How much for a few months in Tonga?

Hey, we're a couple that dreams of cheap South Pacific vacation..

Tonga seems like the right place for it?

How much would we need money for a few months (3-4) vacation in Tonga? (idea would be to aim for the low budget style)

For what i've heard/read Tongatapu is a total craphole that isn't worth staying, so we'd look into Haapai and Vava'u?

Also, we'd like to visit Niuatoputapu (but not Niuafo'ou).

I'm a good cook, but my girlfriend is a vegetarian so is that doable? I've heard VERY mixed opinions about this one, some say no, some say yes.

-J

On entering Tonga you will be issued a Visitor's Visa for 30 days only.

You might be able to extend it-that decision is @ the discretion of the Immigration Officer in charge.

I've been to both Ha'pai and Vava'u neither is a low budget destination-low class clown pants wearing hippie backpacking l00sers aren't in any way Welcome

You need to fly to Niuatoputapu not cheap!

Samoa might work but for 3 months?

Fiji has all kinds of variety including some low budget accommodation that might work

Well considering the costs of transport to any of these pacific islands, i figured it might make more sense to be there more than one week.

We'd like to be away for a while, not just a week or two or three.

But if you say it cannot be done, it cannot be done - especially if you're wearing "clown pants", then it's absolutely impossible!

-J

Samoa has a 60 day visitor's visa on arrival.

I have to agree with hardnose... Dress nice on arrival in all the Pacific islands.... Nice collared shirt, nice shorts with a belt... decent footwear and a well-groomed appearance... It's important to keep up a nice appearance throughtout your visit.

Not saying you are one but if you look like a hippy, you may very well be treated unpleasantly and tersely by immigration AND the locals for the duration of your stay... It's not Thailand.

About the food - it is possible to avoid meat in the main areas, but it isn't likely to be very exciting even if you can find accommodation with cooking facilities (there are some). If you really want to get off the beaten track and head far north then I would imagine you may be invited home and given food - in which case it could be quite odd to refuse the meat dishes. You really need to be flexible about diet if you want to get off the beaten track in places like Tonga.

Thanks for the replies, everyone!

So people are shallow and judge people by their dress - prejudice in the pacific? Wow, i never saw that coming. I got all kinds of clothes (maybe even a few thai fishermans pants for hot weather, and a few colourful shirts - stuff that could be 'hippiewear'), and i use sandals as my footwear, so i figure i have to consider buying suits, white shirts, leather shoes and stuff..

Thanks Api, i thought that might be the case with the food..

Would Fiji be better in terms of this vegetarian eating, or is the same problem there too - if you get off the main islands, you'll face a meat + fish diet?

-J

"Hippie" type dres is no big deal in the Cooks, but you cannot camp there, and don;t even think of taking fruit off anyone's trees. It is the rude behavior of a lot of young visitors that locals don;t like, not too much on clothes. But backpackers do still go to church in dirty shorts, T-shirts, and women in tank tops, pretty rude in the Cooks, even worse in Tonga anf Fiji.

I was meant to add that Fiji may be a better option for vegetarians because of the Indian population. I have seen so little of Fiji though that I am not sure how off-the-beaten track you can get and still find it OK.

I am confused as to how the whole dress thing come up... but, most places in the world still tend to judge by how you look. Asia is also like that. Where there is a high density of backpackers though I think locals just give up or get used to it. Don't worry I don't think you have to buy the suit just yet. Colourful shirts and sandals are fine.

Backwoods Fiji means few Indians and fewer cooking-as I mentioned.

Hippies wanting vegetarian food are good for a laugh but not much else-Fish isn't meat in Fiji and many people can't even pronounce vegetarian.

So you'll end up with a bland starchy diet-which is probably what you have now anyway.

Because I'm such a nice guy you can Click Here for some Tongan food shots-sorry about all the fish but that's what people eat-when they aren't baking up some Flaps for Sunday dinner.

FWIW-I paid one Pa'anga for a large Papaya in Vava'u the next day the price was 2 Pa'anga-those market women must be watched carefully-they are not mean spirited just sloppy.

Eggs were cheap, cheap, cheap as were Bananas-I know you like Bananas.

Edited by: someone who like to cook his own and has done so in many many places

Thanks for the sarcastic info.

Apparently Tonga is impossible for my girlfriend and we have to figure another place - maybe Fiji?

I eat meat, highnosehighway, so your funny words are partly lost on me. Maybe i should get her to register on this forum and you could get some sick satisfaction out of bashing her with your words? (you could even have some hot private message fun with her, i bet that'd turn you on) :-)

-J

Edited by: someone who'd kick HH's ass any day

Hahahaha, jvainio... You've just found our hardnose... Isn't he sweet? said with huge, billowing puffs of sarcasm...

re #13-our resident girlie giggler -Yeah they got those in the South Pacific too.....

jvaino I'm not interested in scrawny neurotic vegetarian women give me someone who knows how to clean a fish cook a delicious meal any day.

You'll find low end backpacker resorts listed here

Upon landing in Fiji heading east is best for the impecunious more Fiji less ra/ra tourist bullshit.

maybe you can scapre together the dosh to afford some of the places here

Edited by: someone who's been there/done/that

Girlie Giggler.....I sincerely hope that wasn't yet another anti gay remark, HNH?? Oh dear, I guess I am going to have to turn you in yet again... How many ISP addresses and Hotmail accounts do you have anyways? Things must be gettin' a bit sparse on the home range.

I really do not know what is wrong with you sometimes... I'm sure, though it's hard to pronounce.

DOMS!! DOMS DOMS!!!

Girlie+ is as +girlie does-including running and telling mommy!

I note your contributions to this thread are worth the paper they are written on-as per SOP with you/your ilk.

what a whacked out thread full of bullshit and assumptions.

FFS.

firstly, where did the assumption that you are a barefoot tie dyed hippie come from? and even if you were, many of the people in Tonga get about barefoot in loud bright ugly shirts!

You can wear what you want, but its disrespectful to go around half naked as they are conservative in that way - so no strutting around the streets in bikinis and speedos.

Tongan people are amazingly freindly and open.

Your girlfriend will survive just fine in Tonga not eating meat. Its not like melbourne - but there are veggie dishes at eateries and you can buy stuff from the supermarkets. Especially in vava'u. If you stay place with a kitchen she'll do best, but even if you stay more remote places where they feed you, they are used to tourists and have heard of vegetarians before!

Tongan people are a different culture but they are not aliens! if you are invited to a meal and she doesn't eat their meat, they might think she's a bit mad at refusing the "good" stuff, but they are not stupid and can understand, like we can, elements of cultural difference. They will probably ask lots of questions about why - but any vegetarian is used to to that anyway!

Tonga is cheaper than Australia or New Zealand, but is not "south east asia" cheap. There is budget accomodation in vava'u (not sure about ha'pai - never been there myself) and there is even backpackers in vava'u, so YES it is a place that welcome budget travellers!

The only useful info is that about the length of visas - but even that is dubious s its 31 days not 30... to extend look here for some info http://www.vavau.to/facts.html#visa

Its a great idea to stay in tonga for a while - even if thats only 31 days - many people try to go there for a week and its just not that kind of place, its very slow paced. some things happen only once a week or even once a month - like the FERRY to Niuatoputapu. (so, you don't HAVE to fly - but you probably would in that case)

I reccomend you catch the ferry in tonga, not the olovaha, but the pulupaki which is the privately owned "better" ferry. Its faster than the olovaha (and doesn't lean to the side because someone filled a hole in the hull with concrete LOL) the pulupaki doesn't have a website, but it runs on pretty much the same timetable as the other boat which is here http://olovaha.com/TimeTable.htm

Not too many people will reccomend you catch the ferry - its dirty and slow and a little bit of an adventure sport... but its a great way to experience local life. For most tongans they can't afford to fly between the islands and slow dirty ferries are the only way to see their freinds and family. You will meet Tongan people who are very freindly on the ferry ride, maybe get invited to a wedding or something like we did. Just be prepared for a night on a dirty floor- take a mat like all the tongans do.

Nuku'alofa is totally worth a visit, maybe not a long one, but a visit no less. stay at Tonis and take one of his excellent tours at the beginning of your time in tonga. Toni will pick you up at the airport any time of the night and while its not right in town, he'll drive you anywhere any time for a cheap price.

From a sandal wearing vegetarian "hippie" who has been twice to Tonga!