Two Palangi in the Secret South

Oceania » Tonga » Tongatapu
January 20th 2012

Published: February 25th 2012

Secret? Not really. Strange? Yes, decidedly. We visited two of Tonga’s island groups. Tongatapu, which houses the capital, Nuku’alofa, and Ha’apai, a few hundred miles to the north, and decades in the past. Tapu gives us the word taboo – the only Tongan word to make its way into English. Tonga meanwhile, means south. So Secret South it is. If the Tongans were solely responsible for their ... Read Full Entry

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25th February 2012

James
non-member comment

Treacherous coast and cliffhangers
Sounds like lots of people never made it back from that coastline... Did you have a tour guide with a morbid obsession? I love the photo of the blow-holes so I can see why people are tempted like the men of Odyseus to the siren-temptation of rugged beauty. Hopefully you two will make it back safely to Blighty's fair shores in the near future. Did you know that a King of Tonga opened Dovestone's Reservoir in Saddleworth? I've got no idea why. Maybe you could ask him and tell us in your next blog...

2nd March 2012

Ben and Asimina
Ben & Asimina, mazi monahus

Dovestone's Reservoir
That is a truly weird fact. I don't think he learned anything from it. There are no rivers of reservoirs, to our knowledge, in Tonga. Our guide had an obsession with churches. He is a Catholic, so he probably had a bit of a death obsession too.

28th February 2012

Mon Haley
non-member comment

Whoops
Must have missed the publication of this first Tongan (?) blog! so have looked at both together. It looks like an amazing country! Fancy you finding your way to Mass on NY Eve! Good on you. Sadly, we didn't have a band playing afterwards though. Whoops, you obviously need to check the tides before going out walking in future! Hope the tuna was tasty! Dad saw the Queen of Tonga riding by in her carriage when he went to London to take his Institute of Civil Engineers exam.

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Two Palangi in the Secret South

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