Ha'apai Group

Ha'apai is the middle group of Tonga's three main island clusters, lying between Tongatapu to the south and Vava'u to the north. The islands are low-lying coral and sandy islands, largely undeveloped, connected to the capital Nuku'alofa by a weekly ferry service and occasional flights to the small Lifuka airstrip. The group gained international attention for two reasons: the 2009 sinking of the MV Princess Ashika ferry with the loss of 74 lives, and the near-complete absence of tourist infrastructure, which makes it a genuine off-grid destination for those who look for it. The islands of Uoleva and Uonuku, accessible by small boat from Lifuka (Pangai), are uninhabited and have sea turtle nesting beaches. Pacific mixed semidiurnal, spring range 1.0 to 1.5 m. Predictions come from Open-Meteo Marine (gridded model, ±45 min / ±0.2–0.3 m).