… with a bonus stop in Fiji!
Ok, I get that most people don’t go island hopping in the Pacific for a long weekend, but on the off chance that you’re considering it for… I don’t know, the need to coincide with other Pacific island hopping, or you’re based in New Zealand or Australia, or other nearby countries reachable by overnight flight, then this post is for you.
I recently visited a number of Pacific countries in Melanesia and Micronesia, and I was missing a few others to complete the set of sovereign nations in Oceania… because we country counters are weird. I tried to tick all of them off between Christmas and New Year, but wanted to see more of New Zealand than just Auckland, and it was either that or include Vanuatu and Solomon Islands… so I guess I’m finishing those in the next couple of months!
Anyway – it’s totally possible to hit up Tonga and Samoa in a long weekend and not feel pushed for time. You obviously can’t see everything, but you can see a lot. So! What does this look like?
Tonga
For where to stay, eat, visit, and info on how to get around, get connectivity etc – see my Thatch travel guide here!
Thursday: fly in the evening from Auckland to Tongatapu, the flight is 3 hours and lands around 21:45. I stayed with House of Tonga, a higher end guest house on the outskirts of Tongatapu, and they were able to arrange airport transfers for me. They also had security watching the entrance all night, which was an added bonus.
Friday: Whale Watching. Tonga is famous for its Whale Season, which is June – October. I missed this by a couple of months and missed out big time, but from the experiences of friends who have done it, it’s so worth aligning your times to fit this in. The companies recommended by some of the locals to do whale watching here were Deep Blue Diving and Tanoa International Dateline Hotel.
In the evening, take part in a Tongan feast and cultural dance, a popular Friday night activity for locals that sees huge plates of food and traditional Tongan dancing, accompanied by live music throughout the evening. I recommend Katea Retreat restaurant for 50 TOP ($20) where food was delicious and the dancers were great. Your hotel can arrange transport or connect you with some taxi companies.
Saturday: Tour of the island! I did the East Island tour with Teta Tours, which I found on GetYourGuide and included the main highlights like the Royal Palace, the Captain Cook Landing Site, the historical structure of Ha’amonga ’a Maui Trilithon, and Anahulu Cave. They even got me ice cream and dropped me at the airport after – perfect! This tour was meant to take 3 hours but honestly only took two, even with some extended time at the beach. You could easily ask them to combine it with the West Island tour (Mapu’a Vaea Blow Holes, Flying Foxes, the slightly comical Three Headed Coconut Tree etc) and make it well in time for your flight. You can also hire a car and tour the sights for yourself with the help of google maps, there were car hire places available at the airport (I just wanted to be a passenger princess…!)
Take the afternoon flight to Nadi, Fiji – leaving at 4pm, you’ll arrive around 4:15pm with the time difference. Then take a connecting flight to Apia, Samoa leaving around 10pm. I booked the two flights separately (the first one with points which worked out way cheaper), and left the airport in between to go into Nadi. You may be able to do this if you book the flights together but sometimes Nadi airport can be weird about letting you enter if your next flight is soon and you already have a boarding pass.
Fiji – Layover on the Beach
So with a few hours in Nadi you could head to the infamous Sri Siva Subramaniya Temple, the largest Hindu temple in the Pacific. I was unfortunate that it was under maintenance when I visited, but the smaller buildings attached to it are still beautiful.
You can then grab some dinner. I will always return to Aquarius On The Beach for their Kokoda, traditional Fijian dish of raw fish, lime and coconut milk. Delicious. And you can watch the sun set on the beach with a beer. And its only 10 mins from the airport. I could go on…
A cab to take me to all of these places and then back to the airport was 80 Fijian $ (around £25) which honestly wasn’t bad for an hour of driving, some waiting, and some coming back to get me.
Then head back to the airport, but honestly not more than 3 hours before your flight. Nadi airport doesn’t accept electronic boarding passes, so even if you’ve checked in online you’ll be sent back to get a physical pass, which you can’t do until checkin is open…!
If you’re a priority pass user (you really should be), the Fiji Airways lounge is accessible to you. It’s Spacious and well stocked, albeit a bit dark and windowless. There are showers though which is great after spending some to your layover at the beach.
Onwards to Samoa
Another Thatch travel guide available here for where to stay, eat, visit, and connectivity etc.
So you’ll arrive at 2am, which is a slight bummer – there used to be direct flights between Samoa and Tonga but the airlines either went bust or stopped their routes during the pandemic. So you can only connect via Fiji (cheapest, most common) or Aus/NZ.
I found Autobots Travel Samoa brilliant for airport transport – the run shuttles from every major arriving flight that take you to the central hotels – find them on Facebook and drop them a message (their website is patchy so Facebook is best) to confirm you want to take their shuttle and give them your hotel name. The shuttle driver is waiting on arrival and you pay him direct – 26 WST ($10) set fee.
There is actually quite a variety of hotels in Samoa. I stayed at Olivia’s – local, quite basic, but they were able to accommodate my 3am check in with prior warning, I was super grateful. I realised after I got there that there is a HUGE Sheraton in the centre of Apia that I somehow hadn’t seen online and is pretty affordable too.
Sunday: Relax! Before getting to Samoa I had been under the impression that everything is closed on Sundays, like in other Pacific islands. THIS IS NOT THE CASE and I was so glad. Restaurants, bars, and convenience stores are very much open. After a late arrival, it can take a while to get through immigration and then wait for any other passengers joining the shuttle, and then its a c.1 hour drive into town, so realistically you’ll get to bed at 5am. Use Sunday to chill and walk around Apia Town, which is actually pretty nice, the immaculate conception cathedral and the flea markets are worth a look (though flea markets are closed on Sundays… maybe catch those Monday morning, they’re open from 6am!). You should also head to the beach, there’s a beautiful resort Taumeasina Island Resort just a 10-15 min walk outside of Apia town where you can wander in and make use of their white sandy beaches (I imagine you can also pay for day use of their pool and facilities too!). In the evening head to the Sheraton where things are lively, the food is good, and the beer is cold.
Monday: Tour the island! Samoa is known for its natural wonders, and you need to whole day to really it in all its glory. The main highlights include the Piula Cave Pool, the infamous To Sua Ocean Trench, Lalomanu Beach including the amazing restaurant at Taufua Beach Fales, and the Sopo’aga Waterfall. Spend longer at Lalomanu beach, its honestly beautiful and the sea is like a bath. All of these sites have a small entry fee ranging from 5-15 WST so make sure you have cash with you.
There are several options to rent cars to tour the island, including from Autobots, and usually your hotel can also help to arrange, just drop them a message in advance. Renting a car is the best option if you’re travelling with friends so you can explore at your own pace. There are also quite a few options to get a guided tour and all of them include the same highlights mentioned above – I did this, as I didn’t want the hassle of hiring a car on my own, wanted to be able to have a lunch time beer, etc. Most tours you find on online will be pretty pricey, I saw quite a few on GetYourGuide going for $150-$200. The most reasonably priced that you can book in advance, that also has great reviews and includes site entry tickets, is this one on Trip Advisor by Samoa Surf and Turf Tours for $112. My hotel also said they could’ve arranged something for around $110 too. I went with Autobots and it was pretty pricey ($165+) and didn’t include the entry tickets for the sites – the price I paid for not booking in advance and instead arranging last minute while sleep deprived… but it was still a nice experience!
After hitting up all of the main sites, head back to the airport! Most tour guides will drop you back there when you’re done, or you can arrange to drop your hire car there. There are evening flights to Auckland and Sydney and you can make it home by bedtime!