Tuʻitātui had, like his father Momo, his court in Heketā (meaning: cripple hit), near the village of Niutōua on Tongatapu.
From the Haʻamonga a path proceeded about 50 m to the slightly elevated ʻesi maka fākinanga, (stone to lean against) where the king sat against with his back, safe from any assassin from that direction.
At par with this was his introduction of a new kava circle layout (a formal gathering of the chiefs of the country under him), in which the king sat more apart from the others (including supposed assassins) than before.
In addition to the Tuʻi Tonga maritime empire, Tuʻitātui also inherited from his father-in-law Loʻau as a kind of prime minister.
Tuʻitātui removed from the Fale Fā, Matakehe and Tuʻifolaha and replaced them with Tuʻitalau and Tuʻiʻamanave from Talau of the northern island of Vava'u.
By the time Fasiʻapule came with a recovery expedition to Savaiʻi, only the shell was left, buried at a secret place and guarded over by the dwarf Lafaipana.
This story might be symbolic for the start of a revolt in Samoa by the chiefs Lekapai and Lafaipana, counteracted by Loʻau Tuputoka and Fasiʻapule.
Another Tongan legend states that one day the king climbed up on such a raised platform and yelled to his sister, Lātūtama below: "Oh, some big vessels are coming, from Haʻapai very likely."
As such the place is still known as Toipeka (blood drip of the peka (flying fox)).Lātūtama's brothers were enraged on hearing this and swore to kill the king.
There is also a claim that he is buried somewhere in one of the small islands south of ʻUiha known as the ʻOtu Motu Kinekina Felemea, as they have become a symbol for the Tuʻi Tonga for this reason.