Nuk'Alofa, Tongo

Thursday, Feb. 3, 2011    85 degrees                                       9:00 AM – 5:00 PM



Port of Nuku'Alofa, Tonga

Tonga is the only country in the Pacific that has never been colonized. Nuku’alofa is the nation’s capital. Request permission before photographing anyone. Tonga means “South”.  You can see why the country’s main island is named Tongatapu (Sacred Garden). Every bit of it not occupied by a building or by the road is under cultivation with bananas, tapioca, taro, yams, watermelons, tomatoes, squash, and a plethora of other fruits and vegetables.  Nuku Alofa means “abode of love”.

Nudging the international dateline, in a time zone of its own, the Kingdom of Tonga is the first land to see the dawn of each new day.

Even traditional dress reflects the Tongan social structure. Western style clothes have made inroads with young people. Tongans still wear wraparound skirts known as valas. These come to well below the knee on men and to the ankle on women. Men and women wear finely woven mats over their valas. Men hold these up with waistbands of coconut fibre. Women wear decorative waistbands known as kiekies.

Friendly indigenous people; migrating humpback whales; kings and queens ruling an island paradise; tapa adorning the walls of every building; packed churches on Sunday.

Tonga is easily distinguishable by its beautiful beaches, clear azure water, bountiful coral reefs and luscious landscape, much like the other Polynesian islands in the South Pacific.  The Kingdom of Tonga, although protected by Western powers, has never been ruled by them.  This is evident on the island as traditional Polynesian culture continues to be the way of life, even with the dawn of the modern era.  Although Tonga is the poorest of all the Polynesian islands, its rich culture, history and beauty are sure to make up for its economic shortcomings.

Christianity is the ‘official’ religion, but superstition and animist belief live on.  Coming of age has to do with the transition from vale (‘foolish and clumsy’) to an enlightened state of poto.  To become poto, requires understanding of values, gender roles, physical skills, kinship, and formal education.  Royalty is venerated.  The Royal family is believed to have descended from the union of a beautiful girl and God.

What is a Bulbous Bow? The bulbous bow is torpedo shape part of the ship’s hull, protruding out of the bow just under the waterline. When placed below the water ahead of the wave, water is forced to flow up over the bulb. The water flows down in the trough being created by the V shape of the bow and the two are cancelled out. This reduces the vessel’s wake, thus giving more energy to the forward motion and less into making a large wake. This also helps us with fuel efficiency!