Tonga

[Over from NZ]

Any suggestions on excursions etc?

[Dididi]

Hi!  Below is the advice I posted on another thread.  We visited Tonga on P&O Australia's Pacific Explorer last August.  No whale watching tours were offered by the ship.  The snorkeling and diving tours were canceled because the tide was all the way out.

 

Nuku'alofa: You can get a taxi to take you to the same places as the ship's tours: the palm tree with two tree tops; the blow holes (very impressive!), and the caves (my friends really liked them, not my thing).  You can walk to the Palace from the pier.  It's pretty but, as one of the Indian waiters said, it's a bungalow, not a "real" palace.  Our walk around town took us to the city market where we saw produce and other items (lots of woven mats) for locals.  I wasn't looking for souvenirs, but the stands near the pier offered good deals on locally made items.  I ended up buying a baroque pearl pendant, a large one, not perfect but very pretty, for about $80NZD.  

 

On another thread I read that university students will set up a table near the souvenir stands at the pier where they'll offer walking tours.  So that's another option.

 

Vava'u: Long but beautiful tender ride to the port.  We took a cultural demonstration (cooking, mat weaving, dancing, kava drinking (optional)) and beach tour with the ship.  We also visited a vanilla farm. Fewer transport options in Vava'u and the town near the pier is considerably smaller than Nuku'alofa (and it's along the main thoroughfare, parallel to the water, so it's not as walkable as Nuku'alofa). I drank coconut water in both Tongan ports so was very happy.  We saw pigs "fishing" in the shallows and lots of feisty chickens.  Most houses in the villages we drove by had new water tanks (supplied by the government after the volcano eruption). Saw lots of solar panels too.  There were souvenirs for sale at the pier but the choices were better at Nuku'alofa.  

 

Because of the long tender ride to/from Vava'u, I would recommend a ship tour if you want to do something more than a short walk in town along the main road. Enjoy!

 

 

 

[Over from NZ]

On 5/21/2024 at 10:18 AM, Dididi said:

 

Hi!  Below is the advice I posted on another thread.  We visited Tonga on P&O Australia's Pacific Explorer last August.  No whale watching tours were offered by the ship.  The snorkeling and diving tours were canceled because the tide was all the way out.

 

Nuku'alofa: You can get a taxi to take you to the same places as the ship's tours: the palm tree with two tree tops; the blow holes (very impressive!), and the caves (my friends really liked them, not my thing).  You can walk to the Palace from the pier.  It's pretty but, as one of the Indian waiters said, it's a bungalow, not a "real" palace.  Our walk around town took us to the city market where we saw produce and other items (lots of woven mats) for locals.  I wasn't looking for souvenirs, but the stands near the pier offered good deals on locally made items.  I ended up buying a baroque pearl pendant, a large one, not perfect but very pretty, for about $80NZD.  

 

On another thread I read that university students will set up a table near the souvenir stands at the pier where they'll offer walking tours.  So that's another option.

 

Vava'u: Long but beautiful tender ride to the port.  We took a cultural demonstration (cooking, mat weaving, dancing, kava drinking (optional)) and beach tour with the ship.  We also visited a vanilla farm. Fewer transport options in Vava'u and the town near the pier is considerably smaller than Nuku'alofa (and it's along the main thoroughfare, parallel to the water, so it's not as walkable as Nuku'alofa). I drank coconut water in both Tongan ports so was very happy.  We saw pigs "fishing" in the shallows and lots of feisty chickens.  Most houses in the villages we drove by had new water tanks (supplied by the government after the volcano eruption). Saw lots of solar panels too.  There were souvenirs for sale at the pier but the choices were better at Nuku'alofa.  

 

Because of the long tender ride to/from Vava'u, I would recommend a ship tour if you want to do something more than a short walk in town along the main road. Enjoy!

 

 

 

Thank you! Really appreciated!