We just spent some time on Eua, Tonga and explored some of the rock climbing. Great climbs in an amazing tropical setting – the perfect winter getaway! We have not been to Tonga before, and the climbing is not as well developed as in other tropical destinations (for instance Krabi). That meant we did a lot of exploration to find our way around. Thanks to everybody who has set routes there, we had a great time!
Tourism has not recovered from COVID and the volcanic eruption and we went at the very start of the whale watching season, which likely made things more difficult. I expect that tourism infrastructure will improve again!
For up to date information check (20+) Tropical Rock – Eua Is, Tonga | Facebook and download the latest guide from the FB page.
Getting to Eua
There are no ferries (and probably no flights) on Sundays and public holidays – worth checking if you don’t want to be stuck on Tongatapu for a day. We found it difficult to organize the ferry from NZ. Neither the ferry company nor the airline responded to messages. Luckily our host sent us ferry times and organized our tickets – for both ways.
If you organize tickets yourself, it will be easiest to stay close to the ferry terminal. There likely are 1-2 ferries per day, going really early on Monday mornings.
Ferries and their schedule are also different to NZ. They may leave early when they are full, so make sure you get there early! A couple staying at our place got up at 3 am to catch their 3.30 am ferry only to find it had left at 1 am! Luckily they got onto the next ferry.
Transport on Eua
Depending on where you stay, you most likely need a car to get to the crag. There are no bikes for rent (July 23). We rented a car, which was great for getting around! It is worth sorting this before you go. Most tourists go to Eua for whale watching and any transport they need is provided by the resort they are staying in. We found that anything not provided by our hosts was really expensive! It would be worth checking on the FB page for options.
The Fangatave beach area has most climbs, if you can stay in Houma it would be easy walking distance. The shop owners there are building a little holiday house but that likely won’t be finished this year.
Getting to the Climbs
If possible, find some other climbers who know their way around! We did not see anybody at any of the crags and spent some time discovering the best way to the Fangatave crags! All together we discovered 3 different ways! Without OpenStreetMaps we would have been completely lost.
To get to the Whale wall we tried to find a guide to take us to Fangatave beach, but all on offer were day trips for TOP$ 500 per person! In the end we asked at the shop in Houma, and the owner’s son took us there. We likely broke any existing speed records! The beach looks amazing and if you want to get down the scenic way it is well worth paying for the guide!
If you just want to get to the climber’s descent and have your own transport you can start walking at the signs for Fangatave beach. Keep right at the fence, and right at the water tanks and you are there. The marked track on OpenStreetMaps starts at a locked gate, and I heard if you get a lift by car they take you through there (before Covid).
Best Time to Climb (during the day)
In July the days are really short, so the climbing time is limited. We enjoyed some really hot days on the beach! We only climbed in a few places.
Whale wall: stays in the sun most of the day. An overcast, cool day is perfect, or otherwise possibly at dawn or really late in the day.
Fa Wall: In the shade from around lunch, but it takes some time to get there from either the Whale wall or the other end.
Ola Beach: This is an amazing beach, and we ended up enjoying the coral because it was boiling hot. Mornings at low tide should be good, or an overcast day.
The Climbs
There are no rescue options! The hospital on Tongatapu looks very basic compared to anything in NZ, and after sorting your transport to Eua you will be aware how difficult it is to get to places! No rescue chopper you can call! Make your own (sensible) decisions, stay below your limit unless you have checked out the climbs/falls.
Minimum grade
We climb in the low 20s in NZ, and this meant we had a good selection of climbs to choose from. If you climb below 20 you will likely not have that much fun leading – the falls are probably safe, but at least some are committing with bigger distances between bolts further up.
Clipstick
Definitely recommended! Climbs are often greasy at the bottom, or at the Whale wall crumbly. It seemed a bit overkill to pre-clip the first bolt on the access pitch at the Whale wall, but when the foothold crumbled away, Thomas was very happy about it! (The top was very solid and perfect rock!)
Bolting
The bolting is good, but I found some of the climbs mentally challenging even though the falls were probably fine. I get easily scared and knowing there is no easy rescue option did not make it any better. Some of the spacing gets bigger on the tops. Even our rope gun (11) who has a good lead head and climbs ~22 found some routes on the Whale wall in the 18/19 range quite exciting (34, On Some Far Away Beach, Blow Hard).
It can be difficult to find the bolts on the climb, because the rock is heavily featured and there are no chalk marks. Read the route descriptions carefully!
The Whale Wall
Amazing! Beautiful smooth rock, very solid once you are a bit off the ground. However, this is not a beginners multi pitch wall! The Whale wall is very steep. Lowering/repelling off the top pitch you need some way of getting back to the wall – on the top pitch of Blow Hard we were hanging about 3 m away from the wall in space. Fun abseil for the kids! Another option is to use 2 ropes to repel to the very bottom (a single 60 m rope is not nearly enough).
Fa Wall
Beautiful setting! The Fa Tufa was really fun! This wall is definitely worth the walk! We did not find a good track, but luckily the forest is not too dense. We went down the track from the other side (lookout at the end of the road) to get there – the hand line could do with a replacement. The last bit was a bit slippery (just the sand) so it felt good to have it. You could down climb some ledges, but we repelled off from just below there.
Swimming
The beaches look amazing, but in many places there are strong currents. Especially when the tide is going in / out or the waves are high. Take reef shoes and mask/snorkel! Getting out into the deep water was a bit more committing – that really depends on the waves. Not many people go beyond the reef as far as we could see, so it is not easy to know where it is safe.
Here are some places we swam:
Tufuvay Beach
The lagoon just in front of the resort seems a reasonably safe spot to swim (when the waves are not too high we swam at all times of the day). Check the outgoing current! When we were there it looked fast, but when we were there you could float in it comfortably and stand up when it was getting too much. We got out into the deep water once and the fish were amazing! But even in the little pools there were quite a few fish and Kina. The coral is damaged from the Tsunami, and just starting to grow back.
Ola Beach
We loved it! The coral is less damaged than in some places, and when we went there the waves were not as high because the beach was sheltered from the south. We had a great paddle in the flat water on the outgoing tide without much current, but that will be depending on the waves.
Fangatave Beach
The deep pools on the reef look amazing, but unfortunately we never managed to go swimming here. Next time!
Ha’aluma Beach
Beautiful beach, but we timed it wrong and got there on the outgoing tide with swells from the south => the rips were very strong and we could not swim at all.
