WHY TUVALU

This website has a very strong link with Oceania.
It happened to me so many times to quickly rotate the globe and then stop it with a finger.
For some strange reason (perhaps simply by statistics, since the blue planet is covered for about 70% by water) often the finger ends up in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean or the Pacific Ocean.
Looking better, it can happen to “touch the ground” of a small island/atollo of which you do not even know the existence.

So I decided to go to some countries in Oceania.

The most difficult part of organizing a trip to this part of the world, especially for those with little time and lots of curiosity, is to choose where to go.
There are in fact hundreds of islands that make up the 25 or so nations that can be visited in this area, occupying almost a third of the earth’s surface.

I wrote the list of all the nations first and I inquired about the reasons why I should go. I assigned preferences and started to reduce the list to almost a third.
Then I started to look for all possible flight routes.

I didn’t remember the existence of Tuvalu, but it immediately became part of my list of must-see destinations.
The Gilbert and Ellice Islands were part of the British Empire until 1978, when the Ellice Islands became Tuvalu and the Gilbert Islands became Kiribati.

Climate change is often associated with a few more degrees, more rain and less regular seasons.
In some parts of the world, climate change is having a major impact on people’s lives.
I think, for example, about Antarctica, Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego, where I have seen glaciers that have receded hundreds of metres compared to a few years ago.
I think about Svalbard and the Arctic Territoriers, where it was a mirage to find a polar bear, pushed to Russia by the lack of frozer territory to hunt.

Tuvalu is considered to be the first nation to disappear because of rising oceans.
That’s why I decided to go, before it becomes impossible in a few years.

Funafuti is an atoll and the capital of Tuvalu.
Its about 6,000 inhabitants live on a strip of land between 20 and 400 metres wide surrounding a 275 km² lagoon.
Outside, the Pacific Ocean threatens the existence of the atoll and its 33 neighbouring islands.

My Oceania trip also took me to Fiji, Vanuatu, Tonga, Cook Islands and New Zealand.

HOW TO GET TO TUVALU

Which is the most beautiful airport in the world?
Definitely Funafuti International Airport, the atoll and capital of Tuvalu.
Its code is in fact FUN.
It’s connected to Fiji Islands (Fiji Airways flies 3 times a week from Suva) and with Kiribati (Air Kiribati flies once a week from Tarawa).

The trip to Tuvalu begins when you see the atoll from the air.
It looks like a mirage, squeezed between the endless ocean and the lagoon in the middle.

My trip to Oceania was my first in business class.
I had obviously booked the cheapest ticket, but about 5 days before departure I received an email from the airline inviting me to make an offer to upgrade from economy to business.
With some hope, I offered €30.00.
After a while they accepted my offer.
It was an incredible experience, a new world for me, used to travelling low-cost with only hand luggage.
Before departure, reserved check-in lane, baggage check and priority access on the plane.
At the airport, reserved access to the lounge: huge sofas, TVs, food and drink buffet.
Inside the aircraft, the stewardess takes your luggage, a tablet is available, a welcome drink and a menu to choose from.
And finally, when you arrive, your luggage is the first to be delivered.
But after these flights, it is much harder to get back to economy…

WHAT TO DO IN TUVALU

Funafuti

Since Funafuti is considered a capital city and not an atoll, it can obviously be visited in a very short time.

The first stop on arrival will certainly be the bank, as everything is paid by cash and there are no ATMs.
The Tuvaluan dollar is not an independent currency, but a variation of the Australian dollar.
Tuvalu has issued coins since 1976, but the banknotes in circulation are Australian.

Funafuti Airport FUN

As mentioned above, arriving in Tuvalu means arriving at the airport of Fun, which is only 3 metres above sea level.
However, due to the small size of the atoll, the airport runway is also a city street.

In fact, daily activities are interrupted for the time it takes for the plane to take off or land, which only happens in the morning because the runway is not lit and the radio and navigation equipment is minimal.
Immediately afterwards, the runway is filled with children playing football, scooters running, old people walking…
And of course the few travellers who have arrived like to take photos.

I had a similar situation in Berlin, but Tempelhof Airport is closed and has been transformed into the largest park in the German capital.
Funafuti is Tuvalu’s international airport instead.

Te Namo Lagoon

Tuvalu looks like a strip of land separating the Pacific Ocean from Te Namo Lagoon.

At low tide in the morning, much of the lagoon is a vast expanse of rocks and coral.
Wear shoes even in the water, otherwise every step will be difficult and painful.

It is impressive when the ocean shows even a fraction of its power.
The waves come in high and strong, taking what they want and overflowing the lagoon.
Where you could walk a few moments ago, you can now swim to a depth of a few metres (in some parts of the lagoon it is over 30 metres).

Funafuti Marine Conservation Area

The Funafuti Marine Conservation Area was established in June 1996.
Its 33 km² includes 6 motu (the islets of Tepuka Vilivili, Fualopa, Fuafatu, Vasafua, Fuakea, Tefalail), 20% of the Funafuti Reef, the lagoon and the ocean.
The protected area is essential for the conservation of marine and terrestrial biodiversity and for the protection of the ecosystem.

WHERE TO SLEEP

After booking the flights, I really thought I would have to sleep on the street (or on the airport runway).
In fact, I couldn’t find any accommodation and even the Tuvalu Ministry of Tourism, whom I contacted by email, advised me to postpone my trip.

On the days I had unwittingly chosen, the Pacific Islands Meeting was to be held in Funafuti (I write about this at the end of this article) and all the hotels were therefore reserved for world delegations.

After several weeks of emails and requests, I found a bed at Afelita’s Island Resort.
Of course, it’s not a luxury resort (although the prices are not cheap), but it’s a house on a small island that can be reached in a few minutes by boat in the Te Namo lagoon.
I found it very relaxing, even though I’d like to spend more time on the bigger island.

The Funafuti Lagoon Hotel, also known as Vaiaku Langi or Vaiaku Lagi Hotel, is the only hotel in Tuvalu. It’s a state-owned hotel but was built in 1993 with Chinese financial support.

There are also many small lodges, such as B&Bs.
If you can’t find accommodation online, contact the lodges or the Tuvalu Ministry of Tourism.
Due to the low number of tourists, they will be happy to help you.

CONCLUSIONS

Anyone who doesn’t believe in climate change should come here and understand why Tuvalu is considered the first of the nations to be wiped out by rising oceans.

My trip to Tuvalu coincided with the Pacific Islands Forum, which was also attended by other international partners.
The main topic was obviously to find solutions to combat climate change and to give a future to the nations and atolls that are threatened with extinction.
Or at least so it should have been.

Indeed, on the flight from Fiji to Funafuti, I sat next to the European Union delegate at the meeting.
I had the opportunity to read a preview of his speech to the conference, and I was disgusted.
There was no reference to climate change, no historical analysis, no future policy.
He focused exclusively on the geopolitical relationships that the EU required from small Pacific nations.
These should have guaranteed a definitive break with China and its economic and technological support (especially in relation to 5G), and a decisive turn to European support.
Only secondary links with the United States and Australia would have been allowed.
I sincerely hope that the islands have returned this madness to sender.

If this is Europe’s only environmental policy, it’s easy to see why everything continues as we know it.

I don’t know how many more years Tuvalu will live, but I hope you do too.