Don Francisco Mourelle de la Rúa, commanding the Spanish frigate Princesa, was the first European to come to Vavaʻu, which he did on 4 March 1781.

He charted Vavaʻu as Martín de Mayorga, naming it after the incumbent Viceroy of New Spain.

As it turned out, Mourelle found excellent anchoring, in Vavaʻu, which he desperately needed, because he had failed to find a harbour at the last two places he had tried to land, Fonualei (Bitterness island) and Late.

Twelve years later, in 1793, the Malaspina Expedition visited the area for a month, following up on Mourelle's investigations, and formally claiming the islands for Spain.

The largest of the waterways, the fjord-like Ava Pulepulekai channel, extends 11 km (6.8 mi) inland from the harbor of Neiafu (the capital).

The southern coastline is low and irregular, and opens out into a network of channels, bays, and islets, forming one of the best-protected natural harbors in the Pacific.

Its warm climate and fertile soil makes it a haven for growers of vanilla, pineapple, and other tropical fruits.

From May to October, the Port of ’Utu Vava’u welcomes sailing boats from all over the world and arranges for tourists to dive with humpback whales and explore underwater caves.