When I arrived in Tonga, I decided to head north straight away, to Vava'u. The flight is in a classic DC3 (photo 1) and unlike almost any other airline on the planet, passengers are invited to the cockpit. As I was sitting in a front seat, I was invited and went forward. I was given a headset and was chatting with the pilots for almost an hour. The views en route are also very lovely (photo 2).
My reason for going to Vava'u was mainly for diving, though the scenery was also nice. In the late afternoon the local kids would dive from the jetty as the sunset (photos 1-4).
The Trilithon or Tonga's Stonehenge is referred to as the place where time began. It is an impressive bit of construction, apparently built to signify the future unity that should happen between the kings two sons. I don't know if the thing worked out, but Tonga ended up with a nice monument as a result.
The cemeteries are surprisingly picturesque with graves decorated with empty glass bottles. A different sort of recycling I suppose.
Apparently this is the only twin headed palm tree in the world. There was another one in Sri Lanka, but that fell down. Not really that interesting, but if you saw it and someone told you that was the only twin headed palm in the world, you'd take a picture too.
Tonga has sites of natural beauty, looking along the coastline, there is a natural arch (photo 1), attractive cliffs and blowholes (photos 2 & 4). It all seems to have been a bit much for the pig that decided to commit suicide over one of the picturesque cliffs (photo 3).
