Wender·Vista
ʻAta
shown on ceramic, 12-inch tileTonga
alone in the South Pacific, far south of the main Tongan islands

ʻAta

— — the island six boys made a year of survival on.

— Where it lives

Not only on a wall.

A small tile on the nightstand catching the morning. A larger one above the fire. Yours, wherever you spend the slow hours.
— On the nightstand, a 6-inch on a walnut stand
— Among the books, a 6-inch leaning into the spines
— Beside the kettle, a 12-inch propped
— Down a quiet hall, an 18-inch floating off the wall
— Above the fire, the 24-inch in a walnut surround
— a note from the studio

“A small volcanic island lifted out of deep ocean roughly 160 kilometres south of Tongatapu. Sea cliffs on every side, a flat top of grass and trees, and no permanent inhabitants. Whaling ships once stopped here. Six Tongan schoolboys lived here for fifteen months after a 1965 castaway and were found in good health by an Australian fishing captain. — from the studio

from the studio
ʻAta
— bring it home

ʻAta, on ceramic.

Each tile is finished by hand in our Knoxville studio. Artwork is slowly infused into the ceramic surface under high heat and pressure, and rests beneath a thin glossy finish. The colour lives in the surface, not on top of it.

What kind of piece?
One tile — square or rectangle.
How big?
the popular one — counter, shelf, nightstand
6 × 6 in · 15 cm · 1.6 lb
Surface finish
A clear glossy finish — the artwork reads as if under resin. Ideal for show-pieces and framed wall art.
How it sits
A hidden cleat — sits ¼″ proud of the wall.
$58
Hand-finished and shipped from our studio at the foot of the Smokies. On your wall in about ten days.
— size
6 × 6 in
15 cm
— weighs
1.6 lb
solid in the hand
— surface
ceramic, hand-finished
art rests beneath a thin glossy finish
— from
Knoxville, TN
our family studio, at the foot of the Smokies
— start a Coaster Set

Pick any four 4-inch tiles — National Parks you've been to, a Smokies set, the four seasons of one place. $ for a set of , cork-backed, ready to live on the table.

— about ʻAta

The place, in three passes.

A little of what's known, in case you fall down the rabbit hole — or want to go see it yourself.
— the place

ʻAta is a small volcanic island in the far south of the Kingdom of Tonga, roughly 160 kilometres south-southwest of Tongatapu. It rises to about 355 metres at Kolofoʻou, with sheer sea cliffs and a relatively flat upper plateau. The island has been uninhabited since 1863, when most of its population was taken by Peruvian blackbirders and the surviving residents were relocated north to ʻEua by King George Tupou I.

— informed by Wikipedia — ʻAta
— the silence

There is no harbour and no regular boat service. The cliffs make landing difficult in most weather. Seabird colonies, including masked boobies and frigatebirds, nest on the upper plateau. Wild taro, banana, and chickens descended from earlier human use still grow there. The island is best known internationally for the 1965 castaway of six Tongan teenagers from ʻAtenisi College, who survived for fifteen months and were found by Australian captain Peter Warner in September 1966.

— the visit

ʻAta is not a tourist destination. There are no scheduled boats, no accommodation, and no facilities. Occasional charter and research voyages from Nukuʻalofa pass by, and the island is sometimes seen from cruising yachts on routes between Tonga and New Zealand. Landings require permission from the government of Tonga and are rarely granted. Most people meet the island through the story of the six boys.

— informed by Wikipedia — ʻAta
— where
Tonga · Tongatapu Division, Tonga
— elevation
355 m
— position
-22.3400° S · 176.2000° W
— the neighborhood

What's nearby.

A handful of named places within an hour's walk or short drive. Some we've already painted; some we will.
160 km N
Tongatapu
main island
170 km N
ʻEua
island
N
ʻAta
Tongatapu
ʻEua
— common questions

What people ask.

A few questions we get about ʻAta — and about bringing the piece home.
— about the place

In the far south of the Kingdom of Tonga, about 160 kilometres south-southwest of the main island of Tongatapu. It is the southernmost of the Tongan islands and lies alone in deep ocean.

Most of its population was taken in 1863 by Peruvian blackbirders. King George Tupou I relocated the surviving residents north to ʻEua to protect them. The island has had no permanent population since.

In 1965 six teenage boys from ʻAtenisi College in Tongatapu were stranded on ʻAta for fifteen months. They cooperated, kept a fire burning, and were rescued by Australian captain Peter Warner in September 1966 in good health.

ʻAta rises to about 355 metres at Kolofoʻou, its highest point. Sheer sea cliffs surround the plateau, which makes landing difficult and protects the seabird colonies that nest on top.

Rarely. There is no harbour, no accommodation, and no scheduled boat service. Landings require government permission and are seldom granted. Most encounters are from passing yachts or research vessels.

Seabird colonies including masked boobies and frigatebirds, plus feral chickens, wild taro and banana descended from earlier inhabitants. The surrounding waters hold seasonal humpback whales between July and October.

— about the piece in your home

Yes. ʻAta carries real weight in Tongan history through both the 1863 raid and the 1965 castaway. A Small or Medium with a handwritten studio note reads as considered rather than decorative.

Yes. Rutger Bregman retold the ʻAta castaway story in Humankind as a counter to Lord of the Flies. The piece holds for readers moved by that chapter and its real ending.

The deep ocean blues, basalt grey, and weather-bleached greens suit Coastal-modern, Pacific Modern, and quiet Minimalist interiors. It also holds against limewashed walls and dark timber.

Above a console, a single Large reads as one painting. Above a sofa, a 4-tile Mural carries the cliffs, plateau, and open ocean better than any single tile.

Yes, in the Dura Satin or Matte finish. Both are scratch-resistant and handle humidity. The Glossy finish belongs in drier rooms and framed wall installations.

A microfibre cloth, dry or barely damp with water. Avoid vinegar, ammonia, and abrasives. The colour lives in the ceramic surface, not on top of it.

Yes. Every WenderVista piece is painted in-house in our stained-glass and alcohol-ink language and hand-finished in Knoxville. We do not licence the artwork.

— if this one stayed with you

A few you might also love.

Hand-picked by the eye that found Sorapis. Same air, same kind of quiet.