And that was Tonga

Garry and I are homeward bound following a relaxing couple of days in Tongatapu. Thursday consisted of a leisurely wander through the local Talamahu Markets, followed by an outdoor lunch at Friends Cafe. At the markets, we secured a few handicraft souvenirs to remind us of our time in Tonga, including a simply carved wooden Humpback whale. It perfectly captured the essence of our whale swims on Ha'apai.

We've also bought a turtle print hand-painted on paper made from pandanus leaves. The artist is a delightful old woman who explained to us how she'd made the paper as well as creating the final artwork. The pandanus leaves are first softened by soaking them in seawater, then beaten, pressed together and dried to form smooth sheets of paper.  In the image below, our souvenir was displayed in the gap visible in the top row of artwork.

Earlier in the week, while snorkelling, Garry and I came across long ropes of pandanus leaves tied to the seafloor by the locals. We'd initially thought these waving strands were farmed seaweed. It was fascinating to then see the same flowing strands carefully dried, trimmed and bundled, ready for sale in the market.

Friday was spent on a full-day private tour of Tongatapu Island. The itinerary included plenty of noteworthy highlights. Our first sight of the day was Tsunami Rock, also known as Maui Rock. This humongous rock sits in splendid isolation on the island's southern coast. It's one of several similar boulders lying along the coast.

This massive lump of coral reef, measuring approximately 15 × 11 × 9 metres, was swept more than 200 metres inland hundreds of years ago. These days, it sits on an open plain towering above the surrounding grassland. According to geologists, Tsunami Rock is one of the largest wave-lifted boulders ever found and the third-largest boulder in the world. Let’s just say it is big!

Our next stop, the Mapu'a Vaea Blowholes along the island’s southwest coastline, were unbelievable. We spent at least half an hour watching kilometres of blowholes going off again and again in a mesmerising sequence along the coast. Without a doubt, this experience made up for our failed attempt to visit the Alofaaga Blowholes in Sa'avii last year.

Our guide then drove us across the island to Anahulu Cave. Along the way, we stopped to visit Captain Cook's final landing place in Tonga. He visited the islands on three separate occasions. The last of these visits, in 1777, is marked by a small park and plaque. Our guide showed a partially hidden hole cut into the tidal rock shelf, revealing that Cook had carved it as a mooring point for his longboat. Who knows if this is true? It certainly made for an entertaining story.

Garry received a text message from his Dad while at Cook's Landing. Sadly, Murray's brother, Alan Smith (Garry's Uncle), had just died. The previous night, while walking to dinner, Garry and I called Murray to wish him a Happy Birthday via FaceTime. Murray told us Alan was in palliative care, so this news wasn't entirely unexpected.

We were lucky enough to enjoy the entire cave system to ourselves for almost an hour.  This included a 15-minute swim in one of the cave's crystal-clear underground freshwater pools. The caves were completely enclosed and lit by electric bulbs. We ventured about 50 metres into the interior, weaved around stalagmites and stalagtights, before reaching the swimming hole.

The water was surprisingly warm. Our tour guide's young nephew, who'd joined us for the day, demonstrated how to jump safely from a rock ledge. I decided to give it a go. Garry wasn't game to try. Enjoy the video above. I can honestly say, I've never swum in a cave before. It's a truly magical experience.

Our final two stops were historical highlights. First, we visited the ancient royal tombs at Lapaha on the northern shores of Tongatapu. They're the remnants of the first and second royal dynasties of Tonga. The precision stonework still visible on these decaying rock platforms is impressive to say the least. 

As we wandered through the grounds, our guide explained that the current Tongan Royal Family is actually the third in a series of dynasties. The first dynasty originated in the 10th century with a mythical figure called ʻAhoʻeitu. This line ended around 1470 when the reigning Tuʻi Tonga transferred his temporal powers to his brother. This second dynasty then ended in 1865 with the death of the last Tuʻi Tonga, Sanualio Fatafehi Laufilitonga. 

The current House of Tupou is a continuation of the Tuʻi Kanokupolu Dynasty led by the first constitutional monarch, George Tupou I.  We learned that the white marble lion we'd spotted adorning the modern royal tombs during last week's self-guided walking tour marks his grave.

  
Our final stop was Ha'amonga ‘a Mau'i Historic Park. This is the site of the second capital of Ancient Tonga, known as Heketā (Royal Compound). It was home to the first royal dynasty. The prominent feature of this park is the Ha'amonga ‘a Maui (Trilithon) - a monumental stone gateway comprising three coral limestone slabs. It is estimated that each slab weighs more than 20 tonnes and stands at 6 metres in height. It's colloquially known as Tonga’s Stonehenge.

Our tour concluded with a drive-by viewing of the island’s famous fishing pigs! They’re local pigs that go rooting for worms and shellfish in the coastal mud at low tide. Unbelievable.

 

  
We finished our final full day in Tonga, catching up with newfound friends we made on Ha’apai. We enjoyed cocktails overlooking the reef with Fee and Mary-Jo Van Hoppe before joining them for dinner at their hotel. Earlier this week, Matafunoa Lodge featured them doing an ocean swim in an awesome drone-shot video. 

Our time in Tonga has been an incredible experience. It’ll be hard work getting back to reality!