Travel To Tonga
FIND HOTELS IN TONGA
GENERAL INFO
Tonga is the South Pacific’s only constitutional monarchy and the only pacific island group which has never been colonised.
The kingdom’s family lineage hails from the Royal House of Tupou and the country's present monarch is King Tupou VI.
Tonga is an archipelago of one hundred and sixty nine islands, thirty six of which are inhabited, and a population of one hundred and two thousand people. The country is divided into five regions with the largest region that of the island of Tongapatu where the country’s capital city Nuku’alofa is situated.
Tonga’s western isles make up a volcanic arc and it’s eastern isles are coral limestone outcrops which are situated above the ten thousand meter deep, Tongan Trench, a seismically active convergent plate boundary, which was the cause of the 8.1 magnitude earthquake and subsequent tsunami which hit both Tonga and Samoa in September 2009.
The islands of Tonga are renowned for their historic sites and contain the south Pacific’s highest concentration of archaeological remains, giving rise to some archaeologists believing that Tonga could well be the Cradle of Polynesia.
Tonga is also famous for it’s flying foxes (fruit bats) and quintessential Pacific Island flora of hibiscus flowers, frangipani, banana plants, banyan trees, pandanus palms and coconut palms.
Tonga is also one of the few countries in the world which give women a higher social status than men.
Sundays in Tonga are considered sacrosanct, therefore little if anything, is open on that day.
The official languages of Tonga are Tongan and English.
The predominant religion of Tonga is Christianity.
The currency of Tonga is the Pa’anga.
Tonga is situated on time zone – UTC +13.
LOCAL TRAVEL
Tonga is served by five regional airports and one international airport. Fua’amotu International Airlport is situated on the island of Tongapatu and is served by flights from Apia in Samoa, Auckland in New Zealand, Sydney in Australia, Suva and Nadi in Fiji and the five main Tongan Island groups.Non of the airports are open on Sundays.
Tonga is served by one deep water port, the Queen Salote Wharf, at Mau’fanga near Nuku’alofa, where there is a cruise ship terminal and inter-island ferry service.There are also smaller ports situated at Neiafu on the island of Vava’u and on the islands of Pangai and Niuatoputapu.
All Tongan islands are served by a bus service which do not run scheduled timetables. Buses are flagged down in the street and the driver needs to be asked if he is going where the passenger wants to go.
Taxis on Tonga are not metered and often unmarked. Taxi fares are regulated by the government but passengers should still ask what the fare will be before embarking on a journey.
Tonga is served by 680 kilometers of roadways, 184 kilometers of which are paved. There are several car hire establishments within Tonga, but before you can hire a vehicle an application for a local driving permit has to be made at the Ministry of Transport office in Nuku’alofa.
Vehicles drive on the left side of the road in Tonga.
NUKU'ALOFA
Nuku’alofa is the capital city of Tonga and is situated on the north coast of the island of Tongapatu.
The city is served by the Fua'amotu International Airport and the Queen Salote Wharf.
The city includes a harbour, a central business district, the Nuku’alofa campus of the University of the South Pacific, the Talamahu Market, several churches, a Catholic Cathedral, various parliament buildings, a Royal Palace, Royal Tombs, an old fort, the Tonga Golf Club and a small number of shops, restaurants and hotels.
The city is small and can be seen in a day either by way of a taxi tour or simply by walking.
LOCAL ATTRACTIONS
Tonga is renowned for it’s white sand beaches, atypical Pacific Island flora, archaeological sites, water sports venues, fishing sites, swimming beaches, kayaking and dive sites.
Tonga’s smaller islands, especially the island of Vava’u, all of which can be accessed either by local aircraft, inter-island ferry, water taxi or kayak and are havens for whale watching and coral reef diving sites.
The island of Tongapatu has several interesting historical sites which include the ancient burial mounds at Mu’a, the Papae O’ Tele’a tombs, the tombs of the Tongan Kings at Langi, a rock trilithon located at Ha’amonea’a Maui and the north, eastern coastal village of Nukuleka which is claimed to be the Cradle of Polynesia, where some archaeologists believe was the fist site in the South Pacific to be inhabited some three thousand years ago.
Also located on Tongapatu are the original landing sites of historical explorers Abel Tasman and James Cook.
Natural attractions of Tongapatu include the Tongapatu Lagoon, a popular site for kayaking, a natural, coral land bridge at Hufangalupe, which was formed by the collapse of a cave roof, the Ana Hulu Cave, with it's freshwater pool for swimming and the impressive, coral reef blowholes situated off Otuhaka Beach.
Tonga is surrounded by volcanoes, both active and extinct which are situated both on land and in the sea.The islands’ highest volcano is situated on Kao Island at 1,030 meters high. Tonga’s last volcanic eruption was an underwater eruption off the island of Hap’ai Hunga in 2009.
WEATHER / NATURAL PHENOMENA
Tonga has a tropical climate with distinct wet and dry seasons. Temperatures on Tonga range between 23c in the cool period of the dry season between December and May, to 32c in the wet season between May and December. Tonga also has a high humidity rate of 80%.
Tonga endures a cyclone season between October and April and has been known to suffer from earthquakes, tsunamis and volcanic eruptions, but these are infrequent, although the last earthquake which was followed by a tsunami was as recent as 2009, which was also the same year as Tonga’s last volcanic eruption.
CRIME
Crime is low on Tonga with just the odd bout of petty theft. Sexual assault is also rare but can occur.
It is illegal to drink and drive, to take photographs of government buildings, to buy bootleg or pirate CDs or to be in possession of narcotics or child pornography.
Homosexuality is illegal in Tonga with harsh penalties of up to ten years imprisonment for anyone found to be conducting a same sex relationship.
Sundays in Tonga are sacrosanct and therefore no public displays of drinking or swearing will be tolerated. Visitors must dress conservatively at all times, but especially on Sundays, even on the beach where it is advisable to wear shorts and a T-shirt rather than regular swim wear or bikinis.
Also never ever walk in the street in just a bathing costume, that applies to any day of the week not just Sundays.
The emergency number for the police in Tonga is 922.
HEALTH
Tonga has a national health care system for it’s own nationals although tourists and other visitors must pay for medical services therefore health and travel insurance is advised. A vaccination program for tuberculosis, typhoid and dysentery is advisable before travelling to Tonga.
Tonga is served by fourteen health clinics, several dental clinics and three well equipped hospitals. Found below are three of the largest of it's hospitals.
Vaiola Hospital, Nuku'alofa, Tongapatu. Tel (676) 23 200.
NGU Wellington Hospital, Neiafu, Vava'u Island. Tel - (676) 70 201.
Niu’ui Hospital,Neiafu, Hihifo, Ha'apai Island. Tel - (676) 602 01.
FOREIGN CONSULATES
Tonga has six consulates located in it's capital city Nuku'alofa. Their telephone numbers are:
Australian Consulate - (676) 232 43
Chinese Consulate - (676) 245 54
Japanese Consulate - (676) 222 21
New Zealand Consulate - (676) 231 22
Netherlands Consulate - (676) 23 654
Swedish Consulate - (676) 25 269 / 22 855
Other nationals should contact their relevant embassy or consulate located in the city of Suva in Fiji.
VISA INFO
Visas are not required for visitors staying for thirty days or less but proof of onward travel, by way of a a return ticket out of Tonga, must be produced before entry into the country is permitted.
PUBLIC HOLIDAYS
January 1 - New Year's Day
Good Friday
Easter Monday
April 25 - Anzac Day
June 4 - Emancipation Day
July 12 - King Tupou VI's Birthday
September 17 - Crown Prince's Birthday
December 4 - King George Tupou I's Birthday
December 25 - Christmas Day
December 26 - Boxing Day
INFORMATIONAL LINKS
For Tonga's official tourism website, visit - www.thekingdomoftonga.com
For Tonga's premier airline website, visit - www.chathamspacific.com
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Image - The coastline of Tongapatu - courtesy of Tony Bowden wikimedia commons.
