Niuafo'ou
Tonga · Niuas · 100 m
Description
Niuafo'ou is a volcano with a hole in the middle, a ring of land around a crater five kilometres across that holds Vai Lahi, a lake a hundred and twenty metres deep with islands of its own inside it. Ships could never anchor on this coast, so for decades the mail came ashore sealed in biscuit tins thrown overboard and swum in, which is how the island got its other name. An eruption in 1946 buried the village of Angaha and the island was evacuated for a decade. The Tongan megapode still incubates its eggs in the warm volcanic ash.
Length of stay
Recommended length of stay: 3 to 7 days (optimal 4 days)
Travel season
Best time to visit: June – September
- Jan
- Feb
- Mar
- Apr
- May
- Jun
- Jul
- Aug
- Sep
- Oct
- Nov
- Dec
Highlights
- Vai Lahi crater lake and its islands
- Tongan megapode nesting in the volcanic ash
- Walk around the caldera rim
- Hot springs along the crater shore
- Tin Can Island and the mail thrown overboard
- Lava fields of 1946 and the buried village of Angaha
- Landing on an open coast with no harbour
- Motu Lahi, the island inside the lake
- Sunday singing in the crater rim villages (every Sunday)
- Fishing off the volcanic shore
Getting there
- Airports:
- NFO