Tokelau is the slightly larger of Nanumanga's two villages, sitting on the west coast between Vaiatoa Lagoon and the reef. About 250 people live here in traditional palm-thatched and corrugated-iron houses arranged along a single grid of sandy lanes. The maneapa — the open-sided community meeting hall — is at the centre, and the village church and primary school adjoin it.
Visitors should pay a courtesy call on the island council president and chief on arrival; this is universal Tuvaluan etiquette and opens the door to introductions and informal hospitality. Daily life is unhurried — fishing, gardening, weaving, evening singing in the maneapa.