Futuna Island

About this place

Futuna is the largest of the Hoorn Islands in the French archipelago of Wallis and Futuna in the Pacific, about 240 km in a straight line south-west of Mata-Utu, the archipelago's capital. It covers about 80 square kilometres and has around 3,200 people. The first Europeans to map Futuna and neighbouring Alofi were the Dutchmen Willem Schouten and Jacob Le Maire in 1616, who named them the «Hoorn Islands» after Schouten's home town. They found a natural harbour on the south-west coast near today's Leava and witnessed traditional ceremonies at which islanders offered kava and food. The island is mountainous and covered in dense green forest, ringed by a narrow coral reef where waves break, with small villages strung along the coast. From the air the turquoise water over the reef and the green cliffs stand out, and at Leava harbour small ships moor, linking the island to the outside world. Futuna is reached by small plane from Wallis or by ship, and services are limited. Respect local customs, as traditional life and customary chiefs remain strong on the island, and May to October is the drier season.