Nuku`alofa audiotours

Nuku'alofa is the capital of the Kingdom of Tonga, the only Pacific nation never colonised by a European power, a fact that Tongans carry with a justified pride. The city sits on the northern coast of Tongatapu, the largest island in the archipelago, facing a lagoon that Captain James Cook described in 1777 as 'a very snug place,' which captures something true about the city's scale and disposition. The 1875 Constitution formally made it the capital and it has operated with modest but genuine civic confidence ever since.

The Royal Palace, a white wooden Victorian structure built in 1867, stands near the waterfront behind an immaculate lawn and is the most photographed building in the country.

The Free Wesleyan Church of Tonga, a few blocks inland, reflects the profound influence that Methodist missionaries had on Tongan society from 1827 onward: Sunday in Nuku'alofa is taken seriously, with shops closed and the population largely in church, and Sunday is not the day to plan your walking tour. The Royal Tombs on Taufa'ahau Road hold the remains of Tonga's monarchs going back to King George Tupou I.