TONGA'S DUMPSITE TURN RECREATION SITE

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THE capital of Tonga, Nuku’alofa boasts some of the historical sites and buildings in the Pacific with its history recorded since the century after 900BC.  Whilst Solomon Islands is known as the ‘Happy isles’ Tonga on the other hand is called the ‘Friendly Islands’.

With a rich history and a country full of culture and heritage, traditional dance and dress still feature heavily in the Tongan culture. Apart from that, Tonga would be the same as Solomon Islands where many of the traditional beliefs and way of life had been discarded when missionaries arrived in their country in the 17th and 18th century.

Nuku’alofa is where the government of Tonga operates from and home of the royal family. The seafront of the Kingdom’s capital is a spectacular one with an impressive view to the coral islands which is just a short boat ride away. Even closer than Savo.

However, to the eastern side of the capital town, a new development is continuing to take shape much to the disdain of Tongan people living abroad and in the country.

Recreational park replacing the mangroves forest in Nukualofa
 Since the inception of the project in 2015, more than 1000 signatures had been signed in a petition to stop the development.

Once the biggest bird breeding area in Tonga, 3300 square metres of mangrove had been removed for the purpose of this recreational park.

Home to a number of plants and animals, the mangrove forest where people once use as a dumpsite is now being turned into a recreational area where families and people can enjoy their time out with loved ones or to take a walk or jog around the area.

“Now the work has stopped because somehow they just realised that somebody else has title to some of the areas where the development is taking place,” Iliesa Tora, an officer in the Environment division of the government of Tonga told us.

With links to their ancestors, discussions and protests had been made by the Tongan Heritage Society set up in 2015. Outcries by Tongans were seen in social media forums and their local media on the importance of conserving such important heritage and ecosystem.



The government of Tonga on the other hand are hoping to have a golf course built in the recreational area and deny destroying the ancestral sites. Tonga’s Prime Minister, Akilisi Pohiva says it was his government’s duty to protect the site.

As mentioned by Tora, work has stopped but the recreational area also brings a new look to the eastern sea front of Nuku’alofa.

 Further up to the right of the recreational park, one from Malaita might think he/she would have entered the lagoons where houses are built on artificial islands. However, upon second look, one can tell that these are houses built on swamp areas. When high tide comes, water will reach the doorway and steps of the houses.

“During cyclone Gita, people from these houses were moved to the evacuation centres because the sea has risen into their homes. And every other time during rainy seasons and wet weather, they would also be moved to the evacuation centres. This is their standard way of doing things and they are used to it. Most of these people come from the islands and this is the only place where they can build their houses,” Tora says.



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