Royal Palace and a Bit of History

Tonga has never been under the rule of another country. All the other Polynesian countries have been under control by England, France, or the United States. Tonga is a Kingdom and is ruled over by a King. King George Tupou I was born 4 Dec 1797 and died 18 Feb 1893. 

Between 1799 and 1852 Tonga went through a period of war and disorder. This was finally ended by Taufaʿahau, who was converted to Christianity in 1831 by the Methodist missionaries. He became Tuʿi Kanokupolu and subsequently took the title King George Tupou I in 1845. During the king’s long reign (1845–93), Tonga became a unified and independent country with a modern constitution (1875), legal code, and administrative structure. With King George I as its most important convert, Christianity spread rapidly. ,

Brigham Smoot and Alva J. Butler were the first Latter-day Saints to attempt to bring the gospel to the Tongan islands. They landed on July 15, 1891, at Nuku’alofa, Tongatapu, but the mission was closed in 1897 after only 16 baptisms in 6 years. It was reopened 10 years later. This time the missionaries were accepted and the church flourished. Today approximately 60% of the population is LDS.
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The picture to the right was taken in front of the Royal Palace. We had climbed a short maybe 3-foot wall to get a picture from a different angle and in full view. We were chased away by the guards. We were not supposed to be there. Oops! We did not try to break the rules, there was no sign. We quickly obeyed.