TONGAN King Tupou VI was accorded full State and traditional honours when he arrived in Fiji today (Monday).
Tupou VI, with Queen Nanasipau’u were greeted at Nausori Airport by Deputy Prime Minister, Dr Biman Prasad, before being sped through rush hour traffic to the capital in a motorcade
The king and queen are on a state visit which will include attendance at the investiture of Roko Tevita Uluilakeba Mara as Sau Ni Vanua on Lakeba. Earlier in the day Roko Tevita was installed as Tui Nayau.
In Suva, the king was met by Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka and reviewed a 100-strong guard of honour before being received at Government House by President, Ratu Naiqama Lalabalavu.
Tupou VI and Lalabalavu acknowledged the close links between Fiji and the kingdom over several centuries.
After the traditional ceremonies, Lalabalavu conferred the king with the honorary Companion of the Order of Fiji in recognition of his efforts to maintain strong relationships between the two countries.
The award was also conferred in gratitude for the care of the Fijian community which lives in the Pacific’s only remaining kingdom.
The Tongan delegation is expected to arrive in Tubou Village ahead of ceremonies to mark the Tui Nayau being elevated to Sau Ni Vanua. The Tongan royal family connections to the Tui Nayau precede the arrival of the Wesleyan Mission in Fiji in 1835.