Attractions & Natural Wonders · Tokelau

Tokelau: Four Attractions and Natural Wonders

Three tiny coral atolls scattered across the Pacific, reached only by a boat journey of a little over a day from Samoa, where village life still runs almost entirely on communal, consensus-based decision-making

By Worldlore Editorial · 30 September 2026

An aerial view of a narrow coral atoll ringed with palm trees surrounded by ocean
Atafu, the smallest and northernmost of Tokelau's three atolls. (NASA / Wikimedia Commons · Public domain)

Three atolls, no airport, and one of the smallest populations on earth

Tokelau, a New Zealand territory made up of just three small coral atolls scattered across the South Pacific, is among the least-visited and most remote places administered by any country in the world — there is no airport, and the only way in is a boat journey of a little over a day from Samoa, with sailings roughly every two weeks. Its residents, counted in the low thousands at most, maintain a strongly communal way of life, with decisions on each atoll still made largely through a council of elders (taupulega) rather than conventional municipal government.

The three atolls below, and the village life they share, make up the entirety of Tokelau's inhabited land. Given the logistics involved, a visit here is a genuine expedition rather than a conventional trip.

1. Atafu

A quiet sandy village street at dawn lined with simple houses
A street in the village of Atafu at dawn, Tokelau's northernmost atoll. (CloudSurfer / Wikimedia Commons)

Atafu, the smallest and northernmost of Tokelau's three atolls, has a land area of just 2.5 square kilometres, its village built along the lagoon shore and its people closely connected through custom and shared land. Life here remains organised almost entirely around fishing, coconut cultivation, and communal decision-making.

2. Nukunonu

A simple guesthouse building on a small coral island
The Luana Liki Hotel on Nukunonu, one of very few places to stay in the territory. (CloudSurfer / Wikimedia Commons)

Nukunonu, the largest of the three atolls, holds what little guest accommodation Tokelau has, making it the most practical (and often only) base for the handful of visitors who make the journey each year. Its lagoon, about 109 square kilometres, is ringed by some 30 islets.

3. Fakaofo

An aerial view of a coral atoll with a lagoon and scattered islets
Fakaofo, traditionally the 'chiefly island' of Tokelau's three atolls. (Marshman / Wikimedia Commons)

Fakaofo, traditionally the "chiefly island" of Tokelau, once held some dominion over Atafu and Nukunonu and still carries significant cultural and historical weight within the territory. Its lagoon and low-lying islets, on land no more than about 5 metres above the sea, illustrate how vulnerable the whole territory is to rising sea levels; residents have ringed one islet with high concrete walls against the water.

4. Village and church life

A simple whitewashed church on a small coral island
A church on Nukunonu, reflecting the strong role Christianity plays alongside traditional governance across the atolls. (CloudSurfer / Wikimedia Commons)

Each atoll's village life is centred as much around its church as its council house, Christianity having taken deep root here since missionaries arrived from the 1840s, while coexisting with long-standing communal land and governance traditions.

A visit to Tokelau requires booking one of the infrequent supply-boat sailings from Apia, Samoa, well in advance, and typically means staying for the length of the boat's rotation between atolls — a genuine once-in-a-lifetime undertaking for travellers drawn to the most remote corners of the Pacific.

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