Matuku, and back to ‘Civilisation’

Three days of almost continuous rain in Fulaga was enough for us - we decided it was time to head back to the main Fiji island of Viti Levu, despite breaking the journey with a stop in Matuku, we still had to do an overnight sail to ensure we left one island and arrived at the next in daylight.

Our anchorage in Matuku - we took the dinghy ashore to the village of Lomati to  introduce ourselves and present the Kava for the Sevusevu.  Unfortunately we went at low tide - there is only a tidal range of about 1.2metres, but this exposed a good 250 metres of deep sticky mud.  Access to the village is only really advised at mid to high tide!

Lomati Village, bundles of Pandanus leaves dry out on a line prior to being woven into mats.

The population of Matuku is approximately 800, spread out over 7 villages.  Although still a very remote island and lacking internet, cars  and mains electricity, a supply ship visits two or three times a month enabling the locals to visit and trade with the main town of Suva on Viti Levu.   The village Ladies kept busy weaving mats, and many of the families  also grew Kava  and other produce to sell in Suva. There was a small shop in the village, tiny, but compared to Fulaga it was very well stocked with basic foodstuffs, cleaning materials and interestingly lots of black hair dye.  They do not sell any fresh produce as everyone grows their own but they were very generous and our Host Family kept giving us bananas, papaya, cooked fish and cassava roots.  

Everywhere we’ve been in the islands the locals have used fibreglass longboats for fishing and travel.  Our host family were making a quick visit to the main village of Yaroi and offered to take us with them.

Yaroi is the main village on Matuku, and the first place in Fiji to ever have a hospital.  Interestingly, after a period of 15 years with only a nurse they have just appointed a Doctor at the clinic.  We arrived in Yaroi at the end of the school day, at the local primary school the children were formally lowering the Fijian flag,  after which they turned round and gave us an official welcome.

At the time of our visit there were several other yachts visiting Matuku and we arranged for a local to guide us up to the top of a mountain overlooking the bay.  

It was incredibly steep - our guides had brought a rope with them and without it (and them) I really don’t think we would have made it up to the top or even back down again.

The wind blowing my hair on end as we clamber up to the top of the rocky hill.

It was a cloudy day so the view is not as dramatic as it could have been, we’re anchored in the large bay in the centre of the photo.

These are Kava plants - we were asked to walk round them carefully, they take about 5 years to grow to maturity and each plant yields about ½ kg of Kava which sells for FJ$120/kg (£40/kg).

At the end of our walk one of the guides literally ran up a coconut palm and threw down a load of coconuts - they chopped them open for us with the ever present machettes they carry at all times.

We left Matuku late afternoon for yet another night sail to the next island of Kadavu, it was high tide, when the surf in the pass is at it’s most dramatic - several of the other yachties had gone there for the surfing, but with the unforgiving coral reef just below the surface it certainly is not a place for the novice!

The view out of the cockpit as we head for the pass on our way out of Matuku.

The surf breaking on the edge of the pass - you do not want to get this wrong!

We had planned on spending a few days in Kadavu Island, walking and diving the Great Astrolabe Reefs - it’s an area we’d visited last year, but this time the weather was against us.  After 3 days of rain and strong winds we gave up and headed on to Suva, the Capital City of Fiji, and the largest city in the South Pacific.  We anchored in the very shallow muddy water just off the Royal Suva Yacht Club, now rather scruffy but a large framed photo of The Queen and Prince Philip hangs in the doorway, a momento of their Royal Visit back in 1954.  We joined the Yacht Club as temporary members and enjoyed a few cocktails and cold beers - back in the modern world after our time in the islands.

We spent a few days re-provisioning the yacht, wandered the shopping mall and bought as much fresh produce as we could manage before heading south west to the island of Beqa - the home of firewalking!

Our anchorage in Suva - the large object in the water is the rusting remains of one of the many wrecks in the waters around Suva.

Another ship that came to grief on the reef.

Our route through the Islands of Fiji.