Tonga – Guidebook

Bordering the International Dateline, with a time zone of its own, the Kingdom of Tonga is the first land to see the dawn of each new day. Because of it's independence the way of life in Tonga has remained relatively unchanged and culturally intact, the Tongan people are funloving and renown for their goodwill. These islands were thought to be first inhabited as early as 500 BC and the origins of the present monarchy can be traced back more than 1,000 years. Tonga has an interesting mix of modern services and a sense of peace and timelessness, tradition and history in an unsophisticated setting.

Airport
Tonga's International Airport is located on Tongatapu, known as Fua'amotu Airport and is located 22 kms from Nuku'alofa town centre.

Business Hours
Monday to Friday 8.30am-4.30pm. Shops are closed on Sunday. Saturday varies but is generally 8am-12 noon.
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Climate
Tonga is blessed with a warm, pleasant year round tropical climate, with the average daily temperature during the summer months November to April of 26ºC and during the winter months May to October of 21ºC.

Currency & Banking
The Tongan dollar is the Pa'anga and is in denominations of 1, 2, 5, 10, 20 and 50. Tongan coins range from 5 to 50. The Bank of Tonga, ANZ and Malaysia Boreno-Finance (MBF) all have branches on Tongatapu while the Bank of Tonga has branches on all of the main islands, and the MBF a branch on Vava'u. Opening hours are generally 9am-3.30pm Monday to Friday and 8.30am-11.30am Saturday.

Customs & Dress
Strong Christian values and traditional customs have combined to make Tonga a relatively conservative South Pacific country. There is a Tongan law which prohibits anyone appearing in public without a shirt on, it is also not acceptable to appear in public with brief shorts, bikinis or bathing suits. In the privacy of hotel beaches and pool-side, standards are less conservative.
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Departure Tax
Current International Departure Tax is T$25.00 payable on departure, children under 12-years-old are exempt.

Drinking Water
All underground piped water supplies are chlorinated and are deemed safe, however it is advisable to drink bottled water.

Duty Free
The following purchase allowance applies per person over the age of 18 years. Please note these allowances are provided as a guide only. They may be subject to change by the governing bodies without prior notice.

Restricted Item	Allowable Quota
Cigarettes	2 Cartons per person
Liquor	2 Litres

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Electricity
The voltage is 240 volts, however the voltage in Tonga is stronger so visitors are advised to change the voltage of their appliances.

Languages
The official language is Tongan, however English is widely spoken.

Location
The Kingdom of Tonga is situated just west of the International Date Line and is made up of an archipelago of 170 small islands spread over 700,000 square kms of ocean consisting of 4 groups; Tongatapu, Ha'apai, Vava'u and Nuias, of which only 40 are inhabited.
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Population
Estimated total population is 95,000, the majority living on Tongatapu, the main island.

Shopping
There is a limited range of shops from clothing, supermarkets, souvenir, hardware, duty free, electrical through to engineering in Nuku'alofa, with small stores scattered throughout. Neiafu on Vava'u has a small township with local markets. Local art and crafts, especially Tapa are of a high quality (few stores accept credit cards).

Tipping
Tongan people do not expect to be tipped, however no offence will be taken if excellent service is rewarded in this way.
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