With her long, black Polynesian locks and creamy brown skin, Tonga\u2019s beauty queen looks like Moana. I have unwittingly waded into a Disney flick I don\u2019t ever want to end.<\/p>\n
Where else in the world, let alone the South Pacific, can you snorkel pristine reef a stone\u2019s throw from the country\u2019s capital alongside the nation\u2019s beauty queen?<\/p>\n
I slide into the bath-warm waters and spy a spotted ray before I swim through a school of squid and glide along the reef drop-off, replete with pastel coral galore.<\/p>\n
Later, a 30-minute boat ride away through the Piha Passage, I land on Nuku Island, where I\u2019ll encounter white-tipped reef sharks and shy stingrays as I snorkel the choppy channel.<\/p>\n
Former South Islanders Simon and his wife Alaina, who hail from near Christchurch, started their Tahi Tonga boat tours three years ago.<\/p>\n
Alaina says visitors come to Tonga because it is \u201cquiet, laidback and authentic\u201d.<\/p>\n
Tonga is more of an explorers\u2019 destination. Photo \/ Supplied<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is a little more of a traveller experience than a resort experience in Tonga.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt is very safe and you get in a car and you can drive down the road and find a beach and no one will be there.<\/p>\n
\u201cTonga is more of an explorers\u2019 destination. It is a little bit off the beaten track.\u201d<\/p>\n
Like Fiji, 40 years ago<\/p>\n
Even Ashmeeta Singh Tongia, Tourism Tonga marketing officer, admits tourists come for \u201cthe quiet\u201d and \u201cfamily vibe\u201d rather than the \u201ctourism vibe\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cPreviously, the Tongan brand was \u2018Tonga, the true South Pacific\u2019 and we\u2019ve just changed it to \u2018Tonga, the Friendly Islands\u2019,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter three years of consultation, we\u2019ve come to understand people see us as the friendly islands. This extends from our accommodation all the way to our market stalls.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf we walk out on the streets and see some people eating, they will offer you food. In Tongan society you must call out and offer help.\u201d<\/p>\n
Swimming with whales in Tonga. Photo \/ Supplied<\/p>\n
Shane Walker, who owns Tongan Beach Resort and Tongan Beach Whale Swim among a string of tourism businesses on the northern Tongan island of Vava\u2019u, has been dividing his time between his native Auckland and Tonga since the mid-1980s.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s how Fiji was 40 years ago. We\u2019ve got close to 200m of our own private beach and you get in the water and it just goes deep, unlike a lot of Pacific Island resorts where you are knee deep in water on low tide,\u201d he says. <\/p>\n
\u201cOur repeat New Zealand visitors liken it to a Kiwi holiday home but in the tropics. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t have the floating barges with the bars but there is a bit out here to see.\u201d <\/p>\n
Island life <\/p>\n
It takes four hours to drive around the main island of Tongatapu where roads are flanked by banana and papaya stalls and the occasional free-range pig or kid.<\/p>\n
Along the waterfront, cafes inhabit shipping containers, and simple seafood shacks sell sea urchin and mussels freshly plucked from the ocean.<\/p>\n
The monarch\u2019s waterfront abode. Photo \/ Supplied<\/p>\n
The only remaining kingdom in the South Pacific, the monarch\u2019s waterfront abode is more colonial-style home than stuffy British palace. Rumour has it the much-loved King Tupou VI himself likes to sneak across the road to the Royal Nuku\u2019alofa Club for a brew or two.<\/p>\n
On the south coast, and after you pass the \u201cthree-headed coconut tree\u201d, Hufangalupe is considered the best land-based spot from which to view migrating whales from July to October.<\/p>\n
Further along, head to Katea Resort after Sunday church for a traditional feast replete with suckling pig with a hibiscus flower tucked in its ear and live gospel-style music.<\/p>\n
On the island\u2019s north, you can witness Tonga\u2019s \u201cfishing pigs\u201d who scavenge the ocean at low tide for small fish and crabs. Locals believe the flesh of this seafood-loving swine tastes more flavoursome on this part of the island.<\/p>\n
Sailors flock here during whale season. Photo \/ Supplied<\/p>\n
On the western tip of the island, Ha\u02bbatafu Beach is renowned for its white sand, snorkelling and surf.<\/p>\n
Along the way, where flying foxes hang in trees like Christmas decorations, visit Tsunami Rock, a gigantic boulder believed to be the largest tsunami debris ever swept inland anywhere in the world, and the island\u2019s natural blow holes.<\/p>\n
On the island\u2019s east, take a short trek into \u02bbAnahulu Caves and bathe in crisp, clean water surrounded by stalagmites and stalactites.<\/p>\n
Something old, something new, something quirky<\/p>\n
For the past 60 years, Tanoa International Dateline Hotel has stood pride of place along Tongatapu\u2019s waterfront. One of the oldest accommodation offerings in Tonga, this 120-room establishment is the only 4.5 star hotel and boasts the only pool where local children take their swimming lessons each afternoon.<\/p>\n
Further along the waterfront, the boutique Kongakava Hotel is one of the newest, opening in 2024.<\/p>\n
The 10 rooms here whisper South Pacific luxe, with modern furnishings, plush robes, TVs, kitchenettes, air-conditioning, and rainforest shower heads.<\/p>\n
Tukulolo tree houses in Makaunga Village. Photo \/ Supplied<\/p>\n
On the island\u2019s east in Makaunga Village, Tukulolo Tree Houses have just finished building their fifth tree house from recycled timber and other discarded materials on the island.<\/p>\n
These quirky tree houses, a first for Tonga, sit in a jungle setting and are accessible by swinging suspension bridges.<\/p>\n
Preserving culture<\/p>\n
Ancient Tonga owner Jessica Afeaki offers a two-hour tour which showcases local culture and magic.<\/p>\n
\u201cTonga is still under-developed but we have stuff to offer if people take the chance to come,\u201d Afeaki says.<\/p>\n
Local culture in Tonga. Photo \/ Supplied<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are less commercialised than our South Pacific neighbours which is a big thing. If you want a genuine connection and to learn something that\u2019s very real, then Tonga is where you should come.\u201d<\/p>\n
Afeaki says Tongans describe a traditional kava ceremony as \u201cPuke Puke \u2018a e fonua\u201d or \u201cHolding up the nation\u201d.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s an apt description for these tourism operators holding up their unique traditions and culture to the world. Come and see it for yourself.<\/p>\n
DETAILS<\/p>\n
Air New Zealand flies between Tonga\u2019s Nuku\u2019alofa and Auckland every day except Sunday. The flight time is around three hours. <\/p>\n