Rediscovering the Joy of Surf

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Many Tongans lament the impact of the 19th century missionaries on local culture. Yes, they say, the preachers did some good things, such as curtailing cannibalism and incessant warfare. "But they also put a stop to a lot of our fun," says Puloka. As well as fanifo, underwater rugby (played among the breakers with hilarity and all manner of monkey business) seems to have been a casualty of British decorum. Traditional culture survives, though only in more formal incarnations, such as kava ceremonies and dance. Despite the hot climate, it is still forbidden for men or women to go shirtless in public.

And surfing's Tongan revival? It all began with a love affair. In 1977, a 21-year-old chef from Sydney, Steve Burling, embarked on a holiday with some mates. Their plan was to surf Indonesia's best spots, then check out the less popular destinations of Tonga, Samoa and Fiji. But Burling's holiday ended on Tongatapu, where on his first day he met a local beauty called Sesika. Burling had never had a girlfriend before; never been in love. Sesika knocked him sideways. "It was her femininity," he says. "And she was slamming attractive." She followed him back to Sydney, where they were married within six months of meeting.

Not long afterward, a tantalizing opportunity emerged on Tongatapu. It turned out that Sesika's family had a piece of vacant land adjoining the secluded Ha'atafu Beach, some 20 km from Nuku'alofa, the capital. The Burlings thought about opening a restaurant there, then became excited about the idea of a resort. Burling considered his choices: stay in Sydney, he recalls, and be another "brick in the wall," or take a risk in Tonga. For a free spirit like Burling, it was a no-brainer. "I figured that if we ended up back in Sydney with the arse out of our pants," he says, "we wouldn't be much different to a lot of other young couples." Like the missionary Vason, Burling's father, Alan, was a bricklayer. In 1979 he helped his son build the Ha'atafu Beach Resort, which today comprises 10 thatch-roofed bungalows and a common area nestled among pandanus and coconut palms. From the outset, Burling's guests were foreigners on surfing holidays. No Tongans surfed at the time - though, for some, their curiosity had been pricked by a 1967 photograph of their (present) monarch, King Taufa'ahau Topou IV, riding a tiny wave for the purposes of a magazine shoot. A hulking figure in black trunks, the King is perched on a board given to him by the legendary Hawaiian Duke Kahanamoku, widely acknowledged as the father of surfing. Burling had a copy of the photo enlarged, and it has pride of place in the resort's dining room.