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Futuna

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A steep island with no lagoon, an hour’s flight from Wallis, where pilgrims come each April to the basilica of Saint Peter Chanel.

Fly to Futuna All of Wallis and Futuna
Arrival
Futuna Pointe Vele · FUT
To the island
About an hour by Twin Otter from Wallis
Private jets
Land at Wallis; Pointe Vele has 1,100 m
Best time
June to September

The city

Mountains straight out of the sea.

Futuna has no lagoon to soften it. The Pacific breaks directly on the shore, rivers run down from the heights, and water taro grows in terraces on the slopes. Mount Puke rises to 514 metres. Across a strait under two kilometres wide lies Alofi, its smaller neighbour, a few minutes by boat from the jetty at Vélé.

Saint Peter Chanel, the only canonised martyr of Oceania, was killed here, and a basilica at Poi marks the place. On 28 April each year people from across the Pacific come for his feast. The island has two hotels and a few homestays, and its only restaurants are in the hotels.

  • Poi basilica Built where Saint Peter Chanel died, and the centre of the pilgrimage every 28 April.
  • Mount Puke The island’s summit at 514 metres, climbed with a local guide.
  • Alofi The neighbouring island across the strait, with the Loka cave.

Arriving

Through Wallis, then the short hop.

Futuna’s airstrip at Pointe Vele is 1,100 metres of asphalt, open in daylight, with no customs and no fuel. Jets from abroad land at Hihifo on Wallis, 234 km to the north-east, and the last leg is flown in a small turboprop.

Business & First Class Scheduled flights Aircalin flies to Wallis three times a week, and on to Futuna in a Twin Otter of about ten seats, also three times a week. The hop takes about an hour; seats are booked through a local travel agency. No passenger boat links the two islands. Business & First fares Private Jet Private aircraft Hihifo has a 2,100-metre runway, customs and jet fuel, and asks for 48 hours’ notice. Pointe Vele also needs 48 hours’ prior permission. Charter a jet
Approximate flying time by midsize jet
  • Nadi 1 h 10
  • Auckland 3 h 45
  • Papeete 4 h 20
  • Melbourne 6 h 05
  • Shanghai 10 h 50 long-range jet

When to go

June to September.

Hot and wet all year, highs of 28 to 31 °C, with no true dry season. The rain falls off between June and September, to about 120 to 160 mm a month, and the cyclone season runs from mid-November to mid-April.

  1. 30° J 304 29°
  2. 31° F 291 29°
  3. 30° M 304 29°
  4. 30° A 291 29°
  5. 30° M 217 29°
  6. 29° J 153 28°
  7. 28° J 149 28°
  8. 28° A 121 27°
  9. 29° S 162 27°
  10. 29° O 248 28°
  11. 30° N 273 28°
  12. 31° D 301 29°
Best months weather2travel.com, long-term averages; drier months from IEOM

Elsewhere in Wallis and Futuna

More reasons to come.

All of Wallis and Futuna

Flying to Futuna?

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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.

Business & First Private Jet