Highest elevation of the 169 Tonga Islands is Tongatapu at 213 feet. Tonga offers a flat, tropical landscape. It is comprised of coral limestone covered with fertile soil and ash that came from eruptions of nearby volcanoes. Nuku’alofa is the cultural and political capital. Viewed the wooden Royal Palace, the Royal Tombs and the spot where Captain Cook first landed in 1777. We also learned about Tonga Traditions through demonstrations. .
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Wooden Royal Palace in the background is the residence of the King of Tonga.
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| King of Tonga's Palace. It was made of wood in New Zealand and sent to Tonga to be assembled. The King of Tonga does not live there. We were not allowed on the grounds. |
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| This was our lovely guide. She is studying to be a minister like her father and brother. She is wearing black for two weeks as she is in mourning because a cousin has died. The woven decorative skirt worn over her black clothing is often worn by those who work. |
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| Map of Tonga shown during the Port Talk. |
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| These two women are wearing ta'ovala, a mat wrapped around the waist. It is worn by men and women at all formal occasions. It takes the place of a tie. These two women are in mourning. |
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| This young woman is a virgin preparing the Kava for the Kava Ceremony. |
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| Many families cannot afford markers. They do many different things to honor their loved ones. |
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| Male dancers dance in an aggressive, powerful manner. |
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Families cannot afford markers. They make signs and quilts to mark the graves of loved ones. The higher the grave the more respected the person.
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| Female dancers use hand movements to tell a story like Hula Dancers. Their movements are graceful while the male movements are aggressive. |
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Ha'amonga'aMaui The trilithon is constructed of three coral limestone slabs and each upright stone weighs approximately 30 to 40 tons. There is no agreement about when it was built or why it was built. Ha’amonga’a Maui trilithon - one of Polynesia’s most intriguing monuments. Two stones support another stone to make an archway.
We also visited landing spot of Captain Cook near Mu’a village.
Tongatapu/Nuku'alofa, Tonga - The highest elevation of the 169 Tonga Islands is Tongatapu at 213 feet. Tonga offers a flat, tropical landscape. It is comprised of coral limestone covered with fertile soil and ash that came from eruptions of nearby volcanoes. Nuku’alofa is the cultural and political capital. This is the most populated island, in 2006 - 72,000 people lived there. We were greeted by a police band playing and native dancers. The first building we passed was a large, modern office building that the Chinese government built for the Tonga government.
We did a walking tour of the town with a guide. Viewed the original wooden Royal Palace located on the waterfront. It was made in New Zealand and sent to Tonga to be assembled in 1867. The King of Tonga does not live there, he lives in a palace further inland. We were not allowed on the grounds. Royal Tombs are the burial place of past kings and there is a statue of each king by his burial site. The next stop was the Talamahu Market selling fresh produce and local arts and crafts. Tapas prints were nice, as well as wooden carvings.
In the afternoon, we rode on buses to Ancient Tonga, a center where we learned about authentic customs and Tonga Traditions through demonstrations. This was a very professional presentation done by people in authentic dress. It was informative and entertaining. A virgin must prepare the Kava Ceremony, which was our welcome. An oil is rubbed on her shoulder, if it is absorbed she is not a virgin. An emcee told us each step of the Kava preparation and the Kava ceremony. He explained the female dancers use hand movements to tell a story like Hula Dancers. Their movements are graceful while the male movements are aggressive and powerful. Even if a man and woman dance together the roles remain the same. People from the audience modeled ta'ovala, a mat wrapped around the waist. It is worn by men and women at all formal occasions. It takes the place of a tie. Different reed mats are wrapped around the waist for every day, for mourning, for weddings, and for the rich, The most expense ta'ovala is worth over $4,000 and felt very smooth. We learned about herbs for medicine, peeling coconuts, tapas, cooking and more.
As we traveled there, we passed some well-kept houses and some needing repairs. There is a golf course. The cemeteries were interesting. If the people cannot afford a marker they lay beautiful quilts on the grave or hang quilts from frames. Some have signs created to honor their loved ones. They may build a small pavilion over the grave. The higher the grave, the more respected the person. We stopped by Captain Cook's 1777 landing site. We also visited Ha'Amonga'A Maui, a Stonehenge-like structure. Three large coral/limestone slabs, believed to weigh 30 to 40 tons each, were used to create a gateway. It is believed to date back to 1200 AD. This may have been a gateway to a royal compound or may have been a lunar calendar.
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