best entry point for international flight

Hi,
I am meeting some aussie friends with a yacht in Vava'u.
I currently live in Minneapolis, USA, but am an aussie too.
I have a ticket that goes from San Francisco to Auckland and on to Fua'amotu Airport, Nuku'alofa.
I then need a flight to Vava'u, which sounds like it is pretty complicated right now.
If I stick with this ticket who can I get a ticket from to Vava'u?
I would prefer not to have to go into Nuku'alofa to pick up a ticket from a travel agent (as I have seen mentioned in other posts).
I just want to connect.

I could change my flight to Los Angeles direct to Apia, Samoa. Actually quite a bit shorter I think.
This is a pretty attractive idea.
Can I get a flight from Apia to Vava'u?
Would it go via Nuku'alofa, or can you go direct?
If you can how long a flight is that, what airlines fly, any idea how much a one way ticket might be?

thanks for any help
mark

According to the following article, a direct flight from Nadi (Fiji) to Vava'u has started. You can fly to Nadi (Fiji) direct from LA.

Nadi/Vava'u direct flight

If you have to fly via AKL/TBU, you should be able to get your TBU/VAV ticket issued by Air Fiji, and receive it overseas.

Some of the travel agents in Nuku'alofa which I contacted about internal flights can have your ticket waiting for you at the airport, so you don't need to go into the town to pick them up. I had responses by email from teta tours, sun travel and PTM. Let me know if you want any of their email addresses (I think they are on previous threads). I guess then it would just depend if there is a flight to Vava'u on the day you arrive in Nuku'alofa.

When I went from AKL to TBU a couple of yrs ago, the flight arrived just after midnight. So, that would be tough to connect to Vavau.
Fiji is about 3 hrs shorter from LA, I think Apia would be about the same, as opposed to going all the way to AKL. Then it's another three hours back up to TBU. If you can arrange to get to Tonga via Samoa or Fiji that is definitely shorter, but the flight from Nadi to Tonga may only be once a week, Apia to Tonga also would probably not be daily. I had planned to go from the Cooks to Fiji to Tonga, but I would have had to wait three days in Fiji for the flight to Tonga! So, check the schedules very carefully.

Thanks for the info. I emailed the agents mentioned on this board elsewhere PTM and rising Sun replied.
They both offered a ticket from Nuku'alofa to vava'u and airport pickup or delivery.
No reply from Teta Tours who seem to actually partially operate Tonga air now

My current ticket via Auckland to Nuku'alofa arrives at 10:50am, so the 12:30 flight to vava'u would be good, maybe a little tight on the connection?

I have emailed the travel agents back, still trying to find out if it is possible to fly Apia to vava'u direct.
Tonga airlines has stories that it is planning to start twice weekly flights nadi to vava'u not sure if it has.

By the way, anyone know how you say vava'u ;-)

thanks again
mark

Well, my flight from AKL was delayed 2 hours waiting for some big wig to show up, so don't be surprised with things like that. It took an hour to clear Customs and get my bags, approx. So, it might be tight. But it's worth a try. The flights to Vavau are also delayed, and even changed at the last minute, so you'll have to be very flexible---for everything in Tonga!

In Polynesian languages all vowels are technically supposed to be pronounced separately, so it's supposed to be Va Va' -ooh. But almost everyone I met slurs it into only two syllables, Va-vow.

There are no direct Apia - Vavau flights anymore at all.

Oh, I just saw that you are originally coming in from the US. There is an Air New Zealand Flight (NZ27) leaving Los Angeles Tuesday evening, arriving in Apia early Wednesday morning and directly going on to Nuku'alofa, arriving Thursday morning (Dateline). At present the arrival time would be Thu, 08.15 am, but this often slightly changes.

When I checked the flight to Nuku'alofa via Apia seats were only available as far as Apia.
I already have a ticket to Nuku'alofa via Auckland.
Thinking I may just stick with that, longer flight but much nicer aircraft. Will get a few more airline miles ;-)
Got an email from a travel agent in Tonga, apparently first flights Nadi to Vava'u start August 30, one per week on a thursday departing Nadi at 7:30am.
Hopefully I can make that tight connection to Vava'u.
One of the agents said they would meet me at the airport with a ticket.
thanks for all the ideas
mark

Just a little confused. You have a ticket AKL to TBU, but are thinking of trying to go Nadi to Vavau on the new service? How are you going to get to Nadi? Via AKL? Or directly from the US? I'm assuming you'll trade in your AKL/TBU ticket???

Yes I was thinking of trading my ticket.
The most attractive was LAX to TBU via Apia as it shorter and cheaper, but the flight is full from Apia to TBU.
So I then was thinking LAX to Nadi but there is only one flight a week to vava'u from Nadi, which may or may not actually start flying on thursday.
Think I will just keep the flight I have and get a TBU to vava'u flight.
thanks for all the help
mark