Fiji Oct 23-24 and 26028 Tuvalu Oct 24-26 2024
Tuvalu is an island country in the Polynesian subregion of Oceania, situated about midway between Hawaii and Australia. The country lies east-northeast of the Solomon Islands), northeast of Vanuatu, southeast of Nauru, south of Kiribati, west of Tokelau, northwest of Samoa and Wallis and Futuna, and north of Fiji. It is composed of three reef islands and six atolls spread out west of the International Date Line. Tuvalu has a population of 10,507 (2017). The total land area of the islands of Tuvalu is 26 square kilometres (10 sq mi).
Funafuti Island. Funafuti is the largest atoll and the entire atoll is the island’s capital. It has the only hotels and airport Funafuti International Airport (FUN), No tour guides, tour operators or organized activities and no cruise ships visiting. It consists of a narrow sweep of land between 20 and 400 metres (66 and 1,312 feet) wide, encircling a large lagoon (Te Namo) 18 km (11 miles) long and 14 km (9 miles) wide, with an average depth of 36.5 metres and a surface area of 275 square kilometres.
Population 6,320 people 33 islets surround the atoll totalling 2.4 square kilometres. Cargo ships can enter Funafuti’s lagoon.
TUVALU – Dec 14-16, 2023
Visa. Visa on arrival $100 AUD fee. Confirmed onward tickets
Money. ONLY Australian $ bring cash, No ATMs, bad exchange.
Flights. Fiji Airways (E-Dreams). A$1003.53
https://www.fijiairways.com/en-fj/manage/travel-alerts
Dec 14 6MHJJJ E-ticket number 260-2931018712
NAN-FUN: FJ7 NAN-SUV @06:30-07:00. FJ281 SUV-FUN @08:00-11:35 |
I flew from NAN-SUV and while waiting to board the SUV-FUN flight, the flight was cancelled because of 3 cracks in the runway. It wasn’t fixed until Dec 18 and because of other flight commitments, I could not rebook the flight.
On Dec 21, NAN to FUN 6MHJJJ was exchanged for ticket number 260-2426172325. eDreams applied for a refund and the ticket was put into refund status (but wasn’t actually refunded). I could not convert it to credit status.
Dec 16. I flew SUV-NAN using up that portion of the flight.
FUN-SUV: 6MH8HP E-ticket number 260-2931018711
FUN-SUV FJ280 @12:20-13:50. 2’40”. SUV-NAN FJ18 @16:30-17:00
This flight from FUN to SUV was held in credit. ()
I decided to visit my last UN country in October 2024. I emailed the details of my final itinerary twice and phoned several times trying to book the flights. When it came to applying for the credit, no one knew what to do and I was put on hold to get an answer. Most of those calls were eventually dropped or resulted in no answer. Because Fiji Airways considered the cancellation of the flight “beyond their control”, rebooking would incur a rebooking fee. As a result, I requested that flight change from a credit to a refund.
I finally booked the flights ignoring Fiji reservations (phone or email). The longer I waited, prices continued to rise and flights disappeared.
Oct 21 YVR-NAN
YVR-LAX terminal 6 @18:35-21:30 Air Canada AC558
LAX Terminal B -NAN @23:55-05:45 +2 FJ811
Oct 24 NAN-FUN
NAN-SUV @07:30-08:00 FJ007
SUV-FUN @09:00-11:35 FJ281
Oct 26 FUN-NAN
FUN-SUV @12:20-14:50 FJ280
SUV-NAN @17:30-18:00 FJ018
Oct 28 NAN-YVR @22:00-13:55 direct 10’55”
ON Bluewater Nadi
ON Tuvalu
Accommodation: Esfam Hotel AUS$150 per night, including breakfast. The only hotel in Funafuti with wifi.
SIM is open 9-3 Everything is closed Sat/Sun. With wifi at the hotel, I did not buy a SIM.
Tuvalu flights had a reputation for being bumped as towards the end of the month, they often ran out of fuel and passengers were bumped at Suva as the plane had to carry fuel for the return trip so couldn’t take a full load from Suva. Then it was necessary to check in online 48 hours before and get to the airport early. Fiji Air doesn’t issue a boarding pass in NAN for the SUV-FUN leg as it is international and requires a separate check-in. There were no problems on return.
Day 1 Thur Oct 24
The flight arrived at noon, immigration was routine and I walked 5 minutes to Esfam Hotel. There was a fan but AC was necessary for the intense heat and humidity. Sue’s Kitchen was recommended as the best food by a friend but it closes for dinner and the menu uninspiring. I walked down to the KY store and bought UHT milk (at AUS$2/litre, some of the cheapest in the world). Also staying at the Esfam was Ned, a young English fellow and we went for dinner at Fast Food, a Chinese restaurant with surprisingly good food at a good price.
Ned developed food poisoning from his fish and chips and vomited a few times. He smells fecal smells and rotten food that I don’t seem to notice. Funafuti is a messy place with few attractive homes or businesses and trash and old appliances in the yards.
No one walks anywhere and there are many motorcycles.
Other tourists were a group of 8 on a Lupine tour and ex-pats, mostly UN, UNICEF and others.
Day 2 Fri Oct 25
Breakfast was surprisingly good. Ned and I went for a walk. We finally found a good beach on the lagoon south of the “Government Buildings” and actually cut through the Prime Minister’s yard to access the beach. Locals don’t swim on the ocean side as it is too rough. The water was warm, the beach nice and we had a great swim. There was no one else swimming. We rinsed off in the PM’s outside shower and got our tops wet to endure the heat and humidity.
We walked along the runway which has been repaved by Australians and Kiwis. Work was still ongoing between flights. We explored the Filamona (booked out by the paving crews) and it was nothing special.
I finished by doggy bag meal of sweet and sour chicken from the night before.
Teone Catholic Church. (Christ the King Parish). After dinner, I walked to the church, the only NM site on Funafuti. Google Maps is all wrong. The church is near the wharf on the lagoon side, a small white building with no sign. With good instructions, I missed on my first walk by. Inside is underwhelming with a small square room, three benches against the back wall and some stacked chairs. The Ways of the Cross are simple copies of paintings. The minister is a lay minister.
Day 3 Sat Oct 26
Flight FUN-SUV @12:20-14:50 FJ280
SUV-NAN @17:30-18:00 FJ018
At Nadi, I got a taxi (20 F$)
ON Bluewater Lodge. Dinner at the Olive Tree with great food at very good prices. Close to Bluewater.
Day 4 Sun Oct 27
Day 5 Mon Oct 28
NAN-YVR @22:00-13:55 direct 10’55”
DO
Funafuti (pop 6,000). Main sights: Government House, the Parliament of Tuvalu, the Convention Centre, and a walk through the local neighbourhoods.
Teone Church, Vaiaku
Airport Runway 3 incoming flights a week, the runway airport is a recreation playground – volleyball nets, football goalposts, and fitness classes from 5 pm to dark.
Tuvalu Philatelic Bureau stamps are highly collectable.
End of Atoll Walk 3km each way
Snorkelling. No scuba. Snorkel at the protected conservation (wear water shoes). En route to Funafala, a sunken WWII vessel poking out of the ocean, a simple snorkelling spot.
Rent a manual motorbike (no automatic scooters) for AUS $20 per day either from your hotel or a bike shop down past the Chinese restaurant on the left. Good for 1 day of exploring the main island. Only one road so won’t get lost. Some nice beaches far north.
Marine Conservation. Consists of 12.74 square miles (33.00 square kilometres) of ocean, reef, lagoon, channel and six uninhabited islets. A small uninhabited sandbank with fine white sand and palm trees, surrounded by colourful coral on the opposite side of the atoll. Permit at the government office at 9 am in Funafuti. Water, food etc. The fee is AUD$70 and the boat was AUS$150 so befriended other travellers and all paid AUS$55 each. Visited 3 islands, snorkelling, climbing palm trees, fun day from 10 am – 4.30 pm.
Funafala Population under 30 formed by 5 families, the “second city” of Tuvalu. Houses, a school, a church, and a Taiwanese Garden. A small detour back from the Marine Conservation. Speak to the locals, happy with a peaceful laid-back environment.
Accommodation.
Esfam Lodge. Located at the Centre of Funafuti, a 3-minute walk from the airport. 9 rooms. Special touch of Tuvaluan hospitality and Warmth. Fakaifou side. Funafuti.
+688 20910. epenitusi@gmail.com. www.esfamlodge.com. Facebook.
Filamona Lodge next to FUN airport, basic rooms with AC A$90/night. Penny, the owner, may cook dinner. Hammocks on the balcony that offered a clear view of the airport runway, P.O.Box Vaiaku Side. Funafuti. +688 20833 filamonahotel@gmail.com www.filamona.com
Funafuti Lagoon Hotel. 50 meters from the airport with views of the lagoon and spectacular sunsets. funafutilagoonhotel.tv P.O.Box 10. Funafuti. +688 20500. funafutilagoonhotel@gmail.com
Militano Lodge. Located close to the airfield and the National Stadium. Has an on-site shop stocked with basic supplies. Tokotu Village. +688 20497 militanolodge@gmail.com. www.militanolodge.com
Vailuatai Lodge. +(688) 20664. mayapuara@gmail.com
Wamasiri Lodge. Alapi Side. Funafuti. Phone: +688 902889. nautika1989@gmail.com. www.wamasirilodge.com
Talofa Serviced Apartments. Vaiaku. Funafuti. Phone: +688 20925. talofaguestroom@gmail.com
Torins Hostel. Good review.
L’s Hotel. One of the cheapest hotels. It was booked out on my visit.
Food. Restaurants majority Chinese fast food stores. Dinner can be arranged at Esfam Hotel A$25. Everything is closed in Tuvalu on Saturday and Sunday including restaurants except at your hotel.
Wi-Fi is almost nonexistent – intermittently working spot in the governmental building across from the airport. The Wi-Fi was “Rocks-Wireless” with the password “RockusWiFi”. Buy a sim card from the Telkom building, on the right from the airport exit. Mon-Fri 9 am-3 pm, Saturday 12 pm-2 pm
Money. Only A$. Bring cash as the exchange rates at the National Bank have bad rates.
Some Observations
Tuvaluans don’t walk, except from their house door to their motorcycle.
Dogs are common – a large Heinz 57 and all appear well-fed. They sleep all day and bark all night.
The ocean side has large dumping surf unsuitable for swimming.
HISTORY
The first inhabitants of Tuvalu were Polynesians. The origins of the people of Tuvalu are addressed in the theories regarding migration into the Pacific that began about three thousand years ago. During pre-European-contact times, Polynesians conducted frequent canoe voyages between the islands as their navigation skills enabled them to make planned journeys via double-hull sailing canoes or outrigger canoes.
Scholars believe that the Polynesians spread out from Samoa and Tonga into the Tuvaluan atolls, with Tuvalu providing a stepping stone to further migration into the Polynesian outliers in Melanesia and Micronesia.
In 1568, Spanish navigator Álvaro de Mendaña was the first European to sail through the archipelago, sighting the island of Nui during his expedition in search of Terra Australis. The island of Funafuti was named Ellice’s Island in 1819; the name Ellice was applied to all of the nine islands after the work of English hydrographer Alexander George Findlay. Great Britain claimed control over the Ellice Islands within their sphere of influence in the late 19th century, as the result of a treaty between Great Britain and Germany relating to the demarcation of the spheres of influence in the Pacific Ocean. Captain Gibson of HMS Curacoa declared each of the Ellice Islands as a British Protectorate in 1892. In 1975, the separate British colonies of Kiribati and Tuvalu were formed and Tuvalu became fully independent as a sovereign state within the Commonwealth in 1978. On 5 September 2000, Tuvalu became the 189th member of the United Nations.
DEMOGRAPHICS. Tuvalu consists of six atolls and three reef islands. The smallest, Niulakita, is administered as part of Niutao. Each island has its own high-chief, or ulu-aliki, and several sub-chiefs (alikis). The community council is the Falekaupule (the traditional assembly of elders) or te sina o fenua (literally: “grey-hairs of the land”). In the past, another caste, the priests (tofuga), were also among the decision-makers.
Population in 2020 puts the population at 11,342. The population of Tuvalu is primarily of Polynesian ethnicity, with approximately 5.6% of the population being Micronesians speaking Gilbertese, especially on Nui.
Life expectancy for women in Tuvalu is 70.2 years and 65.6 years for men (2018 est.).
Heritage. The traditional community system still survives to a large extent on Tuvalu. Each family has its own task, or salanga, to perform for the community, such as fishing, house building or defence. The skills of a family are passed on from parents to children.
ECONOMY. Public sector workers make up about 65% of those formally employed. Remittances from Tuvaluans living in Australia and New Zealand, and remittances from Tuvaluan sailors employed on overseas ships are important sources of income for Tuvaluans. Approximately 15% of adult males work as seamen on foreign-flagged merchant ships. Agriculture in Tuvalu is focused on coconut trees and growing pulaka in large pits of composted soil below the water table. Tuvaluans are otherwise involved in traditional subsistence agriculture and fishing.
Due to the country’s remoteness, tourism is not significant. Visitors totalled 1,684 in 2010: 65% were on business, development officials or technical consultants, 20% were tourists (360 people), and 11% were expatriates returning to visit family. In 2016, the number of visitors had increased to 2,000.
GET IN
Visa. Nationals of all Schengen Area states may enter Tuvalu visa-free for a maximum 90 days. All other nationals will receive a visa on arrival, valid for one month. This visa is free for nationals of American Samoa, Antigua and Barbuda, the Bahamas, Belize, the Cayman Islands, the Cook Islands, Fiji, the Gambia, Gibraltar, Grenada, Hong Kong, Jamaica, Kenya, Kiribati, Lesotho, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mauritius, Montserrat, Nauru, Niue, Samoa, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, South Korea, Taiwan, Tanzania, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Uganda, the United Kingdom, Vanuatu, and Zambia. For all other nations, a $100 AUD fee is charged.
By plane. Fiji Airways flies from Suva (originating from Nadi) on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. All flights are operated by Bombardier Dash 8 planes.
By boat. Tuvalu is a true sailing haven. You can sail here from Fiji or Samoa. Islands are very dispersed and travelling to some of them can take quite some time.
GET AROUND
By car. There are limited transport services in Tuvalu. There are about eight kilometres (5 miles) of roads. The streets of Funafuti were paved in mid-2002, but other roads are unpaved.
By boat. Funafuti is the only port, but there is a deep-water berth in the lagoon at Nukufetau.
GEOGRAPHY
Tuvalu is a volcanic archipelago and consists of three reef islands (Nanumanga, Niutao and Niulakita) and six true atolls (Funafuti, Nanumea, Nui, Nukufetau, Nukulaelae and Vaitupu). Its small, scattered group of low-lying atolls have poor soil and a total land area of only about 26 square kilometres (10 square miles) making it the fourth smallest country in the world. The highest elevation is 4.6 metres (15 ft) above sea level on Niulakita. Over four decades, there had been a net increase in land area of the islets of 73.5 ha (2.9%), although the changes are not uniform, with 74% increasing and 27% decreasing in size. The sea level at the Funafuti tide gauge has risen to 3.9 mm per year, approximately twice the global average. The rising sea levels are identified as creating an increased transfer of wave energy across reef surfaces, which shifts sand, resulting in accretion to island shorelines. The Tuvalu Prime Minister objected to the implication that there were “alternate” strategies for Islanders to adapt to rising sea levels and criticized it for neglecting issues such as saltwater intrusion into groundwater tables as a result of sea level rise.
On the atolls, an annular reef rim surrounds the lagoon with several natural reef channels. Surveys in 2010 of the reef habitats showed 317 fish species including 66 species that had not previously been recorded in Tuvalu, which brings the total number of identified species to 607. Tuvalu’s exclusive economic zone covers an oceanic area of approximately 900,000 km2.
The predominant vegetation is the cultivated coconut woodland, which covers 43% of the land, the native broadleaf forest is limited to 4.1%. Tuvalu contains the Western Polynesian tropical moist forests terrestrial ecoregion.
Environmental pressures. The eastern shoreline of Funafuti Lagoon was modified during World War II when the airfield (now Funafuti International Airport) was constructed. The coral base of the atoll was used as fill to create the runway. The resulting borrow pits impacted the fresh-water aquifer. In the low-lying areas of Funafuti, the seawater can be seen bubbling up through the porous coral rock to form pools with each high tide. In 2014, the Tuvalu Borrow Pits Remediation (BPR) project was approved so that 10 borrow pits would be filled with sand from the lagoon, leaving Tafua Pond, which is a natural pond. 365,000 sqm of sand were dredged from the lagoon to fill the holes and improve living conditions on the island. This project increased the usable land space on Fongafale by eight percent.
During World War II, several piers were constructed, beach areas were filled and deep-water access channels were excavated. These alterations to the reef and shoreline resulted in changes to wave patterns, with less sand accumulating to form the beaches, and the shoreline is now exposed to wave action.
The reefs have 80 percent of the coral bleached as a consequence of the increase in ocean temperatures and ocean acidification. The coral bleaching, which includes staghorn corals, is attributed to the increase in water temperature during the El Niños that occurred between 1998 and 2001.
The rising population has resulted in an increased demand on fish stocks, which are under stress, although the creation of the Funafuti Conservation Area has provided a fishing exclusion area to help sustain the fish population across the Funafuti lagoon. Population pressure on the resources of Funafuti, and inadequate sanitation systems, have resulted in pollution. Organic waste composting in eco-sanitation systems. Plastic waste is a problem in Tuvalu.
CLIMATE. Two distinct seasons, a wet season from November to April and a dry season from May to October. Westerly gales and heavy rain are the predominant weather conditions from October to March, known as Tau-o-lalo, with tropical temperatures moderated by easterly winds from April to November.
El Niño effects increase the chances of tropical storms and cyclones, while La Niña effects increase the chances of drought. 200 to 400 mm (8 to 16 in) of rainfall per month.
Impact of climate change. As low-lying islands lacking a surrounding shallow shelf, Tuvalu is especially susceptible to changes in sea level and undissipated storms. At its highest, Tuvalu is only 4.6 metres (15 ft) above sea level. It is estimated that a sea level rise of 20–40 centimetres (8–16 inches) in the next 100 years could make Tuvalu uninhabitable. The sea-level rise near Tuvalu measured by satellite altimeters since 1993 is about 5 mm (0.2 in) per year.
Cyclones. Tuvalu thus has the second-lowest maximum elevation of any country (after the Maldives). The highest elevations are typically in narrow storm dunes on the ocean side of the islands which are prone to overtopping in tropical cyclones. The 1972 Cyclone Bebe submerged Funafuti, eliminating 90% of structures on the island. Sources of drinking water were contaminated as a result of the system’s storm surge and the flooding of the sources of fresh water.
Tuvalu experienced an average of three cyclones per decade between the 1940s and 1970s; however, eight occurred in the 1980s. The impact of individual cyclones is subject to variables including the force of the winds and whether a cyclone coincides with high tides.
In March 2015, wind and storm surges created by Cyclone Pam resulted in waves of 3 metres (9.8 ft) to 5 metres (16 ft) breaking over the reef of the outer islands, causing damage to houses, crops and infrastructure.
King tides. The highest peak tide is 3.4 metres (11 ft), which leads to flooding of low-lying areas, which is compounded when sea levels are further raised by La Niña effects or local storms and waves.
Water and sanitation. Rainwater harvesting is the principal source of fresh water in Tuvalu. Nukufetau, Vaitupu and Nanumea are the only islands with sustainable groundwater supplies. The effectiveness of rainwater harvesting is diminished because of poor maintenance of roofs, gutters and pipes.
Reverse osmosis (R/O) desalination units supplement rainwater harvesting in Funafuti. The 65 m3 desalination plant operates at a real production level of around 40 m3 per day. R/O water is only intended to be produced when storage falls below 30%, however, demand to replenish household storage supplies with tanker-delivered water means that the R/O desalination units are continually operating. Water is delivered at a cost of A$3.50 per m3. The cost of production and delivery has been estimated at A$6 per m3, with the difference subsidized by the government.
