A beautiful sunrise greeted us as we closed on Tonga early this morning.  We arrived at 7 am and would depart at 5 pm.

You will find a self-guided walking tour at the bottom of this post.   

The Tonga police band played on the pier in the morning welcoming the guests as they started their day ashore.

We spent the morning in our cabin until 11:30.  Our plan for the day was to visit the Blow Holes and the Tsunami Rock.  We visited both spots on our first trip here in 2020 and looked forward to seeing them again.

The Tonga Police Band played in the tent shelter closest to the ship.  Moving down the pier, there were various souvenir vendors, tour operators, and a booth from the ministry of tourism.  Free Wifi was available in one area for those who paused to complete a survey.

We learned at the tour booth that taxi fares on cruise ship days are fixed and posted.  The fare to the blow Holes was listed as costing $60, and the Tsunami Rock was listed as $40.  Returning guests told us that many Taxis were available further down the pier.

Toward the end of the pier, closest to the mainland, we found several taxi drivers sitting in chairs.  The chart above wasn’t clear on the rate for combined locations so we inquired about the cost of going to the Blow Hole and Tsunami Rock.  The driver Pali, asked what we wanted to spend, and I offered $50 USD, which he accepted.

The drive to the Blow Hole was about 10 miles, and we arrived at 12:07 after a 30-minute drive.  As we arrived, two larger HAL tour buses were leaving, so there were very few people in the area, and it was easier to find a spot for unobstructed photographs.  We walked about 100 yards down a rocky path from the main viewing area, and we found a spot that had good wave action to make a nice photograph.  We brought our tripod to set up the camera and let the 4K video run.  This way, we could go back a get a decent screen capture with the optimum wave action in the background.

After 25 minutes, our driver, Pila, drove down the small road and picked us up, and we were off to Tsunami Rock.  Recent rains made the small path to Tsunami Rock puddled and too muddy and deep for us to wade across.  We admired the rock from a couple of hundred yards away and then headed back to Nuka Alofa.

Pali dropped us at Friends Café, a popular café near the pier and a spot many private tours will arrange to meet.

Friends Café accepts credit cards and has a varied menu with some draft beers and the local beer Maka available in bottles.  Don’t stop here if you are in a hurry, as it took about 45 minutes to get served.  The food was good, and we enjoyed the ambiance.

Directly behind Friends is a small craft market with a couple of vendors.  We didn’t find anything at the craft markets or vendors in the city that we couldn’t find with the vendors on the pier.  We didn’t check prices, so you may find better bargains once you are further from the ship.

Maketi Talamahu, a local market, is a few blocks away from the port entrance.  There is fresh produce on the ground floor and more vendors selling souvenirs on the second floor.

On the way back to the ship, the Tonga Police Band was back performing for our sail away.  They are very good, and a few guests sat nearby to enjoy the performance close up.

An isolated rain shower cleared the Seaview pool during the Sail-Away, but the skies cleared after a few minutes.

Download the Walking tour HERE

You can get a copy at the Ministry of Tourism Booth on the Pier – and probably other places.