Tonga, the Pacific’s only remaining kingdom, is perched just east of the International Dateline and is made up of more than 170 tropical Pacific islands, most uninhabited. The entire population is about 105,000 with almost 70 percent living in the capital city of Nuku’alofa on the main island of Tongatapu. We arrived at the capital city to see a festive street parade in full regalia, undaunted by the drizzly morning rain, with uniformed school children marching in military precision, and dignitaries and townspeople in traditional costume. This was not a welcome celebration for our ship’s arrival, but some special commemoration day for the country that we were lucky enough to witness.
Tonga is off the beaten track with only a smattering of tourists, but it’s reputation as the “Friendly Isles”, originating from Captain James Cook’s first visit in 1773, is immediately evident by the open congeniality accorded to visitors in this laid back country. People greeted me with a smile as I wandered through the market, crowded with stalls of coconuts and fruits, bone carvings, wood carvings, decorative bark cloth paintings, fine weavings, and the distinctive traditional woven waist mats called ta’ovala, commonly worn by men and women.
The Royal Palace, a stately white mansion situated on the oceanfront near the pier, is the home of the celebrated King Tupou VI and his Queen. The grounds are surrounded by a decorative iron fence and stately gates that are overseen by attentive, but casual guards. I could walk right up to the gate and greet the gardener sweeping the drive on the other side.
I never know what sort of adventure awaits when the ship comes to port, so I’m always willing to find out, get off and explore, whether that’s just a walk along the pier, a round trip shuttle bus ride into town, lunch at a seaside cafe, or an all day in-depth excursion. While the Kingdom of Tonga did not appear glamorous from the pier, it captured my curiosity. Really?….a kingdom?
Reading your posts/dissertations and enjoying your pictures is like picking up a copy of National Geographic. Everything is so well done and informative, I almost feel I am there.
Always enjoy your posts!