![cover image](https://wikiwandv2-19431.kxcdn.com/_next/image?url=https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f3/Neiafu.jpg/640px-Neiafu.jpg&w=640&q=50)
Neiafu (Vavaʻu)
Place in Vavaʻu, Tonga / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Neiafu is the second-largest town in Tonga with a population of 3,845 in 2021.[1] It is situated beside the Port of Refuge, a deep-water harbour on the south coast of Vavaʻu, the main island of the Vavaʻu archipelago in northern Tonga. To the north-west lies the 131-metre high (430 ft) Mt. Talau with its distinctive flat top.
Neiafu | |
---|---|
![]() Port of Refuge viewed from Mt. Talau | |
![]() Location of Neiafu on Vavaʻu Island | |
Coordinates: 18°39′03″S 173°58′59″W | |
Country | ![]() |
Island | Vavaʻu |
Population (2021) | |
• Total | 3,845 |
Time zone | UTC+13 (–) |
Climate | Af |
Neiafu is the administrative centre of the Vavaʻu group and has government offices, banks, schools, a police station and a hospital. It is also an important centre for tourism with many yachts anchoring in the Port of Refuge.
In the late 19th century Neiafu was the location of a German coaling-station, established under the country's 1876 Treaty of Friendship with Tonga.[2] The base was transferred to Britain in 1900 with the establishment of a British protectorate.[3]
The town is powered by a 300kW solar PV farm with battery backup in the hamlet of Kāmeli.[4]