Uoleva
Encyclopedia
Uoleva is an sand-cay island in Lifuka
district, in the Haªapai islands of Tonga
. Almost uninhabited, it is known for its three small resorts and clean, quiet beaches.
Besides the resort owners and their guests, the island is uninhabited. Since all of the land is owned by various Tongans, some of them use the island to raise pigs or harvest coconuts, but not on any large scale.
Uoleva is most often reached by boat. Services can be arranged by the resort owners or by several foreign operators in Pangai.
In the fifteenth century, the new Mata’uvave line of chiefs began constructing many pigeon snaring mounds around northern Ha’apai. They built at least eight on Uoleva alone and can still be seen today scattered around the island’s interior. Located in the center of Uoleva is the largest such mound in all of Tonga, named Siaulufotu. It was the personal mound of the Mata’uvave. Adjacent to the pigeon mound was the chief’s freshwater bathing well, vaisioata.
Lifuka
Lifuka is an island in the Kingdom of Tonga. It is located within the Haapai Group in the centre of the country, to northeast of the national capital of Nukualofa...
district, in the Haªapai islands of Tonga
Tonga
Tonga, officially the Kingdom of Tonga , is a state and an archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean, comprising 176 islands scattered over of ocean in the South Pacific...
. Almost uninhabited, it is known for its three small resorts and clean, quiet beaches.
The Resort Island
Uoleva is known by foreigners for its three resorts: Tiana’s, Captain Cook’s, and Serenity Beach. They are small resorts, each capable of hosting perhaps two dozen guests each, but attendance is usually lower. Each is located on the west, leeward side of the island.Besides the resort owners and their guests, the island is uninhabited. Since all of the land is owned by various Tongans, some of them use the island to raise pigs or harvest coconuts, but not on any large scale.
Infrastructure
There are no roads on Uoleva. There are no cell phone towers but it is within range of the towers on Lifuka or ‘Uiha. Electricity is only generated by small-scale solar panels. Water is available only from rainwater collection tanks.Transportation
Uoleva can be reached by boat or by foot. The reef between the north tip of Uoleva and the south tip of Lifuka is shallow enough at low tide to ford with a 30-minute strenuous walk. The water is usually at knee height but can rise to waist level depending on where one walks. A path is clearly visible through most of it but the terrain changes after each major storm. Tongans from Lifuka sometimes ride horses across this reef to visit their plantations on Uoleva.Uoleva is most often reached by boat. Services can be arranged by the resort owners or by several foreign operators in Pangai.
History
There has been no known permanent settlement on Uoleva. When the first Lapita settlers arrived on Tonga in approximately 2850 B.P. (900 BCE), the sea level was 2 meters higher than it is today, making it a much smaller island. Early Tongans lived instead on the larger raised limestone islands or ‘Uiha, Lifuka, Foa, and Ha’ano.In the fifteenth century, the new Mata’uvave line of chiefs began constructing many pigeon snaring mounds around northern Ha’apai. They built at least eight on Uoleva alone and can still be seen today scattered around the island’s interior. Located in the center of Uoleva is the largest such mound in all of Tonga, named Siaulufotu. It was the personal mound of the Mata’uvave. Adjacent to the pigeon mound was the chief’s freshwater bathing well, vaisioata.