 | Things to Do in Tonga 
 
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 | Tonga Things To Do | Tips 1 - 10 of 38 |  | ||
Popular Things To Do | Miscellaneous Things To Do Tips | All Tips (38)
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 | While you're in Neiafu, the... |    |  |
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 |  on August 25, 2002 |
While you're in Neiafu, the main town in Vava'u, go to the top of Mt. Talau. The mountain is actually part of a very small National park just to the west of the town. Get a taxi there and arrange with the driver for a pick up a couple of hours later. One way from the town is T$2. Great views of Neiafu, the scenic Port of Refuge harbour, and islands of the Vava'u group. |
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| The floorshows organized by... | | |
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 |  on August 26, 2002 |
The floorshows organized by the Island Resorts are very nice. The performers are people from the staff or from nearby villages. That is why the dances and songs are genuine.In this picture, you can see Sulia leka (the little one, since her mother’s name is the same), a lovely dancer who is nearly 4 years old. |
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| Fafa Island Boat trip | | |
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 |  on April 10, 2007 |
Fafa Island makes quite a first impression with its white sand and turquoise waters . Set on a 19 acres island 30min. by launch from the main island of Tongatapu is beautiful Fafa Island . We spent the day snorkelling on the coral reef and roaming the empty beaches . The ticket to Fafa includes lunch at the resort for about $60.00. We bought the ticket in town the day before. |
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| Captain Cook's Landing Place | | |
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| on April 8, 2007 |
Just before the village of Mu'a we see the stone-and-brass monument marking Captain Cook's Landing Place. The great British explorer landed and rested under a large banyan tree here when he came ashore in 1777 to meet with Pau, the reigning Tui Tonga. He attended the traditional presentation of first fruits marking the beginning of the harvest season. Out guide told us that in reality there was a plan to assissinate him at that meeting and he never learned how narrowly he escaped. |
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| Royal Palace | | |
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| on April 8, 2007 |
The Tongatapu Royal Palace is not so grand by our standards but it sits on a choice spot in town overlooking the ocean . When we were there the new King hadn't moved in yet , perhaps concerned about security.. Maybe he had good reason ...there was a mood of change in the wind. |
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| Swimming Pigs | | |
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| on April 8, 2007 |
The north coast of Tongatapu is where at low tide you will see pigs swimming . Most of the pigs belong to the families across the street from the beach . We caught the pig in the picture on his way home after a dip. Fun to watch but not iinviting for a swim. |
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| The caves | | |
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| on April 8, 2007 |
The paved road ends at Niutoua, but a narrow dirt track proceeds down the east coast. Anahulu Beach has a cave with limestone stalactites near the village of Haveluliku. If you have a chance to go to the caves be warned this is nature in its raw form . There are no lights in there and the bats are buzzing overhead. You need to bring a big flashlight. If you brave it however yuu will be rewarded with a cool place for a swim. |
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| Lapaha | | |
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| on April 8, 2007 |
The town of Lapaha, was the seat of the Tui Tonga for 6 centuries, beginning about A.D. 1200. Today near the road we saw all that remains of the royal compound ...a series of langa, or ancient terraced tombs. Legend has it that the supreme Polynesian god came down from the sky about A.D. 950 and sired the first Tui Tonga. The last Tui Tonga, who died in 1865 is buried in one of the tombs. There are 28 tombs around Lapaha and Mu'a but none of them have been excavated. We see flowers all over the newer tombs where the government minister and his wife who died mysteriously in a car crash are buried ....we could feel an undercurrent of political unrest . Our guide tells us this minister was for change. |
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| Flying Fox | | |
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| on April 8, 2007 |
These were not new to us , we had seen them in Australia . Still they are fascinating creatures. They look like big fruit hanging in the trees. You can often smell them before you see them . Even though it was mid morning and they are nocturnal , they were still flying about. They are a bat with a foxlike head found on many islands in the Pacific. On some islands they are considered a delicacy. In Tonga, however, where they live in trees throughout the villages of Kolovai and Ha'avakatolo, they are thought to be sacred, and only members of the royal family can shoot them. Legend says that a Samoan princess gave the first bats to a Tongan navigator. |
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| Swim with Whales in the Vava'u Group | | |
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 |  on October 3, 2006 |
Tonga is one of only a couple places in the world where you can legally swim with Humpback Whales. I spent two days “swimming” with the whales in the Vava’u Group, and while it wasn’t the religious experience that others have described it certainly was time well spent. Seeing a mother and calf swimming in close proximity from an underwater perspective is truly amazing. But whale swimming definitely isn’t for everyone. Basically, this is what happens. You locate a mother and calf. You then follow them around for an hour or so from a distance, hoping that they will settle down and allow a closer approach. If they do settle, you get closer and quietly slide into the water. Once in the water, you swim as fast as you can in the direction the whales are swimming and get a few seconds with the whales before they slowly swim off into the great blue of the ocean. Because you are in open channels, the swimming can be difficult. It is not a whale float; it is a whale swim. If you are extremely lucky (it happens a few times a year for each whale swim operator), the whales will allow you to “float” with them for several hours. Usually, however, you only get a few seconds with the whales. Even that short amount of time makes it more than worth it. |
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More Tonga Tips
| Overview | General Tips Tips: 9 - Photos: 7 |
| Restaurants Tips: 16 - Photos: 10 | Hotels and Accommodations Tips: 27 - Photos: 14 |
| Things To Do Tips: 38 - Photos: 32 | Nightlife Tips: 8 - Photos: 7 |
| Off the Beaten Path Tips: 4 - Photos: 3 | Tourist Traps Tips: 6 - Photos: 3 |
| Warnings or Dangers Tips: 8 - Photos: 6 | Transportation Tips: 6 - Photos: 5 |
| Local Customs Tips: 11 - Photos: 9 | Packing Lists Tips: 7 - Photos: 3 |
| Shopping Tips: 1 - Photos: 1 | Sports Travel » Add a tip now |
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