The smallest of the atolls, Atafu's lagoon totals only 17 square km (compared to 50 square km on Fakaofo and 98 square km at Nukunonu).
It's claimed you can walk around the atoll in a day. This is the most traditional of the islands, the only one where dugout canoes are still made. Some houses with thatched roofs survive in the one village at the northwest corner of the atoll (few of these remain on the other atolls). There's a ceramic history of Tokelau on the side wall of Matauala Public School. The Office of the Council of Faipule and the University of the South Pacific Center are on Atafu. Be prepared for a stiff fine if you get caught partaking of the local homebrew of yeast and sugar.
[Extract from Moon Handbooks South Pacific by David Stanley, Avalon Travel Publishing]
