Tonga
Oceania · Country #147
Did you know?
Tonga is the only monarchy in the Pacific that was never formally colonized, maintaining its own royal line for over 1,000 years.
My Experience
Like several of its neighbors, Tonga moves at a very relaxed pace. While that isn’t usually my preferred style of travel, it gave me the chance to slow down for a few days and experience life in the South Pacific’s only remaining monarchy.
I based myself in the capital, Nuku’alofa, and spent a day exploring Tongatapu, the country’s main island. One of the highlights was watching the powerful blowholes send seawater soaring into the air along the island’s rugged southern coast. I also visited Tsunami Rock, an enormous boulder believed to have been carried inland by a massive tsunami centuries ago. Standing beside it, it was incredible to imagine the immense forces of nature that shaped these islands long before anyone was there to witness them.
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