Tonga

Facing the sea on Nuku'alofa's waterfront, the white wooden palace with its red roof and veranda was prefabricated in New Zealand and assembled here in the 1860s. It's the official residence of the monarch and isn't open to visitors, but you can see it well from the road and the seafront behind its lawns and Norfolk pines. The surrounding streets hold most of the capital's government buildings, and the waterfront is pleasant for an early-evening stroll as the fishing boats come in.

TipDon't fly drones or climb the fence for a better view; the palace is guarded and the rules are strictly enforced.

A short walk inland from the palace, the large Centenary Church is the main place of worship of the Free Wesleyan Church, to which the royal family belongs. A Sunday service here is one of Tonga's great experiences: the congregation, dressed in black and wearing finely woven ta'ovala mats around their waists, sings in powerful, unaccompanied harmonies that fill the building. The king and members of the royal family often attend.

TipArrive early, dress modestly with shoulders and knees covered, and men should wear long trousers or a tupenu wrap.

The open, grassy field of Mala'ekula, just south of the palace, has been the burial ground of Tongan kings and queens since the late nineteenth century. The tombs themselves are a series of terraced stone mounds in the traditional style, set within a large enclosed lawn. Visitors can't enter, but the scale of the grounds, in the middle of a busy capital, says much about the place of the monarchy in Tongan life.

Nuku'alofa's central market is where islanders buy their taro, yams, cassava, breadfruit, bananas, watermelons and great bundles of green leaves. Upstairs and in the side stalls are handicrafts: tapa cloth made from beaten mulberry bark, woven mats and baskets, carvings and shell jewellery, sold by the women who make them. Saturday morning is the busiest and liveliest time, as people stock up before the Sunday shutdown.

TipPrices for crafts are generally fair and fixed; bargaining hard isn't the custom.

On the south-west coast near the village of Houma, waves rushing in under a terrace of old coral rock force water up through dozens of holes along several kilometres of shoreline, sending jets of spray metres into the air with a hiss and a whistle. The name means "the chief's whistle". On a day of big southerly swell, the coast seems to erupt in a line of fountains as far as you can see.

TipGo at high tide with a good swell for the biggest show, and stay well back from the edge of the wet rock.

On the wild southern coast, Hufangalupe, the "pigeon's doorway", is a natural land bridge of coral limestone over a deep chasm into which the sea surges. Cliffs drop to a small, hidden beach, and the views along the coast are dramatic. There are no railings, the ground is uneven and it's easy to underestimate the drop, so take care, especially with children.

For several centuries, the area around Mu'a and Lapaha on the shore of the lagoon was the seat of the Tu'i Tonga, the sacred kings whose influence once reached across much of western Polynesia. Their tombs, known as langi, are terraced platforms faced with huge, carefully cut slabs of coral limestone, some of which were brought across the sea by canoe. The finest stand among palms and village gardens, and they are among the most important archaeological sites in the Pacific.

TipAsk a local guide to show you round; the tombs are easy to miss without one, and the stories are what bring them to life.

Tonga's most famous monument stands near the north-eastern tip of Tongatapu: a trilithon of three great blocks of coral stone, two uprights about five metres tall topped by a lintel, built around the thirteenth century under one of the Tu'i Tonga kings. Its purpose is still debated. Tradition calls it "the burden of Maui", after the demigod who is said to have carried it, and some scholars think notches on the lintel were used to mark the solstices. A short trail leads from the site through the bush to the coast.

On the east coast near Haveluliku, steps lead down into a large limestone cave hung with stalactites, where a deep pool of clear, cool fresh water makes for a memorable swim. The cave is lit for visitors, and a small fee is paid to the family who look after it. The beach next to the entrance is a pleasant spot for a picnic, and a little way south lies the long stretch of sand at 'Oholei.

TipBring a torch and water shoes; the steps and rock are slippery.

A short flight or a two-hour ferry crossing from Tongatapu, 'Eua is a raised island of high cliffs, limestone caves and forest quite unlike the flat islands around it. The national park on its eastern side protects the kingdom's largest area of native rainforest, with marked trails to lookouts over the ocean from cliffs more than a hundred metres high, sinkholes, natural arches and caves. It's a haven for birds, including the red shining parrot, or koki, and humpback whales are often seen offshore in season.

TipMost guesthouses arrange guided walks; trails are rough and poorly signposted, so a guide is worth having.

The Ha'apai group is a scattering of low coral islands and volcanoes in the middle of the kingdom, and its little capital, Pangai, on the island of Lifuka, feels like a South Seas town from a century ago, with a wharf, a few shops, churches and a slow pace. It was here, in 1777, that James Cook was given such a lavish welcome that he called Tonga the Friendly Islands. Ha'apai was badly hit by cyclones and the 2022 tsunami, and visitor numbers are small, which is exactly why some people come: for empty beaches, reefs and the sense of being far from anywhere.

A short boat ride or a low-tide wade south of Lifuka, Uoleva is a small, roadless island ringed by white sand and fringed by reef, with only a few simple beach resorts and no village. Days are spent snorkelling, kitesurfing when the trade winds blow, walking the deserted beaches and watching for whales just offshore in season. It's as close as Tonga comes to the desert-island ideal.

Vava'u's main town sits on one of the most sheltered harbours in the South Pacific, a long, narrow inlet among forested hills that the Spanish navigator Francisco Mourelle called the Port of Refuge in 1781. Today it fills with visiting yachts during the cruising season, and the waterfront has cafés, bars and the offices of dive, sailing and whale-swim operators. The town is the base for exploring the dozens of islands of the Vava'u group, a maze of channels and lagoons that's best seen from a boat.

The flat-topped hill that rises behind Neiafu is protected as a small national park, and a short but steep path with steps climbs through the forest to the summit, at around 130 metres. From the lookout the view over the Port of Refuge, the scattered islands and the channels winding out to sea explains in a moment why Vava'u is so loved by sailors. It's a good first walk to get your bearings.

TipGo in the late afternoon for softer light and cooler air.

Reached only by boat, this sea cave on the island of Kapa is named for the swiftlets that nest in its roof. Boats nose in through the wide entrance, and the water inside is so clear that you can see the sandy floor many metres below; shafts of light, schools of small fish and walls of coloured rock make it a magical place to snorkel. Most day trips around the islands stop here, often alongside Mariner's Cave, an underwater-entrance cave reached by a breath-hold dive for confident swimmers only.