page plan 2 your trip - lonely...
TRANSCRIPT
PLAN YOUR TRIP
Welcome to Rarotonga, Samoa & Tonga............ 2Map .................................. 415 Top Experiences ........ 6Need to Know ................. 14If You Like... ..................... 16Month by Month ............. 19Itineraries ........................ 22Which Island? ................ 26Outdoor Adventures ...... 31Travel with Children ....... 36Regions at a Glance ....... 38
YOUR PLANNING TOOL KIT
Photos, itineraries, lists and suggestions to help you put together your perfect trip
UNDERSTAND RAROTONGA, SAMOA& TONGA
Rarotonga, Samoa & Tonga Today ................. 212History ............................. 215Culture, Religion & Tradition ....................... 223Myths & Legends ........... 227Art & Craft ....................... 230Food & Drink ................... 233
and courthouse in Rarotonga were constructed with Chabour. Around NZ$2 million is gifted annually by Chin
d b t thi id d fi it l ith t i tt h d
national parks &reserves(% of country)
Samoa
5
American Samoa
18
Cook Islands
7.5
Tonga
6
if these couwere 100 pe
3 would be Cook Islande51 would be Samoan28 would be Tongan18 would be American S
1888k Islands estab-hed as a British as protectorate oid French inva-Within 13 years, ts will be ready
ad the Cooks to New Zealand.
1889 Robert Louis
Stevenson abandons the chilly moors of
Scotland for his own ‘Treasure Island’, and the warm delights of
Samoa.
a throughout the Pacific
pans on of Christianitynaries success was due to three major factors. Firstly leverye a art, particularly the conversion of influential Tonganahau. After conversion, he went on to seize control of Ha’apaihtful heir, Laufilitonga. Baptised in 1831, Taufa’ahau took on n name of Siaosi, or George, after the king of England, and surname Tupou.
GE
TT
Y IMA
GES
©
Island Escape Scattered over a vast expanse of empty ocean, these islands are a castaway’s dream come true. If you’ve ever fantasised about escaping to a remote desert island, far from the hustle and hum of the modern world, then look no further than these fascinating islands. Here you’ll nd a couple of thou-sand years of Polynesian culture sitting side by side with some of the most spectac-ular natural scenery in the South Paci c.
Paradise The idyllic norm in these small island na-tions involves lush, reef-fringed islands with sandy foreshores that virtually glow in the tropical sunshine. Even when it rains, the
sense of verdancy is so strong that you can almost hear the heilala (Tonga’s national ower), teuila (Samoan red ginger), fran-
gipani and hibiscus owers stretching up-wards. After the rain, the tropical bouquet can be so pervading that you’ll wish you could bottle it up and take it home. The pristine oceanic depths that thread through this Paci c enclave host thousands of spe-cies of marine life, from kaleidoscopic coral to the ukes of humpback whales that come to spawn their young in the warm waters.
The Polynesian Smile People here are so passionately idiosyn-cratic that almost every encounter yields a memorable moment. Locals can burst
Think lush, reef-fringed islands with sandy foreshores that virtually glow in the tropical sunshine. These are the central South Pacific islands that dreams are made of.
welcome to Rarotonga, Samoa & Tonga
“All you’ve got to do is decide to go and the hardest part is over. So go!”TONY WHEELER, COFOUNDER – LONELY PLANET
PAGE
2
PAGE
211GET MORE FROM YOUR TRIP
Learn about the big picture, so youcan make sense of what you see
Islander Welcomes
6 A garland of owers is one of the most simple
yet beautiful o erings on the planet, and no one gives out more of these than the people of the Paci c. There’s a sel ess beauty to island welcomes that feels un-tainted by the modern world. Loudness and brashness are out, subtle hospitality and genuine goodwill are in. If they could give you the moon, they would.
HO
LGE
R LEU
E / LON
ELY P
LAN
ET IM
AG
ES ©
DA
N H
ER
RIC
K / LO
NE
LY PLA
NE
T IMA
GES
©
5
6
9
Beaches Beaches, beaches and more beaches. These South Pa-cific islands are surrounded by them! Everyone has a favourite. Go out and find yours! Ofu Beach On Ofu Island in American Samoa’s remote Manu’a Group, this is a palm-fringed white-sand stunner backed by ridiculously pictur-esque jagged peaks (p 158 )
Uoleva’s west coast This island in Tonga’s Ha’apai Group has a spectacular leeward coast of white sand lapped by surely the clearest water on earth. Did we mention the humpbacks that breech o shore? (p 188 )
Isolated Islands There are some very remote islands out in the central South Pacific. Getting there will take a huge ef-fort, and finding out more will certainly spark the imagination. Niuafo’ou Also known as ‘Tin Can Island’, Niuafo’ou is at Tonga’s northern extremes. It’s shaped like a oating donut with an enclosed lake 23m above sea level (p 199 )
Suwarrow In the Cook Islands’ northern group and the country’s only national park, Suwarrow was home to the infa-mous hermit, Tom Neale. Read of his adventures in An Island to
Diving & Snorkelling These central South Pacific nations boast some excep-tional underwater spots to check out the marine life. There are plenty of relative-ly unknown dive sites and decent operators through-out the region. Vava’u, Tonga A diver’s delight, sites in Vava’u range from coral gardens and encrusted wrecks to sea caves and other geologi-cal marvels (p 191 )
Samoa Many travellers use Samoa as a place to gain their certi cation and there are good operators on the main islands. Popular spots include Tialipi’s
if you like…
16
I SBN 978 -1 -74220 -033 -0
9 781742 200330
99815
twitter.com/lonelyplanet
facebook.com/lonelyplanet
lonelyplanet.com/newsletter
STAY IN TOUCH lonelyplanet.com/contact
AUSTRALIA Locked Bag 1, Footscray, Victoria 3011%03 8379 8000, fax 03 8379 8111
USA 150 Linden Street, Oakland, CA 94607%510 250 6400, toll free 800 275 8555, fax 510 893 8572
UK Media Centre, 201 Wood Lane, London W12 7TQ%020 8433 1333, fax 020 8702 0112
Paper in this book is certified against the Forest Stewardship Council™ standards. FSC™ promotes environmentally responsible, socially beneficial and economically viable management of the world’s forests.
Get the right guides for your trip
Lonely Planet in numbers70 languages spoken by our writers
12 seconds pass between posts on our Thorn Tree travel forum
100,000,000 Lonely Planet guidebooks sold, and still counting
190+ countries covered by a Lonely Planet guide
COUNTRY & MULTICOUNTRY• The original• Comprehensive• Adventurous
CC TRY TRYTRYTRY & M& MTh i i l
COUNCOUNTh
CCCCOUOUNTOUUNTRRMUMULTICLTIC RYRY
Looking for other travel resources?
LONELYPLANET.COMFor travel information, advice, tips & digital chapters
MAGAZINEFor travel stories, inspiration & ideaslonelyplanet.com/magazine
EBOOKSGuidebooks for your readerlonelyplanet.com/ebooks
APPSLocation-based guides for the streetlonelyplanet.com/mobile
PHRASEBOOK
rarotonga-samoa-tonga-7-cover.indd 2rarotonga-samoa-tonga-7-cover.indd 2 27/07/2012 2:36:43 PM27/07/2012 2:36:43 PM
©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd
THIS EDITION WRITTEN AND RESEARCHED BY
Craig McLachlanBrett Atkinson, Celeste Brash
p145(USA)
American Samoa
p44Cook Islands
Rarotonga & the
p100Samoa
p168Tonga
YOUR COMPLETE DESTINATION GUIDE
In-depth reviews, detailed listings and insider tips
SURVIVAL GUIDE
Transport ........................ 238Health .............................. 243Language ........................ 245Index ................................ 257Map Legend .................... 263
VITAL PRACTICAL INFORMATION TO
HELP YOU HAVE A SMOOTH TRIP
ON THE ROAD
RAROTONGANRarotongan (or Cook Islands Maori, as it’s also known) is a Polynesian language similar to New Zealand Maori and Marquesan (from French Polynesia). There are minor dialectal di erences between many of the islands, and some northern islands have their own languages. English is spoken as a second (or third) language by virtually everyone.
Cook Islands Maori was traditionally a spoken language, with no written form. The language, in its Rarotongan guise, was written down by missionaries in the 1830s.
Most consonants are pronounced as they in English, although the letter
ced closer to English sound is soft, pronounced the same
English word ‘singing’, but in Raro-en occurs at the beginning of a
Ngatangi’ia). The glottal stop e middle of ‘uh-oh’)
ilar Polynesian in writing by
Pe’ea korua?
Pe’ea koutou?(to more than two people)
E meitaki au.E vera/anu au.’Ine.Meitaki (ma’ata).
Turou!Kia manuia!Ae./Kare.Penei ake.
au tak
Language
PAGE
40
PAGE
237
Look out for these icons:
o Our author’s recommendation S A green or
sustainable option F No payment required
On the Road
See the Index for a full list of destinations covered in this book.
RAROTONGA &THE COOK ISLANDS 44RAROTONGA . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47Avarua . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51Around the Island . . . . . . . .57AITUTAKI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69PALMERSTON . . . . . . . . . . . . 75’ATIU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76MA’UKE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80MITIARO . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82MANGAIA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85NORTHERN GROUP . . . . . . . 88Manihiki . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88Rakahanga . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88Penrhyn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88Pukapuka . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89Suwarrow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89UNDERSTAND RAROTONGA& THE COOK ISLANDS . . . . 89Rarotonga & the Cook Islands Today . . . . . . . . . . . 89History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89The Culture . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90Arts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91Environment . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91SURVIVAL GUIDE . . . . . . . . . 92Directory A–Z . . . . . . . . . . . .92Getting There & Away . . . . .95Getting Around . . . . . . . . . . 96
SAMOA . . . . . . . . . . . .100’UPOLU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102Apia. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .103Around Apia . . . . . . . . . . . . 115
Eastern ’Upolu . . . . . . . . . . 117South Coast . . . . . . . . . . . .120Northwestern ’Upolu . . . . .122Manono . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .123Apolima . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .124SAVAI’I . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124Salelologa & the East Coast . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .125Central North Coast . . . . .128Northwestern Savai’i . . . . .130South Coast . . . . . . . . . . . .132UNDERSTAND SAMOA . . . 134Samoa Today . . . . . . . . . . . .134History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .134The Culture . . . . . . . . . . . . .135Sport . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137Arts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 137Environment . . . . . . . . . . . .138SURVIVAL GUIDE . . . . . . . . 138Directory A–Z . . . . . . . . . . .138Getting There & Away . . . .142Getting Around . . . . . . . . . .143
AMERICAN SAMOA . .145TUTUILA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147MANU’A ISLANDS . . . . . . . 158Ofu & Olosega . . . . . . . . . . .158Ta’u . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .159UNDERSTAND AMERICAN SAMOA . . . . . . 161American Samoa Today . . 161History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161The Culture . . . . . . . . . . . . .162Arts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .162Environment . . . . . . . . . . . .162
SURVIVAL GUIDE . . . . . . . . 163Directory A–Z . . . . . . . . . . .163Getting There & Away . . . .164Getting Around . . . . . . . . . .165
TONGA . . . . . . . . . . . . 168TONGATAPU . . . . . . . . . . . . .171Nuku’alofa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 172Around the Island . . . . . . . 179Offshore Islands . . . . . . . . . 181’EUA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181HA’APAI GROUP . . . . . . . . . 183Lifuka Group . . . . . . . . . . . .185VAVA’U GROUP . . . . . . . . . . 189Neiafu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .190Around Vava’u . . . . . . . . . . .196Southern Vava’u Islands . . 197Eastern Vava’u Islands . . .198NIUA GROUP . . . . . . . . . . . . 198Niuatoputapu . . . . . . . . . . .199Tafahi . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .199Niuafo’ou . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .199UNDERSTAND TONGA . . . .200Tonga Today . . . . . . . . . . . 200History . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .201The Culture . . . . . . . . . . . . 202Arts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203Environment . . . . . . . . . . . 204Food & Drink . . . . . . . . . . . 205SURVIVAL GUIDE . . . . . . . .205Directory A–Z . . . . . . . . . . 205Getting There & Away . . . 207Getting Around . . . . . . . . . 207
Rarotonga
See RarotongaEnlargement
See 'UpoluEnlargement
EnlargementSee Tongatapu
EnlargementSee Tutuila
AitutakiTraditional food, dance
and music (p69)
’AtiuDelve into hidden
limestone caves (p76)
AvaruaEnjoy breakfast at
Punanga Nui Market (p51)
Cross-Island TrackClimb ‘the Needle’ (p59)
Cape Mulinu’uGateway to the
underworld (p131)
Pulemelei MoundPolynesia’s largest ancient
structure (p132)
Ha’apaiSwim with humpback
whales (p183)
Vava’uSea kayak in paradise (p189)
S O U T H
O C E A N
P A C I F I C
SOUTH
PACIFIC
OCEAN
HarbourAvana
Pass
age
Papu
a
Ava
avar
oaPa
ssag
e
(USA)
(New Zealand)
AVARUA
AVARUA
PAGOAPIA
NUKU'ALOFA
PAGO
Inte
rnat
iona
l Dat
e Li
ne
(Islands not to Scale)
WallMatavera
School
The Pinnacles
Ngatangi'ia
Area
TakitumuConservation
(235m)Te Tanga(485m)
Te Manga
'Ikurangi
(154m)
Bluff (340m)Maungatea Oroenga
(292m)
HillHospital
Te Reinga oPora (438m)
BlackRock
Maungapiko
Te Kaki Motu(344m)
Koromiri
Oneroa
Motutapu
Taakoka
(450m)Te Atukura
(638m)
(523m)
Te Rua Manga
(413m)(The Needle) Te Ko'u
(588m)
Te Vaakauta(365m)
Raemaru
Maungatongaiti
(509m)
Northern Ridge
(222m)
(653m)MaungaroaMaungatea
160ºW
10ºS
170ºW
20ºS
Penrhyn
Manihiki Rakahanga
Pukapuka
Nassau
Suwarrow
NORTHERNCOOK
ISLANDS
Manuae
'Atiu
MitiaroAitutaki
Takutea
COOKISLANDS
SOUTHERN
PalmerstonAtoll
Mangaia
Rarotonga
Ma'uke
Vava'u
GROUPHA'APAI
Tongatapu
Tutuila
Savai'i 'Upolu
ValleyAvatiu Takuva'ine
Valley
TikiokiBeach
Matavera
Pue
AvatiuNika'o
Ngatangi'ia
Muri
TikiokiVaima'angaTitikaveka
Kavera
'Arorangi
AMERICANSAMOA
SAMOA
TOKELAU
ISLANDSCOOK
NIUE
TONGA
InternationalAirport
RarotongaAraM
etua
RdH
appy
Valle
y
Ara
tuaAra Me
Metua
Metua
Ara
TapuAra
Ara Tapu
TapuAra
TapuA
ra
200 km120 miles
00
1 mile2 km0
0
› Rarotonga, Samoa & Tonga
'Upolu
Tutuila
Tongatapu
Fagatele BayParadise in a submerged
volcanic crater (p152)
Nuku’alofaHome to the kingdom’s
royal family (p172)
To Sua Ocean TrenchSwim this enchanted
sunken waterhole (p117)
Nu’uuli FallsSecluded deliciously cool
swimming hole (p149)
Piha Passage
UafatoTi'avea
Fale'ula
APIA
Falefa
SolosoloVailele
SauniatuSamamea
Saletele
Lefaga
Manono-uta
Falelatai
Apolima-uta
Leulumoega
Satitoa
Onenoa
Aunu'u
VavauSalani
Poutasi
Sa'ilele
Lauli'ituai
Alofau
Masefau
Vatia
Aua
AfonoAmouli
Nu'uuli
Tafuna
A'asu
'Ili'ili
PoloaNua
Vailoa
Leone
A'oloaufou
Ha'atafu
Ha'akili
Fagamalo
Mulivai
Fagasa
Vaitogi
PAGO PAGO
Kolonga
Hoi
NUKU'ALOFA
Folaha
Vaini
Nukuleka
Fatumu
Lavengatonga
Pelehake
Fua'amotu
NiutouaPukeFatai
TofoaHa'utu
Fo'ui
Ha'akameHouma Pe'a
SamusuSalamumu
Mt Fito(1028m)
(960m)Mt Fiamoe
(653m)Matafao Peak
Mt Olotele(493m)
Manono
Aunu'u
TalPola
FafáVelitoa
Monu'afe
Fukave
'Eue'iki
Top Experiences
12 miles20 km
00
10 km6 miles
00
10 km6 miles
00
Top Experiences ›
OUR STORYA beat-up old car, a few dollars in the pocket and a sense of adventure. In 1972 that’s all Tony and Maureen Wheeler needed for the trip of a lifetime – across Europe and Asia overland to Australia. It took several months, and at the end – broke but inspired – they sat at their kitchen table writing and stapling together their fi rst travel guide, Across Asia on the Cheap. Within a week they’d sold 1500 copies. Lonely Planet was born.
Today, Lonely Planet has offi ces in Melbourne, London and Oakland, with more than 600 staff and writers. We share Tony’s belief that ‘a great guidebook should do three things: inform, educate and amuse’.
Craig McLachlan Coordinating Author, Tonga An island addict from way back, Craig has covered the islands of Greece to Okinawa to Tonga for Lonely Planet. His first foray to Tonga was as a teenager when his father, an architect, designed a resort island in the kingdom and Craig experienced his first kava session. He’s never looked back. A Kiwi who markets himself as a ‘freelance anything’, Craig has an MBA from the University of Hawai’i, speaks Japanese and has written several books.
Check out www.craigmclachlan.com.
Brett Atkinson Rarotonga & the Cook Islands From his home in Auckland, Brett’s travelled to many of the island nations in his South Pacific backyard. For this extended research trip to the Cook Islands, he explored the underground caves of ’Atiu, scootered and snorkelled around Aitutaki, and uncovered local foodie treats at Rarotonga’s weekly market. Venturing to far-flung and friendly Ma’uke and Mitiaro were other absolute highlights. See www.brett-atkinson.net for the latest
details of his travels and freelance writing.
Celeste Brash Samoa, American Samoa Celeste first visited French Polynesia in 1991 and moved there in 1995. Her first five years were spent on a remote atoll and the next 10 on Tahiti. Throughout this time she’s travelled as far as New Zealand to the west, Easter Island and Pitcairn Island to the east and visited many dots in between. Her award-winning travel stories have appeared in Travelers’ Tales books and her travel articles have appeared in publications including the LA
Times and Islands magazine. She’s written over 30 Lonely Planet guides but considers the South Pacific her speciality. She recently moved to Portland, Oregon, and often complains of the cold.
OUR WRITERS
Although the authors and Lonely Planet have taken all reason-able care in preparing this book, we make no warranty about the accuracy or completeness of its content and, to the maxi-mum extent permitted, disclaim all liability arising from its use.
Published by Lonely Planet Publications Pty LtdABN 36 005 607 9837th edition – November 2012ISBN 978 1 74220 033 0© Lonely Planet 2012 Photographs © as indicated 201210 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1Printed in ChinaAll rights reserved. No part of this publication may be copied, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording or otherwise, except brief extracts for the purpose of review, and no part of this publication may be sold or hired, without the written permission of the publisher. Lonely Planet and the Lonely Planet logo are trademarks of Lonely Planet and are registered in the US Patent and Trademark Office and in other countries. Lonely Planet does not allow its name or logo to be appropriated by commercial establishments, such as retailers, restaurants or hotels. Please let us know of any misuses: lonelyplanet.com/ip.
Itiner-aries
Whether you’ve got six days or 60, these itineraries provide a starting point for the trip of a lifetime. Want more inspiration? Head online to lonelyplanet.com/thorntree to chat with other travellers.
AITUTAKI
MANGAIA
#•
#•
#•
#_ AVARUA#•
RAROTONGA
Muri Lagoon
AnatakitakiCave
’ATIU
MakateaCliffs
#–
#–
#–
#–
SOUTH
PACIF IC
OCEA N
É
É
É
É
É
Two WeeksCook Islands Southern Sights
The Southern Group islands are easily accessible from Rarotonga. If you haven’t got enough time, consider just visiting the first three islands; but if you can manage to do the whole route, you won’t regret it.
Start your trip with four days on Rarotonga, time for a stroll around the island’s capital, Avarua; a hike up the Cross-Island Track; a day’s snorkelling in Muri Lagoon; and a visit to the Cook Islands Cultural Village. Don’t forget to check out an island night while you’re here.
Hop on a plane for the 50-minute flight to Aitutaki, hire a scooter and explore the island. A lagoon cruise is essential, but you could also consider hiring a kayak to explore some of the deserted motu (islets) around the lagoon’s edge.
Then it’s another short hop to ’Atiu, where you can visit Anatakitaki, the cave of the ko-peka (’Atiuan swiftlet); sample the island’s home-grown coffee; and take a memorable eco-tour.
Back to Rarotonga and onto another quick flight to Mangaia and its extraordinary caves and vast makatea cliffs, perhaps the most dramatic sight anywhere in the Cooks.
22
Manase
S O U T H P A C I F I C
O C E A N
Lava Field
AlofaagaBlowholes
Manono
To SuaOceanTrench
LalomanuBeach
AlegaBeach
RainmakerMountain
SAVAI’I
’UPOLU
TUTUILA
Robert LouisStevenson
Museum
#•
#•
#•
#•
#•#•
APIA
#Ù#•
#ÙRR #•
Aunu’uPAGO PAGO
Palolo DeepMarine Reserve
Piula CavePool
#•
#f
#f
É
É
É
É
ÉÉ
É
É
É
É
#–É
#_É
Mt Alava
‚
To Ofu(100km)
#–
#_
Fagatele BayNational Marine
Sanctuary
#Ù
Two to Three WeeksSamoan Island-Hopping
Start your Samoan experience with a visit to the delightful Palolo Deep Ma-rine Reserve on ʼUpolu, before heading inland to the charming Robert Louis Stevenson Museum. Backtrack to Apia and head eastward to the seductive sands of Lalomanu Beach, with a pit stop at Piula Cave Pool. Meander along the south
coast, peeking into the sublime depths of the To Sua Ocean Trench and lazing in beach-side fale (houses). Finally, take a boat out to the island of Manono.
Return to ʼUpolu to catch the ferry to Savai’i. Motor up the east coast, stopping for a dip at the beautiful beaches along the way. Now traverse the desolate lava field before depositing yourself on the sand at gregarious Manase. Return down the east coast and continue west for the wave action at the Alofaaga Blowholes, then catch the ferry back to ʼUpolu and return to Apia.
Fly from here to Pago Pago in American Samoa and admire the capital’s beautiful har-bour setting. Travel east to climb Mt Alava for spectacular views, then maroon yourself on Alega Beach, detouring for a close-up of Rainmaker Mountain. Wind along the coast to Au’asi and take a small boat to the island of Aunu’u to explore its wild nature, before taking a slow ride back to Pago Pago. Alternatively, head southwest from Pago Pago to explore the pristine Fagatele Bay National Marine Sanctuary.
If there’s still time, fly from Pago Pago to the island of Ofu to experience the stunning Ofu Beach – 4km of picturesque white-sand beach.
23PLAN
YOUR TRIP IT
INER
AR
IES
VAVA’UGROUP
LIFUKAGROUP
HA’APAIGROUP
TONGATAPUGROUP
’Eua
TongatapuMapu’a ’a Vaca Blowholes
PangaimotuNUKU’ALOFA
KaoTofua
’Uiha
Ha’ano
Mt Talau
#f
#f
#f
Vava’u
É
É
É
‚
To Niuas Group(240km)
#•#•
#•#•
R#•#•#•
Swallows’ Cave
#•
#_
#•#•
#•
#•#•Uoleva
LapahaArchaeological Site
S O U T H P A C I F I C
O C E A N
#f#–
É
Fafá
Mariner’s Cave
É
É
É
É
É
#f
Tongan HighlightsSlow Boats Around Tonga
Two WeeksTongan Highlights
Head straight to the paradisal Vava’u Group, Tonga’s activities playground, either by plane or ferry. On Vava’u, climb up to the peak of Mt Talau for
some amazing island views, then join a char-tered or bare-boat yacht and sail around the islands of the group. Change your anchorage each night and jump off board each day to snorkel at the various sites. A multiday guid-ed sea-kayak tour is another superb option. Go out whale-watching, swim into Swal-lows’ Cave, or experience the magical fog of Mariner’s Cave before moving on to idyllic islands further south. Arrange your charter to sail through the Ha’apai Group en route to the Tongatapu Group, or catch the ferry or a short flight back to the main island.
On Tongatapu, have a quick look around Nuku’alofa and then visit the island’s fasci-nating archaeological excavations, including the Lapaha archaeological site, followed by the energetic Mapu’a ’a Vaca Blow-holes. Then get yourself in holiday mode by spending a day or two snorkelling, swim-ming or just being lazy on one of the resort islands to the north of Tongatapu, such as Pangaimotu or Fafá.
One MonthSlow Boats Around Tonga
After spending a little time pottering around Tongatapu and acclimatis-ing to the tropics in Nuku’alofa, head out to nearby ’Eua, either by
ferry or light aircraft, and spend a few days hiking through the island’s lush rainforests and exploring its caves and sinkholes. You’ll sometimes have to climb huge, tangled ban-yan trees to get out.
Once back in Nuku’alofa, clamber aboard the ferry and head for the coral charms and soothing serenity of the scattered, low-lying Ha’apai Group. Spend some time absorb-ing unexploited Tongan culture on friendly islands in the Lifuka Group, such as Ha’ano and ’Uiha, then shack up in a beachside fale on Uoleva. There should be plenty of oppor-tunities to see whales, and if you have the inclination, charter a boat to take you out to Tofua and Kao.
If time is not your scarcest commodity, continue on to the magical distractions of the Vava’u Group where there is just so much to do…if you want to do anything, that is! The remote Niuas, three volcanic islands where you’ll find lava fields, untrammelled ridges and languid locals, may also beckon.
24
PLAN YO
UR TRIP ITIN
ERA
RIES
Ma’uke
Mitiaro
Rarotonga
Manihiki
Penrhyn
Rakahanga
#•#•
#•
#•
#•
#•
#–
#–
#f
#f
SOUTH
PACIFIC
OCEAN
É
É
É
É
One MonthCook Islands Northern Exposure
For those hardy travellers who are really keen to get off the beaten track, how about visiting the distant islands of the Northern Group. They’re a long, long way from the busy main island of Rarotonga, and that makes them a fantastic place to experience and appreciate traditional Cook Islands culture.
You could start your voyage of discovery with the classic trip around the Southern Group of islands in the itinerary a few pages back, making sure not to miss the amazing Aitutaki lagoon and its spectacular motu. Before heading north, possibly tack on two more southern group islands – tiny Mitiaro with its lovely underground pools and Ma’uke, the garden island, with its deserted beaches and historic caves. There are flights to both of these Pacific jewels.
Then it’s back to Rarotonga as a springboard to the real adventure. You could catch a plane all the way to the Northern Group islands, but it’s astronomically expensive. Defi-nitely the most adventurous way to get to the northern islands is via inter-island freighter all the way to Manihiki, the black-pearl capital of the Cook Islands, with its tiny coral atolls and massive natural lagoon.
With a bit of luck there will be a boat moving on to isolated Rakahanga, or if it’s not stopping there, straight on to Penrhyn, where life is still lived very much along traditional lines.
Only the hardiest and most intrepid of travellers ever make it out this far, but if you can surmount the logistical challenges, the rewards are sublime. This is not the trip to take if you’ve got any time constraints! You’ll have plenty of time to get to know the islanders and practise your fishing skills – but don’t plan on going home too soon, as the next boat might not be around for a while…
25PLAN
YOUR TRIP IT
INER
AR
IES
© Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd. To make it easier for you to use, access to this chapter is not digitally restricted. In return, we think it’s fair to ask you to use it for personal, non-commercial purposes only. In other words, please don’t upload this chapter to a peer-to-peer site, mass email it to everyone you know, or resell it. See the terms and conditions on our site for a longer way of saying the above - ‘Do the right thing with our content.’
©Lonely Planet Publications Pty Ltd