If it's Wednesday, then we must be in the Kingdom of Tonga, one of the last remaining kingdoms in the world. The population on all of the islands is 106,500 people that speak Tongan and English. The capital is Nuku'alofa, and our port of call this morning. There are no flashy resorts here, but authentic, unpolished, and gritty can be used to describe this island. Church life permeates daily living where oddly enough, chickens, pigs, and dogs have the right of way.
Culture is all around you if you take the time to look. And we always do when visiting here. Besides the historical sights, there are some nice beaches out of town, as well as snorkeling, diving, yachting, and kayaking. However today, that might pose a problem because we have arrived to Tonga in the middle of a storm almost the size of a cyclone. More about that later….
It is written that Tongans will eat about anything that comes from the sea such as shellfish to shark to sea turtles. Raw fish is marinated in coconut milk and is the number one treat for most. Pigs are prized possessions raised for special feasts such as wedding receptions and special holidays. The large hogs are cooked in the ground and the meal is called an "umu".
Taro root, sweet potatoes and yams are easily grown while other veggies are harder to produce. Tropical fruits are abundant and "kava" is a beverage that the men drink – also tied to special occasions. On a tour years ago, we tried the muddy-appearing concoction and found it burned our lips and mouths. Burned all the way down in fact. It is intoxicating and can lead to side effects much more potent than drinking alcohol. One tasting was enough for us.
The Zuiderdam arrived to the Vuna Wharf before 8am to very dark and cloudy skies and rain…..lots of it. The Captain was correct that we were on the fringes of a cyclone in the area, which is common this time of year. Oh well, rain or shine, the tours went on as planned. Four excursions took the guests to see historical Nuku'alofa, panoramic and ancient Tonga, a scenic drive which included a stop to see a blowhole and the fruit bats. Another tour took people on a swimming excursion, although with the heavy rain, we doubt this happened. These tours were all 3 ½ hours and ran from $60 to $85. One tour was 4 ½ hours and also took in the blowhole along with an "umu" buffet of roasted sucking pig on a spit. This ran $100.
We waited onboard until closer to 11am to take our usual walk into town. It was obvious to us that this storm was not a passing one, as the rain and wind had us soaked within minutes. And we had umbrellas. Oh well a little water never hurt anyone and it was not cold. The temperature was in the high 70's, which compared to our last visit here in the fall, it was much more tolerable than the heat and humidity in the high 80's.
Even the local independent tour operators were huddled under the info tents on the way out. We are certain many folks took advantage of their offers, even if the sights would be seen only from a vehicle. Once outside the portal, we turned left and made our way towards the Marketplace. The puddles were deep and the streets were getting flooded. One good thing was that the side roads were about empty of people with the exception of a few local cars. Inside the market, we were out of the rain and there were a handful of ship people looking over the treasures of the area. The Tongans do their traditional art on tapa cloth, fans, and purses. Their earrings are made with coconut shells, seashells, and carved teeth. There were many Hong-Kong types of jewelry mostly made with plastic or resin. Nothing really jumped out as unique, so we wandered into the produce side with fresh veggies and fruit.
On one end of this market is a ramp that took us up to the second level. All of the typical clothing is sold there such as thousands of t-shirts, some island trinkets and carvings, older shoes, and backpacks, etc. One little girl about three followed us with "pearls" in her hand. Every corner we came to, she had more loose pearls to show us. We are sure her mama was close by, and if we followed her, she would have led us to her mother's table of pearl jewelry. One of us kept thinking she might put the pearls in her mouth and swallow them. Typical of little kids that don't know any better. She disappeared down an aisle and we exited back down the ramp.
The rain had not let up one bit, in fact, it got worse. We decided to skip the churches, but winding around the downtown streets, we ran right into the Basilica of St. Anthony of Padua church. Normally, we climb the stairs to get some photos, but it appeared the doors were locked, so we continued onward.
Last November, we saw that the Royal Tombs had been fenced off and were undergoing a renovation. Dating back to 1893, this sacred area is being turned into a complex that will include a parking lot with a garden and perhaps a café. Since it was pouring, there were no workers today.
A little further up this road was the Centennial Church (also known as the Free Wesleyan Church of Tonga). Or we should say what is left of it. Over the years since we were here, this traditional structure was very impressive, but time and hurricanes have ravaged it. All that is left is a shell of coral rocks. However, there has been progress on a restoration project because we saw some scaffolding in the church's center. We suspect the Chinese government is responsible for the work because we saw signs saying as much in other parts of town.
A small group of school girls were on their lunch break. Their school and others are built around the Royal Tombs. It is required that each student wear a uniform and their hair has to be braided or plaited as they call it. When they passed us, we took a photo and they were thrilled. Kids are the same no matter where you go. The streets here were flooded, but the girls simply took off their flip-flops and walked through the water.
Normally, we take a long walk down the seawall from here, but today it was way too windy and wet. The restaurant where we had wished to have lunch was closed today until 5pm. It is located on this seawall road along with many other mini lodges. We have not been able to go there since before 2020 and the Covid years following.
Walking back towards downtown, we took photos of the Royal Palace, which was built in 1867 with materials shipped from New Zealand. This impressive structure used to be the King's residence, but he has since moved to another property inland on the island. These days the palace is used for special occasions only. Today was not one of them.
There was another option for lunch in town, but we decided we were way too wet to go there. Yes, we did use the umbrellas, which kept our heads dry. The rest of us…..forget it. Soaked to the bone, we wandered through the craft market set up close to the entrance of the Vuna Pier. These folks were being blasted by the driving winds and rain also. Even the graveled lot was getting flooded all the way under the tents. And it was on one of these tables that we spotted a pretty necklace and earring set made with small stones of red coral and white "pearls". The nice lady vendor said she was having a rainy day special and was happy to bargain with us. So one of us went back home with a nice memento of Nuku'alofa today.
And if it was possible, we got even wetter on the walk back to the ship. Changing clothes, we made our way to the Lido by 2:45pm to find it was loaded with people getting a late lunch. Even some of the stations that are usually closed at 2pm were still available. That is nice because only one of the ship's tours had a lunch. We are still waiting for the sugar cones to return to the ice cream bar, but so far, there are none. Maybe while we are in Sydney, they will get more.
The ship left close to 5pm, after a call was made for two passengers to call the front desk. More than likely their room keys failed to register or worse case scenario, they were MIA. The Captain announced that we had a good day (we highly doubt he got off of the ship) despite the wind and driving rains. It looks like this weather will be with us for the next two days as we sail towards Noumea. In order to avoid the worst of the bad weather, he was taking the ship north towards Fiji, then west towards Noumea before heading south to Noumea. He said we will get there on time as long as he can maintain a higher rate of speed. Then on the 7th, we may hit sea swells up to 12 feet and warned everyone to be careful and take seasick pills if needed.
At 6:30pm, we had an invitation to a President's Club cocktail party in the Gallery Bar with the Captain and some of his officers. We had a pleasant visit with a member we have known since 2005 as well as a host of the Chief Engineer. Drinks of our choice were offered (bottomless) and many snacks were passed. We met the young lady who is responsible for the entertainment, like the Great Gatsby Evening. Her aim is to create situations where the guests can interact with each other. Thinking of ourselves, we are a lost cause in this department. Later in the evening, Kimberly and Chantall joined us as did Christel and Henk, who stayed until 8pm before we all left for dinner.
We had a pleasant dinner despite arriving late. They had a nicer bowl of chicken noodle soup. The other starter was a Caesar salad, followed by prime rib, because there were few other choices that appealed to us. Dessert was nothing….we were full.
And tonight, we had another hour back on the clocks. We will have more to put back as we get closer to Australia.
Bill & Mary Ann
