Welcome to Nukuʻalofa, the capital and largest city of the Kingdom of Tonga. It lies on the north coast of the island of Tongatapu, in the country's southernmost island group, and it holds a curious title: it is the westernmost capital of any sovereign state in the world. On 10 June 1777 the British captain James Cook anchored in this sheltered bay, describing it as a very snug place formed by the shore of Tongatapu and two small islands. Today the town is home to Tonga's royal palace and royal tombs. Let's begin by the waterfront and then explore the island beyond.
Royal Palace
Photo: Uhooep · CC BY-SA 4.0 · Wikimedia CommonsAlong the waterfront in the northwest of the city stands the Royal Palace, the official residence of the King of Tonga. This wooden building dates from 1867. You cannot go inside, but it is easy to admire from the shore. Tongans hold the royal family in such respect that poets rarely call the palace by name; instead they use poetic references such as Fanga-tapu, the sacred beach, or Loto-ʻā, inside the fence. The old metre-high stone fence was so sacred that nobody would dare even to sit on it.
Haʻamonga ʻa Maui
Photo: Tauʻolunga · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia CommonsOn the eastern side of Tongatapu, in the village of Niutōua, stands Haʻamonga ʻa Maui, the Burden of Maui. This stone trilithon, sometimes called the Stonehenge of the Pacific, was built in the 13th century by King Tuʻitātui in honour of his two sons. Three slabs of coral limestone form the gateway, 5.2 metres high, with deep notches cut into the uprights to hold the lintel. The name refers to a pole carried over the shoulder with loads on both ends. Nearby is a stone throne: it was believed that a king leaning back against it was safe from assassins creeping up behind him.
Malaʻekula
Photo: Tauʻolunga · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia CommonsIn the heart of the city lies Malaʻekula, the royal burial ground, reserved solely for Tongan monarchs, their spouses and their children. It lies a short way south of the palace along the Hala Tuʻi, the King's Road, the final road every monarch travels. The cemetery was created after the death of George Tupou the First, the first king of modern Tonga, and his tomb lies at its very centre. The name means red square, recalling a red festival held here in 1885 to raise money for Tonga College, whose colour is vermilion red, worn by every guest that day.
Basilica of St. Anthony of Padua
On Taufaʻahau Road, near the royal tombs, stands the Basilica of Saint Anthony of Padua, one of Tonga's two most important Catholic churches, alongside the Cathedral of Saint Mary in the same city. What makes it special is how it was built: volunteers began work in 1977 and completed the church in 1980. Pope John Paul the Second later granted it the title of basilica.
Mapu a Vaea
Photo: CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia CommonsListen. Near the village of Houma, the sea is whistling. These are the Mapu a Vaea, a 5 kilometre chain of hundreds of natural blowholes in the volcanic rock. As waves strike, water is forced up through the channels, compressed, and shot high into the air, and because every channel is different, each jet has its own height and force. The name means the Chief's Whistles, after the Vaea family of nearby Houma, and the sound is said to resemble the whistling of a high-ranking Tongan chief.
Tonga National Museum
Our last stop is the Tonga National Museum, established in 1998. Its first exhibition opened on 4 July that year with the title From the Stone Age to the Space Age in 200 Years, bringing together objects from the United States, Fiji and Tonga's own collections. Among the treasures shown were shoes made of hibiscus fibre, worn by Queen Salote to the coronation of Elizabeth the Second in 1953. The collection includes models of traditional boats, photographs and objects linked to the royal family, and archaeological finds from the Lapita culture.
Lomakuume