Captain James Cook knew about the islands a decade before, but the people in Haʻapai told him it would be no good for him to go there as there was no harbour.
Britský moreplavec James Cook o tejto skupine ostrovov vedel ešte niekoľko rokov predtým, ale obyvatelia ostrova Ha'apai ho prehovorili aby na Vava´u nešiel, pretože nebude mať kde zakotviť a on sa nechal prehovoriť.