OUR thoughts on TONGA

Just when you thought you had experienced everything the South Pacific could serve up in the way of a different holiday destination option; The Kingdom of Tonga presents itself for your consideration.  So what does Tonga offer the holidaymaker?  Lovely white sand beaches – yes; sheltered tropical lagoons – yes;  welcoming, friendly people – yes;  Interesting culture and life-style – yes; yachting, Scuba diving, kayaking, whale watching, fishing, surfing – yes;  a unique history and a functioning Monarchy – yes.  What Tonga doesn’t offer is a huge range of top quality resorts but that doesn’t mean that we can’t offer you a very worthwhile and enjoyable holiday, executive breakaway or perfect honeymoon in this very interesting country.  We won’t confuse you with multiple choices.  The resort we offer in Tonga, Fafa Island Resort, is a small, high quality island resort which is located only 30 minutes by boat from Tonga’s capital, Nuku’alofa.  We have known Fafa Island Resort very well for some years now and can thoroughly recommend it for delivering a consistently high standard and a delightfully unique holiday experience.

Tonga is one of New Zealand’s closest Pacific neighbours.  The flight time from Auckland is 2 hours and 50 minutes and there are usually 7 flights each week.  Tonga is also accessible by flights from Fiji several times a week.  You will arrive on Tongatapu Island at Fua’amotu International Airport.  The airport is 21 km from the capital, Nuku’alofa which is the departure point for Fafa.  On the way in from the airport you will soon notice that Tongatapu is a large, almost completely flat island which has a sizeable inner lagoon as well as an extensive outer lagoon.  Although there are over 170 islands in the chain covering 747 sq. km, nearly 70% of the just over 100,000 inhabitants live on Tongatapu and Nuku’alofa is the only sizeable town in The Kingdom.  What makes Tonga so completely different is that it is the last remaining Polynesian kingdom.  The monarch still retains huge powers over the government and the trappings of monarchy are everywhere to be seen; from the Royal Palace in Nuku’alofa to the Royal Tombs at Lapaha and even a royal holiday residence on E’ua Island.  Even though the palace and the tombs etc are not open to the public, their physical presence adds an interesting flavour to every visit to Tonga.

Fafa Island Resort provides up to 4 complimentary boat trips each day to Nuku’alofa so it is really easy to enjoy all the sights and activities on the “mainland” and then return to this beautiful island and its peace and tranquillity.  There are opportunities to visit the craft and produce market in town and to enjoy one of the several cafés either in the town or overlooking the harbour.  Don’t miss an opportunity to see the Royal Palace, the Royal Tombs, the flying fox colonies, Capt. Cook’s Landing, the wonderful blow-holes and the historic Ha’amonga Trilithon.  Tonga is one of those places where we recommend you obtain a book on the history of the country to read while you are visiting – knowing something of the extremely rich and interesting history which dates back to around 400BC adds immeasurably to your holiday experience.

Tonga still observes a total rest day on Sundays.  There are no shops open, no flights operate and the majority of the populace attend church.  There are some enormous old stone churches around Nuku’alofa.  Your hosts at Fafa Island Resort offer a day trip on a Sunday that takes in a church service (the singing has to be heard to be believed) followed by an invitation to a traditional Tongan feast with a local family.  It’s a great experience.

From July to October whales migrate through Tonga and it is not unknown for whales to be sighted in the lagoon close to Fafa Island.  When this occurs, guests are invited to take a resort boat ride out to view the whales close up.

Tonga is an extremely interesting country to visit and even though its quality tourism accommodation facilities are a little limited, we can provide you with a great base on Fafa Island which gives you the best of everything; very good accommodation, a great island environment to enjoy and a location close enough to all the attractions of Tongatapu to ensure you have a wonderful Tongan holiday.

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