‘Eukafa is a high island in the southeastern part of Vava’u.  It is not inhabited, but it offers many other attractions.

There is a great reef for diving on the east side of the island.  There is ample shallow sand nearby in which one can anchor. We met Don and Gwen of Tackless II there and did a very nice dive together.

There is also a footpath from the beach up to the top of the mountain which provides spectacular views of the surrounding islands. The picture above – the same as on the Vava’u page – is a stitched panorama taken from the top of ‘Euakafa.

And it also the site of some interesting Tongan history/legend – the story of Telea and his queen, Talafaiva. The tomb of Talafaiva is found along the trail leading up the island. Along the beach, there are obvious slabs of coral missing where they were taken for Talafaiva’s tomb. The walls of the actual tomb appear about 8″ thick. However, there is also a short vertical wall (about 8″ high) surrounding the tomb, and that wall is said to enclose an area about the size of a football field. We were not able to explore its perimeter because of the thick brush, but we believe the “football field” estimate is probably accurate.

The tomb is open and empty.  Some say that Talafaiva was never buried in it.  Others say that her body was stolen by Lepuha. Others say that her body was stolen by members of her family.  No one knows.