how not to ride around the island of tongatapu

On Sunday 23 April, a couple of English volunteers (Al and Emma), another AYAD (Heather) and I embarked on our first significant ride around Tongatapu. The trip was inspired by Al who wanted to visit Mapua a Vaca (The Chiefs Whistle or blowholes) before his two months in Tonga came to a close on the following Wednesday.

As mentioned in the last post, Tongatapu is fairly flat which makes riding quite easy as long as you can avoid the potholes and dogs. The island isn't overly small, but you could certainly manage a full circumnavigation in a day if you kept the pace up and weren't too distracted by the scenery and beaches. Riding at a cruisy pace, and allowing for the few wrong turns that will inevitably result from relying on a tourist map for directions, the ride to Mapua a Vaca in the south-west of the island took about an hour traversing from Nuku'alofa in the centre of the north of Tongatapu.

An hour long ride constitutes exercise in most peoples comprehension, which means that the four of us were breaking the law as exercising (or working) on Sunday is illegal in Tonga. However, we were met with friendly smiling faces only and none of the pious ire that we were warned to expect.

This first part of the trip was calamity free. Apart from arriving at low tide which reduced the spectacle somewhat we were all quite happy with our achievement and after a few photos and a quick swim we were ready for some lunch. Being Sunday, this is easier said and done. Again, the law precludes shops from being opening so we were relying on our questionable map and navigational skills to direct us to one of the few resorts that would be nearby and flaunting this rule.

After an hour and a half of further riding heading east along the south of the island, a flat-tire (me, after successfully an entire town of potholed road I relaxed and took my off the road and caught the one lone pothole in otherwise good stretch of road) and a nip on the ankle from a territorial mutt (Emma) there was still no sign of a resort. Somewhat forlorn, we pulled off the main road and headed back towards the ocean in the hope of at least finding a nice place to swim if not food. We were well rewarded, as we had stumbled upon Matatahi (beach) Veitonga.

The drama of the day continued when we went to set off. My key broke in the lock of my bike and was only after much trying that we extricated both Al's and my bike from the pole they were locked around. We also managed to get a little further lost on our way back to Nuku'alofa (following other peoples directions) and thereby had covered nearly half the island in our day of riding before coming across a bakery on the fringes of the capital which from all accounts sold the most well appreciated warm sausage rolls and cup cakes ever.

Next time we go for a ride, we might do it on a day other than Sunday and go a little better prepared. I am still trying to overcome the chest cold I woke up with on Monday after all the exertion. On Anzac Day (Tuesday), we did return to Matatahi Veitonga, but went by car and took all our food with us.

On the Saturday, I went to my first rugby match in Tonga. The game was part of the second round of the Pacific Cup - a new five round competition between six teams, two from each of Tonga, Samoa and Fiji (a not-so-Super 6). It was a muddy affair and the gold jerseys of the Tonga Tautahi team were looking decidely brown by the end of the game. Coincidentally, Jess also went to a match that was part of the Pacific Cup on the weekend. I guess it shows how much a part of life it is here.

The way the competition is structured, means that there is a match in Tonga every Saturday the five weeks. I am pretty keen to go to some of the remaining games, so there should be a few more photos of polynesian rugby.

Still no real work. However, my time in Tonga won't be all beautiful beaches and rugby matches, thankfully. As nice as it would be to have an extended holiday, I do have to turn up at work everyday from 8:30 to 4:30 which is a lot of time to fill with not much to do. I have finally spoken to the director of my department at some length, and there is definitely meaningful work for me to do in the longer term on developing the Kingdom's strategic policy and ensuring that the policy is pursued by the various government agencies. This work will start post the restructure in July.

My job, well what I would like to do, is to encourage the soon-to-be-appointed CEOs of the government departments to at least adhere to what semblance of a plan their is for Tonga by imposing some discipline on the functioning of the public service through adequate planning and budgetary discipline. However, since there is nobody really leading the whole show this might be a little hard. The consultant who wrote the Strategic Development Plan will be back next week so that will be a good opportunity to learn a bit from him.

In the meantime, my time in the office will be spent working on the 'Eua Master Plan (though with two consultants being brought in there shouldn't be too much work) and studying the copy of An Intensive Course in Tongan that I bought yesterday. You will all have to test me by making me speak Tongan as much as possible when you visit.

the week of rain

Since Thursday 12 April, it has rained everyday for a little over a week. This isn't exactly in keeping with Tonga as an island paradise. Admittedly, the rain has been both blessing and curse - respite from the hot, muggy conditions that had assaulted us since our arrival in Tonga was certainly welcome. However, the rain somewhat disrupted the long-weekend trip to 'Eua.

Before I recount on the trip, now is probably a good time for a geography lesson. Tonga, as I hope most of you know by now, is located in the Pacific Ocean north of New Zealand and east of Fiji. (Nowhere near the Solomon Islands, for those of you who are concerned.)

The Kingdom is made up of 177 islands divided into four island groups. Running south to north, these are Tongatapu, Ha'apai, Vava'u and the Niuas, as shown in the map I stole from another website.

I live, as most Tongans do, on the island of Tongatapu where the capital, Nuku'alofa, is located. The physical highlight of Tongatapu is the reef that surrounds the island. Otherwise, Tongatapu is an amazingly flat island and most of the natural vegetation has been removed since the Tongans first arrived 3000 years ago, to be replaced by coconut trees which has actually been required by law since 1927. From the Land Act:

Every male Tongan subject ... shall within one year from the date of [taking posession of land] have growing on such allotment 200 coconut trees planted in rows and so arranged that the trees are 9 metres apart or 4.5 metres apart in rows 18 metres distant from each other.

This is just one example of the over regulation that blights the Kingdom.

As I was explaining in my last post, 'Eua lies to the south-east of Tongatapu and is in stark contrast to the flatness of the main island being dominated by a low ridge that extends the length of the island. As most of the land remains unallocated, the natural rainforest and pine plantations dominate (though there are still some coconut trees). This and a number of interesting geological formations make 'Eua just about perfect for bushwalking and camping, which was our plan for the Easter long-weekend.

The weekend started with an 8-minute flight from Fua'amotu domestic airport, supposedly the shortest commercial flight in the world. In June to November, the low altitude of the flight allows you to spot the migrating whales below - no such luck for us. I was able to take a couple of photos of the Tongatapu coast (which shows the reef I mentioned) and coconut trees. I recommend the flight, being over and done with before you even know it and far better than the horror stories I have heard about the ferry which is the only alternative.

Plans to camp/trek over a night or two were put on hold when we were greeted by the continuiing downpour on our first morning in 'Eua. The options were to sit and read a book or take the 4WD tour. Normally, I would baulk at the idea of 4WD-ing, but everybody else was enthusiastic and I didn't think it a good idea to finish my book on the first day of what could be a very wet long-weekend. Lucky for me, as the tour was well worthwhile the highlights being a visit to the big banyan tree and Maui's fault.

The description of the banyan tree is no understatement. The trunk of twisted vines stretches over 10 metres in diameter and the tree towered above despite starting in a cave 5 metres or so below us. We clambered down into the cave via a muddy slope and then used the twisted trunk of the banyan tree to climb back out. This set a trend for how a 4WD tour in Tonga differs from one in Australia.

Maui's fault is a large chasm formed, as legend would have it, when the Polynesian god Maui struck his kava stick into the ground and moved it back and forth to tear a whole in the earth. The Lonely Planet Tonga Guidebook says climbing into Maui's without climbing gear is impossible. Our guide, Peter, told us this story as we travelled to the fault. On arrival he then instructed us on how to climb down into and then out of the fault using a few muddy footholds and the thick vines of nearby trees exactly as he had done for the Lonely Planet author. There wasn't much point to us climbing into this cave, other than the challenge of getting out again, but it was fun and proved that you shouldn't always believe the guidebooks.

On Sunday, with the rain still beating down a few of us chose to do the only thing you legally can do in Tonga on that day and went to church. I have already attended the large King's Church in Nuku'alofa as part of our orientation. The quality of the singing and the ferocity of the sermon at the King's Church were good, but nothing when compared to the intimacy of the small village church we attended in Tufuvai, 'Eua. Being agnostic, my attendance at church is purely cultural appreciation. The highlights are the singing of the hymns, which the Tongans pride themselves on, and the game of pass-the-baby which involves any child under two being passed from mother to aunty to uncle to sister and so on throughout the whole service.

Monday was a little more low key as we were meant to fly back to Tongatapu that evening. I went for a walk along the coast wading through rock pools and managed a few octopuses, sea slugs, flat worms an eel and the usual array of fish and coral. On returning from the walk, we found out our flight was cancelled because of all the rain. I am getting used to delays flying to Tongatapu anyway, so the extra hours of swimming and exploring were very welcome.

In 'Eua we stayed at The Hideaway. Though rather basic, The Hideaway is relaxed and pleasant. The owners, who lived in Canberra for twenty years, are extremely friendly and seem to be the first to recognise the tourist potential of 'Eua, organising the tours around the island and whale watching in season. This and the good, sizeable meals make the Hideaway a great place to stay.

On work, the Minister has decided that the department where I work will indeed take on a policy advisory role when it is merged with the Ministry later this month (as I suggested on this blog last week) and also redouble its efforts to ensure that the national development plan is adhered to at budget time. For some reason, the Director is proposing that I work on developing a database rather than these other tasks. A quick, but tentative, email with my application to the AYAD Program attached and some suggestions of work I could do might change their mind. Here's looking forward to next week.

I have also worked out a way of uploading photos from work. They just don't upload in the order I would like. Check them out on my flickr site.

to work i go, in my tupenu

I had my first day at ngaue (work) on Wednesday 12 April. Actually, I was also there last week, but that was only for twenty minutes so it hardly counts. I am still a little unsure about what I will be doing here on a day-to-day basis. People can read my AYAD profile if they would like to know what I am meant to be doing. Please excuse the photo.

The uncertainty is caused by a number of factors. Tonga for the first time has a Prime Minister that was elected to parliament by the people, though still appointed by the King. This has occurred against a backdrop of further political reform. Also, the Prime Minister recently announced a restructure of the Tongan Government that will result in a reduction of departments (and staff) with my ngaue becoming part of a larger Ministry. It is certainly an interesting and momentous time to be in Tonga.

My workplace has been focussed of late on preparing the national development plan which is mentioned in my profile, however with a new Prime Minister and the democratic reform underway I can't help but wonder whether there is a possibility that the plan will be rewritten to reflect the increased role of the government in setting the strategic direction for Tonga.

The other possible consequence of the develotuion of power on my work is the need for the government here to now develop its own policy. The influx of economists into the Ministry of Finance, coming from my workplace, may in future be employed to develop policy or provide policy advice. My impression is that this would be somewhat novel.

I guess I will have to wait and see about work, hopefully not as long as 1 July when the merger occurs. Maybe when I finally get to talk to my boss next week, I will learn something.

On a cultural note, starting work involves wearing the tupenu, pronounced too-peh-noo, - the traditional Tongan skirt which is worn by all men working in government departments (and many places otherwise). I am planning to upload a photo of me wearing my tupenu, but the internet connections I have available will not allow me to upload anything at the moment.

In theory the tupenu should be ideal for the local climate, however the three that I have been able to buy are all made out of a rather coarse, thick polyester material - not so pleasent. Riding a bike in a tupenu is not something that I am rushing to try either, I just wear shorts and change when I get to work.

The other thing I have done in the last week - apart from eat, drink and go snorkelling - is find a house. I am living with one other AYAD, John, in a small, but new, clean and orderly place quite close to town. It takes me about five miniutes to ride to work, but even five minutes is a bit of an adventure with Tongan drivers and certainly long enough to get a little bothered in the heat. Photos of my house will be uploaded shortly also.

For Easter, the other AYADs and I are going to 'Eua, the most southern of Tonga's inhabited islands. Details of the trip next week, as well as more Tongan language.

thursday airport, sunday island

My year in Tonga started well. Checking-in at Melbourne Airport on Thursday, I managed to have my 70kg of luggage accepted without any charge. This must be some kind of record.

Things were okay at Sydney Airport until I said goodbye to mum and Annabel who were kind enough to visit and have lunch with me for two hours of what was meant to be a four hour stopover. The four hours quickly became five, and then we were told it would be after another three hours before our flight would take off.

Eight hours at an airport is never fun and I am very glad that the other AYADs departing for Tonga were also with me to provide entertainment. The "food vouchers" provided by polynesian blue (used at the bar of course) also helped.

In the end we were lucky to get out after 11 hours, as the Sydney Airport curfew would have come into affect as we were taking off. As we taxied out, I thought that I might get to farewell Jess a second time if I had been forced to spend the night in Sydney and fly out the next day.

Finally, at 5:30 am local time we touched down on Tongatapu. The sun was rising and our passage through customs and immigration was quick and painless. This coupled with a promise from polynesian blue of a free fare were good ways to make up for the delay.

After little to no sleep, Friday was a bit of a right-off. Lunch at the High Commissioner's house and dinner at the nearest restaurant to our hotel was all that we managed. I was glad for any instructions that were provided, thinking wasn't working with that little sleep.


On Saturday we visited the market to buy food that was cooked that night at a bbq-on-the-beach that some of the soon-to-depart AYADs invited us to on the western tip of the island.
I cooked steamed snapper with chilli, lime, garlic and ginger and others roasted vegetables and chicken which were very nice thank you and proof that you can get good food in Tonga. I will be eating a lot of fish this year, it is all that cheap - even tuna (A$4/kg).

The bbq was preceded by a few ikales (the local beer) drunk whilst swimming around the reef watching the sunset.

We spent Sunday at Pangaimotu Island where none of the usual religious restrictions are in place and for this reason is referred to as Sunday Island. We spent our time snorkelling and enjoying the sun and sand. where we went snorkelling.

Generally. It is very hot here, but I am already using my bike a fair bit to get around. Tongatapu is very flat and it isn't too far to anywhere we need to go. Nuku'alofa is very underdeveloped. More so than I expected, but that is quickly forgotten. You forget very quickly and despite the heat everything is very easy to do. The ocean is almost always in view and the water is gorgeous. The people are very friendly, as you would expect. This year is certainly going to be a once in a lifetime experience.

Today we started language lessons and I bought my first tupenu (skirt). The tupenu is brown polyster, but that was the only one in my size. I will need it for Thursday when I go to work for the first time. Photos of me in my tupenu and more will follow as soon as a I find a computer that I can connect my camera or iPod with to upload them.