Niuatoputapu
Tonga · Niuas · 10 m
Description
Niuatoputapu lies closer to Samoa than to the rest of Tonga and is reached by a weekly flight or by a ship that comes when it comes. A reef encloses a wide lagoon of white sand, three villages of thatched fales sit behind it, and freshwater springs rise at Vaipoa where people wash and swim. The cone of Tafahi stands nine kilometres north across the strait, a single steep volcano with a few families farming its slopes. The tsunami of 2009 killed nine people here and took the wharf and much of the coast with it.
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
- Lagoon and the white sand beaches inside the reef
- Cone of Tafahi across the strait(Day trip)
- Hihifo village and its thatched fales
- Freshwater springs at Vaipoa
- Island ridge and the view over the reef
- Coast rebuilt after the 2009 tsunami
- Sunday singing in the Hihifo churches (every Sunday)
- Vanilla gardens and the village plantations
- Snorkelling the lagoon coral
- Weekly flight in and the gathering at the airstrip (weekly)
Getting there
- Airports:
- NTT
- Seaport:
- Reachable by ship or ferry