It's actually illegal for Tongans to work on Sundays; on this day we go to the Catholic church on the top of the hill to listen to the beautiful singing, and then we get to participate in a Traditional Tongan feast, with an umu, Kava, and a wide variety of authentically cooked food.
Tonga
An area of rich culture and history, the islands of Tonga also play host to some of the best marine life and activities in the world.
Whaledive tours always include your fair share of adventure, relaxation, fun as well as the chance to experience the Tongan culture in a wide variety of ways.
Safe Journey
A Poem from Vava’u in Tonga by Karlo Mila - 16th May 2007
When I see you,
your beautiful body
rolling in a midnight trench of water
navy as the night sky I have no words
a song perhaps a song
a low humpback hum
the song
of being one
with the water
ceaseless peace
with all that is
with everything
that breathes around you
salty and swimming
a thousand little stars of salt
swaying kelp and stretching coral
a kaleidoscope of tropical fish
in that deep, deep blue
and then there is you
the blue taupou
of the water
dancing her gracious
ancient dance
flicking her thick wrists
swivelling her hips
the ocean is hers
she owns it like a goddess
I can hear your deep throaty chuckle
in the white crashing waves
here we are, we humans
caught up in shallow shores, driftnet rot,
restless sand, and tidal pools
of our own making
why we cannot bow down
to your gracious beauty
why we cannot bend our knees
lay down our harpoons
and kneel in silence
at your beauty
at all you have to teach us
about deep-water
contentment
why we cannot clap our hands
delightedly on the sidelines
of your salt water tau’olunga
and learn all there is to know about
survival
from the Ocean herself
why we cannot protect you
from our own sorry selves
is something I do not have words for
no song either
no humpback hum
just hopeless radio talkback
and the voices of politicians
drowning out the blood sounds
of another fifty whales
dying this summer
that man-made song
the sound of dying
safe journey marine queen
the blue taupou of our ocean islands
may your song outlive ours
