Any Travels

The WALLIS AND FUTUNA ISLANDS are located in the South Pacific Ocean, between Fiji and American Samoa islands, some 4,600 km (2,875 miles) southwest of Hawaii. The archipelago includes three islands: Wallis, Futuna and Alofi, which have been a French overseas Territory since 1961.

Wallis Island (Uvea) is made up from a large lagoon protected by a coral reef. The island is volcanic with islets (Motu) scattered around the lagoon and reef.

Futuna and Alofi (uninhabited) are located at 230 km (140 miles) to the south west of Wallis. Again the islands are of Volcanic origin. Being located on the Pacific and Indo Australian plates the islands are subject to earthquakes.

The islands have a tropical climate with the rainy season running from November to April. The cooler dry season runs from May to October.

Wallis
The volcanic origins of Wallis, the main island of the group, are evident in its many crater lakes. It is the busiest, most populated island, and reinforces this mantle by offering several video shops and even weekend discos! Your standard-issue small Pacific island, its low-key charms include lagoon islands, churches, crater lakes and archaeological dig sites. Mata Utu is the main village, and the rest of the island's attractions can be accessed via the island's circuit road.

Downtown Mata Utu, Wallis' main centre, is a mixture of the prosaic and the profound - the local cathedral mixes it up with restaurants, a hotel, a craft outlet, the King's Palace and the post office. A short walk westward you'll find the police station, airline office and the Uvea Shopping Centre. Other restaurants and hotels aren't too far away.

About 9km (6mi) south of Mata Utu lies Talietumu, a magnificent but little-known archaeological site. This beautifully restored site consists of fortified Tongan settlements established by the invading Tongans in around 1450. Tonga Toto is the other key archaeological site on Wallis. Its name has been translated to mean `the blood of Tongans', a reference to the ferocity of the Tongan invasions.

Lake Lalolalo is the most spectacular of the Wallis crater lakes. Forming almost a perfect circle, its rocky cliffs fall 30m down to the inky, 80m-deep water. Rumour has it that the American forces dumped equipment into the lake at the end of WWII. Wallis itself has few decent beaches so the surrounding lagoon's many (uninhabited) islands offer the best swimming and picnic spots. The pick of these are Faioa, Nukuhione and Nukuhifala.

Futuna
Futuna is a little quieter and more traditional than Wallis. Sans crater lakes and lagoon, this island doesn't offer much more than a few good churches, a fine traditionally built fale fono in the village of Vaisei and the opportunity to see the locals indulge in ceremonial kava drinking. An unsightly rubbish dump is one of the less inspiring aspects of the local landscape. A day trip, or two days if you're going to spend some time on Alofi's beach, is really all that Futuna warrants. However, if you find you simply must have some R&R before continuing your Pacific journey, one of the few things in its favour is its supermarkets with a choice of, you guessed it, French champagne.

Alofi
Alofi is only a 15-minute boat ride from Futuna, but the lack of adequate fresh water has kept permanent residents away. Home to a reputed 10,000 pigs, this small island also boasts possibly the best beach Wallis & Futuna has to offer. Think tropical island paradise: white sand, clear water and shady trees. Plenty of locals spend the day at Alofi looking after their pigs and tending their gardens, so you'll be in good company. There is a small church, and if you want to do the Robinson Crusoe thing there are some open fale with solar-powered lighting for overnight stays.

Culture

Around 14,000 people live on Wallis & Futuna, most of them on the larger island of Wallis. A reflection of the meagre local economy, an even larger population of around 20,000 lives in New Caledonia. A group of 800 or so French nationals also call the islands home. Three kings and a 20-member territorial assembly add local influence to France's governance of the islands.

Very little English is spoken, so a phrasebook is a must. French is the language du jour and each island also has its own language. Wallisian is similar to Tongan, and Futunan is similar to Samoan, reflecting the islands' historical connections.

Religion holds a special place for the people of Wallis & Futuna. Along with most other Pacific nations, a long history of missionaries has produced a devoutly Christian people. However, not only are the islanders strongly Catholic, they can also lay claim to producing the patron saint of Oceania, St Pierre Chanel. The many churches dotted around the islands, even on uninhabited Alofi, are testament to the people's faith. Attendance at a local church service will be well rewarded with a vibrant display of colour, flowers and joyous singing.

Despite the changes wrought by Christianity and French colonisation, many local customs are still well and truly alive, particularly on Futuna. Traditional fishing and agriculture continue to form the subsistence lifestyle of much of the population, and most indigenous residents still live in traditional, oval-shaped, open-sided, thatch-roofed fale (houses).

The ceremonial preparation and drinking of the popular Pacific intoxicant kava remains an important ritual on Futuna. On the other hand, most food and drink is imported - you will find a preponderance of Australia's Foster's beer; French wine and New Zealand, Australian and European food on the island. Great if you like a little foie gras with your suntan, not so great if you want to try out some local dishes. An unfortunate side effect of all this epicurean delight is an excessive number of empty Foster's beer cans on the sides of roads. Do your bit and bin your empty cans.

You will find some beautiful tapa (cloth made from mulberry and breadfruit trees) on both islands. Wood carving is another important activity - majestically large tanoa, the multilegged wooden bowls used for making kava, are produced on Futuna. In an impressive display of tanoa envy, many of the locals have tanoa measuring more than a metre in diameter!