Hufangalupe

Hufangalupe on Tongatapu's south coast is where a sea cave collapsed and left a natural bridge of rock spanning a chasm, with the ocean running in below and a small beach at the bottom reached by a steep scramble. The name means pigeon's doorway. The cliffs along this coast take the full South Pacific swell and the water below the arch is rarely calm. Tradition says the hole was made when Maui threw his spear through the earth, and a beach of the same name lies nearby.

What you'll find

• The natural bridge - the rock span left by a collapsed sea cave.
• The chasm - the drop the arch runs over, with sea at the bottom.
• The south coast cliffs - the exposed shore taking the South Pacific swell.
• The scramble - the steep descent to the small beach below.

When to go

May to October is the drier season. Swell is biggest in the southern winter. The scramble is dangerous when wet.

Before you go

The edges are unfenced, undercut and genuinely dangerous. The scramble down is steep and slippery. There are no facilities or signage.

Nearby

The blowholes are west, and Nuku'alofa is north.

Key facts