More than Swimming

   O U R   
​T O U R S


​SWIM WITH WHALES 

PHOTO - WHALEDISCOVERIES.COM

You get this close to the whales of Tonga. Our group will have two opportunities to visit with these magnificent creatures, those arriving early on Monday 16 will take the tour on Tues 17 and the second group will visit with the whales on Friday 20. This is a defining moment of your Tour with us. 

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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.

​There are many legends about the Ha’amonga ‘a Maui. The most prominent story says that the trilithon was made by the Maui demigod(s) because no other mortals would be able to handle such giant stones. It was said that the Maui obtained the stones and carried them on a giant canoe. Maui were legendary demi-gods and they are present in most of the folklore of the Pacific islands. There were four brothers all with the name Maui, powerful with supernatural powers. Hawaii, Tonga, Tahiti and New Zealand all have legends related to the Maui, the first inhabitants of all those islands. But one of the most interesting aspects of the descriptions of Maui demigods is their interest in humans and their efforts to seek immortality for the human race – a topic that we will discuss another time.

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

​ROYAL TOMBS
​MODERN & ANCIENT

In the ancient city there 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.

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