World dignitaries attend funeral of King Tupou IV

Tonga laid its King to rest yesterday in an elaborate state funeral that mixed tribal traditions with Christian prayers, royal pomp with village-style feasts.

Led by his son and successor, King Siaosi Tupou V, dignitaries from 30 nations laid wreaths and joined 10,000 people in a Wesleyan funeral service at the royal tombs.

It was an exhausting day for Tongans, not least the King's family who had stayed up the entire night to pray for him.

While there did not seem a huge number of Tongan onlookers, website editor Pesi Fonua said there were more than for Queen Salote's funeral in 1965.

Japan's Crown Prince Naruhito, the Duke and Duchess of Gloucester, representing the Queen, the Governors-General of Australia and New Zealand, the Prime Ministers of New Zealand and Fiji and the President of French Polynesia were among the visiting dignitaries.

Church groups began singing hymns on Monday night and continued until dawn yesterday. Surfboard riders stashed their boards in respect for their surfer King.

Government offices and many private businesses closed for the day.

NZ Prime Minister Helen Clark said it was a privilege to have attended the "extraordinary" ceremony.

She had found it elaborate but simple, and very dignified.

She said Tonga had gone through difficult times but she felt that the will to change and move ahead was there.

She was looking forward to dinner last night with King Tupou V, whom she first met 22 years ago in Tonga.

Helen Clark said the new King would bring his own style but she "got the sense" he was likely to stand back and let Prime Minister Feleti Sevele move on his behalf.

The loss of 170 teachers and 30 educational administrators in the redundancies which followed last year's public service strike raised "big issues" given the country's growing youth population, she said.