The white palace
Red roofs and a tower.
Uhooep — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Tofoa Felix — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Uhooep — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Tauʻolunga — CC BY-SA 3.0 · David Broad — CC BY 3.0 · Unknown authorUnknown author — Public domain
The Royal Palace in Nukuʻalofa, Tonga's capital, is a large white wooden building with red pointed roofs, a small tower with a red dome and long verandas on two floors, set on a wide green lawn on the waterfront. Tonga is the last kingdom among the Pacific islands. The palace was built in the late 1860s from timber prefabricated in New Zealand and is still an official residence of the royal family. Old photographs from 1900 show the palace looking much the same, with guards in front. The palace is not open to visitors, so you see it from behind the fence or from the coastal road. You see the iron gate with its crown emblem, the wide lawn and the white palace among pine trees behind. Government buildings and churches stand nearby on the waterfront, so it fits into a short walk around the capital. The palace is in central Nukuʻalofa, about 1 km from the town centre. Viewing from outside is free. Do not try to go in, and do not photograph the guards up close without asking.
Red roofs and a tower.
Crown emblem.
On the waterfront.
Waterfront, central Nukuʻalofa, Tongatapu
No, it is an official residence closed to visitors.
From the coastal road.