Viani Bay, Savusavu, and Taveuni, Fiji

Viani Bay resort

Fish Poison tree flowers

Fish poison tree fruits- these are to be found floating on the ocean and washed up on beaches everywhere in Fiji

Papaya tree with blossoms

Viani Bay

Viani Bay

Locals regularly burn out the hillsides in Fiji

Rain over Taveuni

Giant Clam shell holy water container, Taveuni church

Looking across the Somosomo Strait from Taveuni

Taveuni church

Taveuni church

The grand monument on the 180th parallel, Taveuni

the 2nd kayak finds an akward home

Savusavu sunset

Viani Bay, and the White Wall and Rainbow Reef
We left the deceptive calm of Fawn Harbor on the south side of Vanua Levu and headed out into 25knot headwinds and big swells.  After a rough ride out through the narrow reef passage we seemed to sit still for a long time as the engine fought the effects of wind and swells steepened by the shallow water.  Once out, we turned and spent a long day beating our way west towards Viani Bay.  Things got a little wet inside as saltwater found its way through the leaky spots we haven’t located and fixed yet.
The prospect of navigating the reef passage into Viani Bay in this weather was a little daunting; fortunately we found that the wind fell off to almost nothing once we got into the lee of Taveuni Island.  To our surprise, the Raymarine electronic chart plotter was missing information on the entire eastern and northern portions of Vanua Lavu.  We ended up going in blind, trying to discern the location of the White Wall’s abrupt rise in dark water swirling with strange currents.  The 3D info showing up on the twinscope depth sounder screen was greek to me.  Cpt used some sort of sixth-sense sailor intuition to parallel the invisible reef and then turn in at the right point.
Inside Viani Bay was the largest gathering of cruising boats we had seen in Fiji, outside of Savusavu.  The bay was deep and good anchor space was a bit scarce.  Most boats were at the north end of the bay, near a resort and the home of the legendary Jack Fisher.  A couple were on moorings.  There was one other boat on the west side of the bay about a mile in from the point.  We found a spot on the east side, south of a small island.  There was a nice white sand beach lined with tropical forest and bordered by mangroves growing in sand.  We anchored in 30’ with a white sand and coral bottom, and put out a stern anchor to keep from dragging off the steep slope.  The stern anchor had mostly rhode on it, and Dave ended up diving for it when we left several days later, as it was well wrapped up in the coral heads below us. 
The weather stayed nice for us.  Every day we could look across the straight and watch the rain showers falling on the Taveuni rainforests.  The clouds were always empty by the time they reached us.  The hills around Viani Bay were mostly dry grass.  Occasionally the locals would set fire to portions of this grass, and the bush fires would race up the steep hills for a little way before losing steam.  Jack, a colorful local character who was full of tall tales, told us that a local family set the fires so fresh grass would grow and attract cattle from a neighboring family, which they would then steal.  We enjoyed Jack’s company and went to his family’s place one night for a really excellent $5 curry buffet held for the yachties. 
I didn’t have diving gear, so we just did a couple snorkels.  Once we anchored inside the reef then swam out over it to the white wall.  There were some nice trumpet fish and schools of some kind of feeding silver fish, though this would be a better SCUBA dive.  On a different day we went out with Jack, who took us to a really great snorkel spot.  The current was quite strong and we ended up getting back in the boats at the beginning and going back up-current.  It would pay to be very cautious of currents here if snorkeling without an attendant.  We drifted over gorgeous soft corals and saw several small blacktip sharks.  The corals were especially good if we dived and looked inside grottos and under overhangs- a real living rainbow.

Fiji interior landscape

Vanua Levu interior

Vanua Levu interior

Mesh that the babies oysters start off on

Pearl farm tending boat

Savusavu anchorage at dusk

Drier Vanua Levu landscape around Labasa

Pearl seeds

Sugarcane around Labasa

Savusavu anchorage

Geothermal steam rising along the shoreline, Savusavu anchorage

Savusavu hotsprings

Walking to school on a new bridge over the hotsprings

Savusavu anchorage and hotsprings

Some sailors took a short boat trip over to Taveuni for supplies when the weather was nice.  We found no stores or vegetable markets in Viani Bay.   There was one dive shop a couple miles west of Viani Bay on Vanua Lava, and several others on Taveuni.  On the point southeast of the bay was a large estate owned by an American from California who visits briefly only once or twice a year.

Makongai. Fiji

A former leper colony with interesting colony ruins, a fisheries research station, and a popular anchorage.

The old theatre

The old jail

The village bell

Reef seeding

Funny shiny ball algae

Levuka, Fiji

Levuka church

Levuka hospital

A missionary school

The former Mason Hall, Levuka

The former Mason Hall, Levuka

Levuka

Town water supply, Levuka

Hillside above Levuka

Levuka is pretty little town; old storefronts with facades like something out of the American West.  A surprising number of stores, given the size of the town, though there are 8000 inhabitants on the island as a whole.  Tuna canning factory seems quiet but apparently employs 1/10 people here.  Cpt warns not to swim here because of sharks.  Amusingly, Water Sports Levuka does dives around the pier and harbor entrance- guess there are some fun nasties down there to swim with!  Saw some juvenile blue starfish under there.    I’m all set with swimming here.
Had an afternoon beer at the Ovuala Club after accidentally walking in on a regional chiefs meeting at the town hall and shaking hands.  Next door was the burnt-out remains of Fiji’s first mason hall.  All the rituals with skulls and stuff had the locals believing the masons were practicing witchcraft.  After some local Methodist ministers got them worked up in 2000, they burned it down.  Doesn’t look like the FD even tried to do anything about it, naturally.
FD had two adorable lil fire engines that I wanted to put in my pocket and take home with me.  From Japan, where they did 15yrs service, then 15 yrs Suva, and new here apparently.  They seem to sit out in the ocean breeze every day, so that won’t last.  Nice paint anyway.  The guys said the one in house when we stopped carries 2000L.  Nice NZ snap-connnections, and pre-connected hard suction.  Not sure where on the thing they had room for any equipment or pre-connects or supply line.  Couple guys in blue overalls manning the station.  15k to other side island to respond, only one station, but talk about getting lots of substations. 
Hospital was pretty run down looking from outside, really in need of paint etc.  Landscaping OK though, as in most places.  Went in for some seasick pills.  Chemist gave me some meds free, which later turned out to be anti-emitic/anti-psychotics…think I will toss those!  Inside the hospital was better than tonga- baseboards intact, floor cleanish, etc.  But hard to believe the place was built in 2002.  New teeth cost $175.  Embalming $200 Fiji, morgue costs $50/day after 3 days, and $100 day after 6!
Just gorgeous backdrop here of steep basalt cliffs with veg clinging.  The center of the island is an extinct crater with a village in it. 

Kadavu, Fiji

Kadavu

Poorly marked twisting passages through hard-to-see reefs

Kadavu village

Channel through the mangroves

Kadavu village

Penned pig over the mangroves

Kadavu village

Kadavu village

Chief Sami of Kadavu village

Left Dravuni for Ono first, but it looked not too exciting on Ono, so we kept going.   Autopilot not working after the fire, so I’m steering the whole way, very happily.  Cpt showing me all kinds of stuff, so it’s a great day.  Watching whole way across and steering around lots of shoals on the chart, though nothing much visible.  Just a couple coral heads looking dark under the water as we left Dravuni.  Past lil inhabited islands and Ono-- steepish vegetated slopes, not much beach, very little village-clad area.  Skipped anchoring at Ono and headed for Kadavu passage. 
Apparently the chart is off- had us going right over a shoal at one point when there was clear water… lots of marks missing, lots of coral heads not marked.  Enjoyed very much steering and watching dark line on dark blue background on small screen in bright sun and scanning for coral heads and scooting plotter ahead to see winding course ahead of us all at once- a nice challenge.  Hot and low wind from behind us, sweating and drinking lots but no sunburn gotta base tan now.  Perfect conditions for the passage.  Curved around southeast side Kadavu, weaving to avoid coral patches as they appeared as light blue patches ahead.  Couple nice towns with big churches, etc, really sheltered anchorages.  Seemed most towns here are on a river.  Dive resort in behind a little shore reef with a big sheltered section of Astrolabe reef beckoning brilliant blue next to a passage out beyond.  Sections with tons of marks missing, Cpt surmises locals have taken them in spite/trick.  Big waves curving over and pounding onto Astrolabe Reef, Cpt sees good but dangerous surfing- a right hand and a left by a passage.  The outer reef passages are maybe ½ mile wide average, big surf either side.  Our inner passage is maybe 1/3 deep clear water, and the rest narrow channel, places you have to steer around lines of reef or coral-head laden open areas.  Dangers are pretty easy to spot though 
Then a weird narrow passage… chart plotter showed the passage going right over shoal, a critical marker was missing… we headed up towards a pair of small islands with a mark next to them, all you could see was a long line of reef to the south and Astrolabe to the east.  Though maybe we’d have to go back the way we came, but fast running out of room to turn around.  Cpt takes wheel.  Glad he’s here- I’d be shitting myself if I was alone.  Narrow passage shows itself at the last minute - maybe 40’ wide with coral rising up at sides.  It makes a 90 degree turn halfway, then there was a good current running against us.  Watched coral on bottom as we motored slow, seemed like we were standing still for a bit.  Quite an awesome experience through there.
Couple bays later we arrived at Kadavu Village.  Anchored at river mouth, it shoaled up real quick, just time to stop and reverse.  I forgot about dingy and risked wrapping its rope around the prop.  Got the hang of spotting coral and marks pretty quick on passage.  Great fun. 
Tried to take dingy in, but found coral right away in every direction.  Low tide so we gave up til later.  Sound of singing on loudspeaker from church on hill.  Sunday.  Tons of big fish and schools of fish jumping. 

Next day we headed into village for sevuseve. High tide and easy to go up river.  Found the village school- tied up dingy to log.  Felt like going upriver in Apocalypse Now.  Mangrove channels, litl tin and wooden houses, mountains and mist in background.  Bula from a couple people at school, little shy kid or two, but otherwise entire village almost deserted.  Slippery muddy logs to walk on, a concrete path or two.  In east section, high ground, all houses wood and painted the same light blue.  Aid Project? 
Crossed rickety bridge of random gappy boards to muddy path.  Soil red and clay, luxuriant foliage.  First house around bend was the minister's   Dark faces, flattened noses, eyes sorta hooded and sleepy looking, look friendly when talking but sometimes sorta sullen when just sitting thinking.. Smaller than Tongans, sorta European sized, variation of skin darkness, some quite dark mocha.  Melanesian features look better on men than woman, though some younger girls are very pleasant looking in a cute way and with good figures. 
Chiefs house was, again, one of the more modest in the village - steel roof and plywood walls coming apart at bottoms.  Leave shoes outside, if you still have them after the shoe-sucking mud walk across the yard.  More concrete paths in a ring along the village, very popular with the dogs, especially the second day when we stepped over one every 50’ or so taking afternoon naps on the cool concrete.  Lots of multicolored chickens with little ID ribbons tied to their feathers.  Few people around, minister took us to chief after we had talked to him awhile. 
Sat on mat floor, chief friendly right off, laughed a lot.  We showed our boat papers and he offered to drink kava with us. 
This house had family pics up high on the walls.  It consisted of a dirtfloor kitchen full of wandering chickens and a large room- ¾ for gathering and ¼ for a two-bed sleeping area.  There were plain floor mattresses for sleeping, a saw and kava bowl on wall, some hanging cloths to sep sleep area, few books and magazines, big wooden china cabinet thing with legs in tuna cans held some plastic ware, lots tea cups, cassava-coconut cake for breakfast/guests… hurricane lanterns, no electric there, kava roots…The village has flowing water from several handpumps… The was a hydroelectric put in by an aid group, above the falls, in ‘96, but now it's just broken pipe and seized motor.  Diesel generator came from an aid group in 06 but it broke and no one knew how to fix it, now batteries gone too.  Church and ministers house have private generators.  Seemed like everyone was in a meeting today.  Chief was gong to go work in garden, just caught him and drank kava all morning and part of afternoon instead. 
Asked them lots of questions, made lots of jokes - laughed at our 2nd-rate Suva kava, told them about Antarctica- they were astounded that there was a place with no sun half the year.  The chief very solemnly showed us a faded pic of a guy from Alaskan he'd met in 1986 and asked us to tell him 'hi' when we got back to the US... Talked about his family - one petulant teenage daughter at home, a second in school at the mainland.  The spend most of their time farming, and sell kava- they said Kadavu is main kava source, best stuff, with a different taste than other places.  Joked about the minister being a girl for not drinking much kava.  He had a couple bowls, asked if I wanted some, I had 3 of 4 half bowls and felt a lil invigorated and relaxed.  Very nice tradition.  Chief said a long formulated greeting when he officially accepted us, then some more over the kava, some speak-and-response stuff, and lots of clapping - finish kava, clap once or more, said something in Fiji, minister tipped over the last drops onto the ground.  We were a lil lost during the ceremonies but it seemed fine.  Cpt offered to look at generator, but we couldn't do anything about the lack of batteries. My knees were stiff at the end from sitting crosslegged for hours.
One little shop in village, with food.  Cheap durable goods at Chinese shop.  This was isolated way over to the side of the village- not sure if for convenience of landing goods or cause of racial stuff.  Owner friendly, seemed really eager to talk to someone.
There's a little dive resort north of the village - very nice place, thatch and wood neat buildings, beaut open common area with hardwood shining floors.   Friendly bonded looking group of maybe a dozen there, mostly middle aged couples, a couple young couples and a young guy or two.  Nice mix budget and upper market accomodation.  Lots bird calls and grunts and hoots in forest. 
The next morning we went for a great kayak through the mangroves.  Rained heavy in night and morning and brown currents of runoff swirled at every paddle stroke at the river mouth.  The main river channel about 100’ wide with bar across the mouth.  Hardly any current.  Cloudy. 
We took a righthand side channel paddled through trees.  Glad we don't have to worry about crocs yet.    Real beaut and evocative in there, greens, hanging vines, giant pea pods, bats, screeching blue birds.  I’d like to see a Kadavu musk parrot.  Pigs in cages on stilts over river.  Freerange pigs on islands at low tide foraging amongst mangrove roots.  Paddled into 20’-40’ wide channels winding amongst mangroves.  Eventually a channel opened out into the village.  Tied up at ministers house and walked in, today tons of people around, everyone saying hi, working in smokehouse, drying roots, many sitting in homes, kids running around.  When is school?  Lots of pre school ones, one calls come eat!  Beaut plantings around - all the flowers, 7’ tall orchids.  Men here wear western clothes, women nice two-piece dresses with tops that come down over hips, or  shirt and sarong.  Sandals, or rubber  boots when wet. 
We brought snacks today to the chief and the teenage daughter was super excited about it.
Walked around village with the chief, sat and talked for a lil while, wife was folding laundry she did yesterday.  We visited the waterfall.  The chief has chronic back pain - coconut fell on him and broke his back when he was young.  He picked some leaves for pain relief on the way back - alternate oval serrated fuzzy leaves with round qtip like white flowers in a bunch, sorta like toothache plant flowers?  Waterfall was really beaut- three levels, volcanic rock with layers oxidation running down and coloring the stone with warm colors. Cpt and I both swam around in spite its flooded state.
Over to Lion Rock to snorkel in afternoon, tricky trip over reef in dingy, had to paddle some.  Nice to use arms again.  Cloudy and rain for snorkel.  Sea snake black and white, 3’, moved with beaut grace, hanging form surface then oozing down to bottom into coral and up again.   Lots juvi fish, angels bright, wrasses, Moorish idols, one new kind tunicate.  Some sponges and brain coral.  Drop off into channel sandy with dead rolled down coral.  Oar lock froze up on way back to boat and we almost ended up no the reef.  Cold trip in through rain- time for hot coffee!  Had some coffee fudge that stayed in fridge all the way across f NZ.  Frozen chic for dinner.  Not much at Chinese store for food - crackers, canned meat, cookies, 2 chips, oil, oats,…
I write in the evening after Cpt's asleep, one cabin light on, sitting at table legs bent up, feet on seat, typing.  Sound of dingy splashing off stern, anchor chain rubbing, water in drains shifting back and forth.  Slight cool breeze flowing through boat.  Plantains gift from minister on table next to me, money and camera drying from waterfall.  Will I miss this life as I think someday?  Better appreciate it now…

We headed for an anchorage on the south side of Kadavu in the morning.  Wind and cloud and low sun made for a very different picture from last time we went through the passage - Cpt spotting some reefs I had trouble seeing.  Out through reef break, following local powerboat going fast.  Surf looked big and scary from inside and I kept thinking about KonTiki's landing on a breaking reef, since I'd just read the book.  It looked even worse from the outside, the back of big blue breakers rearing up onto the unseen reef and throwing a pall of mist up into the air along the long miles of Astrolabe reef.  The sea got pretty steep and rough at the passages entrance- a violence of motion I normally would have delighted in, but was content today to merely weather it without getting nauseous.  Damaged by inner ears in Antarctica, and now I get seasick.  I got down from the lazarette cover and stood in front of the wheel, braced against B’s wheel loop and steered.  I’ll get over seasickness by merit of sheer stubborness. 
Seas calmed a lot and we sailed along on a reach a few miles outside the reef - actually a lil too close for me!  I wasn’t very with it for some reason today and did a shitty job of steering - trouble keeping eye on compass and shifting viewpoints and correctly gauging my corrections on the pitching, shifting boat.  Got a bit frustrated. 
Through passage into Vunisea area and Galoa Harbor, where we anchored.  Channel marks missing and chart off.  Muddy water in Galao made it hard to see shoals.  Surrounded by mangrove swamp. 
Took dingy to try and get into town.  Found a pier and trucks and people, but waves washing against pier too hard.  Considered trying to anchor out… Locals were on/ beside the pier, of tied up to sticks stuck into the mud just off to the side.  We picked a tree on the opposite side of the inlet and tied up to it, with the anchor set off the bow.  Wonder if the dingy will ever be stolen in one of these places, or the kayaks.  Big 40’ raft of pumice and trash at shore.  Eruption lately?  Worst stuff for dingy.
Walked through some narrow muddy trails through gardens.  Tried to cross the river, but it was deep and only a slippery log and 10’ 4” bamboo across it, with no rope.  Went back and came up through a piggery and walked up hill into town.  Police station with two laughing female deputies and a sullen male yelling into a cell phone out back.
Road up the steep hill was made of aluminum fencing buried under dirt and what looked like some old irregular concrete.  Big secondary school where the students didn’t wave. Found market at bottom of hill as sign promised- baker was kiosk with a plate of orange glazed breads and a plate of unglazed breads, that's all.  Chinese shop smaller than the Kadavu village one, even though this place is much bigger - weird.  Got some coconuts and walked back.  Three drunk guys on road back.
First place with no sevu sevu or checking in.

 Next day, up early in AM for very awesome kayak paddle.  Went upsun to pink cliffs - porous basalt with caves.  Sand/mud bottom, not much life other than barnacle rocks with birds perched on top.  Nice island with interesting basalt layering and an irregular cap of limestone.   Tree with mystery fruit.
B worked on wiring and I cleaned tools.

Dravuni, Fiji

We left Suva and Dravuni- a small island just north of Kadavu Island- the same morning - good wind came up in night and good crossing.   Cpt leans against wheel and has me do same to see if I feel light electrical current.  This later turns out to be relevant. Sun in front of us and it's a lil hard to see reefs and marks and a big rock or two.  Coral head right in middle of channel.  Not picking out a lot of the stuff that Cpt saw, but this changes later. 

Tidy forest paths on Dravuni

Crab scarfing a coconut left by locals

Anchored off Dravuni in 18' sand with some grassy patches.  Went for a swim right off- good to be back in the tropics!  Surprised to see town had dock and lots of fancy thatch shelters along beach.  Motored in and presented sevu sevu greeting and offering to the chief.  We got in and an older guy was on dock and greeted us.  Lots friendly dogs around, no pigs or chickens surprisingly.  A group of 6 or 8 guys was sitting on the grass up from the pier and greeted us.  Houses - some really nice for here, almost all well painted wood with metal roofs, nice light blue roof on the school looked new and was held down with a rope resting on logs and running down to where it was tied to two concrete pads in the ground.  Against wind I guess, though no one else had the same.  Elaborate fence around school that we puzzled about.
Asked for chief and were pointed in to house across from pier, which strangely was one of the oldest and most rundown looking.  His wife greeted us, round rolly teddy bear-like happy woman.  She led us into the main room of the house, which, like Tongan main rooms, was mostly empty except for pictures of family high on the walls.  Talked about her kids.  She said he was in the bath, waited and talked to her a bit and he came in and changed in a second room behind a semi transparent curtain.  Came out and said ‘yes’ in answer to a question from his wife, then ‘papers’, and that was the end of the conversation. 
That evening I was sitting on the companionway steps, Cpt at the chart table, and I got a couple lungful of something nasty and started coughing.. Smelled chemical, but it was very faint and almost right away it was gone.  Wandered around sniffing for it for awhile, we fig’d it came from island, or maybe refrigerator which gives off some phosgene when hot (phosgene it was, turned out).  Wish I’d identified it at this point, as it might have saved a lot of damage… we were reading in dark with headlights later, starts getting smoked up high in the cabin, then gets down to us and I smell it strong all the sudden.  The smoke detector didn't go off.  Get up and turn on light and see how smoked up the cabin is… Cpt starts searching engine area, moves some stuff and crawls back to the engine access panel, and then I see a little bunch of electrical wires flare up over his head.  We kill power to those wires, smother the fire, and ventilate the boat.  Not much of the boat itself is singed, but there's all kinds of shorts and melted wiring- running through the starboard side of the main wiring center and back up into the wheel.. Cpt figs compass light got juiced by something bigger and overheated.  Scary how easily something like that can happen, even to someone who does electrical work as carefully as Cpt. Good thing we were on the boat when it happened.
Next day we started fixing the damage then motored out to the lil island with the beach in between two hills of volcanic rock.  Climbed up some loose crumbly stuff til the burrs stopped me for a nice view of the coral and volcanic dikes around me.  Big shells and hermit crabs, jumping crabs, coconut trees vines and thick brush.  One set of footprints- mine.
Snorkeled off a nearby uninhabited island.  I thought very beaut, Cpt bored with tropical reef life in Pacific.  Lil blue fishes like everywhere, lots jellyfish with light stings, one weird zigzag jelly thing not sure what it was, a small blacktip shark and some other big fish out in the deeper water, cool school of little fish that looked iridescent purple from afar, then blue, then green-yellow when you were over them.  Tons of little triggers but no big ones.  Best Christmas tree worms ever!  Beaut bicolors, many had CaCo3 tube home with a spike sticking out that I haven’t seen before.  Usual plethora of wrasses and parrot fish. Some wrasses were extremely beautiful.  New little horizontal banded fish with purple bottom.  Some little new orange shrimp or crabs hiding in burrows in ball of coral.  Lots of cold and warm currents, and many more jellies on western side.  Shallow sandy area warm like bathwater.  Swam most of way around the island. 
The third day we walked around the village.  Seemed like a couple hundred people maybe.  Little graveyard at north end path, couple more paths that went to south and across to other side of island.  Some steep hillsides with moody-looking dark jungle draped with vines.  Taro and mat fronds planted along sides, coconut trees, papayas, mangoes… lots poinsetta like flowers, purple morning glory like vines, yellow hibiscus-types and blue spikes kinda like mint but no odor.  Seemed like a little more diversity than Tonga, but maybe just cause stuff is blooming now.  Graveyard like in Tonga, raised concrete graves, some with cloths draped over the graves and colorful decorations.  Little overgrown but path well-trod and ended there.  Beach with tons of trash washed up on it, including an intact flourescent light bulb and a camera film case that we picked up to use as a container.  Rocks with tide pools with little sculpins peering at us myopically.
Walked up big hill, nice view.  Mystery water tanks on way - group up hill away from village, no visible catchment.  Electrical junction boxes along raked decoratively planted path, but no generator in sight.  Buried wire- alot of work for something that's not getting used.  Must have been an aid project.  Pigs and chickens all in pens, then gardens beyond.  Everyone says hi but seem uninterested in long conversations. 
Climbed hill and found Aussie couple messing around up there, funny.  I liked them, they're here doing solo, self-motivated relief work - education, medicine, and water containers.  She’s a retired teacher.  They brought a nurse over from Vunisea to do training here for a few days.  They spoke for awhile about how respectful kids are here, like in 1950s in the States.  They came here a few years ago on a cruise, and come back for a few months each year now.  Great views from the top of the hill of crystal clear water and the verdant island.