islands on board the S.S. Wairarapa. On the first trip in June, the ship called at Fiji only. It had been intended for the cruise to continue to Samoa and Tonga, but an outbreak of measles on board caused the vessel to return to Auckland from Fiji. The second trip left Auckland on 7th July, and the ship called at Fiji (again), Samoa, and Tonga, before returning on 2nd August.
Upon his return to Dunedin, Alfred published a booklet entitled "The Camera in the Coral Islands" which gave a commentary on his trip, and made the following additions to the firm’s catalogue:
- 2501-2612 Fiji
- 2613-2673 Samoa, and
- 2674-2729 Tonga
