Tonga A-Z Visitors Guide - Small Guide to a tropical paradise
 Small Guide Travel - Pacific specialists for holidays, romantic breaks, resort honeymoons and tropical weddings



Tonga - A

Tonga - A
 Tonga - B
 Tonga - C
 Tonga - D
 Tonga - E
Tonga - F
 Tonga - G
 Tonga - H
 Tonga - I
 Tonga - J
Tonga - K
 Tonga - L
 Tonga - M
 Tonga - N
 Tonga - O
Tonga - P
 Tonga - Q
 Tonga - R
 Tonga - S
 Tonga - T
Tonga - U
 Tonga - V
 Tonga - W
 Tonga - X
 Tonga - Y
Tonga - Z
 Tonga A-Z - The Tonga Visitors Guide

Featured Book

Moon Handbooks - South Pacific

Tonga


Tapa

The tapa cloth in Tonga comes from the paper mulberry tree (mostly on Tongatapu). The bark is stripped and beaten into pieces then hand-painted with natural brown and tan dyes. Most tourists call the finished product ‘tapa’ but is actually known as ngatu. Tapa is the cloth. Some souvenirs made from tapa are a tad tacky (purses, serving trays etc) but large pieces of ngatu make excellent wall hangings and are easy to take home with you. The rhythmic pounding coming from villages will be from women flattening the tapa. You’ll be more than welcome to watch the process and, with no sales pressure, you may be able to buy directly.
>Top 

Tasman, Abel

Dutchman, Abel Tasman was some explorer, especially when put in the context of him discovering Tasmania, New Zealand, Fiji and other parts of the Pacific some 130 years prior to James Cook doing similar. Tasman was the first European to visit Tongapatu and Ha’apai (1643) and he must have featured in Tongan dinner part conversation for several generations. As curious Tongans approached his ship in canoes, Tasman fired a gun and then, in succession, a trumpet, violin and flute were played. Even more curious.
>Top 

Taxes

There is a sales tax of 5% on all goods and services. Sometimes it can be difficult to tell if this is included in the price - it may be calculated in the ticketed price but sometimes added at the cash register or to a restaurant bill. The other tax visitors pay is the T$25 Departure Tax at the airport.
>Top 

Taxis

All registered taxis have a ‘T’ on the number plate but not all have meters. For short trips around town, the fare is T$1.50, $3 to $4 for longer trips and $15 to the airport. Always good to ask the price first and to carry small change with you. If you want a taxi on a Sunday, best arrange with a driver on Saturday and expect to pay a surcharge. On Vava’u taxis charge T$1.90 for the first km and 80 cents per km after that. If ringing for a taxi, do so when you need it - if you call ahead of the required time the request may get lost in the ether. Some taxi drivers double as tour guides for trips around the island and it will cost around the same as the daily rate for a rental car.
>Top 

Telephone Services

The government-owned Tonga Telecommunications Corporation is a monopoly. The best way to get in touch with family/friends back home is to purchase telephone cards or use Internet (see Cybercafes). There are telephones outside the post office, at the Telecom office and at the airport. The post office sells phone cards. Like anywhere on the planet, calls from your resort will cost more. The international access code is 00 and three-minute direct dial calls to Australia and New Zealand cost around T$4.50 (double to USA, Canada, Europe) with a $1 connection fee charged for each call. For the international operator, dial 913 and 915 for the inter-island operator. Tonga Telecom operates the kalianet.to email service (named after the ‘kalia’ - the double-hulled Tongan war canoe).
>Top 

Tennis

Tennis in Tonga is still developing as a competitive sport. The tennis courts in ‘Atele were officially given to Tonga Tennis Association in April 2007 after nearly two decades of appealing to the government (Ministry of Education) for this to happen. The courts were built for the South Pacific mini games in 1989. Now strategies are in place for competition and coaching for children so talent can be spotted and developed at an early age.
>Top 

Theft

Theft happens - not normally 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! Just use common sense and don’t leave things open to temptation.
>Top 

Time Zone

Tonga is one hour ahead of New Zealand Standard Time, three hours ahead of Australian Eastern Standard Time and a couple of decades behind the rest of the world in pace and stress. It’s the first country on the eastern side of the International Dateline so, technically, it is “where time begins”.
>Top 

Tipping

Tipping and bargaining are not part of the Tongan way of life but you may see ‘fakapale’ (gifts of money) given to performers at cultural events as a sign of appreciation. Spectators stick small bills to the well-oiled arms and shoulders of the dancers.
>Top 

Tofua

Tofua isn’t the world’s most accessible volcano, but it is accessible. Part of the Ha’apai island group, Tofua is a flat topped volcanic island with a steep and rocky shoreline all the way around. The 4km wide caldera has a freshwater lake 30m above sea level and 250m deep with steam and gases coming from a volcanic cone of the north side and a hot pool on the east. It takes about an hour to climb to the rim (500 metres). To get to the island you will need to charter a small boat from Lifuka or, from Nuku’alofa, charter the Seataxi. It takes around four hours each way by boat and costs T$1800 (up to five people) and an extra T$300 if you want to stay overnight (sleeping under a large tarpaulin). The Seataxi operation, which is also available for whale watching, fishing or dropping you to a deserted island with a pick up at a designated time. For a more accessible volcano (if they're your thing) try Mt Yasur in Vanuatu. Tofua also grows the most potent kava in Tonga.
>Top 

Tonga

Tonga means ‘south’ in the Tongan language. The kingdom is the oldest and last remaining Polynesian monarchy and the country has never been subjected to foreign rule. Four groups of islands make up Tonga - in the south, Tongatapu; in the centre, the Ha’apai group, in the north, Vava’u and further north thew isolated volcanic Niua islands. All up there are some 170 islands, 42 of them inhabited.
>Top 

Tongatapu

Tongatapu means ‘Sacred Tonga’ and is the centre of Tongan history, culture, political power and home to the capital Nuku’alofa and two-thirds of the population. Nuku’alofa is rewarding and there’s a lot to be explored away from town. There are stunning beaches, a dramatic coastline, blowholes and archaeological remains. Drop into the Tonga Visitors Bureau on Vuna Road for brochures and advice.
>Top 

Transvestites

The Fakaleiti, in western terms, are cross-dressers or transvestites. A Fakaleiti is a male child who decides, or is prevailed upon by his family, to dress and behave as a girl. Traditionally, if a woman had many sons and no daughters she would need one of the children to assist with ‘women’s work’ - cooking, cleaning etc - so would bring up one of the boys as a girl. These days it can be a lifestyle choice. Fakaleiti means like a lady and those who take that path refer to themselves as leities (ladys). There is no actual stigma attached to Fakaleiti and they mix seamlessly with the rest of society. To generalise, ‘straight’ Tongan males are ‘real men’ - and the women are feminine. Mainstream society treats fakaleiti with a complex mixture of impatience, mockery, tolerance, and admiration. And they sure know theire way around making frocks, hair-dressing, and decorating - particularly in the context of beauty pageants. The fakaleiti are part of the complex and someytimes paradoxical fabric of Tongan life - on one hand so conservative and church-going, on the other so tolerant of something many first world countries have trouble accepting.
>Top 

Travel Agents

An important question to ask any travel agent is “Have you personally been there?” Agents who rely on brochure information aren’t worth the paper they are holding (and brochures can rely on flattering words and photography). The author of this site is a licensed travel agent with offices in Australia and New Zealand. Feel free to contact for obligation and cost-free advice and pricing - email here. Apart from Tonga, travel can also be arranged to Vanuatu, Samoa, Fiji, New Caledonia, Hawaii and the Cook Islands.
>Top 

Traveller’s Cheques

These days traveller’s cheques can be cumbersome when credit cards/debit cards are accepted by most establishments and ATMs (mind you, some businesses charge a fee of 5% for credit card use). Travellers from Australia and New Zealand should take cash - it can be used in many places and easy to exchange for local currency. If you are a fan of traveller’s cheques be aware that the banks may charge a commission. At the time of writing Westpac charged T$8.10 per traveller’s cheque (the ANZ only 10 cents). There’s no American Express representative in Tonga.
>Top 

Tu’i Malila

Tu’i Malila was the name given to the male tortoise from Madagascar presented to the Tu’i Tonga by Captain James Cook on one of his voyages. It made the Guinness Book of Records for animal old age and died in 1965. The photo below (1954) shows Queen Salote introducing a young Queen Elizabeth and Prince Phillip to Tu’i Malila when he was a mere 180 years old. The secret to longevity for the tortoise family is their pace (not a lot of energy exerted) and because, unlike us, most of their vital organs don’t weaken with age.
>Top 

Tupou IV, King

King Taufa’ahau Tupou IV GCMG, GCVO, KCMG, CBE, KBE was born in 1918 and became king in 1965 following the death of his mother, Queen Salote. As a youth he was a keen sportsman and a preacher (he remained a lay preacher in the Free Wesleyan Church until his death). He was educated at Newington College and studied law at Sydney University. He ruled until his death in 2006 and was a formidable and imposing ruler. A tall man (6’5” or 195cm), he was known as the heaviest monarch in the world in the 1970s/1980s (over 440lbs or 200kg). In the 1990s he lost a third of his weight when he took part in a national fitness program. He was a man of strength and intellect and much loved and respected by his people. His death pre-empted a new mood with many Tongan people who want a more transparent and democratic structure in the political/royal sphere.

Here’s the official announcement of King Tupou IV’s passing from the Tongan Prime Minister:

“It is with deep humility and profound sorrow, shared by the Royal Family, Government, Nobles, Church Leaders and the people of Tonga, that I respectfully announce the most lamentable passing away of His Majesty King Taufa’ahau Tupou IV, which occurred in Auckland, New Zealand, at 11:34 pm on 10th September 2006 (New Zealand time), 12:34 am on 11th September 2006, (Tongan time). His Late Majesty will arrive in Tonga by a Royal New Zealand air force flight on Wednesday 13th September, 2006. He will lie in State at the Royal Palace, and the State Funeral will be at the Mala’e Kula Royal Tombs, on Tuesday 19th September, 2006. To honour His Late Majesty King Taufa’ahau Tupou IV, most beloved Monarch of Tonga, the period of State mourning shall be one month beginning from today and ending on 17th October, 2006. During this period all flags throughout the Kingdom shall be flown at halfmast.”

A link to the website for the Tongan Royal Family - www.palaceoffice.gov.to.

>Top 

Web Site By PDIS

    Home : Top : About Us : Contact