Vulaga to Taveuni

 The Lau Group of Islands. A good overview from YachtHelp Fiji. 

Vulaga Island (Source)

'This is the most unique and beautiful of the Southern Lau islands with a spectacular array of limestone islets and arches of all sizes dotted throughout the lagoon. The People of Fulaga are known for excellent wood carvings and are skilled in making canoes and 'tanoa' which are wooden bowls carved out of local hardwood and used in Yaqona Ceremonies and social gatherings across Fiji. There is also some excellent diving to be found here, most notably a drift dive in the Fulaga Passage where many pelagic species can be seen.'

Vulaga/Fulaga is the key island in the southern Lau group. It’s down at the southeast end of Fiji; so getting there involves traveling against prevailing winds. There are no markets so you have to stock up before you go, and when we visited there wasn’t much in the way of waypoints and information. Since it’s been a few years since we were there; I’d assume there’s now much more information.

Fulaga is an overnight (or two depending on your departure time) trip from pretty much anywhere, and you have to time your arrival to coincide with slack tide in daylight so you can go through the narrow pass into the lagoon. Conversely, you have to time your exit through that same pass and do it in calm weather; so be aware that you can’t just leave whenever it’s convenient. And whenever you move about between anchorages, you will probably want someone keeping a lookout on the bow. This is a place that takes extra effort to visit.

So why go? Because it truly is one of the earth’s most fantastically beautiful places, reminiscent of Palau. In the atoll are rock island groups and long stretches of pristine white beaches. You could probably spend a year exploring this place as clusters of rock islands make their own little worlds, and I’d guess that you could probably find a beach (ranging from tiny to a long stretch) for every day of the year. And the diving and snorkeling are amazing, especially in the pass. (Although there are actually several nice areas to snorkel here.)

If you like village life, there is that, too. Everyone has to begin with the anchorage that has the path to the village. In the past, there was one guy (Tai) who had taken it upon himself to be the main liaison between cruisers and the village. He was great at it, but that didn’t necessarily sit well with the rest of the villagers as they’re all supposed to take turns being host family. Tai was away when we went ashore; so we just walked down the path and came across a really nice couple who invited us to their home and took us to the chief.

Since our visit, the people of Fulaga have really implemented the the host family system. Visitors are now strictly assigned to host families.

The process for visiting Fulaga goes like this:

Take your boat to the village anchorage and find a spot. If it’s still relatively early in the day you should go ashore, otherwise head in the following morning.

When you go ashore, duck into the little storage building there and put on your sulu. If no one has appeared to meet you, follow the path to the village. If you haven’t been met by then, go into the village and someone will greet you and arrange for you to see the chief. At some point, you’ll also be assigned a host family.

You’ll do your sevusevu and present the fee along with your kava, and if it’s close to Sunday (like Friday or Saturday), you’ll be invited to attend church (and you pretty much should say yes). You’ll also be invited to the Sunday meal (after church) at your host family’s home, and you’ll also say yes to this. We did go to church, and to our host family’s meal, and since this village is so removed, we brought a gift bag with several items we thought they’d like. They have very little and can use things like tools, cookware, anything you can think of.

The people are of the village are very warm, and they will embrace you to the extent you wish to be embraced. Once again, you choose your experience. While we were there, one cruiser was in the village daily, helping them with projects, going fishing, and spending time. And he had people out to his boat, including watching a movie which was a really neat thing for the kids. At the other end of the spectrum was us who quickly went off to the anchorages, but what made that work is that we were clear with our host family (and at our sevusevu with the chief) that our goals were to snorkel and visit the anchorages. By being clear with our intent, I think they understood when we didn’t return to the village after leaving to visit the anchorages a couple of days later. People spend up to a month here, and some go back for Sunday services and some don’t.

Update: From what we’ve observed, the host family system has changed things and made it more difficult for cruisers to be independent from village life. It seems the expectation is to come in for Sunday church and lunches, and your host family will expect to be invited to visit you (and be entertained) on your boat. We haven’t visited since these changes have occurred but from what we’ve heard things are quite different. We’re not happy about the changes, which I talk about in this post.

Note: They do wood working here, and you’ll probably want to buy something not only to support the village, but because they have some really beautiful wares. Plus the village may have a lovo out on the beach. If they do, think of it as a pot luck and bring a dish, maybe provision for this before you come.

Do be aware of the fee (I think it was 50fd if I remember correctly). If you don’t like the fee; you don’t have to come. If you do come, pay it and don’t argue.

We spent nearly 4 weeks here and feel very lucky to have been able to experience this amazing place. There is something here for everyone.

As far as getting here, you need conducive weather, and you need to be stocked up on food and supplies. This means it’s really best to wait for calm weather and do an overnight (or two) motor from Savusavu or Suva. Some people manage to make it from Vanua Balavu, but they have only a very small market with not much in the way of supplies, so you’ll be going to Fuluga with depleted supplies from your time in Vanua Balavu and waiting for a weather window south. If you leave from Savusavu or Suva, you can see a window coming and get fully stocked, then get down to Fuluga. From Fulaga it is much easier to get a weather window to Vanua Balavu than vice versa, and you can go there on your way back north.

Vulaga lagoon

Ogea Levu

Ogea Levu is about 7 nm east of Vulaga. This island has a deep and wide pass and the diving is truly awesome. The lagoon, surrounded with magnificent reefs, is a rich fishing ground and a divers haven. The village is located in a large bay at the south end of the island and the people of Ogea are known for their happy and carefree approach to life. This bay contains many small islets and is great to explore by tender.

Yagasa Group 

This uninhabited group of four islets about 20 nm north of Ogea Levu provides some great exploring and beachcombing on pristine beaches that are rarely visited by people. For those keen to keep active, the lagoon has some stunning diving and snorkelling.

Namuka-I-Lau

This is about 10 nm WNW from Yagasu Levu. Blog entry. 

Komo Island 

Komo has an easily accessible lagoon which is entered through the West Pass on the northwest side. It is about 12 nm north of Namuka I-Lau. Anchor on the north side of the island where you will be sheltered from the trade winds and where the beaches are pristine. There is only one village called Moce on the southeast of the island and the land is flat so if you get tired of relaxing on the beach, there are some nice walks across the island.

Komo Island

Oneata Island 

This low-lying island is about 17 nm NNE of Komo Island and is surrounded by a large lagoon so there is plenty of smooth water and space for kite-surfing if desired. On the island there are two villages; Dakuiloa and Waiqori. The latter is the chiefly village where you will make your first stop to present your Sevusevu to the Chief of Oneata. Your yacht will anchor in one of the uninhabited bays on the northwest side of the island. Here, there is a deep-water pass named Middle Passage that allows entry to the lagoon. Good snorkelling and diving can be found in both these areas. From your anchorage, it is a short tender ride to the villages on the south side of the island where you can enjoy a pleasant 30-minute walk along the track that links both villages.

Oneata Island

Lakeba Island

About 17 nm NW of Oneata Island is Lakeba, one of the islands with an airport and flights on Thursdays.

Thursday 15th June. Dep 11.55am. Eta 13.10pm AU$180.28. 8 seats.

Thursday 22nd June. Dep 11.55am. Eta 13.10pm AU$180.28. 8 seats.

Tubou is considered the capital of the Lau Islands.

This volcanic island is about 6 miles across and is the political centre of the Lau Group. The main village is Tubou and lies near the only well-protected anchorage in the lagoon. There are 6 other villages spread around the coast. Noonsite

Position 18° 14.73’S, 178° 49.10’W (pass entrance)

The channel through the reef off Tubou is very narrow (23 m wide), is only roughly marked and very challenging. About half a mile inside the reef, a channel leads to a long jetty, beyond which, is a narrow basin in which to anchor. Here there is about 6m over sand. Several anchors will be needed to ensure remaining centered in this small anchorage.

There is an airport with a weekly flight to Suva.

There are a few basic shops and a clinic.

Cicia Island

This is about 40 nm NW of Lakeba Island. It also has an airport, with flights on Tuesdays.

Tuesday 13th June. Dep 11.40am. Eta 12.40pm AU$172.65.
Tuesday 20th June. Dep 11.40am. Eta 12.40pm AU$172.65.
Tuesday 27th June. Dep 11.40am. Eta 12.40pm AU$172.65.

Tarakau

Vanuabalavu

It is about 35 nm NNE from Cicia Island.

It has an airport, with flights every Wednesday.

Wednesday 14th June. Dep 8.25am. Eta 9.35am. AU$180.28

Wednesday 21st June. Dep 8.25am. Eta 9.35am. AU$217.34

Wednesday 28th June. Dep 8.25am. Eta 9.35am. AU$217.34

VISITING VANUA BALAVU (THE NORTHERN LAU) (Source)

The Northern Lau, specifically its key island, Vanua Balavu, is east of the Fiji group and an overnight trip from Fulaga. This is the location of the Bay of Islands, plus some other nice anchorages. The Southern Lau tends to get all the accolades, but the northern Lau, though different, is just as special. Well, at least to us.

If you took a poll, most people would tell you Fulaga is best. If you love beaches, be aware there aren’t really any nice ones here. If you loved the village in Fulaga, you might find this one is not as embracing and special. The snorkeling, while nice, isn’t nearly as spectacular as Fulaga. There’s not actually a lot of places to anchor; so don’t come when a crowd (rally) is here. The fee is higher here (If I remember correctly, 30fd per person), and the anchorages are far more limited.

So why bother to go? Because of the scenery, especially in the Bay of Islands. It has Thailand-like rock pinnacles, coves and hidden little places amid rock islands. It’s unique with a Pacific Northwesty-feel from its vegetation and mountain peaks. In the water, electric blue fights it out with electric green every hour of the day as the sun and clouds shift the intensity of light.

If colorful water and rock pinnacles don’t do much for you, you might want to skip this. I did talk to someone who was pretty disappointed with it, but he loved that village in Fulaga and didn’t care as much about this sort of scenery. So, in all I guess while there is something for everyone in Fulaga, there is not necessarily something for everyone here in Vanua Balavu. I’d advise looking at Google Images and seeing if it intrigues you. We loved it.

When you come here, you need to first anchor off Dalconi Village, and then ask for Sam, who is the liaison between cruisers and the chief, and do the sevusevu thing, even if it’s late in the day. (From what I gather, they’ve had people come in and skip out on the sevusevu and fee, and now they get worried if you wait too long.)

When you do the sevusevu here at Dalconi Village, you are covered for them and for the Bay of Islands a few miles away. (There are no people in the Bay of Islands area). If you visit other villages, you will need to do sevusevu there. Dalconi, in turn, provides a few services, coming in their boat to collect trash and offering trips to see the sea caves (for a fee). By the time we got to the Bay of Islands, it was late in the season, we were about the only people there, and the trash collecting and sea cave excursions had dwindled out along with the cruisers. That was OK with us because we loved having this area to ourselves.

Since we didn’t have good holding off Dalconi, we spent the night in Malaka Bay right nearby. There’s a bus that stops twice a week by the village in Malaka and goes to the Lomaloma, the town on the other side of the island. We opted to go because we were nearly out of eggs (and as it turned out the town was really neat to see). We would need to walk through the village at Malaka to get to the bus stop but were told by Sam we would not need to do a sevusevu there. But on our way through a man came up and said we needed to do a sevusevu with their chief when we came back through. We said OK, but since we were leaving as soon as we got back, we didn’t do it.

After you’ve finished your sevusevu and provisioning, you’ll probably want to start your Vanua Balavu visit in the Bay of Islands not far north of Dalconi Village. There are several areas to visit on Vanua Balavu, but if you only have time to do one, make it this one. Once you’re finished in the Bay of Islands, there are some other nice anchorages on this island to consider.

Bay of Islands

One is Mbavatu. It looks large, but it’s deep and not easy to anchor. The whole area is owned by a foreigner, the same guy who owns the Copra Shed marina. He’s built a yacht club here with moorings, but it was closed when we were there. We didn’t know if we were allowed to pick up a mooring so we motored over to the beautiful southwest bay only to find a mooring smack in the middle of it. We went to the innermost part of this harbor and managed to get anchored in fairly deep water after finding too much coral further in. Come to find out later, yachties are welcome to pick up a mooring ball by the club.

Mbavatu is not Fijian owned and you don’t need to do a sevusevu, but there’s a caretaker and some other workers on shore, and you can say hello if you run across them.

One must-do is climbing the series of stairs up the hillside. There’s a boat dock near the head of the bay where you can tie up your dinghy, and from there it’s not hard to find the stairs. Once you’ve climbed them, go east to find the caretakers’ settlement and plantation. Continue walking until you get to a couple of vacation rental places. They’ll probably be unoccupied, and if so, you can walk around the yards to see terrific views of Mbavatu harbor on one side and a bit of the Bay of Islands area on the other side.

Just south of Mbavatu is a popular but narrow bay called Little Bay, and we’ve heard it’s pretty nice. You do need to do a Sevusevu there, but from what we hear it’s a different process. It seems it’s a very long walk to the local village; so they send someone out to collect the kava from visiting yachts and bring it to the chief. I’m not sure about my accuracy on this so consult Soggy Paws or Venture Farther.

Beyond that, there are other village anchorages further south, all requiring Sevusevu. This is out of our realm so we’d advise consulting Soggy Paws or Venture Farther.

Taveuni

About 60 nm NW of Vanuabalavu is Taveuni Island.

It has an airport at Matei, with four flights daily, every day, to Nadi.

Four flights daily, every day. AU$272.93.

Approx 9.00am and 16.30pm

The Complete Travel Guide to Taveuni