“Sorry about all this traffic,” the taxi driver remarked as we drove through this “city.’
Traffic? None that I could see. Even traffic lights aren’t necessary in Tonga.
A Tongan will apologize for just about anything that he thinks might inconvenience a visitor to his country, even the world’s smallest traffic jam. It’s one of the characteristics of the kingdom that is so endearing, and one of the reasons why, for more than 300 years, Tonga has been called “The Friendly Islands.”
Capt. James Cook, who visited this South Pacific island kingdom three times in his voyages, bestowed that affectionate appellation in 1777 after attending a Tongan feast.
It may be a lot more developed than in Capt. Cook’s day, but the kingdom has changed very little since my first visit in 1982 and subsequent visits.
The 45-minute ride from the airport on the main island of Tongatapu into the kingdom’s diminutive capital of Nuku’alofa takes you along narrow, quiet country lanes lined with coconut palms.
Interspersed among the palm trees are lush gardens overflowing with tropical produce. Husbands and wives tending their crops together look up and smile as you drive by. Modest, unpretentious homes dot the roadside, their grounds neat and well-tended. Now and then you come across a family out for a ride in horse-drawn carts. Schoolchildren, dressed in neat uniforms, wave to you enthusiastically.
And every so often a couple of foraging pigs, destined to one day grace a Tongan feast, dash out of yards, slowing you down just a bit. Except for those small pigs and some of the schoolchildren, no one in Tonga seems to be in much of a hurry.
Living a slow-paced life in the midst of serene scenery, peerless beaches and in an idyllic climate seems to have made the Tongan people almost universally warm and good-natured. Politeness is a way of life, and Tongan hospitality is world-renowned.
The ancient Polynesian culture that still thrives throughout the kingdom’s three island groups — Tongatapu, Ha’apai and Vava’u — places a premium on a code of conduct called “nofo fiefie,” which means one is always supposed to make others feel at home. Tongans believe in greeting strangers with a warm smile and a friendly “malo e lelei,” which means hello.
It is in keeping with the Tongans’ nature that they would neither question nor argue with a New Zealander’s claim that their island nation will be the first in the world to greet the Year 2000. But it seems appropriate that the sun will smile first on Tonga as that day dawns.
Located about 500 miles southeast of Fiji and 1,200 miles northeast of New Zealand, just west of the International Date Line, this tiny country of 170 islands (134 of which are uninhabited) was the first, and is now the last, Polynesian kingdom.
Perhaps because it’s a true kingdom (the king isn’t just a figurehead, he rules) and perhaps because it is the only South Pacific islands group never brought under foreign rule, Tonga is the best place to observe Polynesian culture still largely intact.
It may be a remote spot on the globe and it may have the look and feel of ancient Polynesia, but Tonga is not a roughing-it destination. It could be attached to a trip to New Zealand or Fiji, but it is well worth a special trip and lengthy stay.
Accommodations, while not in the multi-star category, can be quite comfortable and pleasant, and they are bargain-priced.
Tonga is English-speaking (one of its two official languages, the other being Tongan), but it is not for those seeking the bright lights of the big city. Nuku’alofa, Tongan for “Abode of Love,” is a dusty, tiny town of mostly old wooden buildings, with a couple of modern structures here and there. Its population of 20,000 is one-third of the population of the main island and one-fifth of the population of the entire kingdom. Like so much about Tonga, it seems out of a different era.
A common sight on its streets are men and women dressed in their traditional ta’ovala, a finely woven pandanus leaf mat worn over a wraparound skirt or kilt and secured with a cord of coconut fiber. Wearing such mats around their waists is considered a sign of respect for the king, just as wearing a necktie is considered a sign of respect in Western cultures.
Catching a glimpse of the 81-year-old monarch, His Majesty King Taufa’ahau Tupou IV, is a favorite activity for tourists and Tongans alike. The easiest way to do so is by attending Sunday services at Nuku’alofa’s Free Wesleyan Centenary Church. Unless he is sick or traveling, he’ll be there with the queen and other members of the royal family.
Another hit with tourists is the fact that Tongans produce the most beautiful, the best quality and the best-priced handicrafts in the South Pacific. Good buys include sweaters and dolls hand knitted from imported New Zealand wool, and tapa, produced by women pounding the bark of mulberry trees into long thin pieces of cloth onto which they paint traditional designs using brown and tan dyes.
But shopping and the sights of the Greater Nuku’alofa area are not, of course, what draws visitors to Tonga. It’s the fact that the kingdom offers every attraction that one dreams of finding in a South Pacific paradise. Besides beautiful beaches, scenery and sunsets, it offers the opportunity to swim, snorkel, scuba dive and go deep-sea fishing in some of the most inviting waters in the world. Nuku’alofa even has a 9-hole golf course.
It has perhaps the best climate in the South Pacific. Because it is in the Southern Hemisphere, Tonga’s seasons are technically the reverse of those in the United States, but actually the change of seasons in the kingdom is minor. Daily temperatures average 84 degrees during the warmer season and 70 degrees during the cooler season with mild humidity tempered by fairly constant and gentle trade winds.
To experience the Tonga of South Seas paradise imagery, it’s hard to top a stay at the moderately priced Royal Sunset Island Resort, generally considered the most lovely of the few island resorts off the coast of Nuku’alofa, a 20-minute boat ride away.
All guests enjoy their own comfortable beach house, nicely landscaped for maximum privacy, with a white sand beach and warm sea just a few steps out the door. The resort offers daily excursions to the main island of Tongatapu for shopping and touring as well as deep sea fishing excursions that rank with the South Pacific’s finest.
When it comes to eating out, nothing matches a genuine Tongan feast. To describe such a feast as gargantuan is an understatement. The Tongan Cultural Centre and others sponsor them regularly.
A feast always includes a song and dance program. Tongan dance remains as it has for centuries. Unlike the Tahitian tamure or the Hawaiian hula, a Tongan dance tells a story with minimal motion by the woman dancer. She uses motions of head, hands and feet, not hips, in graceful movements that contrast sharply with the whirlwind, warrior-like stomping and swirling of the Tongan male dancer.
A Tongan experience that is reminiscent of a different era is spending a Sunday here. The kingdom’s constitution declares the Sabbath sacred. Everything closes down, even restaurants, except those at tourist hotels. Airplanes do not land or take off. Boats do not load or unload. Driving a car, bus or taxi is prohibited. Tongans don’t fish, work in the garden or even hang out the laundry on Sundays.
Just about everyone in the country dresses up in their Sunday best and heads to church, Bible in hand. The sounds of hymns fill the air. Small wonder that Tonga is sometimes called the most Christian country in the world.
Tourists who want to escape the Sunday prohibitions can hop a boat to an offshore island resort, but the wise traveler makes it a point to attend a Tongan church service. Like most Pacific islanders, Tongans are magnificent singers. The melodious sound of the a cappella singing of a Tongan church congregation is an unforgettable delight.
The main island of Tongatapu is certainly representative of the entire kingdom and is in itself a rare treat, but if time permits, it is a good idea to take advantage of Royal Tonga Airlines’ nearly daily service and reasonable rates to visit some of the kingdom’s other island groups.
The Ha’apai group, in whose waters Fletcher Christian led the mutiny on the Bounty, offers miles of exquisite, isolated beaches.
So does Vava’u, the crown jewel of the kingdom. Spectacularly scenic, with one of the world’s finest natural harbors, Vava’u is one of the loveliest island groups in the South Pacific and an even better bargain destination than the main island of Tongatapu.
Come New Year’s Eve, Tonga will be temporarily overflowing with visitors. It is the first appreciable land mass in the world to greet the sun of each new day. For many, that makes it the place to be to usher in the Year 2000. But few Tongans make much ado about this.
What Tongans care about a lot more is their relaxed, ancient Polynesian way of going about things. The islanders call it mo’ui nonga — a peaceful life.
That’s what draws me back time and again. There is so much more to Tonga than just an idyllic climate and tropical beauty. What makes a visit so memorable is the people and their culture.
And perhaps for a little while to share in their mo’ui nonga.
IF YOU GO
GETTING THERE
Air Pacific (800-227-4446), Fiji’s national carrier and partly owned by Qantas, flies from Los Angeles to Tonga three days a week. Air New Zealand (800-262-1234) flies to Tonga from Los Angeles once a week.
LODGING
The Royal Sunset Island Resort, just off the coast of Nuku’alofa, and Paradise International Resort, in Vava’u, are the two best places to stay. Both offer extraordinary value. Call the Royal Sunset at 800-968-4345. The Paradise International does not maintain a phone number in the United States, and calling Tonga is an ordeal — better to let a travel agent handle arrangements for you. Likewise for the International Dateline Hotel, generally considered Nuku’alofa’s best, which is adequate.
DINING
Tonga offers a good variety of quality food at bargain prices. Nuku’alofa has surprisingly good restaurants. Davina’s is a favorite. Attending a Tongan feast is an experience not to be missed. Drinking water is safe.
GUIDEBOOKS
A number of guidebooks to the South Pacific region include adequate coverage of Tonga, but by far the best is “Tonga” from Lonely Planet Publications. Compact and fact-filled, it covers history and culture very nicely and misses nothing when it comes to what to see and do.
MONEY
Tonga’s currency is the pa’anga; one U.S. dollar equals approximately 1.50 pa’anga. Major tourist facilities accept all leading credit cards and travelers’ checks.
ENTRY DOCUMENTS
U.S. citizens need only a valid passport and an onward ticket — no visa required.
INFORMATION
The Consulate of the Kingdom of Tonga (Suite 604, 360 Post St., San Francisco, CA 94108; 415-781-0365) has neither a toll-free number nor an adequate supply of tourism information. Better to call Brendan Tours (800-421-8446; e-mail info@brendantours.com), which offers Tonga tour packages, some including a stopover in Fiji. Or contact Air Pacific Holidays at 800-887-2933. Or check the Tonga Web site: www.tongaonline.com.
