While in the area we also spent a couple of nights in Vuda Point Marina - we had some friends stuck there with engine trouble, and it was also the marina that at one stage we had planned to leave the boat. Like all good plans, things changed, primarily because of Cyclone Winston in 2016 ... although there are ‘Cyclone Pits’ there, our yacht insurance no longer covered us in the event of a named storm. The cyclone pits were interesting though, literally a ‘grave’ dug in the ground for the rudder and keel and a collection of old tyres round the hole for the yacht to rest on. Having now seen them, I think we had a lucky escape!
Fully stocked up, we set off for Musket Cove, our first really ‘touristy’ island destination. We’d met up with our sailing friends on Jadean and headed out for a dive - it was spectacular! A pinnacle of coral rising up from the sea bed - being a tourist area, there was a convenient marker buoy there where we could tie up the dinghies - we have now done the same dive 4 times and it never fails to impress.
Musket Cove is a magnet for cruisers - not only for the diving, but also for kite surfing and board surfing, there is even a floating pizza bar on the outer reef, a cruiser friendly bar that serves great Mojito and for kids, a water park. Despite the obvious attractions, we dragged ourselves away and headed up to the Yasawa Islands.
Tourism is the mainstay of the Mamanuca and Yasawa Islands, there is hardly a rock above the high tide level that doesn’t have some sort of a Resort on it - all the ones we have seen are small developments, mostly concealed by the palm trees but had Tom Hanks arrived on Castaway now, he would have been able to stay in a well appointed Bure and escape by Hobie Cat!
Castaway Island Resort - Tom Hanks would certainly find more than his Volleyball Wilson to talk to now!
Heading further north, it was delightful to be able to spend a few days in the uninhabited natural harbour at Navadra, not the place to be in a northerly blow, but fortunately we were able to spend a few days enjoying paddle boarding round the bay, walking on the beaches, snorkelling and even a dive on the reef in the bay.
Navadra and Vanua Levu form the bay, the blue dot is where we were anchored, we now regularly use these satellite images to navigate round the reefs - they are far more accurate than the charts we have!
We snorkelled the lagoon on the left, and dived the reefs in the centre of the bay - lots of fish and coral.
Our anchorage at Navadra - absolutely beautiful!
Our next destination was Drawaqa, better known as Manta Ray Pass - under certain combinations of wind and tide, plankton are flushed through a pass between two of the islands, and the Manta Rays scoop them up, literally tumbling through the water with their huge mouths open, sweeping the food filled water in with their mandibles. We were incredibly lucky, we arrived during a period of perfect Manta Ray feeding.
The water is literally thick with plankton, they look like little pink snowflakes in the water.
We stayed in the water for a couple of hours, there were quite a few other snorkellers from the resort there as well, and the Mantas seemed totally oblivious to our presence. When they head for you, mouths open, you do really have to remind your self you are not their pray!
As well as the natural beauty of the waters here, there is also the wreck of the Salamander, sunk on purpose in 30 metres of water not far from Manta Ray Pass. The wreck has been recently sunk so there is very little marine life on it as yet, however it is very atmospheric as it gradually emerges from the gloom of the depths.
Heading north through the Yasawas, after a brief stop at Somosomo bay on Naviti when we walked across the island in search of the wreck of a WWII spitfire that had crashed into the lagoon on the other side of the island. We were unable to find the wreck, but our friends on Jadean managed to enlist the help of a local fisherman who took them there - the wings are gone, but the tail and fusillage are partly buried in the sand in a couple of metres of water.
We then headed on to Nanuya Sewa, famous as the location of the 1970’s film The Blue Lagoon with Brooke Shields. We anchored in the lagoon, very well sheltered, beautiful white beaches but mostly now private resorts. We did have an interesting time finding the local fruit and veg farm, tucked away in the mangroves it was only accessible at high tide.
Heading through the mangroves in search of a hidden farm.
It was very well organised with excellent produce - they simply picked a collection of fruit and veg straight from the ground and we bought it there and then.
Our most northerly stop in the Yasawas was Sawa i Lau on Yasawa Island - an absolute jem. Another fantastically well protected anchorage, much of the coastline is limestone which has eroded into amazing shapes.
Perfect for paddle boarding, but we also walked up the hill with our friends on Jadean for a great view of the island
Our yachts car visible in the distance on the other side of the bay.
At the top of the hill, with Kim and Jade from Jadean and their friends Ray and Deb.
The view along the top of the island - it became more barren as we got to the top, it’s not rained here for several months.
There are two small villages in the bay, and our walk took us through the local primary school. There were no students there as it was a Sunday, but despite facilities being pretty basic, it still had a sports field complete with running track that any school in the UK would be proud of!
The Timetable, posted outside the classroom door.
Handwashing Drills!
And the ‘piece de resistance’ ... a full sized Rugby pitch! It is their National Sport, and is even commemorated on a specially designed $7 bill in honour of their Gold Medal in the 2016 Olympics.
We are loving Fiji, and can really understand why people spend years cruising these waters - so far we have only seen a tiny bit of what it has to offer, the people are lovely, the place is beautiful and the weather (apart from hurricanes!) is great.
One final Fiji picture - snorkelling a coral reef.
Hi Sprigs / Steph,
ReplyDeleteloving the blog and the pictures of Fiji, it is a wonderful place and on my list of top places I’ve visited, though it’s a good many years ago now (1988 & 1990).
Have you been to Tavarua Island or anywhere near Cloud break; if it’s ‘on’ it’s some of the most spectular surfing you’ll see.
Hope you enjoyed the Kava, stay safe and have fun....Bula!!!
Bish x