Must see attractions in Tongatapu

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On an especially good day at Mapu’a ‘a Vaea (Chief’s Whistles), hundreds of blowholes spurt skywards at once. Time your visit for a windy day with a…

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The South Pacific’s equivalent of Stonehenge, the Ha’amonga ‘a Maui (Maui’s Burden) trilithon near Niutoua, is one of ancient Polynesia’s most intriguing…

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Want to see the real of Nuku’alofa? Wander through the aisles at Talamahu, Tonga's main fresh-produce hub. You’ll find produce piled into handmade woven…

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On the sunset side of the island, Ha’atafu Beach is a sandy slice protected by a reef, where some of Tonga's best surf peels in (experienced surfers only…

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Near nowhere in particular is this impressive arch, aka ‘the pigeon’s doorway’ – a natural land bridge over the pounding Pacific waves, formed when the…

The Mu’a area contains Tonga's richest concentration of archaeological remnants. In AD 1200, Tu’itatui, the 11th of the Tu’i Tonga kings, moved the royal…

Honeymooners, start your engines! Fronting onto a magnificent beach, Fafá Island Resort is the most elegant on Tongatapu’s offshore islands, but it makes…

The closest island resort to Nuku’alofa, Pangaimotu makes an easy day trip. Daily departures (including Sunday) chug out from the wharf beside the Fish…

Tongatapu’s most famous cave is an over-loved, slightly eerie place full of stalactites and stalagmites, and blackened from the soot of flaming-frond…

South of Nuku’alofa, between Tofoa and Pe’a, you’ll pass the private royal residences of the Princess, adorned with white tigers and cannons, and the King…

As you round the coast to the north of Mu’a, keep an eye out for Tonga's famed fishing pigs. When the tide is out, these unusual porkers trot out into the…

While you’ll get the opportunity to see flying foxes (aka fruit bats, or peka) in many places in Tonga, one spot renowned for their presence is the…

‘Atata, 10km from Tongatapu, has beaut beaches and a little island village to wander through. Snorkelling, diving and fishing are near-essential. There is…

At the northwestern tip of Tongatapu is a modest monument commemorating Dutchman Abel Tasman's 'discovery' of Tongatapu in 1643. He was on his way back to…

If you think we must be scratching around for highlights to include a triple-headed coconut tree, then think again. Locals swear that this is the only…

Encircled by expansive lawns and casuarina trees, the white weatherboard Victorian-style Royal Palace, erected in 1867, is the pinnacle of Tongan grandeur…

A modest cairn above a mangrove inlet near Holonga village marks the spot where Captain Cook came ashore in 1777 (on his third trip to Tonga) and where…

Royal watchers and rubberneckers (regardless of denomination) head to this towering white church for a glimpse of Tonga's royal family at Sunday service,…

Mala’ekula, the large parklike area opposite the basilica, has been the resting place of the royals since 1893. The statue-studded white concrete tomb…

Nuku'alofa's most distinctive structure is the Basilica of St Anthony of Padua, opposite the Royal Tombs. It has a beautiful interior of stained glass,…