Neiafu & Port of Refuge

Neiafu is the main town of Vava'u, at the head of the long, deep harbour NGA calls Port of Refuge. You get there through Faihava from the north-west or Ava Pulepulekai from the south and west, both deep and clear of dangers according to NGA, then follow leading lines past Galloway Rock to the wharf. NGA calls the group's anchorages "few and indifferent" because the water is so deep.

At a glance

Getting in

The approach channels. NGA says Ava Pulepulekai, between Hunga and Nuapapu, is the approach to Neiafu from the south and west, and Faihava, between Hunga and the south-west tip of Vava'u, is the north-west approach. Both are deep and clear of dangers. NGA passes on a 2011 report of currents above 6 knots in Faihava Passage.

Galloway Rock. NGA puts Galloway Rock, with 4.6 m over it, about 0.2 mile north-west of the north end of Pangaimotu, on a rocky ridge across the channel. A shoal spit with 5.5 m at its end runs 0.15 mile north-east from Pangaimotu.

Leading lines. NGA describes three sets of range beacons:

• 065.5°. Two beacons on Kilikili, about 0.2 mile NNW of Pangaimotu, lead to the harbour entrance south of Galloway Rock, with a least depth of 9.6 m on the line.
• 291° astern. A second pair, in line astern, leads through a stretch of channel only 90 m wide.
• 104°. A third pair leads to the wharf. NGA says the rear beacon has been reported hard to tell apart from a church about 0.2 mile south-east of the wharf. A light is shown from the wharf end.

Leaving. NGA advises leaving early in the morning: at other times the Kilikili beacons, which mark the critical part of the channel, are astern and lost in the sun.

Pilotage. NGA Pub. 126 says pilotage at Neiafu is compulsory, vessels aren't permitted to enter at night, and pilots board in the Faihava channel by arrangement with the harbourmaster at Nuku'alofa. It doesn't say whether that applies to yachts. Ask when you send your arrival notice, and in any case plan to arrive in daylight.

Anchoring and berthing

• NGA's anchorage. NGA gives an anchorage in Neiafu Harbour in 33 m, sand and coral, with the church bearing 100° and the west end of the wharf bearing 021°. A vessel has also reported anchoring in 49 m, sand and coral, 0.4 mile north of Lotuma.
• Charted anchorages. OpenStreetMap carries anchorage symbols imported from LINZ chart data in the harbour; see the map.
• The cable. LINZ Notice to Mariners 54/26 adds a submarine cable to the charts across Neiafu Harbour and through Faihava Passage. Check the notice for its line and don't anchor on it.
• Halaevalu Wharf. NGA says the wharf is 60 m long with 7 m on its west side and 9.1 m on its east side, and an extension takes vessels up to 7.9 m draft. A small boat jetty lies just south-east of the wharf and a ferry ramp just north-west.

Clearing in

Vava'u as a port of entry. Tonga Customs' ports-of-entry page (read 28 October 2026) lists Vava'u. Its seaport entry for Vava'u repeats "Nuku'alofa Port (TO TBU)", so name Neiafu as your port of arrival on the advance notice and confirm it with Customs. OpenStreetMap shows the Vava'u Customs office and the MAFF Quarantine office beside Halaevalu Wharf, and the Ministry of Agriculture, Food & Forests lists its Vava'u quarantine office at Halaevalu Wharf.

• Tell Customs 24 hours ahead. Tonga Customs' Advance Notice of Arrival (small craft) form must reach Customs at least 24 hours before your ETA, by email or fax (the addresses are on the form). If you can't send it electronically, the form says you may give notice another way, for example by phone. It asks for crew and passport details, previous ports, firearms and any animals on board.
• Call on VHF 16 before you arrive. The form asks you to call Maritime Radio on VHF 16 before reaching your nominated Customs port, to confirm or update your ETA.
• Office hours and fees (dated). Customs works 8:30 am to 4:30 pm, Monday to Friday. Its fees page (read 28 October 2026) lists inward or departing clearance as free in normal working hours, TOP 80 outside them and TOP 100 on weekends and public holidays. Special attendance out of hours needs an application on the approved form at least 2 working days ahead.
• Temporary admission. A private yacht can be entered under temporary admission without duty or tax. It must leave within 4 months unless Customs extends this by up to 8 more months (12 in all). Customs warns that breaking the conditions can mean severe penalties or seizure of the boat.
• Immigration. Passports must be valid for at least 6 months. Citizens of the countries on the Customs immigration page (Australia, New Zealand, the UK and the USA among them) can be given a 30-day visitor visa on arrival; everyone else needs a visa before arriving. Extensions are handled by the Immigration Department in Nuku'alofa (Salote Road) and Neiafu (Tonga Development Bank building, first floor). The page is written for air arrivals, so ask Customs how its return-ticket condition applies to yacht crew.
• Restricted goods. Firearms and ammunition need a licence, and TOP 10,000 or more in cash is a restricted import.
• Quarantine. The Ministry of Agriculture, Food & Forests' Quarantine Division inspects at seaports. Its meat rules cover ship's crew: no more than 20 kg of meat products per adult, commercially packed, sealed and labelled with the country of origin, from the origins it lists (for example Australia, New Zealand and the USA), and no meat from Samoa or Fiji. Declare animals on the arrival form.
• Leaving. Clear out on Customs form C15. Once cleared you must sail straight for your next overseas port and not stop anywhere else in Tonga; the form gives a fine of up to TOP 10,000.

Hazards and cautions

• Fast water in Faihava (dated). Currents above 6 knots reported in 2011 (NGA).
• Galloway Rock and the narrow leg. 4.6 m on Galloway Rock; one leg of the leading lines is only 90 m wide (NGA).
• Reefs east of Kapa. NGA says the whole area east of Kapa is unapproachable, surrounded by reefs with no navigable channel, and there's no channel through the reefs along the east side of the group.
• Volcanic activity. NGA reports volcanic activity (2019) about 25 miles north-west of the Vava'u Group, centred near 18°19.1'S, 174°21.1'W.

Weather and seasons

• Winds. NGA says strong winds at Vava'u blow mainly from between east-south-east and south-south-east, generally with rain squalls, and are said to last about 3 days. In summer, strong north-westerlies occasionally bring thick rainy weather, usually for no more than 12 hours.
• Cyclone season (dated). Tonga Meteorological Services' Tropical Cyclone Seasonal Outlook for 2026–2027 (released 28 October 2026, read 30 October 2026) gives the official season as 1 November 2026 to 30 April 2027 and notes that cyclones have occasionally formed outside it. It expects an average season, with 2 to 4 tropical cyclones affecting Tonga and a moderate to high chance of at least one severe tropical cyclone, and the highest risk from January to March 2027. It also reports drought declarations in force for Tongatapu, 'Eua, Ha'apai and Niuatoputapu, with Vava'u and Niuafo'ou under drought warning, so plan your water. NGA Pub. 126 adds that at Nuku'alofa sudden, violent west and north-west squalls are common from December to April.

Rules in brief

• Whales. Tonga's Whale Watching and Swimming Regulations 2013 say a private vessel may not approach closer than 300 m to any whale (unless it meets the swimming rules). If a whale approaches you, keep out of its path and, where practicable, keep 300 m away. Nobody may swim with whales except from a licensed whale-swim operator's vessel, jet skis must stay 2,000 m away, and when leaving whales go at idle or no-wake speed until you are 300 m clear.

• Special Management Areas. Many coastal communities manage their own Special Management Areas under the Fisheries Management Act 2002. The Ministry of Fisheries' brochure says nobody may enter or fish in an SMA's Fish Habitat Reserve without the community committee's permission. The brochure is from 2010 and shows only the first six SMAs, so ask the Ministry or the local community before you fish.

• Immigration extensions. The Customs immigration page says visa extensions can be handled in Neiafu, at the Tonga Development Bank building, first floor.

Facilities

• Small boat marina. OpenStreetMap shows a small boat marina close south-east of the wharf, and LINZ chart data marks it as a marina.
• Boatyard. OpenStreetMap shows a boatyard on the harbour's north-west shore, with a private slipway.
• Fuel. OpenStreetMap shows several road fuel stations in town. We haven't confirmed marine fuel at the waterfront from an official source.

Ashore

What's within about a 15-minute walk (1.2 km) of each marina, ramp or landing on this page, measured along streets and footpaths in OpenStreetMap. Addresses are from OpenStreetMap where it has one; where it doesn't, we show the name and distance only. Listings as fetched from OpenStreetMap on 28 October 2026; check opening hours before you walk.

From Small Boat Marina / Halaevalu Wharf (wharf / landing)

Places, types, addresses and walking distances: © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), fetched 28 October 2026.

About this page

These are free planning notes written by a working delivery skipper from public sources. They are not for navigation. Use the current LINZ chart corrected for notices to mariners, current local notices, official tide tables and local advice. Spotted something out of date? Please use Report a correction below.

Official links

Check these before you go. They beat anything on this page.

• Tonga Customs: ports of entry
• Tonga Customs: tariffs and fees (clearance fees)
• Tonga Customs: offices and hours
• Tonga immigration: visas on arrival and extensions
• Ministry of Agriculture, Food & Forests: Quarantine and Biosecurity
• Tonga Quarantine: meat import rules for travellers and ship's crew
• Whale Watching and Swimming Regulations 2013 (PDF, Ministry of Tourism)
• LINZ NTM 54/26: submarine cable, Neiafu Harbour and Faihava Passage (PDF)
• LINZ Notices to Mariners (cover the TO charts)
• NGA Pub. 126 Sailing Directions (Enroute) Pacific Islands (free PDF)
• Tonga Customs: private crafts (advance notice, temporary admission)
• Tonga Customs forms (Advance Notice of Arrival for small craft, C15 outward clearance)
• Tonga Meteorological Services: forecasts, tides and cyclone outlooks
• Tonga Meteorological Services: marine forecasts
• Maritime NZ: search and rescue in the Pacific (Mayday, beacons)
• TO 301 Neiafu Harbour (1:10,000)
• TO 302 Vava'u Group (1:50,000)

Sources & credits

Need a delivery skipper for this coast? Get a quote from Garry Hartshorne, AMSA Master <45.