Vavaʻu

Neiafu church

Neiafu (left) and Fungamisi (centre) at the Port of Refuge

Vaipūua bridge

Vava'u

Geography
Location	Pacific Ocean
Coordinates	18°39′S 173°59′W
Archipelago	Tonga Islands
Highest elevation	131 m (430 ft)
Administration
Tonga
Demographics
Population	15,505

Vavau redirects here. For the village in Samoa, see Vavau, Samoa

Vavaʻu

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Location of Vavaʻu in the Pacific Ocean

Neiafu Market

Vavaʻu is an island chain of one large island and 40 smaller ones in Tonga. According to tradition Maui fished both Tongatapu and Vavaʻu but put a little more effort into the former. Vavaʻu rises 204 meters above sea level. The capital is Neiafu, which is the second largest city in Tonga, situated at one of the best harbours of the world, the Port of Refuge (Puatalefusi or Lolo-ʻa-Halaevalu).

Vavaʻu is a prime fishing destination with its beautiful harbour and untouched seas.

Geography

Vava'u has a more rugged terrain than the main island Tongatapu. It is also higher in elevation with the highest point at Mount Talau, which stands 131m tall. Like Tongatapu, Vava'u is a raised coral island but has more lagoons and lakes with pristine white sandy beaches surrounding the coastlines of the smaller islands boasting some of the best in the world.

Vava'u is also home to the 'Ene'io Botanical Gardens, Tonga's only botanical garden.

Climate

Vava'u has a much warmer climate than the rest of Tonga excepting the Niua group of islands. Because of the island's warm climate and fertile soil, Vava'u is a haven for vanilla and pineapple growers as well as other tropical fruits.

History

Don Francisco Antonio Mourelle was the first European to come to Vavaʻu, in February 1781. Captain James Cook knew about the island a decennium before, but the people in Haʻapai told him it would be no good for him to go there as there was no harbour. Apparently they did not want him to come, and Cook heeded their advice.

But Mourelle found excellent anchoring, of which he was in desperate need after having failed on Fonualei (Bitterness island) and Late, and he gave the spot the name Port of Refuge. But his original Port of Refuge was the bay on the west coast of the main island, near Longomapu. In 1793 Alessandro Malaspina visited for a month, following up on Maurelle and claiming the islands for Spain.

Tuʻi Tonga George Tupou I instituted the Vavaʻu Code in Vavaʻu in 1839.

New island

In 2006, eruptions of the previously submarine volcano Home Reef caused it to rise above sea level, forming a new island to the southwest of the Vavaʻu archipelago.

Governor

Hon. Luani was appointed as Governor of Vava'u in July 2009. Governor Luani died suddenly on 12 May 2010.

See also

• 2006 Tonga earthquake

Further reading

• Gerstle, Donna (1973). Gentle people: Into the Heart of Vavaʻu, Kingdom of Tonga: 1781–1973. San Diego: Tofua Press.