Destination -
Kingdom of Tonga

Currency - Pa'anga (TOP)

Climate

Language

Tongan is the official language but English is widely spoken. Pick up a "Some Useful Tongan Words & Phrases" brochure from the Tonga Visitors Bureau on Vuna Road or do some research before you leave home.

Nuku'alofa

The majority of Tonga’s population lives in Nuku’alofa and its surrounding villages. Outside Nuku'alofa the Island is comprised of farm land, small villages, plenty of churches and extensive coastline. As you drive around the Island you will see colourful cottages on large sections full of tropical flowers, abandoned cars, chooks, piglets and children. You’ll pass makeshift kiosks set up by enterprising locals selling coconuts, watermelon and vegetables.

Talamahu Market, Salote Road (Monday-Saturday, early morning - 4.30pm)
Talamahu market is a must visit. Outside the market coconuts, pineapples, taro and other fruit and vegetables spill around groups of women and children. Inside the market fruit and vegetables are laid out in orderly piles on wooden tables. You will also find stalls selling handcrafted handbags, woven baskets, trays and mats, carved wooden items and jewellery. Upstairs is clothing and more jewellery. Please note: Bargaining is not practiced in Tonga, it will be considered ill-mannered if you ask for a discount.

Other Tongan Feasts held on Tongatapu (information courtesy of Tonga Visitors Bureau)
'Oholei Beach and Hina Cave Feast and Show, Wednesday and Friday at 6.30pm. $35, transfer $15. (Lonely Planet's current recommendation).

Vakaloa Beach Resort, Friday at 7pm. $35, transfer cost negotiable.

International Dateline Hotel, Wednesday at 7pm, $30 (may be cancelled for less than 20 guests).

Liku'alofa Beach Resort, Wednesday and Friday at 7pm. $35 with free pick up.

Good Samaritan Inn, Friday at 7pm. $25, transfer negotiable.
(The photos below are of a feast and traditional dance show we attended at the Good Samaritan in 2004).

Day trips from Tongatapu

Tongatapu Island Tour

Mapu’a ‘a Vaca blow holes
The blow holes are located near Houma, around 14 kilometres from down town Nuku'alofa. As waves break, sea water is pushed up through vents sending jets of water surging toward the sky. The blow holes stretch around five kilometres of coastline, when the sea is rough the water can shoot up to 30 metres in the air. We returned to the blow holes on our latest trip (they're not too far from Ha'atafu if you have a car), the blow holes are still as impressive as ever.

Captain Cook’s Landing Site (Holonga village)
Legend has it that Captain Cook visited Tonga in the 1770s on more than one occasion. In 1777 he is said to have anchored the Endeavour in a lagoon near Holonga village and had a nap under a banyan tree. Due to the agreeable nature of the people he met on his journey Captain Cook is known for labeling Tonga “The Friendly Islands”. Legend has it though that when Captain Cook visited in 1777 various nobles were arguing over who should have the opportunity to attack his vessel and kill off the sailors. Had he been aware of this he may well have been less complimentary about the island and its inhabitants.

Lunch
We stopped at a road side stall to purchase coconuts, watermelon, bananas and pineapple for lunch. The fruit was set up on a table outside a family home and a toot on the horn brought someone out to take the money - not a bad way of doing business.

Langi Tombs
We were told that in years gone by village chiefs were buried here and the practice at the time was that two commoners were chosen to take the chief to the burial ground and they were not allowed to return to their village, they had to be buried with the chief. (For more information about burial grounds pick up a "Tongan Archaeology Lapaha - The Royal Village" brochure from the Visitors Bureau on Vuna Road).

Ha’amonga ‘a  Maui Trilithon
Erected in 1200AD (don't quote us on that!) the Trilithon is two large pillars of stone that stand vertically upright supporting a horizontal length of stone. This may not sound like anything extraordinary, but each stone weighs about 40 tonnes. There has long been speculation as to what this structure is however it's generally accepted that it is used for determining the seasons.

'Anahulu beach & limestone cave
When we visited the cave an old ticket office was decaying outside, there may be a charge to enter these days. There are steps carved inside the cave so that you can walk into the humid interior dripping with stalagmites. At the base of the cave is a large pool, only the children in our group were brave enough to swim in it. Take a torch if you have one.
 
Kolovai Village - known for its flying foxes (fruit bats) 
It’s quite hard to see the bats but if you look closely you’ll see them folded into triangles and hanging from tree branches. During the day they sleep but at dusk they unfurl their wings and fly off in search of fruit. The bats are protected as the only land mammal native to Tonga and they are the official property of the King.

Talafo’ou - “Village of the Snorkeling pigs”
During our stay on 'Atata Island we saw lone pigs out snorkelling for shell fish but at Talafo'ou we saw whole families out snorkelling for their daily catch.

Eating Out

Self Catering

Wheels

Car Hire
On the spur of the moment we hired a car for the day from Fab Rentals on Salote Road in Maufanga. Car hire is inexpensive* and we paid $50 plus petrol for a Honda Odyssey, petrol is around $2.45 per litre. The staff at Fab were great, if you visit their office in person you might see how the phrase "organised chaos" could apply. For information about other hire companies and driver licence requirements follow the Fab Rentals link above. *(One day car hire is not that cheap if you include the cost of obtaining a Tongan driver licence, around $60). (Also see the note on condition of roads and cars below).

Taxis & Buses
Both taxis and buses are privately owned, we didn't use either service but like most things in Tonga they will be reasonably priced. The main bus station is opposite the Tonga Visitor Bureau on Vuna Road. On Sunday there are no buses, it's possible that your accommodation provider may be able to arrange a taxi.

Accommodation

• Faua jetty - catch boats to Pangaimotu, Fafa and Royal Sunset Island Resorts. Catch ferries to 'Eua, Ha'apai and Vava'u nearby.
  


• Eating options - Billfish Bar & Restaurant, Pot Luck Restaurant, Fish 'n Chip shop, Beach Hut and Reef cafe.


• Shopping - Catholic Womens League Handicraft Centre; Saturday morning flea market.


• Self catering (note that there are no cooking facilities at Waterfront Lodge) - stalls selling fruit and vegetables are nearby. The Tu'imatamoana Fish Market is at the wharf opposite. A street side shop selling packaged goods, milk, water etc is two minutes walk down Vuna Road in the direction of town. A small supermarket is in the green building with the Melie-Mei-Langi Money Transfer sign on the front, it's located one street behind Waterfront Lodge, walk 5 minutes down Salote Road in the direction of town.
  
  
• Car hire/Petrol station - Fab Rentals is one block behind Waterfront Lodge on Salote Road, walk away from town. A BP petrol station is also located on Salote Road, head in the direction of town.

Trivia

• From 1984 to 1998 it was possible to purchase Tongan passports and citizenship for US$20,000. Imelda Marcos is said to have purchased a passport along with citizens from China, Taiwan and Hong Kong. The new passport holders may have thought they could get easy access to New Zealand, Australia and the United States however these countries chose not accept the fee paying passport holders across their borders. Selling citizenship was a scheme masterminded by a previous Tongan King. The scheme proved successful in generating a considerable amount of money however the King was persuaded by an American to invest the majority of funds in dubious US companies. The money disappeared but many “new” citizens now call Tonga home. (Source: old Lonely Planet publication)
  
  
• Sunday is sacred and almost everything closes. Your options on Sunday include attending a church service or visiting Pangaimotu Resort (more information above). There are no buses and no taxis (unless your accommodation provider can organise one for you). Only a few cafes/restaurants located outside hotels/resorts open on Sunday.
  


• You will find over 500 churches in Tonga.    



• According to the trivia in Friends Cafe - Tonga has the most PhDs per capita of any country in the world. Tonga's monarchy is one of the world's oldest, the first Tu'i Tonga, Ahoeitu came to power in 950AD. Tonga has never been colonised.
  
  
• Tonga produces its own coffee - brands include Kingdom Koffie and Tu'puanga.



• The local Friendly Islands Lager is Mata Maka (farewell Ikale).



• If you want to drink the juice from a coconut, apparently you can only open one of the three holes, try the hole on the biggest third. You get milk from the coconut by squeezing it out of the coconut flesh.
  
  
• Kava powder is for sale at a shop in the departure lounge of Fua'amotu airport. We can't confirm whether you're able to take it through customs, nor whether it tastes like the real deal, if so let us know.

What to pack

• Mosquito repellent
• Reef shoes, also consider taking your own snorkel equipment
• Sunscreen and sun hat
• Small umbrella for impromptu showers and to use as a sun shade
• If you're going to hire a bicycle you might want to pack your helmet as they're not provided
• Drivers licence
• Chippies, peanuts etc are expensive so you might want to take your own supply
• Reuseable water bottle
• Resealable plastic bags for camera/food storage
• Torch and maybe some cutlery to slice up fruit and veges from market stalls
• It's against Tongan law to appear in public without a shirt. Pack clothes with sleeves, long shorts, long skirts and dresses for women. Most Tongans swim covered up so outside resorts swim in shorts and t-shirt. If you intend to go to a church service pack a set of smart clothes and shoes.
• A note on safety for solo female travellers - I don't recommend walking around alone after dark. Tonga like any country may not be safe for lone females in places where men congregate and alcohol may be present.

Further information

Personal Note
I think Tonga gets a bad rap at times, particularly the main island Tongatapu and its capital Nuku'alofa. When I visited a travel agent to enquire about Tonga the agent commented that they didn't often get enquiries about Tonga. Her colleague went on to say that it was because she told people not to go (even though she hasn't visited Tonga herself). The travel agents know their client group a lot better than I do of course but I have also read comments suggesting visitors leave the main island, and Nuku'alofa, as soon as they can. People travel for their own reasons and have expectations (or not) about the countries they visit. However I hope the information and photos above show that the main island of Tongatapu, and its capital Nuku'alofa, are well worth a visit for a few days and are not just a launching pad to 'Eua (part of the Tongatapu group), Ha'apai, Vava'u and the Niuas.

We did think that there was a bit more rubbish around Nuku'alofa than when we first visited in 2004 and as mentioned some cars on the road would not get a warrant of fitness in New Zealand. It's also a shame to see a couple of abandoned properties along the scenic waterfront. The "Concrete Parks" that Lonely Planet highlight in their South Pacific Guide looked like tidy foundations for new buildings (but are the result of a pro-democracy riot in 2006). There were less "Concrete Parks" than we expected, although there is at least one new building near the town centre and a multi level building under construction near Cafe Escape, so rebuilding is well underway.

Tonga isn't the destination for you if you're looking for a resort with a swim up bar and a bar person to shake you up a cocktail. However if you are prepared to take a country as you find it, I'm sure you will be more than pleasantly surprised with what the Tongan people and the Tongan islands have to offer. As for us, we would like to return to Tongatapu and also explore the other island groups, Chathams Pacific are apparently doing a great job as Tonga's domestic airline.

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