Monday, January 26 – Nuku’Alofa

This morning I stopped by the Tourist Information Center (they were closed on the weekend), looking for suggestions on things to see and do. After I told them that I like walking around, taking my time as I explore an area, they provided me with a Nuku’Alofa walking tour brochure, with a map and descriptions. Perfect! Let’s go!

We’re looking at St. George Palace (ca. 2017) – home to the Prime Minister’s Office, the Ministry of Finance and National Planning, and the Office of Trade and Foreign Affairs.

Treasury Building (ca. 1928, restoration completed in 2023) – it houses the Kingdom of Tonga’s Ministry of Finance.

The old Prime Minister’s Office, just around the corner from St. George Palace.

Nothing significant. I just liked the look of this house and landscaping!

The Sai’one Centenary Church (ca. 1952), also known as the Free Wesleyan Centenary Church. It is also referred to as the Royal Church, attended by Tonga’s royal family. Three names. Impressive!

Headquarters of His Majesty’s Army Forces, consisting of around 700 soldiers.

Queen Salote College, a girls school founded in 1926 with a current enrollment of around 1,000 students.

Tonga High School was established in 1947. The original building was destroyed by fire in 2000. This current structure was built by the Chinese Government.

Teufaiva Sport Stadium. It is the home of the Tonga national rugby team. It has a seating capacity of 10,000. (best picture I could get; entrance to the grounds was closed)

The Centennial Church, also known as the Free Church of Tonga.

Sadly, it was damaged by Cyclone Gita in 2018.

A picture of the Church prior to the cyclone damage. Impressive!

Malaʻekula (The Royal Tombs) – This is the final resting place for the monarchs of the Tupou dynasty and their immediate family, established in the late 19th century. The site is fenced off and not accessible to the public.

I’ve done a lot of walking on this hot day. So, now I’m heading to…

…that’s right! Panda Tea for a mango smoothie. Hit the spot!

Noticed this fella on my way back to the hotel…

…doing a little cast net fishing?

Tuesday, January 27 – Nuku’Alofa

The taxi driver who picked me up at the airport on Friday informed me that cruise ships would be docked at the port on both Tuesday and Wednesday of this week. Good to know! Maybe I’ll avoid the town today.

So instead of heading east from the hotel into Nuku’Alofa as I usually do, today I’ll take the road less traveled…west.

Ominous clouds hang over the new arrival to Nuku’Alofa.

Pretty church just down the road from the hotel.

Nice landscaping at the nearby Kongakava Hotel.

Another piggy sighting!

Okay, this is the kind of path I like to explore. And it appears to be heading to the northwestern tip on this part of the island…

…nice! Well, until I started to round the corner ahead. Located there was what appeared to be a kind of homeless encampment. Looked a little dodgy, so I made a hasty exit. (Local Headline: Madison Man Disappears While Visiting Tonga!) Probably an overreaction on my part, but I thought it best to side with caution in this case.

What are you looking at?!?

This is a walk-up/drive-up convenience store; I’ve noticed a few as I wandered the area.

I just realized I have not yet done a Fuel Price Check on this trip. Doh!

3.35 TOP/liter = 5.33 USD/gallon (not so bad in the States, is it?)

I had a little bit of a scare as I was walking around today (besides the dodgy encampment). I’ve encountered a lot of stray dogs while wandering about the last few days. All have been docile and pretty much ignored me. Well, today I came upon a pack in which a couple of the dogs became rather angry and tried nipping at me. Fortunately, I was able to keep them a bay (or, more like they decided not to attack). Disaster averted. Dealing with a potential rabies issue would have been a nightmare!

I know, I said I was going to avoid heading into town, but it really wasn’t that (crowded) bad. Plus, I needed to get my fix…

…you guessed it! It’s mango smoothie time!

So, I’ve gone the mango route every time so far, with no regrets. But what do you think, should I try a different smoothie flavor?

Wednesday, January 28 – Nuku’Alofa

I’ve done a fair amount of walking (in the heat) the past few days…

• Saturday: 16.6k steps
• Sunday: 15.9k steps
• Monday: 22.2k steps
• Tuesday: 22.0k steps

I’m feeling a little tired; so, today I think I’m going to take it a little bit easier.

I had a leisurely breakfast, took care of some everyday life tasks, and then got motivated to head out for a little walk.

As promised, cruise ship number two has arrived. Didn’t see much impact in town though. Much smaller crowd than yesterday.

Sidenote: I was talking to a shopkeeper today, and she said that having two cruise ships arrive here in one week is very rare. I guess I just got lucky! (Joking actually; I wasn’t impacted at all)

Wow! Very cool; just hanging over the sidewalk, waiting to ripen and be picked!

And of course, I had to get my smoothie! What flavor did I go with today? Any guesses?

Those who had kiwi, take a bow! It was very good, but I’m sorry, not up to mango’s level.

Tongan Facts for Travelers

• Vehicles operate on the left side of the road (like in the UK)
• Tongan is the main language spoken, but every local I interacted with also spoke English. And English is widely used in government, education, and business. Also, in my conversation with the shopkeeper today, she mentioned that the Tongan people may seem unfriendly with foreigners, but part of that can be attributed to their lack of English language knowledge. (Sidenote: the children are very outgoing here; but as I approach them they usually greet me by saying “bye” rather than “hi”. Funny!)
• Electrical outlets are the same as Australia
• I haven’t tried drinking the tap water (except after I boil it in a tea kettle!)

Have you noticed a pattern between Fiji, Samoa, and Tonga? Pretty much identical Travel Facts.

Travel Note: When interacting with the locals here, I’ve been called a Palangi. It’s a Tongan term for a white person or foreigner, often of European descent, but it can also describe someone adopting Western culture. They tell me it’s not a derogatory term; but as I researched it a little I discovered that while sometimes friendly, it can be sensitive, especially if used to criticize cultural assimilation or imply a “white person’s” lifestyle over traditional ways. The term literally means foreigner or pale-skinned person, but carries cultural weight, referring to outsiders or Tongans perceived as overly Westernized.