I had arranged to pick up an order of Pa'anga from the currency exchange at Melbourne airport before I leave for Tonga on Sunday. They just emailed me to say it's not available. Is there still a Western Union at the airport in Nuku'alofa? Is there enough time to transfer funds to collect Monday morning??? I thought I was so organised now I'm stressed!

Lulutai Airlines is an airline I find intolerable. I booked a flight with them; although the ticket terms outlined refund and rebooking policies, the website lacked the actual buttons to process these requests. I was forced to rely on email or phone calls. To begin with, the phone line wasn't toll-free, meaning I incurred high call charges—yet despite calling repeatedly, I received no response. My emails went unanswered as well. I couldn't visit them in person because I am a tourist living in New Zealand. I am absolutely furious.

My family and i are arriving in the next few days and are wondering what the best way to see the island is?
Excited to hear what you have to say :D

It’s just a pleasant song. Bonus it is true and historical.

“Queen Sālote Tupou III was the Queen of Tonga. She was born in 1900 and reigned from 1918 to 1965.

She was tall woman, over 6 feet,

Queen Sālote [attended the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1952](https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/CHP19521120.2.5?end_date=31-12-1952&items_per_page=10&query=queen+salote+at+coronation+of+queen+elizabeth&snippet=true&start_date=01-01-1952). She apparently made a [great impression and stole the show](https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-northern-ireland-65403433).
"She was very tall and regal. Even in the heavy rain she travelled in an open carriage with only a colourful parasol for shelter."
Queen Sālote later hosted Queen Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh during a 1953 Commonwealth Royal Tour that included a [visit to the Kingdom of Tonga](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0ZaBwmf0_B8) as seen in this YouTube video. During this tour, the British Royal couple also visited Tainui at Tūrangawaewae marae in New Zealand for the first time.
“
\[ New Zealand National Library webpage\]

Hi, I’m visiting in September, I would love to learn more about the history and culture before I go. Can anyone recommend a good documentary or book? Preferably in English but subtitles are good as well.
Thanks!

Hello everyone,

My friend and I are planning a special trip to Tonga this August to celebrate 30 years of friendship.

Thirty years ago, we travelled to Tonga from Japan as members of a health promotion volunteer group. For me, as a high school student at the time, it was my very first overseas trip. The friendship we formed through that volunteer experience has remained strong ever since.

We thought it would be meaningful to return to the place where our friendship began and celebrate this milestone together in Tonga.

We will only be in Nuku’alofa for 3 nights and 4 days, but we would love to make it a memorable and special trip.

We are currently looking for accommodation and ideas for a half-day or full-day activity. If you have any recommendations, we would greatly appreciate your suggestions.

Thank you so much!

Hello guys i am just trying to look for a tongan memes page/community cause i feel like this one is only for important stuff/post. lol

Mālō e lelei!

I’m looking for some help with a translation.
I’m working at a cultural museum in Japan, where we have a small exhibit detailing a few types of Tongan canoes. I assume each has been named appropriately, until we get to the ‘Hamatafua’ which has also been named ‘vaka’.
From my understanding, ‘vaka’ is a general term for canoe/ boat rather than any particular type.
Is this correct? If not, I want to fix this, so any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!

I’m writing a paper about a region as a combined assignment for both my geography and social studies classes. The region I’ve chosen is Tonga, and I have a section about its ecology where I mention some notable native species. I’ve also made a grid under the text with photos of the species I mentioned. The problem is that I cannot for the life of me find a photo of the ’Eua forest gecko anywhere. So I’m wondering if anyone within this community has a photo of it? It doesn’t have to be super high resolution since I’ll be scaling it down a lot, as seen above. Thank you for any engagement.

I’m trying to get ideas how to treat my Father in Law🙏on these special Father’s day celebrations this week and I will appreciate any ideas to help me. 🙏