Location – Vava’u

The Billfish Capital of the South Pacific Region

Where’s Tonga …

The Kingdom of Tonga lies in south pacific waters between 18.00 S to 21.30 S and 173.30 W to 175.30 W. The Kingdom is made up of 173 islands of which 36 are inhabited. For reference, Fiji lies some 400nm to the west and Western Samoa, 415nm due north. Nuku’alofa, the capital of Tonga is approximately three hours flight from Auckland – NZ and Sydney – Australia.

The Kingdom is divided into three Island groups; Tongatapu Group lies to the south, the Ha’apai Group some 100nm north of Tongatapu and the Vava’u group of islands, along with the Niua’s, in the far north.

The name Tonga means ‘South’ and the climate is cooler and less humid than island nations of both Fiji and Western Samoa.

Vava’us fishing grounds are a mere 40 minutes run from Neiafu – Port of Refuge township and the whole western side of the Vava’u mainland features extensive drop-offs into very deep waters. Within a radius of 20nm there are offshore sea mounts, reef systems, island masses and one extensive bank system lying to the south.

The Tonga Trench to the east of Vava’u, dominates the regional current activity and creates a diverse food web for all pelagic and resident marine species.

Vava’u Fishing Grounds … World Class Fishing

It is a unique fishery were we get more strikes from blue marlin than any other pelagic species and the regional waters hold all the common sport fish such as yellow fin, mahimahi, wahoo as well as another four billfish species. The Tonga experience is more than just fishing and it all revolves around water-based adventure activities;

Whale watch/swim … Vava’u plays hosts to hundreds of Humpback whales during the months July to October. Licensed operators can provide group or exclusive trips

Scuba Diving, snorkelling, Island water-way tours and charter yachts are all based out of Neiafu township.

A wide range of accommodation options is available both in Neiafu township and outer island resorts.

We are happy to  recommend accommodation options ….

Check out www.thekingdomoftonga.com and www.tongaholiday.com for accommodation, restaurant and bar information.

Getting to Vava’u – The Kingdom Of Tonga

  • International carriers include AirNZ, Virgin Blue and AirPacific together with their co-share partners
  • International carriers arrive in Tongatapu – Nuku’alofa the capital city, but a new service now operates  ‘Fiji-direct-to-Vava’u’ on Fiji Airways.
  • You can book the domestic service, Vava’u-to-Tongatapu on line … www.realtonga.to
  • No international or domestic flights operate on Sundays so you need to plan your flights accordingly.
  • Depending on your nationality …. check on line to make sure you do not need a pre-arrival visitors visa.
  • The local currency is Pa’anga …and there are ATM’s in Vava’u township provided by ANZ and BSP