Lighthouses of Wallis and Futuna

Wallis and Futuna is a small French territory at the western end of Polynesia in the South Pacific Ocean, west of Samoa, northwest of Tonga, and northeast of Fiji. The islands were colonized in the 1880s and were governed as a dependency of New Caledonia until 1961. The total population of the territory is about 15,000. Wallis (called 'Uvea in Polynesian) has an airport, and commercial flights are available from New Caledonia.

The territory has no traditional lighthouses, but the unusual minor light shown at right is of interest to lighthouse fans.

Special thanks to Michel Forand for his research on the lights of the smaller territories of the Pacific.

Admiralty numbers are from volume K of the Admiralty List of Lights & Fog Signals. U.S. NGA List numbers are from Publication 111.

Wallis ('Uvea) Lightbeacon
[Île Nukuatea (Honikulu Pass) Range Rear]: Date unknown. Active; focal plane 98 m (322 ft); white light, 2 s on, 2 s off. 7 m (23 ft) masonry wall rising gracefully to support a square concrete post light. Anna Strumillo's photo is at right, but we haven't located it in Google's satellite view. The range guides vessels through the pass at the southern end of the 'Uvea reef. Strumillo also has a photo of the front light, mounted on a simple post in the water. Located atop a ridge near the southeastern tip of Nukuatea, a smaller island off the southern end of 'Uvea. Accessible only by boat. Site open. Admiralty K4760.1; NGA 3152.1.

Information available on lost lighthouses:

Notable faux lighthouses:

Adjoining pages: East: Samoa | South: Fiji

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Île Nukuaeta Range Rear Light
Île Nukuatea Range Rear Light, June 2010
Panoramio photo copyright Anna Strumillo
used by permission