Getting to Tokelau - I only have a one month window - please help.

I realise that getting to Tokelau is hard, difficult and that anyone worth their salt would gladly cede their 'spot' to someone going home. That such things are enforced is a testament to the fact that people often make the right decisions.

But if there is space on a boat/ship going to Tokelau from Samoa I would love to go - as long as that doesn't impose on the inhabitants, or indeed any scientists wishing to study the islands. Unfortunately I can't find any schedules for shipping to the islands. OK I could contact TALO directly - but I would prefer not to come off as an ignoramus unintersted in their society - because that is not the case, not to mention that I don't want to drain their limited resources.

Does anyone know when - or perhaps whether (God forbid) - there are ships departing from Samoa for Tokelau - particularly in January or February 2013?

For better or worse I would probably return on the same ship - I only have a month to spare :-(. (Samoa plus Tokelau)

I would love to spend more time there, but I most likely can't. And I'm not at all sure that a longer stay would help the local inhabitants.

Anyhow may the Tokelauans live long and prosper...

Thanks to anyone who answers....

From my experience, ships run every 2 weeks or so.
Getting on one didn't seem difficult, and as you are charged for staying on the islands, you are not considered an drain on, rather than a contribution to their economy. Well, that is if you stay, of course. But they didn't seem to mind tourists returning on the same ship either. Still, a longer stay would "help" them more. However, you seem to consider Tokelauans more "pityful" than they really are - most have lots of family members in NZ, and those help them much more than the odd tourist.

You can check the boat schedule, and get government contact details from here: http://www.tokelau.org.nz/

I fully agree with Laszlo - they might a bit off the beaten track, but they are certainly well off, compared with most of their neighbour countries. Being associated with New Zealand has its advantages ;-) Concrete wall houses, free Internet. But it still is interesting to see the life on such remote tiny islands.

They offer decent accommodation, are happy about your contribution to the local economy and they always love to see new faces, not surprising, Look at the boat schedule for the travel options. The tiny MV Tokelau is not in service anymore. The PB Matua has replaced it with a lot more space. And the MV Lady Samoa is even a real ship, normally servicing the Apia - Pago Pago route.

January and February are in the "rough weather" season, so don't rely on timetables. Your itinerary should at least allow one week stay in Samoa before and one week after the scheduled days for the Tokelau trip. Or very flexible flight bookings.