Tonga

The flight from Auckland to Nukualofa was nearly empty. We didn't think too much about this until we arrived and people were shaking their heads. The riots of last November have definitely affected the number of people coming here on holiday.

There is evidence of the riots; the city centre is blocked off and patrolled by soldiers, who watch burnt out buildings being cleared out and re-built. Most people talk about the trouble, from the Peace Corps Volunteers to the pro-democracy restaurant owner. However, no one seems to agree on the source of the problem.

That said, our trip in Tonga has been very relaxed. We arrived and went straight to the hotel to check in. The heat was oppressive and our walking tour was cut short. The next day we caught the ferry across to 'Eua, an island 50 kms away known as an 'eco-tourism' destination. We took an excellent tour of the main sites of the island and did some good snorkling. We then got up early the next day to catch the ferry back to the mainland as everything comes to a standstill on Sundays. E