Post #71087 by OceaOtica on Mon, Jan 19, 2004 11:11 PM

this trip to the Tonga Hut yeilded some photos and information. i asked the bartender, adelle, if she thought taking photos would be okay, to which she promptly replied no. she did, however, call the owner and leave a message asking permission. while waiting for a return answer, i ordered a beer and asked adelle if she could tell me about the bars history. her reply was that she did not know much about it. as she said this she was scanning the bar seats because there was one woman that did; she happened to be sitting next to me. the woman, i would put her in her 70's, indulged my questioning, though it was hard to hear what she had to say. i also never caught her name. she had been going to the bar since 1961.
two brothers had opened the bar in 1958. the place was usually packed and they served exotic tropical drinks in tiki mugs and bowls. from what i could gather, the brothers sold it in the 1990's. one brother moved to hawaii, where he lived out the rest of his life. the other brother remained here and passed away about two years ago. i think she said one of the brother's daughter sold it. it was being run by one of the former bartenders who sold it a few years ago. the current owner has been running it as a locals bar, and has sold it. in fact there was a declaration on the door about the sale. in one month the Tonga Hut will change hands again. i asked if adelle or the woman knew if the new buyers intended to keep it the same, and both ladies seemed to think that was there intent.
at that point adelle asked a guy at the bar about shooting photos, and he said it was alright as long as i did not shoot the patrons. it seemed odd that he could give the permission, but adelle said he was a former bartender and that if he sais it was okay, it was okay.
so here is my attempt to document the Tonga Hut, without being able to shoot any good wide shots of the bar.

7ft moai inside just inside the door

rt side of bar lined with green booths

past booths, alcove area with this rocky surfaced tiki fountain

palm leaf


behind the bar, four level fountain that started from ceiling, unfortunately no longer running, spotted omc bowl to the right of cash register

this lined the top of the bar, much more impressive in person, this rim was circular and wavy, not rectangular

behind the bar, there are many old statues and tikis

this carving was on the door to the stock room
as i left, adelle asked me if next time i was going to order the "fufu" drinks. i told her i would be back for one. i definitely want to find out more, get the names, and talk to the old bartender.

[ Edited by: tikitanked on 2004-01-19 23:24 ]