The Kingdom of Tonga, which lies in the
South Pacific Ocean, is made up of about 170 islands, with
three dozen of them being inhabited. The country is
situated south of Samoa, and between Hawaii and New
Zealand. Tonga has a population of about 110,000 people
with Nuku’alofa being the capital. Almost three quarters
of the residents live on the main island of Tongatapu.
It’s thought the islands were colonised by
Polynesians around 1500–1000 BC and the first European visitors
arrived in 1616 when a Dutch ship arrived to trade goods. It
became a kingdom in 1845 and then a British protected state in
1900, before gaining independence in 1970.
The weather in Tonga, which is also known as the
Friendly Islands, is ideal for visitors any time of the year as
it’s basically warm to hot, with February and April seeing a bit
of rain. This makes it a great place to grow vanilla beans,
coconuts, coffee beans, bananas, taro, cassava, and yams.
Tourism isn’t rampant, but Tonga sees its fair
share of visitors each year as the country has quite a lot to
offer and it’s a common place for cruise ships to make a stop.
Vava'u is pretty popular as its beaches make it a great spot to
go surfing, game fishing, swimming, yachting, and whale
watching.
You can fly into the islands at the
international airport which is on Tongatapu and about a
30-minute drive from Nuku'alofa. Most of the flights arrive from
New Zealand, Samoa, Australia, Fiji, Hong Kong, and Los Angeles.
When arriving, you can get into town by taxi and bus. You can
also reach Tonga by sea. If you want to travel from island to
island you will have to fly or go by boat. In fact the local
flight from Tongatapu to 'Eua is only eight minutes long and
thought to be one of the shortest scheduled flights in the
world.
Getting around an island can be done by renting
motorbikes, bicycle, and scooters as you can hire them on Vava’u,
Ha’apai, and Tongatapu. You can also rent cars on Tongatapu and
take taxis and buses. Day tours to tourist sites can also be
booked. Before driving, you’ll have to buy a local driver’s
licence.
The largest island of Tongatapu is surrounded by
coral reefs and has some interesting sites to see. These include
coastal blowholes, wonderful beaches, and ancient tombs. Some of
the smaller islands to the north have been turned into resorts
and the capital of Nuku'alofa has some fine hotels and guest
houses for all budgets.
The island of ‘Eua is features beaches, dramatic
cliffs, and the biggest tropical rain forest in Tonga, which is
an ideal spot for hiking. Eua has a few guest houses to stay at.
Vava’u consists of over 50 islands and possesses
a wonderful harbour across from the town of Neiafu. This is
where many of the visiting boats dock. The water is quite clear
here a favourite spot of humpback whales from June to November.
There are quite a few hotels in Neiafu and on the nearby
islands.
Ha'apai consists of around 60 islands with
wonderful beaches, snorkelling and diving. There are several
places to stay from inexpensive top top-class resorts.
The traditions and culture of the island are
influenced by Polynesia, Melanesia, British, Chinese, and other
Pacific Islanders. You won’t have any problem finding people who
speak English as it’s the official language along with Tongan.
Most local activities in everyday life are influenced by local
traditions and the Christian faith. This means most businesses
are closed on Sundays.
There are enough bars and restaurants to form a
pretty lively nightlife and local feasts are often organized
that feature excellent regional dishes and traditional dancing.
Like most nations down in the South Pacific,
rugby is the favourite sport in Tonga, with rugby union being
the national sport, followed in popularity by rugby league.
American style football is also played quite a bit and several
Tongans have made it to the NFL.
The islands of Tonga are ideal for those looking
for a relaxing nature-related holiday with a lit bit of history
sprinkled in.
