Lifuka

Lifukais an island in the Kingdom ofTonga.It is located within theHaʻapai Groupin the centre of the country, to northeast of the national capital ofNukuʻalofa.

Lifuka Island map

A church on Lifuka that had its roof torn off byCyclone Ianin January 2014.

It is the administrative centre of the Haʻapai group of islands withPangaibeing the administrative capital village.

History

Lifuka is the place where CaptainJames Cookdubbed Tonga "The Friendly Islands".Tofuais where themutiny on theBountyoccurred in 1789; this active volcanic island lies approximately 40 nautical miles west of Lifuka. The CaptainBlighvoyage stands as the longest known successful passage ever recorded in an open boat without modern navigational aids. It was successfully recreated in 2009 by the Talisker Bounty team.

Lifuka Island was the final anchorage of the ill-fatedPort au Prince.In 1806 the natives off the northwest coast attacked the Britishprivateerandwhaler,slaughtering the majority of the crew. One of the few survivors of the attack,William Mariner,was befriended by the King and spent the next four years in the Kingdom before being allowed to return to England. A chance meeting with the authorJohn Martinupon his return resulted in a collaboration that eventually documented the experiences of Mariner in the bookAn account of the natives of the Tongan Islands,a now highly respected anthropological study of early civilisation in theKingdom of Tonga.The anchor of thePort au Princewas rediscovered in 2009 by a dive operator based on Lifuka. In August 2012, the wreck of the ship was discovered off the coast ofFoa Island,in Tonga.

Demography

It has a population of 2,968 and an area of 11.42 km².

Villages

• Haʻatoʻu
• Holopeka
• Koulo
• Pangai
• Tongoleleka

Transportation

There is an airport, theLifuka Island Airport.

See also

• List of cities in Tonga