The Kingdom of Tonga has disappeared into the clouds. I wish we could spend more time on these islands but the numeric weather models we reply made us drop the mooring lines. Tropical cyclones do hit Tonga and while there are hurricane moorings, giant blocks of concrete with chain attached, vessels are lost. During the last cyclone a catamaran ended up next to the tables in a waterfront cafe. Leftover pineapple olive pepperoni pizza from a cafe was lunch today.

Tonga is a country holding strongly to its traditions, culture and language with a strong Western and Christian overlay, the Fakatonga or the Tonga way. The overlay was designed the first Tongan king in the mid 1800s as a way to consolidate power internally and prevent Tonga from being colonized like the Marquesas, Hawaii, the Tuamotos and all the other Polynesian islands. King George 1 designed a constitutional monarchy where he had absolute power and installed a parliament. Christianity is tightly woven into Tonga's constitution enshrining Sunday as a day for family and community through a ban on all work. The absolute power was tested in the 1970 when George V allowed an oil company to drill exploratory wells on Sunday, in the churchyard. No one stopped him although the drilling paused during the service. After 40 years of questionable direction under George V the next king, George VI in early 2000's voluntarily limited his power and worked to modify the constitution to increase the representation of “the people.”

Our interactions with the economy revolved around the tourism industry. Everyone was happy to see us but asked if more boats were coming. From the customs officials to the crafts vendors there is a sense of worry almost desperation. No visitors since the start of covid has been hard. The distribution of land ensures everyone can grow food as everyone is allocated a lot to live on and a lot to farm. The strict control on land ownership has prevented the influx of major hotels building resorts. Tourism is important in Vava'u but is not the largest influx of cash into the economy.

Forklifts carrying dinning room table sized containers of cassava to a cold container ready to ship. Cassava, kava and vanilla are all exported but these are not the most important income for the country. Tonga's greatest export is its people. Families are large, but many leave seeking seek higher education and jobs abroad . A high proportion of Tongans hold PhDs. The money, remittances, send by oversee Tongans abroad is the greatest influx of cash into the country.

So what are people like in this country where men and women wear long skirts with burlap like fabric wrapped around their torsos. Women are in charge in the families and hold government jobs although men still lead the government. Auriele invited us to lunch on Sunday as her his plans watched and Moa oversees the businesses including the whale swimming, a bed and breakfast, moorings in the harbor and a shellfish farming operation. Hap, her Dutch husband, drives the boats. A refreshing change from much of Polynesian where the French were in charge while the Polynesians tended the lines and moved the trash.

The expat community seems committed to invest in the Tongan community. Greg, the kiwi who runs the cafe Tropicana is a yellow pages for cruisers. The emptiness of the pandemic shows in his shop. Dusty yoga mats are tucked up high next to the unused bike helmets and bikes. He also is working to get sailboats, optics and a j24 for Tongan children. He snagged a children's book I brought for his bookshelf for the public Vava'u library.

Malo (thank you) Tonga for a lovely visit.

Note: my references here are “in search of the Friendly Islands” by Kalafi Maola a Tongan journalist and the cruising guide to the Kingdom of Tonga by Charles Paul.