名不經傳｜南太平洋國度：瓦利斯和富圖納 重寫日期｜2026/1/25

講起南太平洋，近年這個區域再度頻繁地出現在新聞報導之上，幾個太平洋周邊大國都看準這個廣闊海域以支配當區利益，中國近年更不惜花巨額金錢收買巴布亞新畿內亞、斐濟、湯加甚至瑙魯這些在國際間沒有影響力的細小島國，祗是大家似乎忘記了南太平洋甚有影響力的法國在今天仍然控制大溪地、新喀里多利亞和今次要介紹的瓦利斯和富圖納。

Nobody knows｜Wallis et Futuna, a South Pacific nation

We can found that many different irregular geometric squares in the South Pacific in the map, this is the Oceania region we are familiar with. Except the so-called well-known Australia, New Zealand and Fiji, which all of them have direct flights with Hong Kong;

2024年的東方倉鴞(Tyto javanica)郵票原圖片，我曾經另文介紹過了。 A 2024 maxicard of Eastern Barn Owl that I have been introduced other articles. 打開地圖一看，會見到南太平洋畫有多個大大小小不規則的幾何方格，這就是我們熟知的大洋洲區域，不過所謂的熟知來來去去都是與香港有直航班機的澳洲、紐西蘭和斐濟；甚至是很多會聯想到「美女如雲」的大溪地即正式名稱的法屬玻里尼西亞，至於其他國家或者間中都會有依稀印象，例如令人會心微笑的瓦努阿圖、可以一日慶祝兩次新年的基里巴斯和中國為台灣而用大量金錢收買的雀屎邦交國瑙魯，至於其他就真的難以說出是什麼地方了。很多人會倚靠電視新聞的單向認知以為強大的中國近年在這區域逐漸具影響力且能挑戰當區覇主美國和澳洲，然而他們並不知南太平洋自十八世紀以來一直都是法國在遠東區的後花園，至今仍然有三個海外集體(collectivité d’outre-mer)，總面積達22.884平方千米，在狹義的大洋洲而言，除澳洲、紐西蘭與巴布亞新幾內亞之外其面積總和僅位於所羅門群島之後。 法國在這區域的三個海外集體當中為人熟悉的兩個分別是俗稱大溪地的法屬玻里尼西亞(Polynésie française)和在2025年才升格為特殊集體的新喀里多尼亞(Nouvelle-Calédonie)； 華人在十九世紀中葉大量移居新喀里多尼亞與大溪地作廉價勞工，至今形成主要種族之一，兩地郵政局每年都印行農曆新年郵票作為慶祝。 In mid-19th century, a large number of Chinese migrated to New Caledonia and Tahiti to work as coolies, which has formed one of the main ethnicity nowadays, two post offices issue Lunar New Year stamps every year to celebrate their traditional festival. 然而還有一個瓦利斯和富圖納(Wallis et Futuna)就未必有什麼人聽過了，她就在新喀里多尼亞的東北方，中間卻夾著瓦努阿圖和斐濟。在這我離開題目說明一下在1980年獲得獨立的瓦努阿圖原稱作新赫布里底群島(New Hebrides)，這片群島獨立前自1887年開始由法國和英國共同管理。瓦利斯和富圖納雖然與新赫布里底群島較為接近，但卻在1961年前歸入新喀里多尼亞管理，而她首度在地圖上出現大概是1616年，在此前已有證據表明拉皮塔文化的人在公元前七世紀左右在這幾個珊瑚島上生活。 新喀里多尼亞係自1859年發行地方郵票並在1892年才有第一枚正式的郵票，要留意當時的郵票係除新喀里多尼亞外也註明其屬地也可以使用，一直至1920年首枚加蓋瓦利斯和富圖納的郵票開始兩者才分道揚鑣，這種加蓋方式直到1944年首枚真正的瓦利斯和富圖納郵票發行為止， 瓦利斯和富圖納每年僅發行15枚以內的郵票，超過一半都和群島上的事物有關，好像這枚信封上的是畫家Aloï Pilioko所畫的《桌子》(Tableau)與1996年在新喀里多尼亞努美亞舉辦的世界玻里尼西亞獨木舟錦標賽，後面是南太平洋當地經典的海邊房屋。 Wallis et Futuna only issues less than 15 stamps every year, more than half of them are related to local, examples affixed on envelope are painting of Aloï Pilioko “Tableau” and the World Polynesian Pirogue Championship held in Nouméa, New Caledonia in 1996, background is classic local seaside house in South Pacific. 惟1961年從新喀里多尼亞獨立成一個海外集體後，自1920年開始的郵票依然有支付郵資效力。 這個二萬人口都不夠的法屬海外領土不用估計現在僅有兩間郵政局，分別在富圖納的利瓦(Leava)，係錫加韋王國的一個較多人口的村莊；與及瓦利斯和富圖納首府馬塔烏圖(Mata-Utu)，其實昔日至2010年代如富圖納的西南村落奧納(Ono)都還郵政據點。並不意外的是從這裡寄出的郵件絕大部份都是銷馬塔烏圖郵政局日戳，集郵服務中心也就在郵政局的隔壁。 近年瓦利斯和富圖納每個月都會發行新郵票，但每年的總數也是10至15枚郵票而已，以致他們根本沒有發行通用郵票。這個二萬人口不夠的法國海外集團也沒有很多人會使用郵政服務，反正最常使用的都是外國駐當地的員工或遊客，發行具當地特色風土和景觀郵票便切合需要，惟經3次實測他們處理集郵品往往需時甚久，除了以年計完成要求外郵寄信件也是以月計算，他們的郵遞路綫已經表明會先將郵袋發往新喀里多尼亞然後處理，這令我曾計算到他們每年處理的掛號郵件僅有30至40封左右。

even many people will associate French Polynesia with the name ‘a bevy of beauties’, for other countries will be a vague impression, such as Vanuatu is an ‘immigration paradise’, celebrate the New Year twice a day in Kiribati, and Nauru is a bird-shit island country where China donates it a lot of money, other than thats it is really difficult to say what they are. Many ignorance people will rely on the one-way perception of television news to think that the powerful China has gradually become influential in this region, in recent years those people with illusion that China can challenge the regional hegemonies of the United States and Australia, but they do not know that the South Pacific is still a backyard of France owned 3 overseas collectives (collectivité d’outre-mer) with a total area of 22.884km² since the 18th century, the scale is only after the Solomon Islands, except for Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea in narrow sense of Oceania.

2 of the 3 overseas collectives of France in this region are French Polynesia (Polynésie française), commonly known as Tahiti; and New Caledonia (Nouvelle-Calédonie) upgraded to a Sui generis collectivity on 2025, these are almost well-known of people; However, not all people known where is Wallis et Futuna. It is an islands located in the northeast of New Caledonia, sandwiched between Vanuatu and Fiji. In here I shortly leave the topic to explain that Vanuatu was originally called the New Hebrides Islands before independence in 1980, the archipelago was jointly administered by France and Britain since 1887. Although Wallis et Futuna are closed to the New Hebrides, it was under the administration of New Caledonia before 1961, and she first appeared on the map in about 1616. Before that,

1930年以新喀里多尼亞及領地1928年發行的風光郵票加蓋發行的瓦利斯和富圖納郵票。 An overprinted Wallis et Futuna stamp issued in 1930, original is one of the 1928 New Caledonian landscape issue. 馬塔烏圖郵政局，1977年發行。 Mata-Utu Post Office, 1977.

there was evidence that people from the Lapita culture lived on these coral islands around the 7th century BC.

New Caledonia issued its local stamps in 1859 and did not have the formal official stamp until 1892, noted that the stamps could also be used in dependences of New Caledonia this period. The first stamps of Wallis et Futuna issued in 1920 and first real stamps issued in 1944, but anyway the stamps since 1920 still vaild for postage even after independence from New Caledonia into an overseas collective in 1961.

It is not estimated that less than 20.000 people of this French overseas collective now has only two post offices, one is Leava of Futuna, which is a large population village in the Kingdom of Sigavé; another one is located at Mata-Utu, the capital of Wallis and Futuna. Beside of these two post offices, Ono which is a southwestern village of Futuna also has postal service point until 2010’s year. Nevertheless it is not surprisingly most of the mails sent from Wallis et Futuna are datestamped at Mata-Utu Post Office, and the philatelic service centre is in the same place of this post office building.

In recent years, Wallis et Futuna issues new stamps every month, most of them are local customs and landscape themes, but the total number controlled 10 to 15 stamps per year, as there just with a population of 20.000 does not have many people who will use the postal serviceso, they do not issue definitive stamps for a long time, foreign employees or tourists in the local area are generally customers of postal service. However, after 3 times of trial, the philatelic service always takes a long time for them to process philatelic products. Mailing letters are also calculated on a monthly basis, their postal route has indicated that they will send the mailbags to New Caledonia first and then process them, which makes me calculate that they only handle about 30 to 40 registered mails every year.

除了東方倉鴞，不難理解瓦利斯和富圖納由於位於西南太平洋，故也是當地海鳥和候鳥遷徙路徑途經之處，他們間中會發行這些物種的雀鳥郵票。右邊信封上繪畫Nukufotu島礁上的海鳥郵票在1999年發行，我在2009年把郵票寄去蓋銷了，這是我的第一次嘗試，郵票上的海鳥分別是太平洋岩鷺(Egretta sacra)、奥杜邦氏鸌(Puffinus lherminieri)、軍艦鳥(Fregata minor)和紅尾鸏(Phaethon rubricauda)。

Beside of Eastern Barn Owl, the South-West Pafific islands Wallis et Futuna is on the main migration route of local seabirds and migratory birds, thus stamps often to be issued for the records. On the right side envelope is a strip of 4 Nukufotu seabird stamps issued in 1999, 4 species from left to right are Eastern Reef Heron, Sargasso Shearwater, Great Frigate Bird and Red-tailed Tropic Bird. This also was my first time to send postmark request to Wallis et Futuna.