blue banana or heilala? Ha'apai to Tongatapu?

lucky me, i just found out the coronation is going to occur during my planned dates for being in tonga. i will be spending one week there and one week in samoa with a samoan friend.

i want to spend the night before and after the coronation on tongatapu and spend a few days in Ha'apai on Foa at Matafonua before heading to samoa. what is the cost of airfare between Ha'apai and Tongatapu? is it a daily flight? how long does it take? is there a ferry? how long does it take? would you recommend it? can i buy my ticket to samoa once i get to tonga or should i buy it ahead of time?

Between blue banana and heilala, which is nicer? which is a better deal? which is closer to town so we can get in and out of town for the coronation? or would that time be easy to find transportation? i dont mind a walk of 3 miles or so but in the heat much further might not be desirable.

Hi,

Heilala is about 5-6 km away from town, and Blue Banana is about 30 minutes' drive from town.

Staying at Heilala will give you a better access to town.

I've heard that the coronation's main event might be from 30th to 2nd, but maybe about a week or two for the whole programme to finish.

Also, make sure you bring proper clothes to get closer to the main event venue. Also, remember that August in Tonga is in the middle of cooler season, probably between 15 - 22 degrees Celsius.

Ferry Olovaha's timetable

Weekly flight schedule

Domestic flight online booking site

Buy your ticket to Samoa beforehand, or now, because there will be a big Samoan delegation coming to Tonga and the seats will be all taken up.

Hope you enjoy your time in Tonga.

I can't really remeber how much exactly the flight was between Tongatapu and Ha'apai, roughly 200 Tongan dollars?
Well worth it though, we talked to Sally and Dave (owners of Matafonua) and they said don't even think about taking the ferry. The trip to Ha'apai was supposed to take 40 minutes, but our flight got delayed, and our flight was combined with another flight going to Vava'u so it took I think 2 hours all up.
From our experience, it was better to book airline tickets through a travel agent, as the flights very often do not go according to schedule. We met a couple who stayed at Matafonua with us who missed their Ha'apai flight because it was early and they never got told. And then on the way back their flight was cancelled. Avoid the toilets at Ha'apai airport too, they were FERAL.

It's not Good News about the coronation happening while you're there.

Transportation in Tonga is a shambles and the strain of dealing with all the visitors will show-expect cancellations and delays galore.

Gosh, is the MV Olovaha still running? I traveled on that ferry a few years ago (all the way to Vava'u - and back!!). It's like Dante's Inferno, the more you descend, the worse it gets. Not its fault though, it is not a sea vessel.
You betta fly, unless you like hard-core travels..