Tonga travel guide

By Tongan standards Neiafu is a sizable town. There are banks, shops, a harbour and churches (of course, every Christian branch is represented). Due to the high numbers of tourists in whale season (July to October), there are even tourist facilities like guest houses, cafes, souvenir shops, bike rental and tour agents. It's a pleasant place to base yourself, while exploring the rest of Vava'u's islands.

Though the capital of Tonga has an exotic name, the town isn't very appealing. There are a few sights in the town itself, like the Talamahu market, royal tombs and royal palace along with some churches, but else Nuku'alofa is best used as a base to explore the rest of Tongatapu Island. Local buses go to every village, though not frequent, else day tours and taxi can be booked for seeing the sights of Tongatapu.

It only takes a kajak ride from the Matafonua Lodge at the tip of Foa Island to reach this uninhabited island. On this little slice of paradise, you can run around naked and have your own little Robinson Crusoe experience. It's possible to walk in sturdy sandals around the whole island at low tide. It's also best to do the crossing of the channel at low tide, when there are less current and waves.

Pangai is the main town in Ha’apai Islands group. It's an extremely quiet affair with the usual range of churches and nondescript Chinese shops, all selling the same crap. It has become a fashion among the Chinese shop owners to have the sound turn on their Chinese calculators. Anyway, there are also money changers, ATM, both police and fire stations, and even a few cafes, in the most simple sense.

A 15 minutes boat ride from Nuku'alofa will bring you to this little beach getaway. On arrival you pay a fee, which also includes the boat and lunch. There is a bar and a big rustic wooden deck with chairs and shade. Right off shore are two shipwrecks, one only half submerged, which offer great snorkeling. Pangaimotu can get popular on Sundays, when there are nothing else to do in Nuku'alofa besides church-going, but there is plenty of shade for everyone. You can also do day trips to the more upscale Fafa Island.

Also near the Matafonua Lodge is this small collection of petroglyphs. They seem to depict people and animals, like a turtle. They're made on a slab of rock, which is under water at high tide, but exposed at low tide. By putting sand in the lines, it might be easier to work out the figures.

Englishman William Mariner was only 15 years old when he was captured by the Tongan king. He had arrived on the British pirate ship Port Au Prince (original a French ship) to the Ha'apai Group in 1806. The Tongans tricked the British to believe they were friendly by offering them food, but the Tongans slaughtered almost everyone except for Mariner and a few crewmates. After four years of living among the islanders, Mariner returned to England and his observations of Tongan culture and language was written down in what became the famous book The Tongan Islands, William Mariner's account. Today you can visit the beach where the ship Port Au Prince was attacked and burned. There is nothing there besides a memorial plate and a beautiful beach.

Normally, Tonga isn't associated with sea-beaten jagged vertical cliffs and crashing waves, but the some of the south coast of Tongatapu Island is just like that. The dramatic cliffs near the Hufangalupe Natural Bridge is a spectacular stretch of coastline. There are several good spots on the edge of the cliffs with amazing views down of the crashing waves and even some blowholes. There is just a 4WD track leading down, no fence or anything, so be careful.

Seven big coral boulders tossed inland by an ancient tsunami, maybe 7000 years ago. The seven boulders sit anomaly in the otherwise flat landscape. The biggest boulder is believed to weigh more than 1,600 tons and is suspected to be the heaviest thing ever moved by a tsunami, giving an indication of how big the ancient Tonga tsunami must have been.

There are not many accessible sandy beaches on Vava'u Island and none close to Neiafu. If you really desperate for a swim, do as the local kids, swim in the harbour, or walk to Vaipua Bridge 10 minutes away, where there is real sand.