In 2019 my wife Molly and I cast off from our homeport in New Hampshire with the goal of circumnavigating the globe. We made it as far as New Zealand before the Covid pandemic closed borders. Over the course of nearly three years we visited countless archipelagos—stops included the eastern Caribbean, the Galápagos, Tahiti and French Polynesia, and the Cook Islands. Yet the most unexpected delight of our voyage was the relatively unknown Kingdom of Tonga.
Tonga is one of the most enchanting cruising destinations in the South Pacific. It boasts crystalline waters, lush green islands, white-sand beaches, vibrant coral reefs and warm, English-speaking locals. Beyond those attractions, the archipelago’s real appeal is its sheltered waters: 171 islands (only 36 inhabited) create deep channels and snug anchorages stretching for miles. For sailors, Tonga feels like nowhere else in the South Pacific—think Maine’s rugged coastlines, but with palm trees and no fog.
Before this trip, our experience had been limited to the U.S. East Coast and the Caribbean. Transiting the Panama Canal in early 2019 aboard Chanticleer, our 1991 Valiant 40, opened up an entirely new style of cruising. Pacific passages are longer, swells are bigger, and land is often out of sight for days. Coming from regions with cozy harbors, we initially found the Pacific’s open roadsteads intimidating. While places like Tahiti offer calm anchorages behind reefs, you can be back on the deep blue in an instant. Tonga’s network of protected waters and multiple harbors felt refreshingly different.
We felt that difference the day we made landfall after a 1,000-mile sail from Suwarrow in the Cook Islands. That morning we crossed the International Date Line and slipped into the lee of Vava’u, the largest island in the Vava’u Group. The Group—roughly 40 islands—is an intricate maze of channels and shoals. We reefed the main, trimmed sails and switched to hand steering. Suddenly we were cruising in close quarters rather than making a long passage. My logbook records it simply: “Glorious sailing, close reaching in flat water.”
We threaded through limestone islands sculpted by waves into mushroom-like shapes at low tide and sailed past dramatic cliffs, hugging channels and tacking between buoys until we eased into Neiafu, the largest harbor in the South Pacific and Vava’u’s main town. The thrill of sailing in such tight, beautiful waters reminded us of the Virgin Islands and illuminated just how special Tonga’s sheltered anchorages are.
Neiafu, home to roughly 5,000 people, serves as one of Tonga’s administrative centers and its charter-boat hub. Although there are no marinas with fuel docks or large supermarkets, the town offers practical amenities: a pharmacy, a butcher, banks, a few decent restaurants and bars, and small shops—locally called “Chinese shops”—stocked with tinned goods and basic supplies. Open-air markets are a daily highlight, where vendors sell fresh fish, fruit and vegetables. Life here is simple, and the remoteness contributes to Tonga’s unspoiled charm.
We spent several weeks cruising the Vava’u Group, enjoying short day sails to snorkeling spots, beaches and village trails. Anchorages here are numbered by charter companies to simplify navigation for palangi—foreign visitors. I remember snorkeling down to check our anchor one afternoon and paying a friendly local in a classic skiff a modest anchorage fee. Those small interactions were part of the experience: chatting with fishermen and shopkeepers, admiring local boats, and learning about daily life.
Tonga is a poor country but culturally rich. While many consumer goods and medical services are limited and nearly half of Tongans live abroad seeking work, the people remain proud of their language, customs and status as a Pacific monarchy that was never colonized. Traditions are visible everywhere: men and women commonly wear a tupenu (cloth skirt), and on formal occasions they don a ta’ovala—an intricately woven pandanus mat—tied with coconut fiber. Family, church and community are the pillars of society. We were moved by the raw, acapella singing during a visit to a small rural church in Pangaimotu.
One memorable little harbor was Hunga Haven, reached through a narrow 100-foot-wide entrance with plenty of depth and no surf. The “resort” there was basic—two thatched cabanas, a small beach and the Canadian owner’s modest home—but it offered solitude and a chance to hike through dense forest filled with birdlife. Another favorite was Fangakima (Port Mourelle), a quiet cove where, on a calm afternoon with only one other boat, I felt wholly at peace. Such places felt like private discoveries in an archipelago of generous beauty.
We also sailed south to Ha’apai, a less-visited chain of islands with vast white sand beaches and striking isolation. The islands here lie between two formidable geological features: the Tonga Trench—one of the ocean’s deepest trenches—and the Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai volcanic complex. That volcano’s powerful eruption in January 2022 later proved how vulnerable this paradise can be to natural disasters. Still, anchored off sweeping beaches or leeward of tiny islets hosting Fairy Terns and Black Noddies, we snorkeled coral gardens, walked unspoiled sands and navigated reefs by sight, using charts cautiously.
Vava’u’s beauty and Ha’apai’s solitude both linger in our memories. Boats remain magical for their ability to carry you to such places—whether for an afternoon or for years. Sailing to Tonga revealed one of the last great slices of South Pacific paradise: sheltered waters, friendly people and landscapes that ignite the imagination. We didn’t want to leave, but cyclone season was approaching and prudent cruisers head elsewhere when the season turns.
Cruising Guides to Tonga
For planning a trip to Tonga, we found a few guides useful. Sailingbird’s Guide to the Kingdom of Tonga by Charles Paul and Katherine Pham-Paul (first published 2004, reissued 2012) offers detailed coverage of the Vava’u Group, including sketch charts of anchorages and dive sites. Ken Hellewell’s Ken’s Comprehensive Cruising Guide to the Kingdom of Tonga (2003) covers the whole archipelago and includes waypoints and sketch charts; it’s a modest production but handy for planning. Both books are out of print, though used copies can often be found. Sail South Pacific also produces a Sail Tonga Cruising Guide app with useful route, tide and cultural information—while the app cautions its charts are “not for navigation,” many cruisers find the data helpful for trip planning.
This article was originally published in the July 2022 issue.
