If you hear the words "Malo e lele", then you will know you are in the country of Tonga. Located just west of the International Dateline, Tonga is the first Pacific nation to greet the new day. Tonga is the only monarchy in the Pacific since 1875, and has never been conquered or run by a foreign power. Tongatapu, where we are docked today, is a raised coral limestone island with a population of over 101,000 Polynesian residents.
Their favorite foods are pork, chicken, lamb ribs, lobster, crabs, octopus, and fresh fish. They also like raw fish that has been marinated in lemon and coconut cream, as well as sea cucumbers, and sea urchins. Their produce includes yams, taro root, sweet potatoes, cassava, tapioca, plantains, breadfruit, bananas, mangoes, and pineapples. Locally made beers are Maui, Tiki, Tangaloa, Pulotu, Hikule and Hina. Special souvenirs are items made with tapa, a decorative bark cloth that is painted with traditional symbols and designs.
When the Zuiderdam arrived by 7am, it was raining, and it sure looked as if the entire day would be a wet one. But by the time we finished breakfast, the skies broke up, and the sun peeked out. While the ship was docking, the local band, singers, and dancers put on a show pier side. We watched from the promenade deck as they sang and entertained the folks piling off of the gangway. We suspected this was the first of the tour groups heading for the buses, but they were not. Turns out they were the ones headed for the souvenir stalls to buy the best of what they offered. The last time we were here was on the 2020 GWV, and there were stalls lined up side-by-side all the way to the street. Today there were half of the tents.
Actually, it is somewhat of a surprise that the ships are stopping here again. Not only did they weather the pandemic, but the islands were hit with a volcanic eruption and tsunami called Hunga Tonga Hunga Haapai (HTHH). It caused a lot of damage to businesses and homes, and they have not fully recovered yet. Much in their brochure is outdated, and they asked to please bear with them during this difficult time. At least two popular resorts were destroyed on the west coast, as well as some of the smaller outlying islands such as Fafa Island and similar properties. They were completely destroyed. We have such fond memories of boating to Fafa Island on a Sunday morning with friend Martha, who found a very large dead sea snake in the lagoon. Now all that is left are the memories.
Leaving the ship around 9:30am, we followed our own path through the town, starting with a visit to the craft and produce market called Maketi Talamahu. This is one place that the locals sell their tapa cloth items like fans and purses, woven baskets, mats, and even jewelry. They are fairly expensive, as a lot of labor goes into making the cloth. Only about half of the area had vendors today. Then on the other side, they sell a variety of veggies and fruit. Only half of this area was occupied. There is a ramp that takes you to the second level, but it is mostly t-shirts and shoes, with some costume jewelry. We did not go up there today.
Our next visit was to the Basilica of St. Anthony of Padua, built in 1980. On the bottom level is the elementary school where kids were in class. Up a flight of steps, the church is fairly modern and built like a tent. The conical ceiling has stained glass windows letting in the natural light. The altar, baptistry, pews and tables are carved from coconut wood. And today they were setting up for a wedding that would probably start at noon. There was an orchestra already there, as well as some of the family members. Not wanting to disturb their occasion, we took some photos and quietly left. As we were crossing the street, we could hear a stream of cars with blowing horns, which we assumed was the wedding party.
Up the street we saw the large acreage where the Royal Tombs are located. Considered sacred ground, the first king, George Tupou I was buried here in 1893. Several more kings were also buried here, all with the same bloodline. Surrounding the sacred grounds are the Queen Salote Memorial Hall that can hold 2000 people. Next to that is the 1200 student high school, which burned down in 2000, but was rebuilt by the Chinese government. Then Queen Salote College is a girl's school with 1000 students. A comment added is that the girls are neatly dressed with their hair always plaited.
Directly across from the Royal Tombs is the oldest church, Centennial Church built in 1888 with coral blocks. It really had some damage from the tsunami with every window broken. It has been closed to the public for several years now, and does not appear to be in any process of restoration. From here we made our way to the Centenary Church built in 1952, which has become the known as the Royal Church. This is the church where the king and his family attend Sunday services, as we have seen on past visits. By the way, there used to be several large trees that housed fruit bats or flying foxes as they call them here. Those mature trees have been cut down, and the bats are gone.
Passing His Majesty's Army Forces building, we came upon the Royal Palace (completed in 1882) and the official gates to the palace. There was no flag up today, and that meant that the king was not here. This palace is used for official functions and to house the Royal Archives and artworks. From every angle, this palace is probably the most photographed building in Nuku'alofa.
This is where the long walkway begins on the seawall over-looking the lagoon. It was high tide today, so there were few sea birds around. New signs had been put up forbidding fishing here. In the past, when the tide went out, people would come with buckets to gather sea worms and other crustaceans in the muddy puddles. Now this is forbidden. We have two theories on that. One idea is that the waters are polluted. The second thought is that in order for the corals and lagoon creatures to return after the tsunami, a significant amount of time will have to go by with the waters not disturbed. We tend to think this is more the case.
Some of the cemented walkway had been undermined from the storm, and is now just coral rocks. The benches are still there, and we tested several of them. We passed by the old colonial British High Commissioner's residence, called the White House, along with the adjacent Mala e'aloa Cemetery for royal people only. From there on, the Vuna Road is full of old and some remodeled bed and breakfast inns. One of them is called the Seaview Lodge Deck & Restaurant. This is the one spot we can always depend on being opened. But passing it today, it looked closed up. According to their website, they opened at noon for lunch.
We continued on passing many folks sitting in their cars and vans catching the breeze. We had brought the umbrellas, but the rain miraculously stayed away all day. If anything, we could use those umbrellas if the local stray dogs began to chase us. That is one thing we learned is not to engage these dogs as they are out for whatever they can get foodwise. The people that come to lunch here, will leave them some scraps, and the dogs know it. The next big property was Little Italy, another hotel and restaurant, but we know for sure they open only for dinner. We went past the middle school, a church, and several homes that were showing a lot of storm damage. Some were being fixed, while others were beyond help. We did pass a sign showing the tsunami route, but the entire island is really flat. The thought of trying to escape injury must have been a nightmare.
Near the end of the walkway, we saw what used to be Little India, another restaurant that we liked. It also appeared to be closed or is a private home now. The seawall walk ended and we took to the road until that ended as well. Back-tracking, we looked forward to that stop in the Seaview Lodge, but it was not to be. Like we said, their website showed them opened, but they were not. Not a soul was around. So if these websites are not updated, the info could be incorrect. Oh well, there's always the ship where everything is free….even the ice cold beers for us.
We got back around 1:30pm, and headed for the Ocean Bar. Luckily they were opened and the coldest beers were Coors Light. Having never tried that beer before, we found it pretty good…and as cold as Ray promised. Back in our room, we found that our veranda had been hosed off as we were advised last night. We ordered a salad and a Dive In burger to share. It was great sitting outside and working on the report while one of us worked on photos.
The afternoon evaporated and before we knew it, the sun was going down. Ian had announced something about a fire dance on the pier around 7:45pm. So at 8pm, we went out the promenade door to find the show was about over. Without any notice, they had started earlier. Even our waiter was outside watching.
Dinner was good tonight with appetizers of small shrimp and a bowl of a favorite chicken noodle soup. Caesar salads were tasty, and the tuna plate and roast beef with Yorkshire pudding were also good. The sliced beef was so tender, almost did not need a knife. Desserts were a scoop of chocolate ice cream and a slice of chocolate cake or torte as they call it. There was no entertainment in the Mainstage, but a movie was shown….Six Days, Seven Nights. Old, but still funny.
Tomorrow we plan to take a left turn out of the port, and explore that area.
Bill & Mary Ann
