Royal Palace, Tonga

TheRoyal Palaceof the Kingdom ofTongais located in the northwest of the capital,Nukuʻalofa,close to thePacific Ocean.The wooden Palace, which was built in 1867, is the official residence of theKing of Tonga.The palace is not open to the public, but it is easily visible from the waterfront.

Tonga Royal Palace

Overview

Gates

In line with the deference Tongans have for theRoyal Family,poets almost never refer to the palace (pālasi) by name, but useheliakior allegoric references like:Fanga-tapu( "sacred beach", for the stretch of shoreline fronting the building);Loto-ʻā( "inside the fence" );ʻĀ-maka( "stone fence" ); andHangai Tokelau( "north-wind-against" ), the name of a tree near the kitchen, and so forth.

The old, metre-high stone fence was so sacred to the king that none would dare sit on it, let alone cross it. However, after 1990, KingTāufaʻāhau Tupou IVhad a 3-metre high grid fence erected. After 2000, some people broke through the gates with trucks, prompting the installation of iron bars to secure the gates.

Other royal residences

The King and royal family have several more palaces to choose from. There is a palace inFuaʻamotu,as well asKauvainearLongoteme,Liukava( "revolution" ) inKolovai,and bothTufumāhinaandVila(villa) betweenKolouaandPea.

Vilawas built by Crown Prince Tupoutoʻa in the 1990s, who lived there upon his accession as KingGeorge Tupou V,far away from any neighbours. Since his death, that palace has remained largely unused, but in 2010 major renovations were conducted. A new fence was erected and new wings added to house the Tongan National Archives on one side, and offices of thePrivy Council of Tongaon the other side. It is expected that the present king will also hold royal audiences there again, instead of the now-deserted residence of the formerBritish High Commissioner.

There isTauʻakipulupalace onLifukainHaʻapai,Fangatongo( "mangrove beach" ) nearTalauonVavaʻu,and residences inNiuafoʻouandNiuatoputapu.The palace ofʻEuais just north of the harbour inTaʻanga.In the 1980s, King Taufa'ahau Tupou IV had a new palace built on a mountaintop nearHouma,but it was unused and by around 1990 only the artistically made bathtub remained, overgrown by weeds and disappearing sometime around 2000.

Significant events

In February 2017, a vigil marked by choral singing and small fires was held at the perimeter of the Royal Palace on the eve of the funeral ofqueen motherHalaevalu Mataʻaho ʻAhomeʻe,who died on 19 February.

External links

Media related toFanga-tapuat Wikimedia Commons