Month: February 2026

Tonga

Neiafu, Vava’u Island

A long night at sea took us to a lovely harbour in Tonga: Neiafu, Vava’u. It is a favorite natural harbour of sailors in the South Pacific. It is also one of the most laid back island time towns that one could wish for. Tourism is making its way felt but the council needs to improve the roads and facilities for tourists. Then there will be a willingness of tourists to leave their dollars as they visit.

It is an access point for scuba divers to untainted coral and marine life, caves and beaches. International yachts make this place a high point of their voyages.

Humpback whales visit here during their migration period, July to October, each year. Church life is well engraved in their lifestyle. There is not a lot of industry in the region so the people live a subsistence lifestyle with plenty of fruit and vegetables.

A welcome dancing group of girls invited us to enjoy Neiafu while here for the few short hours. We walked up a street about a kilometer and found some tropical blooms along the way. On our return to board the ship, we were farewelled by a group of agile male dancers.

While at Neiafu, this cruise ship “Odyssey” arrived in the harbour. The dream of many who cruise regularly is to own a room or unit on a ship like Odyssey, and “see the world” for the rest of their lives in luxury. (Maybe it’s cheaper than a nursing home). A quick search found there is a unit for sale at $140,000; any takers?

Nukualofa

After another night of cruising, we arrived at the capital of the Kingdom of Tonga, Nukualofa. What a difference to any of the previous ports we have visited; clean and ready to make friends of the tourists who bring so much money to the country. (The second biggest income earner for the kingdom is the funds returned to Tonga by younger people harvesting fruit and vegetables in Australia. Amazing really!)

Just a little info before saying what we did in Nukualofa. Lyn’s mum and dad moved to the Kingdom of Tonga for work when she was 11. They had a house girl named Vavae. A young guy, Palu, was thrown out of his family because he wanted to become a Christian. Lyn’s Mum and Dad offered to care for him in his early years and into high school. Over time, Palu married Vavae and they had 4 kids. One of them was named after Lyn’s sister, Earlene May. Earlene Anne married “K” and they have 6 children. The family have kept in contact with Earlene May over the years and it was our turn to meet up with Earlene Anne and “K” in Nukualofa. Tongan hospitality went into gear and today we enjoyed the day with plenty of laughter and stories from way back. The family hasn’t had regular meetups and when they do meetup, there is much laughter as they/we catch up. This meetup was going to be no different. Earlene May met up with them in Nukualofa in 2013 for a day while cruising back to Sydney from San Diego.

We went out for breakfast first thing, and then started our tour of the island. We learned so much about their family history and life. Memories were recalled as well as made for latter “retrieval” when we meet again. Our sides are still sore from laughing. (Sorry to all those who don’t understand the genuineness of Tongan hospitality and meetups).

While touring Tonga after a two-hour breakfast, it becomes obvious that the Tongans all go to, or are, members of a church. There are so many church buildings around.

Christian faiths make up the vast majority of the population’s religious identity in and around Nukuʻalofa: 

Protestant – the largest group, with a variety of denominations: Free Wesleyan Church of Tonga — the single largest denomination.  Free Church of Tonga Church of Tonga Seventh-day Adventist Assembly of God and other smaller Protestant churches.  The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) — a substantial Christian group in the city.  Roman Catholic — a notable Christian presence with established churches such as the Basilica of St. Anthony of Padua in Nukuʻalofa. 

We visited a few touristy spots and a school at Beulah. A hidden secret is the awesome blowholes .

While in Tonga as a 9 year old, Lyn and the Princess were good friends. We found where she now lives but the Princess was attending a funeral and Tongan funerals can take more than a few hours. Her servant was happy to swap details to get in contact again.

Leaving Tonga was a little like repeating our departure from Solomon Islands in 1989. As Tonga faded into the distance behind Noordam, the same sort of tears came again. Another home away from home was deeply in our hearts.

Our next port of call was The Bay of Islands in New Zealand.