The head of Tonga's geology team says scientific data from NASA about emerging life on the country's four year old volcanic island is hugely exciting.
The government's considering officially naming the island as its future now appears more certain.
The island currently called Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai, formed after an undersea volcano erupted in January 2015 and at first was expected to erode and disappear within months.
The Deputy Secretary for Tonga's Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources, Taaniela Kula, told Jenny Meyer about the department's latest journey to the island with the NASA team late last year.
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Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha'apai Photo: NASA