The Journey Begins: Boarding the Kalopaga in Apia, Samoa
The MV Kalopaga is a cargo vessel that travels between Samoa and Tokelau, offering one of the only ways to reach Tokelau’s remote atolls.
How: Visitor permit issued through Tokelau Immigration and the Taupulega of the atoll applied for
Cost: 463 Samoan Tala roundtrip
Travel Time: Apia to Fakaofo: 17 hours
At the time of writing this, it’s coming close to my third day at sea aboard the MV Kalopaga, Tokelau’s very own cargo ship from Apia, Samoa. Unlike the MV Mataliki, which carries more passengers bound for the archipelago, the Kalopaga has space for only a small number of passengers who get to join the vessel during its commercial duties of loading and unloading cargo between Samoa and Tokelau.
The loading took place the day before departure behind the Tokelau Liaison Office in Apia, where containers were prepared for each atoll. Food, household goods, supplies, and large boxes and bags dropped off by families and friends slowly filled the vessel before the journey north.
I was surprisingly lucky enough to board the Kalopaga after a last minute space opened on what had already become a nearly two year effort to visit Tokelau. When I say lucky, I mean my previous sail had been canceled, and then just two days before departure, I was offered a space that I quickly accepted. That entire permit and immigration process deserves its own separate story.
Departing Apia at 5pm on a Sunday brought calm seas, good weather, and one hell of a sunset over the Samoan islands. Personally, I did not realize how mentally, spiritually, and physically exhausted I had become over the weeks and months leading up to this moment. The last two days before the sailing were a rush while staying with a host family in Manono-tai, so by the time the Kalopaga finally pushed away from Apia, rest became less of an option and more of a necessity.
The Rare Journey to Tokelau From Samoa
Reaching Tokelau is unlike traveling almost anywhere else in the Pacific. There are no airports, no airstrips, and no direct flights into the islands. The only way to get to Tokelau is by boat from Samoa, crossing open ocean to reach the three coral atolls of Fakaofo, Nukunonu, and Atafu. Traveling there is also not as simple as buying a ticket as visitors need to go through a permit process involving Tokelau Immigration in Apia and approval from the Taupulega, or village council, of the specific atoll they intend to visit. It is a dual process that can take time, patience, and coordination, plus more time and patience. Trust me when I say you need all of that, as it took me 20 months from beginning my application lodgment journey to the day of hopping on this boat. And thats not even diving into the raw details and challenges that came in between.
Tokelau is not a typical travel destination that anyone can casually arrive to and is not built around tourism in the way many islands are, and that reality shapes the entire experience before you even step aboard the boat. Again, that’s if you get to that part of the process.
Boarding the Kalopaga felt less like heading toward a destination and more like entering a small moving world, gracefully making its way north across the moana.
Life Onboard the MV Kalopaga
Despite my mind imagining sleeping on an inflatable camping pillow and a fine mat on deck, there is actually a sleeper cabin for passengers aboard the Kalopaga. It is tight with 8 passengers including myself, but it’s surprisingly cozy, offering enough comfort for a good night’s rest or at least a decent nap while crossing the Pacific. And you get the chance to meet those returning home quickly becoming part of community before even getting off the boat.
Space is limited, especially once personal belongings begin stacking up along the narrow corridor and in the sleeping quarters, but overall I slept fairly well throughout the journey.
Downside? The room is cold as ef.
Movement around the vessel is limited too, which is where the strict passenger allotment starts to make a lot more sense. Still, it was a genuinely chill calm social experience getting to mingle with the cargo crew, kitchen staff, deck crew, and fellow passengers throughout the voyage.
Much of the interaction happened through familiar basic Samoan, bits of Tokelauan, and the kind of slow conversation that naturally happens when people are together at sea for days.
Voyaging to Tokelau is its Own Spiritual World
Life onboard the Kalopaga is not just about getting from point A to point B. There is a feeling that comes with letting go of the journey behind you while mentally preparing for the journey ahead. There was no starlink nor wifi on the boat, which meant that disconnecting over the open seas allows for a proper reset – something I was long over due for. Especially for the anticipation that had been building for over two years.
The rhythm of the vessel, the sound of waves against the hull, the stillness of the horizon, and the simplicity of daily life onboard slowly pull you into a different pace. One that truly allows you to transition from a busy world before, to the slow world that is to come in the Tokelau islands. The voyage itself begins becoming part of the destination.
Food at Sea on the Kalopaga
A fellow photographer who had previously traveled aboard the Kalopaga once described the food onboard as “hella good.” At the time I had absolutely no idea what that meant in the middle of the Pacific Ocean on a cargo vessel. Turns out, he was completely right as meals are served throughout the day to passengers, with a couple of chefs onboard preparing food while members of the crew occasionally step into the role of waiter. Between the fresh fish, hot meals, and eating together while drifting between islands, the food became one of the unexpectedly memorable parts of the experience.
One fresh catch of the day so far? Wahoo. Bruhhhhh.
First Sight of Tokelau: Sunrise over Fakaofo
The anticipation of arriving into Tokelau was one of the highest anticipations of sights smack next to arriving into Funafuti atoll in Tuvalu, my very first sight of a coral atoll. This time, I would be experiencing the same on the ocean with the overwhelming heart of joy in arriving in my dream destination for years. The first sight of Tokelau came at sunrise over Fakaofo and was one of the most emotional sightings of my entire voyaging. Having been welcomes by a frigate bird gracefully gliding with the Kalopaga above, following it’s path down until Fale and uta (outer islands) lined up on the horizon on the canvas of orange hues. That is exactly how I saw and filmed the experience.
As the outer islets slowly appeared on the horizon, the sun rose directly behind them, creating one of those moments that immediately reminds you how remote these islands truly are but also how special they are. The crew quickly went to work unloading cargo one container at a time onto small barges with patience and incredible precision.
Even though I had been invited ashore by the Ulu, or Head of Government of Tokelau at the time, I ultimately decided to remain onboard. Because my visitor permit had only been issued for Atafu after such a long and difficult approval process, I did not want to risk any complications by stepping foot onto another atoll outside the conditions of my permit. However, a handful of social media friends came aboard to greet and welcome me, some of whome I’d see a month later dancing fatele during the General Fono.
So while the work continued on the boat, I stayed aboard and flew my drone within the limits I could, and this is what I saw for starters. My sweet lord!
Nukunonu: The Second to Last Stop
Travel Time: Fakaofo to Nukunonu: 5 hours
Five quick hours later after watching Fakaofo slowly vanish and dip below the horizon came a new set of islands popping up ahead. Tops of trees became apparent islets and uta with a communications tower peering in the back drop. We had finally arrived at Nukunonu.
Once again, my permit limitations kept me aboard the vessel during cargo operations, but I was still able to witness another shade of Tokelau from the sea. Compared to the windy conditions earlier in the voyage, the calmer weather finally gave me an opportunity to put the drone into the air and capture aerial views of an island I already knew I wanted to return to and spend real time in one day. Fun fact, Nukunonu’s primary religion is catholic opposed to the other two atolls and most Tokelauans here bare the name Perez, my last name!
Final Destination: Mulihelu – Atafu
Travel Time: Nukunonu to Atafu: 6 hours
With Atafu as my final destination, the voyage had slowly worked its way north through all three Tokelauan atolls.
Atafu, also known traditionally as Mulihelu, had been the island I spent years working incredibly hard to eventually reach via connections I had. By this point in the journey, the anticipation was hard to fully describe and despite being exhausted from dates at sea and having difficulty in feeling emotional, I was. Arrival times constantly shifted depending on cargo operations and ocean conditions, so there was no exact certainty on when we would finally arrive.
After Nukunonu finally disappeared from the horizon and hours on incredibly calm seas, Atafu slowly began to appear on the horizon. Much smaller than the other two atolls taking up less horizon space, we were welcomed with beautiful orange sunset hues and a full moon. Next minute, I was finally getting on one of those barges with my things and setting foot on Tokelauan soil for the first time. (Tears go here)
The Reality of Traveling to Tokelau
Traveling to Tokelau is not easy and trust me when I say, I know many curious to visit already know that.
My process may have stretched across nearly two years between visitor permits, sail cancellations, changing vessel schedules, communication delays, and waiting for the right opportunity to finally align. But this dream goes beyond that as an extension of my dream destination, of Tuvalu. The comparisons between the two are enough for it’s own Youtube video and blog post.
Anyways, access to Tokelau is limited and highly regulated, requiring patience, flexibility, and respect for the systems already in place. However I will add this firm disclaimer, I would not count on time being on your side with expectations. Things happen, they dont, and if they do, it will come with a journey like mine if at all.
Truthfully, the process itself and the sail became so much a part of the voyage and honestly, that reality is part of what made setting foot in my dream islands hit my soul to this day, and will so for the rest of my life.
Tokelau is not a place you simply book and arrive to ,it is a place you wait for, prepare for, and enter as part of community. In my case, from host family to kaiga.
Voyaging to Tokelau Was Just the Beginning
Excitement aside for Tokelau, which I could probably write endless words about, this sailing experience aboard the Kalopaga was long, exhausting, and beautiful all at once. The blend of familiar Samoan culture and upcoming Tokelauan culture created a transition between two places that are deeply connected while still remaining distinct in their own ways. And that’s where I not only brought a voyager spirit to, I brought One Ocean One People, a nonprofit of storytelling dedicated to capturing and highlighting those differences and connections.
As for Tokelau itself as stated a few time, this had been a dream of mine for many long years, one that began toward the tail end of COVID and slowly unfolded through patience, persistence, and a whole lot of uncertainty. But with curiosity, a fire of passion, voyaging, One Ocean, One People, and community love for what I do, it was a dream that came true. This was truly just the beginning of
Planning to sailing aside, this was truly the beginning of something much larger that can and will be expanded on via storytelling and journaling. But when it comes to those days spent drifting across the Pacific on that cargo vessel and the years patiently waiting in internet cafes and exploring the Samoan islands.
All I can say is, it was all worth it.
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