WHY TONGA

This website has a very strong connection with Oceania.
I have often found myself spinning the globe quickly and then stopping it with my finger.
For some strange reason (maybe just statistics, since the blue planet is about 70% covered by water), the finger often ends up in the middle of the Atlantic or Pacific Oceans.
Looking better, it can happen to “touch the ground” of a small island or atollo that you did not even know existed.

So I decided to visit a few countries in Oceania.

The most difficult part of organising a trip to this part of the world, especially for those with little time and a lot of curiosity, is choosing where to go.
In fact, there are hundreds of islands that make up the 25 or so nations that can be visited in this area, which covers almost a third of the earth’s surface.

I started by making a list of all the nations and asking why I should go there.
I ranked preferences and started to reduce the list to almost a third.
Then I started looking at all the possible flight routes.

The Kingdom of Tonga became a definite destination when I discovered that it’s one of the very few places in the world where you can swim with whales.

The last Polynesian kingdom, the smallest in the world, is an archipelago of some 170 islands (some formed by submarine eruptions, others submerged by the ocean), almost halfway between New Zealand and Hawaii, with a population of just 100,000.

My trip to Oceania also took me to Fiji, Vanuatu, Tuvalu, Cook Islands and New Zealand.

HOW TO GET TO TONGA

Fuaʻamotu International Airport, 20 kilometres from Nukuʻalofa, is Tonga’s main air transport hub.

There are daily flights to Fiji (Nadi and Suva with Fiji Airways) and New Zealand (Auckland with Air New Zealand).
The local airline, Real Tonga, connects the islands of the Kingdom with the Fiji Islands.
However, flights are often delayed or subject to major schedule changes, even a few hours before departure.

There are no public buses between the airport and the city, but hotels and hostels use reserved or shared taxis.
The airport is closed on Sundays in accordance with Tongan law.

The central bus station is located on Vuna Road.
Services are operated by private companies, but fares are set by the government.
Drivers set the timetables and stops are sometimes “on call”.
This means that you have to call the driver and ask him when the bus will arrive…

There are no railways or trams in Tonga.

The harbour of Nukuʻalofa is the only deep water port on the island.
Dock number 42 is used by fishermen and inter-island ferries.
There are usually two daily connections to Eua and two weekly services to Haʻapai and Vavaʻu.
Some private boat owners offer services to smaller islands such as Nomuka and Eueiki.

WHAT TO DO IN TONGA

Swim with the whales

From around July to October, humpback whales leave Antarctica and migrate to the peaceful waters of Tonga to breed, give birth and wean their calves before quietly making their way to the South Pole.

During these months in the archipelago you can enjoy the incredible experience of swimming with the whales.

I have always disliked circuses, zoos and aquariums, but travelling has increased my desire to see wild animals in their natural habitat.
Swimming with whales is probably part of what is wrongly called “animal tourism“.
I’ve researched the ethics of this activity: opinions are obviously divided and conflicting, but in my opinion the positive aspects for the whales outweigh the damage that could be caused.

You have to remember that the foreigners who come here for  the “extreme whale whatching“, guarantee the necessary amount of money for many Tongans.
The local community lives thanks to the whales and has every reason to continue with any decision to allow humpback whales to visit these seas.

The alternative for them would be to succumb to pressure from the many whalers who pay better.
Commercial hunting of whales has been banned in most countries, but others continue undisturbed, putting whales at risk.
These countries, led by Japan, are constantly asking Tonga and other Pacific islands to allow them to hunt whales in their waters.

If the whales were to die out (or choose calmer waters to survive), Tonga’s economy would lose both tourism and the support of hunters.

Tonga has become a destination for my trip to Oceania specifically to realise my dream of seeing whales up close
As this is the motivation that attracts most foreign travellers and tourists here, all hotels and hostels (as well as some bars and restaurants) have special tours.

My advice is to go directly to the port and talk to the different boats.
The prices are about the same (from €200.00 upwards), as are the duration of the trip (from early morning to late afternoon) and the lunch included.
The most important aspect to consider, however, is the size of the boat.

The rules are in fact very strict and inflexible: only one boat at a time, the one that sees the whales first, can approach the whales, with the engines turned down to minimum and stopping at a distance of at least 300 metres away.
No more than 4 people can enter the water and swim quickly towards the whales, always staying a few metres away.
If curiosity, especially from the pup, makes them get too close, you have to back away.
Unfortunately, it’s always better if they don’t get used to the presence of humans and never trust them.

To enjoy this unforgettable experience, it is very important to go on a small boat and not a big one.

If you choose a boat for 20 people or more, you will certainly save some money, but you may not be able to swim with the whales.
If you enter the water first, you’ll almost certainly get close to the whales, but you won’t be able to stay long enough to make way for the other people on board.
On the other hand, if you are one of the last to go in, there is a great risk that the whales will leave before you get in.

That’s why I was happy with my choice of Taufatahi Charters.
The 8-passenger boat (but there were only 5 of us that day) allowed me to stay in the water for almost an hour, about 3 metres from the whales.
Seeing them up close and hearing the whales sing was a wonderful experience, even though I didn’t see them jump.
Well, when I was in the water I saw one come out of the deep fast, probably the male, but I had to concentrate on moving out of the way to avoid being swept away rather than standing still and admiring his jump!

Maybe another time…

Nuku’alofa

The dusty capital of the Kingdom of Tonga, which means ‘house of love’ in the local language, is located in the northern part of the island of Tongatapu.
British Captain James Cook arrived here on 10 June 1777.

On the waterfront there is the Royal Palace, built in the Victorian style in New Zealand and then brought to the island in 1867.
Nearby is Pangao Si’i Park, which contains the graves of all Tongan royalty and their relatives.
Both sites are inaccessible to visitors but can be seen from the road.

In the 19th century, thanks to the support of King Tupou, Nuku’alofa became the main centre of Christianity in Tonga.
Today, 99% of Tongans are Christians, some of whom, like the King, follow the Methodist Church.
The Basilica of St. Anthony of Padua and the Methodist Centennial Church are the symbols of Tongan religion.
In the latter, it is often possible to meet the monarchs during Sunday services.

Pangaimotu

Sunday is God’s day, a day of rest and prayer, so everything is closed except the churches.
And I mean everything: bars, restaurants, banks, hotel receptions, taxis, museums, whale watching tours and even the airport.
The only thing I could find was a boat to take me to a nearby atoll.

The trip includes lunch and costs around €20.00 for adults, €10.00 for children aged 12-15, €5.00 for children under 12.
The island is peaceful, the depths are full of fish and the lunch is good and plentiful.
In short, it’s a good way to spend a Sunday.