The Friendly Isles welcomes you to some of the finest cruising areas of the South Pacific. We want you to enjoy your stay in the Kingdom of Tonga and we hope you will return to these islands many times over the coming years. We also want to enjoy having you here as a welcome guest.

We recognise people on yachts are different from the average tourist. First because you have endured a long sea voyage under dangerous deep sea conditions to arrive and depart. Second because you may well stay longer than the average tourist. Third because you will probably get to visit some of the more remote areas which the normal visitor does not have the opportunity to go to.

Some of you are ''old hands" having visited the South Pacific often and you know the ropes of what to expect and what is expected of you. Others are new to Polynesia and, we hope, you would like to be informed as to Tongan ways of living, our customs and laws.

There is a great deal of additional information available from the Tongan Visitors Bureau and we urge you to stop by and pick up some of our pamphlets and discuss your stay at our office in Nuku'alofa, Vava'u or Ha'apai.

Tonga is a Kingdom of the Sea with more than 170 islands scattered over some 700,000 square kilometres of ocean. There are three major island groups, with the capital island of Tongatapu in the south, the Ha'apai group in the center, and the Vava'u group in the north.

Only 36 of the Tongan isles are inhabited full time and the area abounds in wilderness sites of unparalleled beauty. The climate is mild, with average temperatures varying from 15 to 27 degrees C in the south to an average 26 degrees C in the north.

There are five ports of entry into Tonga: Tongatapu, Lifuka (Ha'apai), Vava'u, Niuatoputapu and Niuafo'ou. In all ports, yachts must fly the yellow quarantine flag and be available for inspection. In Nuku'alofa, yachts clear at Queen Salote Wharf, the large commercial wharf at the eastern end of the harbour. For clearance purposes yachts may anchor in the restricted anchorage area near the wharf and along the waterfront as directed by the Harbour Master. After clearing, the yachts must be moved to the designated yacht anchorage at Pangaimotu island or inside the small boat harbour. More details regarding the restricted anchorage are available at the Customs Office or from the Harbour Master. Alternatively yachts may tie up at Queen Salote Wharf or inside the small boat harbour while clearing. In Vava'u, yachts clear at the main wharf in Neiafu Harbour and the yacht should be brought to the wharf. In Ha'apai yachts clear at the main wharf in Pangai The Customs Office is in the large shed on the wharf at all locations.

Office hours are from 8: 30 in the morning to 4:30 in the evening with a break between 12:30 and 1:30 for lunch The office is open from Monday to Friday and yachts may not be cleared either in or out on the weekend. If you should arrive outside normal hours, anchor with the quarantine flag flying close to the wharf and proceed to the wharf during appropriate times. Do not leave your vessel until you have been properly cleared. If there is a large ship blocking the wharf, please anchor and the captain of the vessel may come ashore in the tender to talk with the customs official about alternate measures for clearance. At Nuku'alofa, contact the Harbour Master on VHF Channel 16 for calling in and instruction will be given on VHF Channel 12 or 13.

You will be boarded by officers from the Department of Agriculture and Immigration. Visitors receive a 30 day tourist visa on arrival This may be extended on a monthly basis at the immigration office in Nuku'alofa or Vava'u. You should prepare a crew list which includes the names and duties plus passport origin and numbers for each person aboard

Our customs department is similar to your own, with the usual restrictions on the importation of illicit materials. Firearms and ammunition must be declared and surrendered to the customs official. These will be returned to you upon your departure.

Day sailing around Tongatapu and Vava'u is not restricted but movement between the island groups served by customs offices requires a Coastal Clearance Permit issued by Customs.

Before departing for another major island group within Tonga, you must visit Customs for this clearance. You will be asked to pay your monthly harbour dues before departure. Save the receipt since you will be asked for it at your next port. When travelling between Vava'u and Nuku'alofa, or vice versa, you can request that your Coastal Clearance include "via Ha'apai" if you intend to stop in that island group. You must check in with Customs on arrival from any other Tongan port, even if you have already entered the country.

Please remember to visit Immigration at the Police Station in Nuku'alofa or Neiafu before your visa expires. You must have a valid visa at all times while in Tonga so make sure yours does not expire while moving between island groups.

A yacht harbour has been constructed in Nuku'alofa which is one of the largest and most secure in the South Pacific. It is located only a short walk from the center of town. The entrance is 2.6 meters deep in the center at low tide and it has been dredged to a depth of 3/ 4 metres inside. Yachts are asked to use the north side of the harbour, tying up "Mediterranean" or "Tahiti" style to the bollards provided ashore. Limited space is available against the wall on the south side of the harbour but yachts should keep clear of the area in front of the Fisheries Market and not interfere with local boat use of the wall area There are also two slipways within the yacht harbour which can accommodate vessels up to 100 tonnes and 15 tonnes respectively. In addition, there is a boat lift, a 10 tonne lifting capacity.

In Vava'u, Neiafu Harbour, the Paradise International Hotel offers a weekly/monthly rate to yachts for the use of its facilities, including pool showers, dinghy dock, water, trash disposal and toilets. Public toilets are adjacent to the main wharf. There is a commercial slipway at Vava'u, The Moorings Ltd which can handle most yachts and supplies fuel and water.

It is forbidden to throw trash into the harbour or waters of Tonga. As with most of the rules and regulations described in this "leaflet", compliance should come because you realise the rules are for the benefit of yourself and those people who follow you to these islands. If the shores are littered with cans and paper packages thrown overboard everybody will find them less beautiful.

Outside the main commercial areas you will not find refuse containers and you will have to make some effort to carry your litter to the cans which are available near the new yacht harbour in Nuku'alofa and at the Paradise Hotel the Moorings, and on the main wharf in Neiafu. There are no trash containers on the out­islands and, just as you have carried the cans and papers from the store to the boat to out­islands we fully expect you to carry them back to port and dispose of them properly.

Yachts in the boat harbour in Nuku'alofa and in the main harbour of Neiafu should use the toilet facilities ashore, holding tanks or on­board treatment of sewage. As pumpout facilities are not yet available, please discharge sewage outside the harbour areas.

There are some underwater sites of particular beauty and these are designated as marine reserves.

There are seven marine and coastal reserves around the island of Tongatapu. These are:

1. Hakaumamato Reef Reserve, 14 km
2. Pangaimotu Reef Reserve, on the eastern edge of Nuku'alofa Harbour.
3. Malinoa Island and Reef' Reserve, 7 km north of Nuku'alofa
4. Ha'atafu Beach Reserve. on the western tip of Tongatapu 20 km west of Nuku'alofa
5. Monuafe Island and Reef Reserve. 6.4 km north­east of Nuku'alofa
6. Mounu Reef Giant Clam Reserve, just to the northwest of the yacht harbour.
7. Muihopohoponga Coastal Reserve, Niutoua

In Vava'u there are three proposed marine reserves:

1. The 300' long wreck of the "Clan McWilliam" in the southern part of Neiafu Harbour."
2. The coral reef gardens between Nuapapu and Vakateitu.
3. Giant Clam Reserves in Hunga Lagoon, Neiafu Harbour and off Ano Beach

These marine reserves are for viewing only. No collection of any kind of organism is allowed, including fish shells or other marine life.

Many sea shells are important for the balance of life on the coral reefs. The giant triton shell for example, is a major predator of the crown-of-thorns starfish The crown­of­thorns starfish when overabundant, causes extensive damage to coral reefs Because of many factors, including over collecting of Triton shells, there is a growing problem in Tonga with the crown­of­thorns starfish Tourists are urged not to buy or collect triton shells in Tonga Collecting other shells for personal enjoyment is not prohibited but tourists are asked to collect wisely and conservatively. Take dead shells or buy shells whenever possible. Never take more than one or two specimens of any particular species and leave damaged or "seconds" alive.

Never break the coral to find shells. When rocks are turned over to look for shells underneath always turn the rocks back over as many species of shells and other marine creatures lay their eggs under the rocks and these will die if the rocks are not replaced carefully in their original position.

Giant Clams, especially of the species Tridacna derasa (known as Tokanoa in Tonga), are endangered in Tonga. Tokanoas, once common throughout the Pacific are now on the IUCN endangered species list.

The first Tongan Giant Clam Circle was placed on Mounu Reef in Nuku'alofa Harbour in June of 1986. It represents the first time in modern history that a brood stock of clams has been placed in a shallow water, protected for the purpose of increasing local food stocks of these important animals.

A project to revitalise the clam population is underway. This entails placing large adult clams in breeding circles in shallow protected waters. Naturally, you should not anchor close to these clam circles or kill or remove any of the clams in the reserves Outside the reserves, should you come across tagged clams (with numbers printed on one side or with an aluminium tag) while diving, please do not disturb them as they are part of a study on the biology of Giant Clams.

Environmental Education is being introduced into the Tongan Educational System and we hope, one day, that everyone will treat the Marine Environment with the care it deserves. Modern western tools such as face masks slippers spear guns and aqualungs and modem economic needs are causing severe pressure on the delicate marine ecosystems of Tonga Improper use of these tools such as spearing fish using aqualungs or spearing lobsters or taking marine specimens which are endangered such as the large Tokanoa Giant Clams or sea turtles, or intensive shell collecting and breakage of' the coral are all things which need to be prevented We trust that you, as visitors to our country, will set a good example and demonstrate concern and responsibility towards the environment

Disclaimer

As this website is not an official medium of the Government of Tonga, the above supplied information should be verfied with local officials.

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