Atafu Canoe Builders

Atafu is the smallest of the three Tokelau atolls and the one where canoe building has held on most strongly: the vaka are still made by hand from kanava wood, planks sewn and lashed rather than nailed, and they are still used for fishing rather than kept as heritage. Builders work under open shelters in the village and the skills pass down within families. The atoll has a single village and the whole of it sits on one islet at the northwestern corner.

What you actually see

• The kanava timber - the wood the hulls are built from.
• The lashed construction - planks sewn and bound rather than fastened.
• The working boats - canoes used for fishing, not display.
• The open shelters - where the building is done in the village.

When to go

May to October is drier and calmer. Ships from Samoa run every few weeks at best. November to April is the cyclone season.

Honest expectations

This is people's work and their livelihood, not a demonstration laid on for visitors; ask before watching or photographing. There is no accommodation beyond community arrangements. Getting to Atafu means a long sea voyage.

Nearby

Nukunonu is southeast, and Fakaofo is further southeast.