|
Haapai
Picture Tonga Islands  Large Picture A collection of tiny islands with a truly laid back South Seas lifestyle. Click an icon in the Map of Haapai for more pictures The Haapai Islands lie on an active volcanic ridge and it is not unusual for an underground volcano to give birth to a new island. Despite its stunning beauty, the Haapai Group is not a popular sailing destination as it has treacherous coral reefs surrounding most islands. Scuba diving and snorkelling are excellent. Both Foa and Lifuka are flat and sandy islands covered in small plantation holdings - taro fields, fruit trees and coconut plantations. Lifuka is a flat island and the tar sealed road runs close to the coast making it an excellent island to explore by foot or bicycle - there are only a handful of cars and trucks on the island. Pangai Town on the south eastern side of Lifuka is the main island in the Haapai Group. It is easy to get a ride to the outer islands from Pangai, especially on Friday and Saturday when islanders come in to sell their produce at market. One of the main streets in Pangai Village, the commercial centre for the Haapai Group. There's a bank and post office but few shops and no restaurant. Siasi Church on the beach front at Pangai Village. This small village is extremely friendly and a great place to interact with the locals. There are many secluded beaches along the west coast of Lifuka. Although the reefs have good coral and marine life, there are few places to hire snorkelling gear. Local lady collects her pandanus strips from the sea ready for mat weaving, an important part of traditional life in Tonga and more recently one of the few sources of income for islanders. Sheltered beach south of Pangai Village with good snorkelling. Although there are few buses on Pangai, the island is flat and it's easy to rent bicycles to get around and explore. From the south point of Lifuka you can wade across to Uoleva Island at low tide. The east coast of Pangai is exposed to tradewinds and consequently has a wild coastline that is great for exploring by foot. The east coast has attractive beaches but the seas here can be rough and the lagoon is too shallow for swimming or snorkelling with dead coral being exposed at low tide. Isolated Sandy Beach at the northern end of Foa Island has a small resort. Nukunamo Island, a stones throw off the north tip of Foa island, is the private property of the King of Tonga. At low tide the reef is exposed at Faleloa Village making it easy to collect seafood. This lady and her grandchild can't resist. One of just a few traditional Tongan houses overlooking the sea. The typical Tongan village consists of basic cement houses and not are especially attractive. Horse riding is a popular way to get from village to plantation in this rural community of farmers and fishermen. The gorgeous palm fringed sandy beaches on undeveloped Uoleva can be reached on foot at low tide from the main island of Lifuka. There are a few basic beach fales for overnight stays. Uiha Island has several archaeological points of interest including an eight star stone mound and the ancient tombs of Royal Kings. Felemea Village on the southern end of Uiha Island. Uiha has a population of about 800. A small flat coral atoll in the foreground with the distinct volcanic cone of Kao on the horizon. Neighbouring Tofua is much flatter although it is too active to visit. The larger volcanic islands like Fonoifua have fertile slopes for family plantations and support small isolated fishing villages. The picturesque string of coral sandbanks that make up the Tofanga Islands. Limu, like most of the islands in the Kotu Group, are tiny uninhabited coral atolls and populated by sea birds. |
|
Tonga Islands Hotel Pictures Tonga Islands ; Tongatapu ; Nukualofa Town ; Haapai Group ; Vavau Group Tonga Accommodation ; Tonga Travel ; Tonga Tourist Information ; Tongan Pictures South Pacific Pictures cook islands accommodation pictures ; fiji island hotel pictures ; samoa islands hotel pictures ; tahiti islands hotel pictures ; vanuatu islands hotel pictures ; new caledonia hotel pictures ; hawaii accommodation pictures ; australia accommodation pictures This Accommodation Guide is brought to you by South Pacific Pictures, the photographic division of South Pacific Travel Guides. This leading independent travel publisher is based in Fiji and aims to provide unbiased travel information to help potential holiday-makers plan their trip to the South Pacific. We do not sell individual hotels, tours or packages - we simply provide an overview to help you make the decision and provide links for you to make further enquiries and bookings. All the pictures in this website have been taken by us and try to show a true representation of our destinations. No picture has been staged - all were taken as presented. Our energetic team of researchers and photographers travel around the south pacific on a regular basis to update our guides and to ensure their accuracy. Please feel free to contribute your own travel experiences to pass on to fellow travellers. If you haven't been able to find what you're looking for in our website, you might want to try South Pacific Travel Guides - the regions most omprehensive travel guide for the islands Fiji Travel ; Cook Islands Travel ; Samoa Travel ; Tonga Travel ; Tahiti Travel ; Hawaii Travel ; Oahu Travel ; Kauai Travel ; Maui Travel ; Big Island Hawaii Travel Alternatively, if you're simply after accommodation, search South Pacific Resorts the largest directory of hotels in the South Pacific with thousands of unique photographs, location maps and unbiased write ups: Cook Islands Resorts ; Fiji Resorts ; Samoa Resorts ; Tonga Resorts ; Tahiti Resorts ; Vanuatu Resorts ; New Caledonia Resorts ; Hawaii Resorts. South Pacific Travel Resources - other accredited websites This website is brought to you by South Pacific Pictures a division of Beautiful Holidays Office 29, Nadi Airport Arrivals Concourse - PO Box 10146 Nadi Airport, Fiji Islands Tel: (+679) 672 2600 - Contact Us |