It takes a 10hr bus ride to cover most of the North Island- from Palmerston North to Auckland. From Auckland we caught a flight straight to Nukualofa, Tongatapu. Within the Kingdom of Tonga this is the main island and capitol city. The country is an interesting place. The Kingdom is comprised of over 160 islands- nearly 35 of which are uninhabited. It is also the only sovereign Monarchy in the South Pacific and boasts of avoiding formal colonization.
Initially, we spent 2 nights in Nukualofa at the Heilala Lodge. It is beautiful!
above is the footpath to our accommodation. The hospitality at the Heilala was wonderful! The owners really go out of their way to make sure you feel at home and access to the city and tours.
We were able to join a guided tour of the Island of Tongatapu. The tour lasted about five hours and was commentated by a cynical Yorkshire man! Quite a fun day indeed.
above is a two headed coconut tree. Our guide says its the only one in the South Pacific.
Most of our drive was through Coconut tree forests. Beneath the palms are garden plots and cattle pastures. Seeing cows pigs and horses wander out from the bushes was off putting at first but soon became all apart of the scenery.
above is a tree full of flying foxes. Flying Foxes are the largest species of fruit bats with a wingspan of up to six ft! luckily they were pretty sleepy during the day.
I'm just taking a stroll to the sea.
Laura and I enjoying the view.
above is a view of the waves crashing on the coral reef that surrounds the island.
We stopped for lunch at the Keleti Resort. This was the footpath leading down the hill to the ocean. I just loved the beach sign.
This is our tour van!
Here is an arch, below is the ocean and above is where we catch the view of the cliffs. We made a friend along our way though.
Here she is! These spiders are everywhere in Tonga! They spin webs in the bushes and up high above your head between coconut trees! Luckily they are not poisonous nor do they jump out of their webs. Phew! I'd hate to have one of these land on my head!
above is a view from the cliffs.
This is one of my favourite views of the day.
We saw a cave.
This is the Trilithon. on the longest day when the sun sets it is in line with the top stone. Similarly on the longest night Orion's belt is lined up with stone. It is used as a calendar and for navigating the ocean.
We were visited by a pig!
Finally, here is the spot that is commemorated as Captain Cook's Landing.
This ends our day tour of Tongatapu. It was such fun and a great introduction to the island.
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