By James Shrimpton
The fishing's great in Tonga - just ask the local pigs.
Some evenings when the tide's out, villagers' pigs join them on the beach at Talafo'ou in the island of Tongatapu, nuzzling out fish from the shallows for their supper.
Some say that when the porkers finally come under the butcher's knife, the resultant pork chops have a distinct fishy flavour - in the same way that the coconut-eating crabs of Vanuatu taste of coconut.
The fish-eating pigs of Talafo'ou are just one of the surprises in store in Tonga, a Pacific Island kingdom with a relaxed lifestyle where the warm weather is matched only by the warm welcome given to visitors.
The "Friendly Islands" was the name Captain James Cook gave to Tonga in the 1770s and it still applies - unless you're an opposing Fijian rugby player.
Tourism is one of the main sources of income for Tonga although it cannot match neighbours, such as Fiji and Vanuatu, for a choice of multi-star hotels, resorts and modern attractions.
But things are on the up-and-up for the industry in Tonga, helped by the appointment of a new tourism minister, Fineasi Funaki. Tourism previously was a secondary portfolio.
Tonga recorded a 19 per cent increase in air arrivals during the first quarter of 2006 compared with the corresponding period last year, for a total of just less than 9,000 - nearly two-thirds of them tourists.
Australian arrivals soared by 58 per cent and New Zealanders by 21 per cent.
Deputy Director of Tourism Sioni Finau Moala-Mafi said further increases could be achieved if all sectors of the industry worked together.
More hotels are planned, including one on the scenic northern island of Vava'u - a yachties' and whale-watchers' paradise - with 300 rooms and a golf course, Sione Moala-Mafi said.
Tonga tourists take their pick of attractions from sandy beaches, roaring blow-holes, diving, surfing, kayaking, sailing, fishing (with or without pigs), whale-watching (in season), and trekking.
Sightseeing includes the white, wooden royal palace in downtown Nuku'alofa, the capital; royal tombs a few blocks away; a mini Stonehenge-like trilithon dating back 800 years; terraced tombs in the ancient capital of Mu'a, and the spot where Captain Cook landed.
Visitors are treated to displays of traditional dancing and singing at the National Cultural Centre and hotels such as the Matangi Malie Lagoon Resort.
Small offshore islands are well worth a boat trip.
On Sundays, a visit to a church provides an uplifting experience through the sweet voices of the choir, singing mostly a capella.
For accommodation, the time-honoured International Dateline Hotel has been modernised in recent times and there's a variety of other places to stay in and around Nuku'alofa from hotels to guest houses, lodges, apartments and backpacker places.
Settled by ancient Polynesians around 1000 AD, the nation of 170 islands is the last remaining South Pacific monarchy, ruled by 87-year-old King Taufa'ahau Tupou IV.
It's also the only country in the region that has never been occupied by a colonial power.
IF YOU GO:
Air services to Tonga are provided by Air New Zealand, Air Pacific, Pacific Blue and Polynesian.
The Tonga Visitors Bureau has an office facing the harbour in Nuku'alofa, telephone (from Australia 0011-676-25334.
Website http://www.tongaholiday.com has details of accommodation, tours and attractions.
* The writer visited Tonga while a guest of P&O Cruises on Pacific Star.
AAP
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