Hua'kavameiliku arrived in Christchurch on Wednesday and travelled to Ashburton and Timaru in Canterbury where he received a warm welcome from the local Tongan community.
He paid a visit to Timaru Boys' High School where he attended as a senior student in 1988 and spoke at a special reception about his teenage years in the town.
"Thirty-four years ago in 1988, four young Tongan students, including me, entered Timaru Boys' High," he said.