Kingdom of Tonga
Trip Start
May 15, 2011
1
36
64
Trip End
Ongoing
Kolovai, Tongatapu, Tonga
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
Had a hour long trip to the resort when we was greeted by Sven. He informed us of having our own kitchen facilities we couldn't wait to cook our own food again...
Went to the beach to the witness the clearest water ever! And while we sat and ate our chips saw 4 humpback whales just past the reef break. They couldn't have been anymore then 100 meters away from us. This instantly gave us goosebumps and we realised that Tonga was an abandoned paradise. By 5 that evening we had decided to nap and just like in Nanuya we fell asleep and didn't wake until the following morning.
Here at the resort they have coaster pedal bikes available to take up the shops. So we rode half way there for James' pedal to fall off and for him to scrape his toe on the ground below, as if that wasn't enough it happened in front of the school children on their lunch break! In the end we managed to get to the shop and had a more then quiet evening at the resort. As everyone but us had participated in a Tongan night a few resorts down!
The following day was our Island Tour. Our first stop was to see the fishing pigs, who ate all the sea cucumbers in shallow water. This meant Tongans could feed their pigs for cheap. Following that we stopped to see the Princess' of Tonga. Who sat in a community hall making crafts. This is what Tongan ladies were expected to do on a day to day basis and the men cook, garden and farm!
Just a little further down the road were trees which housed the flying foxes. The area which they settled in the day was protected, meaning no one could shoot them. Flying foxes in Tonga are classed as pest because they eat the fresh fruit crops.
Following on we stopped at the Houma Blow Holes on the west coast of the island, the wind was blowing south westerly and the waves were ginormous, creating great tubes and large blows in the blow holes. Further along the coast there was Hufangalae bridge on the edge of a cliff which was similar to the concept of Devils Bridge which we saw in Antigua. Underneath the bridge there was a consistant washing machine cycle of waves crashing. Making great stone formations.
Following those rock formations we were taken to the Tongan Stonehenge where James climbed on the top for a cool photograph standing, once he was up there he decided against as it felt a little higher then it looked.
By this point everyone was starving (it was 3 o'clock) so our last 2 stops before the town were to James Cooks Landing spot and then onto the Ancient Royal Tombs. Which is where before civilisation the Royal Kings were buried and up to 6 other people were buried alive in dedication to the King. Another horrifying fact was that as soon as the King died his wife or wives had to die too. So there would be buried opposite the Kings tomb. This was down to the fact that if those wives married again the King would loose his title! In 300AD this law changed and when civilisation was in Tonga they created a new Royal Tomb area.
Once in the town we kept the stay short as we'd be returning the next day.
