’Eua
A raised island of cliffs and rainforest seven minutes by air from Tongatapu, and the only place in Tonga where the red-breasted koki parrot lives.
- Arrival
- Kaufana, ’Eua · EUA
- To ’Ohonua
- Airstrip 3 km south of the village
- Private jets
- Land at Tongatapu (TBU), then 7 minutes by air
- Best time
- May to October
The city
Coral lifted out of the sea.
Abel Tasman sighted ’Eua on 21 January 1643 and called it Middelburg without going ashore; Cook called in 1773 and again in 1777. The island has no volcano. Movement of the earth’s plates pushed old coral up from the seabed, and the rock under the soil is full of caves, some still unexplored. About 4,900 people live here, and ’Ohonua is the largest village.
Tonga Tourism calls it the best hiking in the kingdom. Marked trails run through ’Eua National Park and along the coast to clifftop lookouts such as Lakufa’anga. Humpback whales come close in to the rocky shore in season, and offshore divers can go down into one of the largest underwater caverns in the Pacific, almost 30 metres deep.
- ’Eua National Park Well-marked trails through hill rainforest, home to a dozen bird species including the koki.
- ’Ana ’Ahu One of the island’s cave systems, hung with stalactites.
- Li’angahuo ’a Maui A natural stone bridge by the sea, among the sights Tonga Tourism puts first on the island.
Arriving
Seven minutes from Tongatapu.
The Kaufana airstrip is three kilometres south of ’Ohonua, with a runway of about 800 metres and no fuel or customs. Lulutai Airlines makes the seven-minute hop from Tongatapu, and a ferry crosses from there too.
- Nadi 1 h 30
- Auckland 2 h 55
- Papeete 3 h 50
- Brisbane 4 h 35
- Hong Kong 12 h 05 long-range jet
When to go
May to October.
No long-term figures are published for ’Eua, so these are Nuku’alofa’s, 38 km away. Highs run from 25 °C in the southern winter to 29 °C from January to March. The dry season lasts from May to October; March, at the heart of the wet and cyclone season, brings 263 mm of rain.
- 29° J 174 27°
- 29° F 191 27°
- 29° M 263 27°
- 28° A 156 27°
- 26° M 102 26°
- 26° J 72 25°
- 25° J 87 24°
- 25° A 108 23°
- 25° S 114 23°
- 26° O 93 24°
- 27° N 114 25°
- 28° D 127 26°
Where to stay
Across the water in Nuku’alofa.
Shown for information. We have no arrangement with any of these hotels.
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Tanoa International Dateline Hotel A base on the capital’s seafront for a day or two on ’Eua, looking out over Monu Reef, with a pool and a gym open around the clock.
Elsewhere in Tonga
More reasons to come.
Flying to ’Eua?
Choose how you arrive.
A Business or First Class seat on a scheduled airline, or an aircraft of your own. Tell us the date and how many are travelling, and we reply with one final price, our margin included.