Tonga A-Z Visitors Guide - Small Guide to a tropical paradise
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 Tonga A-Z - The Tonga Visitors Guide

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Tonga


Safety

Visitors to Tonga should feel completely safe. There is little violent crime and a great sense of ‘community’. However, theft can happen - not through malice but simply because the concept of individual ownership of material goods is not totally accepted. So, don’t leave valuables unattended, including clothing and shoes. If your towel ‘goes missing’ overnight, it’s simply because someone had need of a towel! Tourists all over the world are easy targets for theft. They carry money, passports and cameras and are easily distracted when surrounded by new cultures and surroundings. You wouldn’t leave your wallet on the dashboard of an open car at home, why do it on holidays? If, for some reason, you find yourself in a position of having to defend yourself (e.g. approached by a drunk wanting an argument) it is best to quietly walk away from the situation, even if it means apologising for something you didn’t do. Keep in mind that if an argument did come to blows you would probably come off second best.
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Sales Tax

There is a sales tax of 5% on all goods and services. It can be difficult to tell if this is included in the price - sometimes it is calculated in the ticketed price, sometimes added at the cash register or to a restaurant bill. Just go with the flow.
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Salote

The name of the much-loved monarch who served the Kingdom from 1918 to 1965. The name is pronounced ‘Salohtay’. More here...
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Samoa

Halfway between Fiji and the Cook Islands and just the other side of the International Dateline from Tonga is Samoa - the beautiful white sand beaches, blue-green waters, swaying palm trees and friendly locals seduces visitors as does fa’a Samoa (the Samoan way). Whether it’s romance, soft adventure or a family holiday you’re looking for, there’s accommodation and activities to suit all tastes and budgets. Visit Samoa A To Z for more information.
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Sandy Beach Resort

Sandy Beach Resort (Ha’apai): This is THE spot to stay in the Ha’apai group of islands. There are 12 beachfront bungalows, no children under 16, an excellent restaurant and sensational snorkelling, diving, swimming and kayaking on the doorstep with non-motorised watersports and bicycles free. There is a charge for boat trips, diving and horse riding. Your friendly host is friendly German Jurgen Stavenow. The weekly Tongan show is also very good.
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Scuba Diving

The scuba diving in Tonga is simply outstanding and relatively inexpensive. Visibility can be up to 50 metres and there are reef, wreck, cave and drop-off dives on offer. You may even get to share the dive with dolphins and whales. Two tank dives cost between T$90 and T$115 and Open Water accreditation courses (5-day course with 5 compulsory dives) from T$400 to T$530. There are professional dive operators in Nuku’alofa, Lifuka and Neiafu. Rather than list the popular dive sites (the best dive site may well be one that nobody has ever dived before!), here are some of the major dive operators contact details:

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Sea Snakes

You may come across the occasional sea snake if snorkelling or diving and you really shouldn’t touch them. The usual story is that their mouths are so tiny they could only open wide enough to bite the webbing between a baby’s fingers. Not having a baby to test this theory, we’re not willing to offer our own webbing to prove/disprove this.
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Sharks

Sharks do have mouths large enough to bite areas large than finger webbing and they can be found in areas where whales are, particularly calves. It’s one of the reasons we recommend that whale-watching be done from a boat rather than in the water.
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Shirley Baker

Shirley Baker was male missionary who established the Free Wesleyan Church. More here...
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Shopping

If colourful Tongan shirts take your fancy, head to Look Sharp Tonga and Blue Banana Studios in Nuku’alofa. Olga’s Clothing on Vava’u makes clothes to order. If looking for souvenirs or supermarket items, see below.
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Sightseeing

Nuku’alofa is an easy place to explore on foot. Start at Vuna Wharf… opposite is the Treasury Biuilding (1928). Head up Railway Road (the only one-way street) for the House of Parliament (like the Royal Palace, it was built in New Zealand and reassembled, in 1894). Cut through the park across the raod to the Tongan War Memorial then turn left on Taufa’ahau Road to the Primje Minister’s Office. Continue west to the Victorian Royal Palace. Back on Vuna Road (west) there are many fine colonial-style residences. Mt Zion is the site of an 18th Century Tongan fortress and the first missionary chapel. South from here is Centenary Church (can seat 2000 people!). The mansion next to the church was the residence of missionary and Tongan premier, Rev. Shirley Baker (the church’s president lives there today). Continue to Laifone Road for the Royal Tombs and the nearby Catholic Basilica of St Anthony of Padua (impressive two-storey church with arched roof and soaring interior). The Tonga National Centre is also pretty much a must-do. There are handicraft demonstrations (tapa, canoe making, carving, weaving) as well as art and historical displays. Weekdays there’s a BBQ lunch and fashion show (12:30pm) and at 2:00pm a two-hour guided cultural tour including story-telling, kava ceremony and traditional dancing. Tuesdays and Thursdays are usually the best days to visit because of the dinner show (T$20) - a huge buffet dinner, kava, traditional dancing, string band etc.

On Vava’u (Neiafu) it is even easier to explore on foot, taking time to simply soak in the character of the town. The cemetery between the Bank of Tonga and the Mormon church is an excellent example of the traditional langi type (burial mounds). The old fig tree in front of the post office is the local meeting place. For a panoramic view of Port of Refuge and the islands, climb Mt Talau (131 metres).

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Snorkelling

For snorkelling from Nuku’alofa, you can take a day trip to one of the islands (like Fafa Island Resort) or head west from Nuku’alofa to Ha’atafu Beach on the point. The snorkelling on Ha’apai and Vava’u is also sensational (take a day excursion by boat from Neiafu).
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Souvenirs

The most popular place for handicraft souvenirs is the Tonga National Centre in Nuku’alofa but things can be expensive and not exactly traditional (tikis, non-traditional masks etc). Take the time for a wander and a shop around if looking for baskets, mats, tapa etc. A few places worth checking out are Langafouna (Tongan Women’s Association Handicraft Centre) on Taufa’ahau Road in the centre of town; FIMCO (Friendly Islands Marketing Cooperative Handicraft Shop) or Kalia Handicrafts opposite the Tungi Arcade; upstairs at Talamahu Market and Tapa Craft (next to the Baha’i Temple on Lavina Road). If you are specifically looking for tapa, keep an ear open for the sounds of mallets beating the cloth as you travel about. You should be able to buy direct from one of the ladies in the village.
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Sport & Recreation

There’s pretty much every major sport played in Tonga from archery to golf to sumo wrestling but most visitors will be looking for watersports. Vava’u has lots of protected waterways for kayaking and yachting. Tonga’s best fishing charter boats are also on Vava’u. Divers are well-catered for on all three main islands, good snorkelling is easy to find and bareback horse riding along beaches is also popular.
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Squash

Squash is not one of the biggest sports in Tonga. And, to be honest, sweatily running around chasing a little black ball in tropics is probably not on a high list of priorities for most visitors. However, the squash pumpkin, cucurbita maxima, is one of the main cash crops. Tongan farmers became interested in squash pumpkin because of the high demand (and price) from the Japanese market. Squash has replaced banana and copra as the major agricultural product for Tonga's exports. The pumpkin industry is regarded as the most important and profitable agricultural industry in Tonga. If you do want to tee up a game of squash, the Tonga Squash Racquet Association’s number is 24 500.
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Sun Protection

In the tropics the sun is close, hot and powerful so do apply good sun protection. Even if wearing a hat/cap - the reflecting waters can also burn. Apart from skin damage, there’s not much worse than a dose of severe sunburn to take the fun out of holiday. Wear a hat, sunglasses and slap on the sunscreen and keep hydrated with plenty of water. Even after doing this, most visitors will still go home with a tan if the weather is fine. In case of sunburn, women will find moisteriser soothing and men might like to try Viagra - at least it can keep the sheets off them.
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Sundays

Sunday is a Day of Rest in Tonga so shops and attractions are closed. The rest of the week has days of rest where everything is open. The Sabbath is enshrined in the Constitution as sacred - it is against the law to work, hold sporting events or trade on Sundays. Contracts signed on a Sunday are not valid. Saturday can be an important part of Sunday for visitors. Be sure to stock up on snacks, alcohol and any other necessities in advance.
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Supermarkets

The Molisi Tonga Supermarket (opposite the Talamahu fruit and vegetable market) opens Monday to Thursday from 8:00am to 5:30pm and Fridays and Saturdays from 8:00am to 10:00pm. The biggest supermarket in Nuku’alofa is the Kinikinilau Shopping Centre (Salote Road toward Faua Jetty). There’s also the Tonga Cooperative Federation Store opposite Tungi Arcade on Taufa’ahau Road. On Vava’u, there are two supermarkets across the street from one another - Tonga Cooperative Federation Store and Vava’u Trading Centre. Get your fruit and vegetables from the ‘Utukalongalu Market near the main wharf and fish from the locals when the return to the harbour.
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Surfing

Surfing can be great but, like many places in the Pacific, it’s not a sport for novices because of the reefs below. A popular spot on Tongatapu is Ha’atafu Beach. Southern swells arrive May to September and northern swells December to February.
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Swimming

If you don’t like the idea of swimming or at least getting wet in warm, clear, clean, tropical waters well, perhaps Tonga is not the place for you! Remember there are no lifeguards so keep an eye on children and if a current does draw you away, go with the flow until you can safely get to the shore.
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