Tonga, a Polynesian kingdom nestled in the South Pacific, beckons sailors with its beautiful turquoise waters, untouched islands, and a culture steeped in warm hospitality known to many cruisers as the "Friendly Islands". This was my experience, I met many very friendly Tongan people on my last visit.

Tonga offers a unique sailing experience, weaving together pristine natural beauty with a chance to immerse yourself in a unique island way of life. 

This guide provides you with a sailor's insight for your next Tongan sailing adventure, highlighting the best places to visit, must-do activities, and essential considerations for a smooth and unforgettable voyage.

Setting a course to paradise - New Zealand to Tonga

It was a cold overcast, gray day in Port Whangarei. I had just experienced another early winter storm. That was enough, winter had set in. I had spent too much time in Tasmania and the South Island. My time in the North Island would be limited,  It was time to head for warmer waters I had my mind set on Nuka Alofa in Tonga. I was meeting my girlfriend in Fiji, but if I arrived too soon I would eat into my 4-month Fiji visa so I decided to explore Tonga for several weeks before the short 400-mile sail to Fiji, this way I would have a full 4 months to spend exploring Fiji with her.

I cleared customs from New Zealand at Marsden Cove Marina. My crew consisted of a young French Couple, Justine and Pierre and a British Girl called Esther. Justine and Pierre had a little sailing experience earned in France. This was Esther's very first sailing trip, a 1200nm make-or-break journey to Tonga. A little ballsy I thought but I like people like that.

We slipped out of the pen at 1000hr and motored toward the Port and open ocean. The seas looked calm in the shipping channel however as we cleared the Port I could see the ocean was rougher than I hoped, the wind was coming from the East and we needed to sail East for the first hour to clear a headland to then sail more Northerly. I set a course South East to clear the headland and take some advantage of the wind. Once I had cleared the headland by several miles I was able to tack and get on my North East course, it was rough, I had a reef in the main and we were already getting thrown around a bit, I ended up putting another reef in the main, I also eased off my course to try to calm the motion on the yacht, my crew were all green and breakfast was long gone for most.

Arriving Nuka Alofa

We arrived 0600 hours on a beautiful day, There was no wind and it was sunny. I had waited to navigate the passage until morning as the entire Eastern shipping channel into Nuka Alofa (Piha Passage) is fringed in reef as you can see below, its a good sized passage 100m wide or more most of the way, and there are channel markers however on this occasion, most did not appear to function as a light, and on closer inspection most appeared to be little more than a steel or timber pole in the reef. 

I do not trust the navigation software on chart plotters to navigate the reef at night, on many occasions they are not accurate. On this occasion, the main channel is well within acceptable tolerance and within 30m of my calibrated eyeball. 

I’m not a fan of trying my luck sailing through unlit passages at night in reef or shallow areas unless I have my GPS tracks to follow. 

The natural harbour that is Nuka Alofa:

Most of the main Harbour is navigable however it is quite deep ranging from 10m to 30m. You should expect to anchor in 20m of water, you should also expect the best moorings or anchoring spots to be taken. You will require at least 100m - 150m of chain or rope. 

Big Mama’s Bar and Island:

We arrived on a Sunday and anchored off Big Mama’s Resort (Pangaimotu Island) in 18m of water with another 10 yachts. There are some moorings available however they were taken.

Customs was not operating on Sunday, so we dropped the anchor, swam, had a beer, and got some sleep. All crew had their first real shower for the voyage. We were invited to a party but call me old fashioned as I like to clear customs first and follow the procedure as best I can in somebody else country.  

Clearing Customs Nuka Alofa

Monday Morning we motored into the Nuka Alofa small boat harbour located near Queen Salte Wharf. There were two large catamarans tied alongside, one a local charter boat taking on provisions and the other a cat we met in Marsden Cove also clearing customs. I tied TinTin alongside this cat called Little Fish and informed Customs of my arrival.

After 2 hours of waiting Richard the owner of the cat and I went looking for the customs office. 

(see below the location and also an ATM).

Finding the customs building was a huge pain in the ass and I was starting to think people were just fucking me around, I got sent from one building to the next like it was a kids game. This is one of the reason why I placed a pin on the building. I am sure when you get there, it will still be lacking a sign. I find this in many island countries, they enforce customs, they are warm and inviting but they do not make it easy to find.

I would also expect the customs dock to change location, it is not a bad location, it just seems temporary. 

The Process of Clearing Customs Nuka Alofa:

You will have sent your Tongan ANA in before arrival, I would have a copy as printers were not working the day I arrived, they used my copy to process the yacht.

They should have met me at the Yacht, but hey, don't sweat the small stuff, after waiting at the dock for 2 hours and then sitting around their office for 40 minutes. I was offered a ride back to my boat, and 3 Tongan customs officials came on board.

Tongan men are big blokes, it was hot and they did not want to sit in my yacht sweating so we conducted the paperwork shuffle in the cockpit, the only person to enter my vessel was the health officer, he had a good look around the yacht, but only confiscated my honey, this happen in every country. I had used nearly all my fresh food on the trip. They were not concerned about frozen meat provided it did not leave the vessel. 

The paperwork once started took 30 mins, Checking passports, yacht papers, and my New Zealand clearance. I was given a small invoice that I was to pay at the office when I picked up my cruising permit in two days. You need a cruising permit to cruise through the islands. Once finished they went from the stern official customs look to all smiles and a big welcome to Tonga.

Clearing out of Nuka Alofa and obtaining a cruising permit:

I picked up my cruising permit and asked to clear out at the same time, the afternoon before my morning departure, It took about 30 minutes. They were ok with me clearing out the afternoon before departure, only asked me to check with them if I did not leave Nuka Alofa the next day.

I was also instructed to check in with Customs in Pangai in the Ha'apai Group en route to the Vava'u Group. I know not all cruisers stop in Pangai as some sail from Nuka Alofa to the Vava'u Group without stopping. Personally, the Ha'apai group was the highlight of Tonga, as well as the whales and simple island life. 

Anchoring in the small boat Habour 

I decided to anchor in the small boat harbor to conduct my provisioning. This required tying a stern line to shore, there is not a great deal of swing room in the harbour. There is a rock wall on the North side of the harbour, I found a large concrete block and placed a rope sling around this then secured my stern anchor to the sling, a chain sling would have been handy, most of the rock and concrete was broken and sharp.

The bottom of the small boat harbour is mud, the hold was good. The water in the harbour is disgusting, I would not swim there. It is the main mooring location for local and visiting fishing boats, as well as ferries. The poor water quality prevented me from running my water maker whilst anchored there.

Provisioning Nuka Alofa

Water: I could not find fresh water or somebody to help me access fresh water near the customs dock, so I resorted to buying bottled water, which was expensive. This may have been a result of the Kings Birthday, people were busy getting ready. 

It was frustrating as I believe the water quality in Tonga to be quite OK. I’m sure If I was there longer, I would have accessed fresh water or anchored off Big Mama’s and made water. In the future, I would have full water tanks before arriving in the small boat harbour if I was staying more than a few days. 

Food fuel and LP gas: were all purchased in the CBD, this was a 30min walk or $15 Tongan cab fare. It appears nearly all food is imported. Meat is all frozen, I did not see any fresh meat, and the cuts of meat were beef or chicken.  Supermarkets did not carry much in the way of fresh vegetables. 

There are fresh vegetables found and available at street vendors, some not more than 150m from the port. I purchased leafy greans and sweat potato also pineapples.  Be very selective with vegetables as many I purchased were already going off. Also check for bugs.

All food stores and general stores are Chinese-owned and operated, and the selection of food and supplies reflect this, I would class the food available in Tonga as basic and essential, bring all the extra coffee, the tea you like, and your essential foods. You will not starve in Tonga but selection is limited and if you like cooking Asian or Chinese meals you are set.

Refueling: I carry fuel jerries as spare fuel, as I only needed 80L of fuel I just used a cab to refill my jerry cans. Larger vessels can arrange for a tanker or 44-gallon drums to be delivered to the port.  You may need your own fuel pumps or insist that pumps are supplied with the drums.

Safe Sailing and see you out there

Regards Trev

For more information on Pangi on Lifuka Island and the middle kingdom: Click Here