Are the Beautiful Haapai Islands Inspiring?

The group of the beautiful Haapai Islands stretch 110 square kilometres at the north of the beautiful Tongatapu Islands and there are more than 8,150 inhabitants in the entire group. More than 2,500 of Tongans live in the capital of Pangai and around it.

It is the third largest group in land area and the third populous group in Tonga after the beautiful Vavau Islands. The fourth group is the beautiful Niuas Islands.

This page is mainly about the beautiful Ha'apai Islands. (Please note that we dismiss the apstrophes in some lines here for some techincal reasons.) For more information about the beautiful Haapai Islands, see links on this page and the second section below the form. If you thought that there're some wrong information on those pages, please use the form to correct them. Thanks.

The Haapai Group of Islands comprises more than 60 islets, but only 17 islets of them are inhavited. The important islets in the group include the islets in the Lifuka group, the islets of Foa, Ha'ano, 'Uiha, Tofua, Kao, Uoleva and the uninhabited islets of Nukunamo and Tatafa.

In addition to those islets, some travellers to the beautiful Haapai Islands enjoy visiting some of Tonga beautiful sites in the islets of Ha'afeva, Luahoko, Hunga Tonga, Hunga Ha'apai, Nomuka and the little Nomuka (Nomuka'iki).

The group consists of low coral islets dominated by reefs, colourful lagoons, long white sand beaches followed at the back or the curves by long forests, coconut palms and volcanoes. These natural perspectives make the Haapai group of Islands beautiful.

The beautiful Haapai Islands have interior and international connection by sea and air from the main Lifuka land and its capital Pangai. The Salote Piloleva Airport of Ha'apai is about 3.3 kilometres at the north of Pangai village, above Holopeka and below Port Au Prince Memorial Beach.

Flights by the Royal Tongan Airlines are daily between the beautiful Haapai Islands and the beautiful Togatapu Islands and twice, sometimes three times a week to the beautiful Vava'u Islands. The Pacific Island Seaplanes take off from Nuku'alofa, the capital of Tonga to most of the islands in the beautiful Ha'apai group.

The boats MV Tautahi and the MV 'Olovaha run twice or three times a week from the northbound and the southbound in Pangai connecting the beautiful Haapai Islands to tongatapu and Vava'u.

Local buses run between Pangai, Hihifo, Holopeka and Faleloa in Foa Island at the most northern part of the Foa. Holopeka is about 2.4 kilometres from Pangai Ferry Terminal. Foa is about 7.8 kilometres from Pangai. There is a narrow causeway that links the beautiful Haapai Islands with Foa.

Since the two islands are flat, there are some bicycle rentals outlets. Billy's Place, Lindsay Guesthouse and other guesthouses offer bicycle rentals, car rentals and horse rentals in addition to other services. There are also taxis running to different nearby places.

People inhabited the beautiful Haapai group of islands since 3,000 years, as some excavations show some historical folkloric items and other items including pottery and carbon in Hihifo village.

Abel Tasman reached the group of Haapai in 1643 and Captain Cook arrived in 1773 and escaped the attack of the nationals, after his second arrival in 1777. See the "Useful Resources" section on the beautiful Haapai Islands here and some more information at the centre of the beautiful Tonga Islands.

The Lifuka group of islets is along the eastern barrier reef of Ha'apai. Pangai is the caiptal of the Lifuka group. It is the centre of the life in the group, although it is a small village. Nothing else to see in Lifuka other than the sheltered beaches at the western side.

As the administrative and commercial centre of the beautiful Lifuka group, Pangai offers the basic public and touristy services. Some of these services are located on Hihifo village, as well. The main road runs through Pangai across the runway of the airport and the traffic authorities close the sides of the road when planes land on Lifuka Airport, Salote Pilolevu Airport.

Tonga Telecom with its wireless and cable services is in the centre of Pangai. It works 24 hours daily providing telephone calls interiorly and internationally and fax services on the weekends. The Bank of Tonga is near the Post Office of Tonga, the Friendly Island Bookshop and Afa Eli Historical Museum on Holopeka Road and it opens during the weekends.

The Tonga Visitors' Bureau in this area provides the main touristy services in the beautiful Haapai Islands including seaplanes tours, car rentals, horse rentals, maps, information about the guestshouses, good beaches for swimming and snorkeling and information about the historical places in Lifuka.

The bookshop with the Afa Eli Historical Museum and its pottery and the research library are good for interested visitors in the history of the beautiful Haapai Islands. In additon, there is a tomb called the Olovehi tomb on Loto Kolo Road in Hihifo and it is for the noble Tongan with the rank of "Tuita".

Thereare some other sites to visit including the Shirley Baker Monument with the grave and the monument of the first prime minister in Tonga, at the north of Pangai.

The Velata Mound Fortress is at the south of Pangai and at the east of it is a sign describing the fortress. 'Ahau Bathing Well is at the south of the Olovehi tomb. The Tongan chief Laufilitonga used it when he stayed with his followers in the fortress during the 1820s.

Hihifo village is at south of Pangai. Some beautiful places on the beautiful Haapai Islands are on this area. Waking through these sites at the south of Hihifo involves dangers. However, people cross to them at low tides walking on the sand dunes at the eastern side. They pass through the highest site on Lifuka, the Hulu'ipaongo tomb that has prepared for the Mata'uvave chiefs.

It is at the most southwestern tip of Lifuka. The islet of Uoleva is at the south of it followed by the islets of Tatafa and Uiha.

There are watersport services here including diving, game fishing trips, kayaking, whale watching tours, boat trips to Tofua and Kao volcanoes and other islets in the group. Boat tripes reach both the eastern side of the island with its high waves and the western sheltered side.

The accommodations include the Niu'akalo Beach Hotel at the north of Pangai, Fonongava'inga Guesthouse on Palace Road on Pangai, Lindsay Guesthouse, Mele Tonga Guesthouse and Billy's Palace. Use the search tool below to locate more hotels in the beautiful Haapai Islands.

Useful Resources:

** The Last Voyage: Captain Cook's Lost Diary - Hammond Innes imagines the private journal that Captain James Cook might have kept on “The Last Voyage” that ended in his death in 1779. He tried to find a northwest passage between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

A massive ice wall along the Bering Strait blocked Captain Cook’s ship, the Resolution. Cook successfully freed his ship, and planned another attempt for the following summer. Captain James then returned to Hawaii, where he was killed by the islanders in a skirmish over a stolen boat.

** Captain Cook: Explorations and Reassessments (Regions and Regionalism in History) - Captain James Cook's reputation has been in discussions, with opinions range from Britain's celebration of his achievement to more subjective assessments of the long-term implications of his voyages in the countries of the Pacific.

The source includes thirteen essays, grouped in four sections to continue the debate. 'The Legacy of Captain Cook' compares Cook's death on Hawaii and the later killing of a missionary on Eromanga; examines fluctuations in Cook's reputation; and describes life on board the replica of the Endeavour.

See the links on this page and the second section of the page below the form for more information about the beautiful Haapai Islands.

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Millionaire Match offers dating services for locals in the beautiful Haapai Islands!

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Millionaire Match offers dating services for locals in the beautiful Haapai Islands

Get married with Tongan marriage celebrations and do not forget to invite us to your marriage, or send us your marriage photos and videos, so we could take some Tongan cheers for your health and that of yours!

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