More than Swimming

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​T O U R S


WHALE WATCHING

PHOTO - WHALEDISCOVERIES.COM

You get this close to the whales of Tonga. Our group will have two opportunities to visit with these magnificent creatures, 
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​HA'AMONGA 'A MAUI

The Ha’amonga ‘a Maui is located about 30 km from the Tanoa Dateline Hotel our accommodation.  The structure is a megalithic trilithon that was said to have been built in about 1200 AD by the king of the time, probably as the entrance to his royal compound Heketa. According to a Tonga nobleman, the trilithon was built to symbolise the brotherhood of the sons of king Tuʻitātui. The structure consists of two vertical stones with a third stone supporting the top. Many would be familiar with the most famous trilithons that can be seen at Stonehenge in the United Kingdom. This specific one consists of three coral limestone slabs creating a structure of about 5.2 m high, 5.8 m long and 1.4 m wide with each stone weighing approximately 30 to 40 tonnes.

THREE-HEADED COCONUT

An unusual sight of this fully grown three-headed coconut tree near the site of the Mapua'a Vaea Blowholes. It is worth a place on the photo album. 

MAPUA'A VAEA BLOWHOLES

On an especially good day at Mapu’a ‘a Vaea (Chief’s Whistles), hundreds of blowholes spurt skywards at once. Time your visit for a windy day with a strong swell, when the surf, forced up through eroded vents in the coralline limestone, jets 30m into the air. The blowhole-riddled rocks stretch for 5km along the south coast, near the village of Houma - Lonely Planet

TSUNAMI ROCK

This three-storey coral rock was washed ashore by an ancient tsunami. It lies 200 metres from the end of the reef where it was forcibly removed by powerful waves and moved to land. 


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​ROYAL TOMBS
​MODERN & ANCIENT

In the ancient capital of Mu'a is the ancient Royal Tombs, and in Nuku'alofa near the Royal Palace is the modern resting place of the Royals. Both sites are inaccessible, can only be seen from the perimeter fence, but worth a sniff for the sake of the history of this ancient kingdom. The ancient tombs are carefully placed in mounds of hewn limestone rock some as big as four-wheel drive vehicles. 

ANAHULU CAVE

At the Eastern side of Tongatapu, ‘Anahulu Cave is a network of large limestone caverns, as well as Tongatapu’s only freshwater pools. 'Anahulu Cave is approximately 400m long and has freshwater pools and the biggest pool is the most popular bathing area.  A must visit site.

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