Tongatapu

Oh hi! Malo e lelei. We decided to hire a car to explore the island and have a bit more freedom. After a rather non-plussed response from the tourism office we managed to get them to phone around for us. We also had to visit the local police station to get a Tongan drivers licence...novel! Wiji hatched a cheaper deal with Sunshine motors and we were off. Drivers operate at a very slow pace in Tonga, in fact 25mph is the speed limit for villages. This was great and in fact very relaxing for us both! All we had to do, according to the tourist info, was to try not to run over children or pigs, lol. How hard could it be?

We decided to head off to the north west of the island to see some of the stunning beaches and check out the accom in that area to make a base from. We passed through lots of pretty little villages with gorgeous tropical gardens and fences decorated with bunting. Between the villages were fields of taro and coconut palms. It was all very sleepy, the weather was great and we instantly loved Tonga.

We checked out a couple of places to stay along the way, but they seemed pretty out of season, which was odd. Then we came across Liku Alofa, a new resort that wasn't in the guide book and had only been open for 2 months. We were pleased to find that it was completely Tongan owned. Again Wiji managed to drive a hard bargain...(it must be his innocent face) and we got an excellent deal for three nights, including the Wiji essential: breakfast included.

We were now on the sunset side of the island, so decided to stay for dinner and check out the sunset. It was pretty incredible...






The whole resort was booked up with a peace corps meeting, so it was very quiet in the day, but they all rocked up later for dinner on the beach terrace. Apart from having a jolly at the resort, they seemed to be decorating paper with stickers...Is that where all the money goes?

We ordered whole wrapped fish, cooked in banana leaves....and that is what we got! It smelt delicious...


But looked pretty horrific...oh well. This is it before we have eaten in, although you may imagine otherwise...ha ha.


It was sooo incredible to have a great nights sleep on an actual bed! Not a sponge mattress that rolls us both to the middle, or a mattress that just doesn't fit the bed frame, or one that is totally broken, or a therma rest for that matter...but an actual mattress! Here's Wiji with his sleepy head, on the terrace with breakfast delivered to us...nice if you can get it.


I'm sure Liku Alofa will look great when the planting grows...it would be well out of our price range by then.

We were really excited to read that the flying foxes (fruit bats), that we first heard of in the Solomon's, were found locally and decided to make it our first priority to see them. The staff pointed us in the right direction to the casuarina trees in the nearby village of Kolovai. It was pretty easy to spot them first thing in the morning as they had returned to the trees to sleep away the day...plus they are actually huge!


We watched them from the side of the road as they arranged themselves for sleep in their huge shiny PVC looking wings. We could hear the familiar noises that we heard in the Solomon's, out side our leaf hut...here too they were screeching when they got too close to one another.


They seemed to be clinging to the most precarious branches that were swinging in the breeze.


We managed to get a good look at their furry fox like faces.


And after a while we spotted that there were more in the cemetery across the road...


It looked like the trees were full of giant black hanging seed pods.


We waited around craning our necks at the skies to get some pics of them flying...what you can't really appreciate from these images is the size...some had a meter wingspan!






It was a pretty amazing sight and were were chuffed to finally actually see them after hearing them in the tree at night in the Solomon's.


Next we headed off in an easterly direction in search of Captain Cooks landing site. Back in the day a huge banyan tree was here and it was in the shade of the banyan tree that Captain Cook rested after anchoring in the lagoon below...


An austere plaque is now in place of the banyan tree to commemorate the site. It was interesting to read about how Cook stayed for several months in Tonga, enjoying the feasts and being entertained by the king. It was at one such gathering that a plan was hatched to distract Cook and the crew, keeping them in one place so that they could be killed and the ships raided. But the plan was never carried out and Cook sailed off unaware. As a result he famously described Tonga as the 'friendly Islands'.


We carried on an easterly road through many tiny villages with huge churches to find the terraced tombs (Langi). The first of the tombs were built around 1200AD, as the burial site by the 11th Tu'i Tonga Tu'i itatui who moved the royal capital to the area Mu'a (Lapaha). The tombs were constructed out of limestone slabs that archaeologists believe to have been brought by canoe from Pangaimotu and possibly Ha'apai, to be carved in situ. Sadly the site was locked so we only had one view point to see it from. The slabs were incredibly large.


After looking at the Langi we headed of out of the village, only to come across the most enormous pig ever...Wiji was beside himself and he took some pics from the car window...lol! Where were the pigs eyes?


It wasn't really having any of it and wobbled off into the undergrowth...we really did laugh our heads off. It was the spit of a naive art piggy!


Whilst driving around we had noticed the large burial mounds of sand often decorated with plastic flowers or bottles.


Continuing our clockwise circuit of the island we stopped to have a quick picnic lunch over looking the Piha Passage...it was so tranquil...




One of the many churches, here with the tam-tam drums outside for calling the congregation.


Our next stop was the Trilithon. The structure of three coraline stones that is now believed to have a similar function to that of Stonehenge, to track the changing seasons.


In 1967 archaeologists cleared the vegetation in line with the Trilithon and the sea. On the winter solstice the sun was seen to rise and set in perfect alignment. In the summer solstice the sun also rose an set within the Trilithon and sea alignment. This is now believed to be linked to the harvest time of the yam, a much celebrated time of year across the South Pacific.


Archaeologists credit Tu'itatui the 11th Tu'i Tonga with the creation of the Trilithic gate.




Behind the Trilithon a track leads to overgrown Langi in the distance. Wiji was hoofing it off to check out the Es Makafakinanga, believed to be the Polynesian chiefly backrest stone of Tu'i itatui, that he used to shield himself whilst watching the construction of the Trilithon. Sadly it was quite vandalised. We left it be and scooted off.


One last close up of the coral rock face of the Trilithon.


Tongan homes seemed to mainly be one storey wooden constructions with the odd mahooosive Dallas style plantation house thrown in here and there. This one was pretty unusual in its abandonment. All the villages that we passed through were very well kept indeed.


Roaring sunshine over a taro field.


The roads that we travelled on were almost always deserted...


Not the biggest pig of the day, but quite a happy one.


On the way to the beach Fua' amotu we came across this cemetery...bottle decoration in full effect here.


This grave had hundreds of painted clams shells covering the sand mound and more unusually a cabinet of photographs behind it. Often the cemeteries display huge quilts erected as banners behind the graves.


We checked out the coast line...mahoosive waves crashed over the reef edge and large, unusual platforms of rock...




Miserable faces in amazing places! No smiling Wiji, we are in the Kingdom of Tonga, after all!


Oh smiling now, with your Japanese saloon, whatever.


We had to stop to snap this sign outside a shop...an invitation to a wrecked, but quiet night in, no?


Then we were Off again to try and locate the Hufangalupe, or Pigeon's Doorway. This proved quite difficult with the lack of sign age. However we persevered ended up driving down a Tapu road...with concern. But we immediately found Tony's tours already there. Boo. Tony, the Northerner in Tonga who we dubbed 'Tony's tours of misery'. When Wiji asked him for directions he was so miserable it was hilarious...Oh boo, its sooo beautiful, hurumpff!!!

Looking over the drop to the bridge that separates the ocean from the inland.


Looking across at the cliff face.



Then we wandered on down a track to the coast edge. It was an incredible sight with the waves crashing at the rock face well into the distance...


A beautiful platform rock pool edge, that the waves crashed and frothed over.


It was very windy here and reminded me of the ruggedness of Rapa Nui..






We were mesmerised...






We wandered back and had another look at the bridge, from a different angel...this time looking straight through it to the ocean...


And noticed that nearby the yucca type plants were fruiting.


Having competed our trip around the island we decided to head back towards the main town Nuku Alofa...we passed the Kings gated residence. Nice veg patch in the foreground too.


Then onto the harbour (where we previously caught the boat to Pangaimotu), to check out the fishing boats...some looked pretty old.


The fish market was in full swing in the late afternoon sun. These sea urchins were well passed their best before date! I was really pleased with this piccy capturing the smiley Tongan fisherman in the background too.


Around he other side of the harbour in Nuku Alofa were a gorgeous selection of the more 'handmade' fishing vessels.


We finished the day further along the waterfront, with a quick look through the security fence at the King's Palace...quite modest really.


The next day we decided to snap some pics of the lovely houses in the village Kolovai...This one had a bed in front of the doorway.


The gardens were lovely.








Then headed off to Ha 'atafu beach reserve for the afternoon. The water was very clear and we spent our time swimming and snorkelling in the protected lagoon at high tide. Out passed the reef were some surfers getting some pretty big waves.


Mmmm...asleep or sunbathing, or multi-tasking?


Nice PVA glue style factor 50 on the face, rockin the beach look...oh god yeah!


The next day we checked out the market. Lots of vegetables on sale and displayed beautifully, or in woven coconut palm baskets. Inside was the craft market with women selling their woven Kastom mats and skirts. I brought a beautifully woven fan...perfect for Wiji...and later at the Women's Craft Centre, a woven grass skirt that is work over the sarong by both men and women. Wiji brought a padded tapa pig...Lol. He also made a special visit to the A Cowley and sons bakery to sample the quality Tongan pies...


We finished off our Friday day out with another visit to the Friends Cafe, where in the evening two old guy's were playing the ukulele and slide guitar...more sounds of the Pacific, perfect for a balmy night in Tonga.


Here's a short video montage of the gorgeous coastline of Tongatapu and the flying foxes at Kolovai.