Tongans’ Tonga

It Was Good Fun Air Tourists See Tongans’ Tonga

• A small Tongan village has shown that luxury tourists can get along without luxury hotels —for one night, anyway.

WITH Beach House, former Nukualofa boarding house, closed, and a government hotel still only in the planning stage, Tonga is not set up to handle a tourist trade; but the village of Nukunuku on Tongatapu appears to have taken the situation in hand.

Air tourists recently calling at Tonga aboard Sir Gordon Taylor’s Frigate Bird 111 flying-boat, and a little later others aboard an Ansett flying-boat (both parties from Syd ney) were cared for at Nukunuku under genuine Island conditions.

A large Tongan house, divided into two by a tapa curtain, housed male and female tourists in the respective halves. Electric light was provided.

The beds in each dormitory were gaily decorated with colourful bed

spreads.

A typical Tongan feast formed the evening meal, with Tongan dancing and singing as entertainment. Meals were provided in a shelter adjoining the sleeping-house.

The air tourists were reported to be more than pleased with the arrangement.

Funds raised in this way by Nukunuku village are to be ex pended on a new village church. • South Africa has been capitalis ing on this sort of tourism for years —with no howls from tourists. When on safari in the game reserves, tourists are put up at night at camps; they sleep two to a rondavet (a native house)', hath in a bathroom block; and eat in a central dining room, at some camps; in others, a native cook boy is provided for in dividual parties. Even those people who circulate around the tourist routes from one room-with-bath to another, generally agree that it’s fun; and even those who do not, concede that getting out among the big game is worth some effort.