Mon 2nd Feb: The Kingdom of Tonga

Was up at 4am to go to the airport for an early flight to Tonga. I had plenty of time after check-in before boarding the flight. The air crews in Auckland airport seem to have a tendency to muck about on the announcements as, 15mins before we were scheduled to board an announcement came over the system calling 'the 10 remaining passengers for flight DL159 to Tongatapu to report to the Departure gate immediately as all other pasengers have boarded and are waiting for you'. I began to feel mild panic rising as I was sitting in front of whhat I thought was the appropriate departure gate and there was no sign of activity. I thought then that I'd gone to the wrong gate. I turned to a couple beside me and enquired where they were flying to and they also were flying to Tonga. They smiled and said the crew were mucking about. I wasn't the only one caught out by this. A couple of people approache the departure gate very worried looking, quickly followed by a few more red-faced, flustered women who ran from duty-free. Very bleedin funny by the Trolley Dollies!!!

After a 2 and a half hour flight we touched down on Tongatapu, the main island of Tonga. The humidity hit me as soon as I left the plane. It was oppressive. I thought I could remember how humid Fiji was but it was still a shock to the system. Almost immediately sweat began rolling off me. Immigration and customs were a formality. We were through in 5 mins. On the flight I had been sitting beside a German lad who was heading for a hostel called Toni's place. It was situated outside the capital Nuku'alofa but there was a pick-up shuttle on hand so for convenience sake I decided to head for Toni's.

In all 6-7 of us piled into the van. For the duration of the trip from the airport I found myself sweating uncomfortably. I was so relieved when we pulled off the narrow pot-holed dirt track into Toni's place. The hostel consisted of a group of buildings within a small compound surrounded by lush, tropical vegetation. Coconut trees, mangoes and other fruits grew within an arms reach. But it felt as though the hostel was in the middle of nowhere. once Peter, the driver , had left the main road we entered a network of rough, unpaved roads. Dodging frequent and large potholes we had bounced along slowly, passing numerous homesteads and small farms with pot-bellied pigs appearing and disappearing within the thick undergrowth. I was assigned a bed in a dorm sharing with an American lad, Trevor, who had been here for a number of weeks. During that time he had hardly left the hostel at all, spending virtually all his time within the compund. He was in a tropical paradise and had decided to confine himself to this pokey, moquito infested corner. I couldn't understand that. The hostel was about 1 hrs walk for the centre of Nuku'olofa but we could take a lift with Peter at midday. I took this.

Nuku'olofa is the capital of Tonga but, walking around the streets you;d hardly think it was a county town let alone tht of a nation. Its not a very picturesque town. There's a population of 20,000 scattered around the vicinity of the town centre which is limited to a couple of principal streets and a marketplace selling fruit, veg and souvenirs. The place has a very quiet, rural air to it. There are some cafes and restaurants even a couple of internet cafes but it has the feel of a place where nothing much happens.

Tonga is a kingdom. There is a monarch and a royal family. The current king is new to the throne. His coronation was last August and banners still hang around town congratulating the king. After wandering around town for 2hrs the heat and humidity got the better of me. I could feel my energy dripping away and I was actually finding it difficult to breathe. Peter was going to be back intown at 2pm so I was happy to sit into the van with him and take the lift back to Toni's. I had to lie down for a couple of hours but first, smeared some mosquito repellent onto me as they were taking lumps out of me.
In the evening some more backpackers arrived. Among them were three Aussies who had brought some Kava with them. A few of us joined them and embarked on a Kava session. I'm not sure why I bothered. I'd tried a lot of Kava when I was in Fiji and eventually found I would gag on the stuff. 4yrs down the line and the taste of the stuff was no different. I knocked back a few cups but called it a night when felt I was beginning to gag. I'd had enough, no mas, gracias. I went to bed with a belly full of Kava. A night of broken sleep and multiple trips to the toilet ensued.