๐ Quick Facts About Tonga ๐น๐ด
Tonga is a Polynesian kingdom in the South Pacific made up of more than 170 islands, although only a fraction of them are inhabited. The capital, Nuku'alofa, sits on Tongatapu, the country's main island and the easiest place for most visitors to start.
The country is culturally distinct, deeply proud of its monarchy, and for me personally, unlike anywhere else on Earth because of its traditional juggling culture.
- ๐๏ธ CapitalNuku'alofa
- ๐ต CurrencyTongan pa'anga (TOP)
- ๐ฃ๏ธ LanguageTongan and English
- ๐ก๏ธ ClimateTropical
- ๐ Plug typeType I ยท *Anker Universal Travel Adapter
- ๐บ RegionPolynesia, Oceania
๐ฌ Arriving in Tonga from Auckland
I flew to Tonga from Auckland with Air New Zealand and later returned to Auckland after a few days in the kingdom. The airport is small and friendly, and I quickly met a local family who took me to the capital city of Nuku'alofa.
Nuku'alofa is a relaxed place. It is not particularly large, and you can comfortably walk through much of the city center within half an hour. The waterfront area is especially pleasant, with parks, open green spaces, and small vendors selling local food.
๐ Fai Kakai, Lu and a Bag Disaster
One of the first things I did was try some traditional Tongan dishes. The first was fai kakai, a sweet dessert made from cassava or manioc served with a rich coconut syrup.
The second was lu, a traditional dish made from taro leaves cooked with coconut cream. Honestly, lu looked absolutely terrifying. It was a dark, almost black mass that looked like something from another planet.
But despite its appearance, it was surprisingly tasty. Unfortunately, I made the mistake of carrying it around in my bag afterward. At some point it spilled. Everything I owned was suddenly covered in sticky, dark coconut liquid. Not exactly my finest travel moment.
๐คน Why Tonga Was So Special to Me
Out of all 195 countries, Tonga occupies a very special place in my heart. The reason has nothing to do with beaches, caves, or scenery.
It is because Tonga is the only country in the world that developed a genuine indigenous juggling culture.
For centuries, Tonga developed a unique juggling tradition, called "Hiko", centered around tui tui nuts. Unlike modern juggling, which usually uses a crossing pattern known as a cascade, Tongan juggling traditionally uses a circular pattern known as a shower.
The tradition was only popular among girls and women. Historically, young women would gather and compete against one another using tui tui nuts collected from the many tui tui trees found throughout the islands.
The rules were simple: whoever could keep juggling the longest would win. Over generations, this evolved into a genuine cultural tradition.
๐ My Mission: Find Tongan Jugglers
Another fascinating thing is that juggling in Tonga is traditionally accompanied by a song. Most girls still know the song today, despite not understanding the words.
The language used in the song appears to be extremely old, possibly preserving fragments of an earlier form of Tongan or another Polynesian language.
You can walk up to a Tongan woman and ask her to juggle. She may then begin singing a song in a language she does not understand herself, simply because that is how the tradition has always been passed down.
My mission became simple: find as many Tongan jugglers as possible. I spent days asking women throughout Tonga whether they knew how to juggle. To my surprise, many still could.
Most of the strongest jugglers I met were from older generations. Women in their forties, fifties, and beyond could still comfortably juggle three or four tui tui nuts. One woman even proudly told me that when she was younger she could juggle five.
Sadly, the younger generation is largely losing the tradition. Phones, social media, television, and the internet have gradually replaced older forms of entertainment.
๐ซ Queen Salote College and Tongan Juggling
Determined to experience the tradition properly, I wanted my own set of tui tui nuts. That turned out to be more difficult than expected. Nobody sells them. Why would they? Everybody already has them.
Eventually, a woman I met in town offered to take me to her garden, where she happily collected some for me. Armed with my tui tui nuts, I headed to Queen Salote College, the Mecca of Tongan juggling culture.
The school is one of Tonga's most prestigious girls' schools and played a major role in preserving the juggling tradition. I met the headmistress, who welcomed me warmly and invited me to spend time with the students during their lunch break.
We juggled together, talked about the history of the tradition, and filmed some videos. The headmistress herself was a skilled juggler and explained how much the culture had changed over the years. Nowadays, it's a serious challenge to even find a young girl who can juggle 3 tui tui nuts. The culture is slowly dying out.
During my visit I also filmed the Tonga segment for my "Juggling in Every Country" project. It meant so much to me that I included the traditional Tongan juggling song within the opening seconds of my final video.
๐ฒ Cycling Around Tongatapu
Outside of juggling, Tonga has plenty of interesting places to explore. To see more of the island, I rented a bicycle in Nuku'alofa.
The owner of the bicycle shop recognized me from TikTok, which was both unexpected and hilarious. With my bike, I set off across Tongatapu, Tonga's main island.
Cycling gave me a slower, more personal way to explore the island: local roads, small villages, coastlines, snacks, and the kind of random encounters that make the Pacific so fun to explore.
๐ณ๏ธ Anahulu Cave and Beach
One of the highlights was the Anahulu Cave. This was probably my favorite natural attraction in the country. The entrance fee is around $8, and once inside, I found myself completely alone. Nobody walks with you, you enter the cave by yourself!
The cave descends deep underground before opening into a freshwater pool. You can even swim inside. Standing alone inside the cave and jumping into the water is slightly terrifying โ you don't see what's in the water. And it's pretty dark...
Nearby, Anahulu Beach is also worth visiting and makes a perfect stop after exploring the cave.
๐ Mapu'a 'a Vaea Blowholes, Otai and a Three-Headed Coconut Tree
Afterward, I cycled across the island to another famous attraction: the Mapu'a 'a Vaea blowholes. The blowholes stretch for several kilometers along the coast.
When large waves hit the rocky shoreline, seawater is forced through natural openings in the rock, creating giant fountains that shoot high into the air.
Along the way, I stopped for a refreshing glass of otai, a traditional Tongan drink made from watermelon, coconut milk, and fruit juice.
Another unexpected attraction I visited was Tonga's famous three-headed coconut tree. Exactly as the name suggests, a single coconut palm somehow splits into three crowns at the top.
๐บ Queen Salote, Nightlife and Village Backpackers
Back in Nuku'alofa, I learned more about Queen Salote Tupou III, one of Tonga's most beloved monarchs. She became internationally famous after attending the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in London in 1953.
Despite heavy rain, she famously refused to close the roof of her carriage and rode through London smiling and waving to the crowds. To this day, many Tongans still speak about her with enormous respect.
Evenings in Tonga were surprisingly lively. I spent time at places like Reload Bar and The TOP Restaurant, which transforms into more of a nightclub later in the evening.
Tonga does not have a huge nightlife scene, but there are enough places to have a fun night out. I also tried Pulotu Coconut Stout, the local Tongan beer, and sampled various cassava snacks from local vendors.
For accommodation, I stayed at Village Backpackers. It was extremely basic, probably one of the most basic hostels I stayed at during my Pacific journey. If you have a larger budget, I would recommend looking for something a little more comfortable. But it did the job for a few nights.
๐ญ Final Thoughts on Visiting Tonga
After several unforgettable days, I flew back to Auckland. Looking back, Tonga remains one of my favorite countries in the entire world.
The scenery is beautiful. The people are friendly. The culture is unique. But more than anything, it is the only place on Earth where I could walk up to strangers and talk about juggling as part of their national heritage.
For a juggler, that is pretty hard to beat.