How did Tonga become known as the Friendly Islands?

Cook found the islanders to be so accommodating that he returned to the archipelago in 1774 on his way back from New Zealand. Stopping at the island of Nomuka, Cook was sought out by name, and with this "proof that these people have a communication with Amsterdam ", the cultural unity of the islands was established. read more

It was at this time that he famously named the island group the Friendly Archipelago, "as a lasting friendship seems to subsist among the Inhabitants and their Courtesy to Strangers intitles [sic] them to that Name." 4. Cook's Third Voyage also included a visit to Tonga, this time for a stay of several months. read more

Tonga became known in the West as the "Friendly Islands" because of the congenial reception accorded to Captain James Cook on his first visit in 1773. He arrived at the time of the ʻinasi festival, the yearly donation of the First Fruits to the Tuʻi Tonga (the islands' paramount chief) and so received an invitation to the festivities. read more

Destination Tonga, a virtual guide to the Polynesian kingdom formerly known as the Friendly Islands, an archipelago of more than 170 islands in the South Pacific Ocean south east of Fiji, south of Samoa, 2,000 km north east of Auckland, NZ and 3,280 km east of Brisbane, Australia. Tonga was united under one chief in 1845. read more