Niuatoputapu, Tonga – warmth, resilience and living the simple life

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Niuatoputapu is one of the most remote islands, and located in the northernmost part of the Kingdom of Tonga. The island group is called Niuas group, and it is our first stop in Tonga, which has a total of four island groups. Its location is quite far from the other, more populated islands groups in Tonga. It is actually closer to Samoa, and we had an easy overnight sail to get here.

The name, Niuatoputapu, ended up being called “New Potato” by most of the cruisers we met, as it was a bit hard for us to pronounce… There are only 700 people living on this island, and the population is spread across three villages, called Hihifo, Falehau, and Vaipoa.

The captain at the docks, ready to pick up the officers who are going to check us into Tonga.
Officers from the health, customs and immigration departments.

Niuatoputapu is often called the “Sacred Island” due to its traditional importance in Tongan history. The island is volcanic in origin, but relatively low-lying compared to the nearby island, Tafahi, which is a steep volcanic cone.

Noxoma anchored in the lagoon at Niuatoputapu, with the volcanic island, Tafahi, in the background.

Niuatoputapu is one of the least visited islands in Tonga, as travelling and getting supplies to the island is challenging. There is an airport, but it is basically not operational. There is also a supply ship, which arrives once per month from the capital, Nuku’alofa. We were there while it arrived, and it was like witnessing Christmas for the population. At least 200 people were gathered at the dock throughout the day, collecting their packages.

The supply ship docked in Niuatoputapu.
There was no access to the dock while the ship was unloaded, so everyone was waiting at the base of the dock.
The lady at the right is in morning, wearing a black top, with traditional Tongan clothes layered over.
A container has arrived, and people are waiting patiently for their packages.
Trucks of packages were going back and forth the whole day, with people flocking towards them as soon as they arrived.

People live with a slow rhythm of life on this island, and most activities happen in the early morning hours or late in the afternoon.  The main industry on the island is processing palm leaves into coconut palm fronds which are used for weaving projects, like baskets and roof thatching. We witnessed the last steps in the process, which were the soaking and drying processes. The ready made product was shipped  to the capital, Nukualofa.

Soaking of palm fronds on the reef.

We saw drying of palm fronds in the gardens of many of the houses.

We loved exploring the island, and people greeted us every where we went. They were so warm and welcoming, and people even stopped their cars to chat with us. Cruisers are more or less the only visitors that go here, and they seem to appreciate that we were there. Although, we did notice that the Tongan culture is a little more reserved than we have experienced in the other Polynesian countries we have been to. 

They love gardening here, and are really good at keeping their gardens in order. We also saw very creative use of car tires, which are painted and used for flower pots.
The Tongan flag colors – red and white.

One of the many (6 in total, we think) churches on the island.
The graveyard is not in association with the church, but is free standing. We did not witness graves in people’s gardens here, which has been the norm in many of the other Polynesian countries we have visited.

Lots of pigs on the island, most of them with a trail of piglets following them.

There were some really impressive old trees with big trunks on the island.

There was a natural harbor for the small boats, that was very protected inside the reef.
The road between the two main villages, was ready to get patched up, and this is something the population was very eager about doing. However, it seems they are not getting the funds from the government to fix it.
A local food store with its sign outside.
The nice lady at the grocery store wanted a selfie together with us, and we were lucky to get one as well 🙂
The bakery on the island was at this house, hidden in a small building under the big tree in the center.
The local bakery.
With a very nice guy, who made awesome bread and buns 6 days per week.
A fresh water well in the Hihifo village

In 2009, Niuatoputapu was hit by the Samoan earthquake and the following tsunami. Several people died, and most of the houses on the island were destroyed. Therefore, the houses mostly look the same today, as the authorities issued houses to each family needing it after the devastation by the tsunami.

There was an earthquake very close by just two days before we arrived, and the population all got up in the middle of the night, and ran to higher grounds. They also warned the cruisers who were at anchor to get into the island and run to higher grounds. Fortunately, there was no issue this time, but it is clear that the population here live in an area with much seismic activities and is on the alert.

The government issued ready made houses to the island after the devastation of the 2009 tsunami. Most of the population lived in these houses now, which supposedly are much nicer than the houses that were here before the tsunami. This lady was very friendly, and came out to greet us as we passed by.
Signs have been raised to show were to go during a tsunami threat.

One morning, we went for a hike together with Meriam and Paul from SV Walkabout. We haven’t seen them for almost a year, so it was nice to touch base again, and at the same time get to work out our ever diminishing muscles…

Big leaves of ? at a plantation we passed on our way.
The horse whisperer.
We found the trail, after a little search, and a little help from a local farmer.
Definitely an airy hiking experience as we got close to the top.
Made it!

Great view to the anchorage.
And over to the neighboring island.

We were so lucky to be there for a pig roast feast for all of the boats in the anchorage. We were so impressed how the whole family worked with preparing the awesome meal for us.

Preparing veggie and meat packages that are going in the earth oven to roast.
The piglet was roasting for 4 hours over the open fire. This guy was spinning the pig most of the afternoon. The patience he showed was very impressive to witness.

Local seasoning.
The whole family helped 🙂
Getting a pre-taste of what’s to come.
They had a modern version of the earth oven, where all of the veggies were cooked. They wrapped the barrel with blankets to avoid the heat getting away.

When we returned later in the afternoon, the pig was done roasting. We were a total of 16 cruisers from 8 boats attending the feast. We enjoyed a lovely evening, making new local and cruiser friends.

After four hours, the piglet was ready roasted.
Moses, who arranged the feast on behalf of his family.
The kids were excited about getting some snacks and join the feast.
The host of the evening, together with Moses and his family. He has been away for the island for 35 years, living in New Zealand, and made his first visit back while we were there. He is now running for getting a seat in the parliament, and had gained good insights into what the population needed and were looking for.
Moses acted as our DJ for the night.

These ladies had prepared most of the food.
The girls made sure the flies stayed away from the food.

Hungry cruisers eagerly serving themselves from the buffet.

Fresh coconut to drink with the meal.

Beautiful sunset just outside of the feast hall.

From our anchorage, we could see whales breeching daily outside the reef. On a calm day, we took our dinghy outside the reef, and went free diving. We could hear the whales sing as we popped out heads below the surface. However, we were not able to locate any. It was still a magic experience, hearing them sing so actively.

Exploring outside the reef.

The last sunset on Niuatoputapu, we shared with cruisers from three other boats. We went to the nearby motu (islet), lit up a fire to keep the bugs away, and enjoyed some snacks and drinks.

We discussed our upcoming passages as we are getting closer to the cyclone season in this area, and also future plans. It is always nice to hear what other cruisers are thinking about this lifestyle. We get inspired by their stories – how they ended up sailing, where they have come from, where they are going to, and also what they are thinking about life after sailing.

Getting the mosquito chasing fire up and running.
The captain’s past as a boy scout always comes in handy!

From the left: Meriam from SV Walkabout, Arnis from SV Traveller IV, the captain, Kerry and Megan from SV Olmari, Paul from SV Walkabout, the admiral, and Jane from Traveller IV.

The next stop on our way south through the Tongan island groups, is the Ha’apai group, which is supposed to be the best place to swim with whales in Tonga. We will pass by the island group of Vava’u on the way, and rather go there after we have swum with whales. We left Niuatoputapu after a magnificent 12 days, and prepared for a 2 night sail to Ha’apai.