"Nuku'Alofa & Vava'U" a Tonga Travel Page by Tellme

We only had a one day stop in each of these places as part of the cruise, so I can't say much. Nuku'Alofa is the capital of Tonga and the main port. As such I wouldn't try to swim there. On the other side of the island Nawai'i Ali'i Beach is the better option for swimming. While the brochures will try and tell you the main sights are the Royal Palace, Captain Cook's landing site, and the Flying Fox colony - the most amazing by far would have to be the Blowholes and the journey through the small villages to get to the blowholes. Tonga is a developing nation so expect the roads to be a bit bumpy. Also expect to pay about double the price you had negiotiated for the taxi to take you around. It cost us T$70 for a ride to the blowholes, Captain Cook's landing site and around the island for about 2 hours. Expect to pay T$5 from the port to the town centre for a taxi, T$1 if there's a shuttle bus, or if you want the exercise it's about 30 -40 minutes by foot.