"Malo e lelei - Welcome
to the Friendly Islands."
The Kingdom of
Tonga is located in Western Polynesia. Its nearest neighbor
is Fiji to the west and the Samoas to the north. Western
Polynesia includes the islands of Tonga, Samoa, Niue, Tuvala
and Tokelau.
Government: Constitutional monarchy. Gained full independence within
the Commonwealth in 1970.
Head
of State: His Majesty King George TupouI V since
2006, after the passing of of his father His Majesty King
Taufa'ahau Tupou IV on September 10, 2006.
Head
of Government: Prime Minister HRH Prince ’Ulukalala-Lavaka-Ata
since 2000.
Getting
There from the USA
The main airlines
serving Tonga are Air New Zealand, Air Pacific. There
are direct flights to Tonga from Los Angeles, New Zealand,
Australia, Fiji and Samoa.
Schedules
from USA (LAX)
- Air New Zealand fly once weekly on Tue.
- Air Pacific fly to Fiji four times weekly (Sat,Sun,Tue,Thu)
and connects to Tongatapu twice weekly (Sat, Tue)
When to Go
May to October
is the best time to visit. November to April
is Summer, and is the hurricane season. It can be hot, humid
and wet. The peak travel season is December and January
(Tongans living abroad are returning home), so make reservations
well in advance.
