24/08/2019 to 26/08/2019 - Tongatapu / Tonga

Tonga - the last kingdom of the South Seas.

The islands, formerly known as the Friendly Islands, emerged from the Tonga Trench, one of the deepest oceanic trenches on Earth, and are located in the area of the Pacific Ring of Fire. Many of the 170+ islands are uninhabited. Most of them have white sandy beaches, surrounded by coral reefs and covered with rainforest. However, some of them also have active volcanoes. The Kingdom of Tonga was the only state in Oceania never colonized by Europeans. The people in the South Seas differ significantly in appearance. The Tongans traditionally like to eat a lot and high-calorie food. In Tonga, being fat is considered beautiful and represents good health. Nuku'alofa translates to "Home of Love," a beautiful name for a capital city. The city is located on the island of Tongatapu and is home to approximately 24,000 residents, the seat of government and the royal family, and the international airport. This is where we landed and spent the next few days. We rented a car, drove around the island, and discovered the sights of Tongatapu. Starting from the west coast with the landing place of the explorer Abel Tasman and some beaches. We then went to the Blow Holes, where massive amounts of water hit the rocky coast and blow water high into the air. We got quite wet but were also very impressed by the immense power of the ocean. We drove along the quite unremarkable south coast to the northwest coast. The historic site Ha'amonga'a Mau'i was one of the ancient capitals of the Kingdom of Tonga. On the site, there is a monumental coral stone arch. The individual stone blocks used for the arch weigh up to 20 tons and were likely built around the year 1200. Sometimes, the trilithon is also referred to as the Stonehenge of Polynesia. Our next stop was the landing place of Captain Cook. In 1777, the great navigator James Cook set foot on the island here. Our tour of the island ended in the capital, Nuku'alofa. We passed by several churches, the royal palace, and the royal tombs and stopped at the Friend's Cafe. The cafe has been around for more than 20 years and is a meeting place for tourists and locals. We planned to spend a bit more time in Tonga and explore some other parts of the country.

Now it was time to head to the airport. With the royal airline Real Tonga, we wanted to fly to another group of islands in Tonga. But before we go... When there are more passengers at the airport than planned, a few extra rows of seats are spontaneously added to the plane. This, of course, delayed our departure once again.