Tonga Travel Guide

The Tongan unit of currency is the pa'anga, which is divided into 100 seniti. The pa'anga is abbreviated in this book as T$. Most Tongans refer to "dollars" and "cents" when doing business with visitors, meaning pa'angas and senitis.

At the time of writing, T$1 was worth about US50¢, or US$1=T$2. The equivalent U.S. dollar prices given in parentheses are based on this rate of exchange. The rate is not published in major newspapers, but it is usually within a few cents of the Australian dollar's worth against the U.S. dollar. You can find the pa'anga exchange on currency conversion websites such as www.xe.com.

Tongan coins bear the likeness of the king on one side and such items as bananas, chickens, and pigs on the other.

How to Get Local Currency

ANZ Bank, at the corner of Railway and Salote roads near the market, is open Monday to Friday 9am to 4pm and Saturday from 8:30 to 11:30am. Westpac Bank of Tonga, at the waterfront end of Taufa'ahau Road, Nuku'alofa's main street, is open Monday to Friday 9am to 3:30pm and Saturday 8:30 to 11:30am. Both banks have ATMs. ANZ also has an ATM at the airport. You may get a better rate for cash and travelers checks at GlobelEX/Western Union, on Taufa'ahau Road. It's open Monday to Friday 8:30am to 4:30pm, Saturday 8:30am to 12:30pm.

Credit Cards

The major hotels, car-rental firms, travel agencies, and Royal Tongan Airlines accept American Express, Diners Club, MasterCard, and Visa credit cards. Some restaurants and other businesses accept MasterCard or Visa; some may add 4% or 5% to your bill for doing so. It's a good idea to ask first if you want to charge your purchases. Leave your Discover card at home.

The Pa'anga & the U.S. Dollar

At this writing, T$1 = approximately US50¢ (or US$1 = approximately T$2), the rate of exchange used to calculate the U.S. dollar prices given in this chapter. This rate may change by the time you visit, so use it only as a guide.