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22 | FireFlyz
get
away
U
nless
you are an avid
rugby fan, or a historian,
you may not have heard of
the Kingdom of Tonga. It is
not as far as you may think
to fly to Tonga - a jewel in the South
Pacific - and if you choose to visit during
whale migration season, it could turn out
to be the trip of a life-time.
Breaching
The first of three main islands you will
arrive on is Tongatapu, home to the Capi-
tal, Nuku’alofa. Here, you can visit the
residence of the current King of Tonga,
Tupou VI, as well as Captain Cook’s
landing place.
Cook discovered these islands in 1773
and aptly named them the ‘friendly’
islands and they have never been colo-
nised. Wandering along the streets near
to the waterfront you will see adverts
for women’s rugby matches, street food
that includes tasty hot local BBQ chicken
and shops that sell exotic jewelry such
as broken black pearls.
If you decide to take a day trip chasing
the whales, the choice of boat available
varies on each island, ranging from a
catamaran and high-powered speed boat
to a small dinghy. You will see whales in
groups or a single mother with calves.
If lady luck is your companion on that
day, you will see both. Whales breaching
in the distance or just in front of the
Humpbackwhales are
little known and less often
seen but between July
and September each year,
theymigrate northwards
fromtheir feeding grounds
inAntarctica to thewarmer
waters of the South Pacific
islands of theKingdomof
Tongawhere theymate
and calf.
JonathanDi Rollo
was there towitness this
spectacular sight.
Whale
Kingdom
Now you se me, now you don’t!