The Queen's Baton Relay for the 2010 Commonwealth Games was carried throughout Tongatapu on Friday, May 21 by over 100 bearers, including sportsmen and women, enthusiastic Primary School children, business people and diplomats.

The relay started at dawn with Hon Frederica Tuita as the first baton bearer, at Ha'atafu on the site where the first Christian missionaries landed on the western end of Tongatapu.

Hundreds of spectators lined the sides of the roads to see the baton relay during a 10-hour rotation that began from the Western district, through the Central District to Central Nuku'alofa.

The baton relay ended at 4:30pm in front of the Prime Minister's office in Nuku'alofa, where the Acting Prime Ministerm Hon. Nuku received the baton.

On May 20 the Baton was flown to the northern group of islands, Vava'u, where it was carried around in a relay in the capital, Neiafu.

The baton leaves Tonga for the Cook Islands on Saturday, May 22.