Island activities
Five times each afternoon — at 2:00, 3:00, 4:00, 5:00 and 5:30 — the Tongans present their very popular Tongan ta nafa or drumming presentation that actually starts by learning the simple yet graceful motions of a mauluulu sitting dance. For example, you'll learn the difference between clapping with a pasi or a fu sound. You can also try your hand at Tongan lafo, a type of shuffleboard game, or even your accuracy with tolo spear throwing.
The "village" houses
As befits a kingdom, the Islands of Tonga at the Polynesian Cultural Center include a one-quarter scale replica of the late Queen Salote's Fale Fakatu'i or "summer palace," built in Laie under Her Majesty's direction before the Center opened in 1963; also the Fale Fakataha, the "meeting house"; the Fale Lahi or "family dwelling; the Fale Ngaue or "work house" where women make bark cloth and other crafts; the Fale Va'inga which features the Tongan "game house" version of shuffleboard; and the Fale Peito or "cook house" with its earth oven.
