Captain James Cook, in the 1770s, named Tonga the “Friendly Islands”; and the moniker stuck because it’s true. People are warm, hospitable and represent a unique Polynesian culture about 3,000 years old. It’s common to see locals in traditional clothes, a man sporting a tupenu, a wrap-around skirt and a woman wearing a kiekie, a decorative waist garment.
Tonga is a great place for water sports including swimming with humpback whales, surfing, ocean kayaking, game fishing and year-round diving and snorkeling. Recreation is not limited to the water as Eua has many trails with dramatic viewpoints, Vavau coastal trails and Haapai uninhabited atolls and volcanoes to explore.
Tonga is the last Polynesian kingdom and a nation never colonized. It’s a constitutional monarchy and a strongly Christian nation that is socially conservative. Churches are ubiquitous with services often continuing throughout the day, especially on Sundays where nearly all commercial businesses are not allowed to operate.
Tonga has something to appeal to everyone. All travelers I know enjoyed their time there. For a flavor of what’s there, see my photo gallery.
Note, in this post, there is no use of apostrophes in Tongan names. They signify a break between syllables, usually two vowels.
Why We Went to Tonga?
Where is Tonga?
Tonga is an archipelago of about 170 islands located in the Southern Hemisphere of the Pacific Ocean. Tonga’s nearest neighbors are hundreds of kilometers away over the Pacific Ocean.
Tonga stretches about 800 km / 500 mi north-to-south, yet the land mass is small, less than a quarter of the size of the smallest U.S. state Rhode Island and a little more than twice the size of Malta.
Tonga has forty-five inhabited islands and three main island groups: Tongatapu, located in the south; Haapai, in the central region; and Vavau, in the northern part of the archipelago. This map from Geology.com shows how the islands are spread out.
How to Get Around Tonga?
Tongatapu is the main island of Tonga and the site of the capital, Nukualofa. It’s located in the southern island group with the same name and the country’s most populous island, with around 75,000 residents, 70% of the national population.
We were planning on spending five days in Tongatapu and three days in Vavau. However, the flights from the former to the later were indefinitely canceled and a ferry ride would have taken between 16 to 24 hours each way. So, we decided to stay our eight days in Tongatapu, which worked out well. We were fully occupied each day and traveled without stress.
We rented a car for our whole time there. We could have seen the main sites by taxis and tours but with a car we meandered through rural villages, remote coastlines and other off-the-beaten-path places. The main roads were generally good and the countryside reminded me of the southern U.S. in the 1980s with scattered small houses surrounded by forested areas, farmland and roadside stands such as the one below.
Here’s a map of some of the places we visited:
On Jan 15, 2020, the underwater Tonga–Hunga Haapai volcano erupted, causing a tsunami. As a result, most of the beaches and lodges on Tognatapu were destroyed. While we were there, we were surprised to see it still in shambles.
We also took a passenger ferry to Eau Island for a day visit, although there’s a seven-minute flight there (one of the shortest in the world).
Who are the Tongans?
Tongans are of Polynesian ancestry, closely related to Samoans, with a bit of Melanesian genes from Fiji. Tonga is 98% Tongan and the rest is European and Other Pacific Islanders, plus Chinese and Indians who control a significant portion of Tonga’s retail sector. Tongans definitely have a Polynesian look as shown by this man working in a warehouse…
and these students.
Almost the entire population identifies as Christian with the largest denominations being the Free Wesleyan Church, a Methodist affiliate but “free” because it’s self-governing, having gained independence from the Methodist Church of Australia in 1977. The Tongan Royal Family has had a close relationship with it since it was established and many consider it the de facto state church.
Next largest is Mormonism, which explained why locals told us about visiting Utah or having relatives there. We even saw a group of Mormon high school students from the U.S. while walking around Nukualofa. Next largest is Roman Catholicism. The country’s constitution establishes Christianity as the state religion but guarantees religious freedom.
Churches are in every community of any size in Tonga. They typically are the highest structure, such as this domed one we saw in Western Tongatapu.
What are Important Events in Tonga’s History?
Tonga was settled about 3,000 years ago, one of the first islands in Polynesia, the triangle between Hawaii, New Zealand and Easter Island. By the 12th century, the Tongan kings loosely ruled other Pacific people including those from Samoa and Niue.
Tonga was spotted by European sailors in the early 17th century. Captain Cook visited three times, in 1773, 1774, and 1777, followed by missionaries about fifty years later. After their arrival, most Tongans converted to the Methodist and Catholic faiths.
Over the last 1,200 years the Kingdom of Tonga has been ruled by three dynasties. King George Tupou I in 1875 established a modern, written constitution. In 1900, Tonga became a British protectorate where the Royal Family maintained domestic control but the British directed foreign affairs. Tonga became an independent and sovereign nation within the British Commonwealth on June 4, 1970.
Tupou IV is the current King and, like his predecessors, is revered by Tongans. On the front gate of the Royal Palace, the Tonga Coat of Arms has three stars representing the main islands, a crown for the monarchy, a dove with an olive branch for divine peace, and three swords symbolizing the historical royal dynasties. At the bottom “God and Tonga are my Heritage” is written.
Surprisingly, there’s no official specification of exactly how the coat of arms should look. The design on the front gate of the palace is different from the old black and white copy once used by a government printer on official stationery and both are different from the copy on the prime minister’s office webpage.
How Long to Spend in Tonga?
I strongly recommend spending at least a week in Tonga. A visitor can easily spend two to three weeks going to two or three of the main island groups.
Is Tonga Safe?
Tonga is a safe country as crime rates are low, though an occasional pick pocketing does occur. As everywhere, visitors need to use reasonable caution and common sense.
Cyclones and tsunamis periodically occur. If there’s a warning, everyone must take it seriously.
The country has conservative laws including prohibition of female topless bathing and same-sex sexual activity between men. Illegal drug use can result in a prison sentence.
We saw packs of dogs outside of Nukualofa, apparently some are associated with homes and others are feral. Locals know to throw rocks or use a stick if a menacing pack approaches.
Is Tonga Expensive?
Tonga is generally cheaper than many other Pacific islands. Some activities like swimming with whales are expensive. Prices for lodging and restaurants range from budget to luxury.
The paanga is the currency of Tonga, divided into 100 seniti. The usual abbreviation is T$. In Nukualofa, we saw huge signs explaining the currency as new notes were introduced in 2015.
Where to Stay in Tonga?
We stayed in the Seaview Lodge and Restaurant in Nukualofa, a short walk to the Royal Palace. We had furniture you’d expect in an English inn, air-conditioning and our own bathroom. The restaurant was good and we ate there many nights. The loquacious Rosita, who was always our waitress, made it special for us with stories about her family and explanations about Tongan society.
What Languages Are Spoken in Tonga?
Tongan (Lea Faka) and English are the two official languages. Tongan is one of the multiple languages in the Polynesian branch of the Austronesian languages, spoken from Hawaii to New Zealand. While Tongan is the most widely spoken, English is widely known in the country’s most populated cities and in Tongatapu.
Knowing a few Tonga words is polite and appreciated by locals. The minimum to memorize: malo e lelei (hello), malo (thank you), Io (yes), ikai (no), kai (food or eat) and fale (house or stand-alone cabin in a resort). It’s advisable to listen online for pronunciations.
What to Eat in Tonga?
Tongan cuisine features fresh seafood, root vegetables, and tropical fruits, which is typical in Pacific islands. For our special meal, we went to the Waterfront Café in Nukualofa where we both had breaded, fresh fish fillet with eggplant, mushrooms and other vegetables.
When in the Nukualofa area, we frequently stopped by The Friends Café for cappuccinos or lunch. The restaurant is a meeting place for locals and visitors.
Nukualofa
Nukualofa is located on the large, flat, coral limestone island of Tongatapu, which has a land area about a third of the land mass of New York City. The island’s climate is wet from December to April and dry from May to November.
The city is the capital of Tonga and the home of the Royal Family. It has deep anchorage by the Queen Salote International Wharf and Vuna Wharf, which can accommodate cruise ships with capacity of around 3,000 passengers. Luckily for us, there were none there during our stay.
The city has enough restaurants, cafes and grocery stores to address one’s hunger. There are some galleries and a post office to send post cards. Ours arrived at their destinations, unlike the ones we mailed in Tuvalu.
We walked through the central area but a few times we drove to outlying areas.
Royal Palace
The wooden Royal Palace, which was built in 1867, is the official residence of the king. The palace is not open to the public but visible close to the waterfront. The building is a blend of traditional Tongan architectural styles and Victorian influences. While the palace dwarfs all other homes we saw, the royal family has other residences.
Waterfront Park
Between the Royal Palace and the Ferry Terminal is a waterfront park which is lovely to walk in and relax on benches, along with local folks. There is an area with exercise equipment, such as a parallel bars. While messing around on them, I eventually was able to raise my legs to a right angle.
The amount of effort I exerted reminded me that I’m not getting any younger. For instance, in 2009, I had no trouble doing a L-sit at the Monastery of Saint Moses the Abyssinian (Deir Mar Musa) in Syria.
Centennial Church of the Free Church of Tonga
The Centennial Church of the Free Church of Tonga (not to be confused with the Free Wesleyan Church) was severely damaged by Cyclone Gita in 2018 and entering is not allowed. Centennial refers to the fact it’s over 100 years old as it opened in 1885.
It resembles European ones from over a millennium ago. Overall, it has a Romanesque look with its massive appearance, thick stone walls and large towers. The flying buttresses on the side and large rose window in the front are reminiscent of Gothic churches.
Interestingly, it has rectangular windows and not ones with rounded or pointed arches common to the two European architectural styles I compared it to.
Royal Tombs in Malaekula
Malaekula is a royal burial ground across the street from the Centennial Church of the Free Church of Tonga. The tombs with white concrete statues house the monarchs of the Tupou Dynasty, starting with King George Tupou I, buried in 1893 after dying at age 95. The cemetery complex is off limits to the public, but you can observe them by looking through the perimeter fence.
Fehoko Oceanic Art
In many places in Nukualofa, we saw awesome wood carvings, such as this huge octopus in the lobby of the Waterfront Lodge & Restaurant.
We read about the Tonga art at Fehoko Oceanic Art and with a few missed turns and driving on dirt roads, we finally found it. While our walls, floors and mantles at home are full of items from our travels, we couldn’t resist buying a primitive-design, wood carving made by the artist Steven Fehoko that fit into our carryon.
Nukuleka
We met Donga in the fishing village of Nukuleka which is much calmer than the relatively busy capital.
She graciously shared seaweed with us which she was collecting. It was different from the nori we normally eat in Japanese restaurants, as it was composed of many little pods. She hardly spoke English, so I couldn’t get an explanation of how seaweed was captured inside bags sitting in the shallow water.
Some archaeologists feel this is the location of the first Polynesian settlement, although probably a majority still believe it’s in Samoa. This theory is based on the decorative motifs of unearthed pottery which are characteristic of the Lapita culture. These seafaring people originated in Taiwan and northern Philippines and spread across Melanesia, Micronesia, and Polynesia, from 1600 BC to 500 BC.
Captain Cook Landing
Captain James Cook was a British Royal Navy officer, explorer and cartographer who led three voyages to the Pacific and Antarctic Oceans between 1768 and 1779. He landed in Tonga in October of 1773. According to his diary he was “welcomed a shore by acclamations from an immence crowd of Men and Women not one of which had so much as a stick in their hands”. In 1970, Queen Elizabeth II visited and commemorated his second landing in 1777 to this mangrove cove.
On the cement surface adjacent to the monument, two women were preparing ngatu (cloth made from mulberry bark) used for decorative painting with stencils called kupesi. In Tonga, ngatu are used for clothing, bedding, room dividers, and ceremonial coverings for important events.
Paepae O Telea Royal Tombs
The Paepae O Telea has two of over 25 terraced royal tombs called langi in the area, made from large slabs of limestone and coral.
The most famous of these tombs captures the remains of Telea, a 16th-century king. This remarkable stonework demonstrates the affluence and the reverence by the Tongans of the monarchy, at the time the tombs were built and now by how they are maintained.
Haamonga a Maui Trilithon
Haamonga a Maui is a trilithon (two stone posts supporting a stone lintel) built in the 13th century by King Tuitatui in honor of his two sons. The monument is sometimes called the Stonehenge of the Pacific. The Tonga name roughly translates to “The Burden of Maui.” The word haamonga means “a stick with loads on both ends, carried over the shoulder”. Maui is a supernatural hero in Polynesian tradition.
Near the trilithon is part of a stone throne called the esi maka faakinanga (“stone to lean against”). When a security-conscious king was seated with his back against the stone, he was safe from assassins attacking him from behind.
Anahulu Cave
Anahulu is a karst cave with stalactites and stalagmites. Ana means cave, so the translated name is Hulu Cave Cave, but this is a pedantic thing to point out.
The cave has freshwater pools and visitors swim and cool down in the biggest one. The cave is open 24/7 but there’s a string of lights on only when the caretaker is outside collecting entrance fees.
A beach is past the entrance of the cave and it’s a good place for snorkeling and swimming.
Mapua Vaea Blowholes
The Mapua Vaea (Whistle of the Noble) is a stretch of blowholes for many kilometers. When waves crash into the volcanic rock, natural channels allow water to forcefully blow through and create a plume-like effect.
I enjoyed sitting on the wall overlooking the ocean and photographing the waves and marine geysers.
Tsunami Rock
On Jan 15, 2020, the underwater Tonga–Hunga Haapai volcano, 65 km / 40 mi from Tongatapu, had a massive eruption. The sound was beyond thundering and there was a terrifying earthquake. The sky became dark from the sulfur ash in the air, which lasted for a few days until rain dissipated it. The eruption dumped 400,000 tons of sulfur dioxide into the air causing slight cooling of winters and spectacular sunsets. The resulting tsunami caused extreme damage in Tonga and neighboring island countries.
The power and scale of the eruption was literally comparable to an atomic bomb. It generated the largest atmospheric explosion recorded by modern instrumentation. The plume rose 58 km / 36 mi into the sky. It was heard more than 2,000 km / 1,200 mi away in New Zealand, where the sound arrived two hours later.
The tsunami was so strong, it moved ocean coral into 7 massive boulders over the western coastline of Tonga. The largest, now known as the Tsunami Rock, is 9 m / 30 feet high and weighs over a million kilograms.
A tree near Tsunami Rock seemed to have recoiled in horror (a la Edvard Munch’s The Scream) at the devastation.
Three years later when we were there, destroyed structures and damaged beaches remained. The government, with foreign aid, has built some replacement homes, some of them for Tongans who lost their homes on other islands. A silver lining was that volcanic ash enriched the already productive soil.
The Tonga Meteorological Services issue tsunami warnings that cautioned residents to stay away from low-lying areas, beaches, and harbors. These warnings, along with Tonga’s long-standing practice of running tsunami drills saved countless lives during this natural disaster.
Abel Tasman Landing
In 1643, Dutchman Abel Tasman was the first European to set foot on the Tongan archipelago. His expedition traded with locals for supplies after a long journey from Mauritius. In Kanokupolu, there’s a memorial plaque of his landing and a beautiful ocean view.
Of note, he was also the first European to set foot in the island of Tasmania, which was named after him in 1885.
Eau Island
The hilly and forested Eau Island (pronounced “Ay-wah”) is unlike the flat and agrarian Tongatapu. Only 5,000 people live on this small island, a great place to snorkel, hike and explore caves. It’s accessible from Nukualofa by a seven-minute flight but we wanted more flexibility on when we arrived and left, so we took the ferry taking over two hours each way.
Interestingly, the island is not volcanic, as it was shaped by the mashing of the Tonga Plate against the Pacific Plate. However, the soil of Eau is volcanic, as that of Tongatapu, but only the top layer, deposited by eruptions of nearby volcanoes 10,000 years ago.
On the way, we saw passengers in the warm light of sunrise.
Fonua, whose family has run the Alakoka Guesthouse for decades, guided us in his 4WD.
While we were there, his father was leading a party of guests for ocean fishing.
We saw sheer cliffs on the east side of the island next to the Tonga Trench, second deepest in the world next to the Mariana Trench. On the south side, there were grassy cliffs which contrasted with the deep blue sea.
We were enthralled by herds of beautiful horses we passed.
We saw whales in the distance, sometimes good swimmers can share the water next to them, especially in August and September. However, Vavau is the best place to go for this amazing experience.
There’s a wooden platform claiming one can be the first to see sunrise in the world. However, this honor belongs to Kiribati, which is further east, but still west from the International Date Line which was altered to put the country into the same day.
We should have spent another day here, hiking through the rainforest and checking out interesting rock formations and sea cliff vistas.
On the way home, the ferry was more crowded than in the morning and many were resting on the floor.
One local woman was surprised that we came to Tonga, as it’s so remote. As part of the hospitality of the country, she offered me apparently what was her last bottle of water.
Lakalaka
Tonga’s national dance, lakalaka, is expressive choreography and a chorus of singing with accompanying music. The term means “to step briskly or carefully” and the tradition developed in the nineteenth century.
The dancers were rewarded with the insertion of cash into their costumes or stuck onto their oily arms by the audience of mostly Tongans.
We saw this performance at the Oholei Beach Resort, which provided a decent buffet and transportation if requested. They also had a fire dancer outside at the end, but it was a teenage apprentice who needed more years of training.
Cemeteries
We saw many cemeteries, from over a hundred graves to a couple, scattered throughout the country. Often the graves had plastic flowers, woven decorative cloths and various images of the deceased and Jesus. Graves were spaced unevenly, contrary to a grid layout.
Final Thoughts
Whenever I travel, finding a local bookstore is a delightful experience. I was thrilled then to browse through the Friendly Islands Bookshop.
As I walked around, I noticed a number of shelves with bibles and Christian publications. It made sense when I learned it’s owned by the Free Wesleyan Church. There used to be a number of these throughout the country, but this is the only one left, which is a minor miracle because it was destroyed in the Nukualofa riots in 2016.
It sells a combination of school, new and secondhand books; as well as stationery and office supplies. The top seller is a local publication, ”Making Sense of Tonga”, which is a guide for palangis (white people) to understand Tonga’s complicated social structure.
I had run out of magazines to read and needed something to pass the time on the many forthcoming hours of flying. I was so grateful to buy “In Search of the Friendly Islands” by veteran Tongan journalist Kalafi Moala. In his survey of Tongan society, he exposed the good and the bad, on topics that would be unlikely to be discussed between visitors and locals. I was especially intrigued by how tradition and modernity coexist in Tonga and in the diaspora. I also bought a copy of Jack London’s “Call of the Wild” which I read in high school.
My main purpose in traveling is to learn about the culture and history of the places I visit. Moala’s book definitely helped in this regard for Tonga.
In Tonga, every day I encountered something new, from handicrafts to traditional attire and from religious denominations to memorials to past kings. I’m not always so fortunate to experience local culture to this degree when traveling in other countries. The reason is not that I searched so hard, but that Tongans are eager to share their heritage and it was no effort to observe. The ease in which a visitor can immerse themselves into the local customs is one more reason to visit Tonga!
