The Mamanuca Islands

We enjoyed the Nananu-i-Cake area for 3 days before moving around to the town of Lautoka on the west side of Viti Levu.  We stopped about half way and made the trip in two short 4 hour trips.  We just anchored for the night and did not go ashore.  Upon arrival at Lautoka, we had to check in with the customs folks again and did some shopping at the local market.  We only stayed one night and made a short trip out to the Mamanuca Islands.  

 

The Mamanuca Islands are a group of beautiful reef-encircled islands located just off the Nadi coast which is off the west coast of Viti Levu. They are known for their beautiful white sandy beaches and island resorts. The islands of the Mamanuca group have well-known names such as Beachcomber Island, Treasure Island, Mana Island, Tokoriki, Malolo, Matamanoa and many more.

We headed to Treasure Island (Levuka Island) and were greeted with a mooring for $5 Fiji per night which is about $2.50 US.  We had the use of all their facilities including several pools.  They had some cultural presentations and a killer buffet each day for lunch.  We gorged ourselves on fresh lettuce and other goodies that we could not find in the local markets followed by multiple trips to the desert bar for chocolate cake, pastries and ice cream with all the toppings.   

 

They also had a nice SCUBA shop that filled our tanks and we decided to splurge and have Emily get her SCUBA certification.  Emily did the classroom reviews and tests while Kim and I dove the reefs.  The second day, Emily did two open water dives and passed with flying colors.   She now has her certification card and can get air fills worldwide.  Yeah Emily!

After 3 days, we moved about 10 miles to Musket Cove Resort (Malolo Island) which is a famous cruiser hangout.  The yacht club can only be joined by Yachts coming to Fiji from a foreign port and the cost for membership for the Captain is $1 Fiji.  There were almost 30 boats there.  We saw cruising friends from Leu Cat and Sea Mist and we all enjoyed a pot luck dinner ashore.  The yacht club provides wood-fired grills, free utensils, china plates and $5 drinks at the bar.  They also have a nice pool that we used on several days.

Emily met Latisha from a Swiss boat here and after a morning SCUBA dive with Dad, the two girls played in her stateroom and ashore in their days together.  Latisha is also 10 years old and speaks Swiss, German, French and English.  We went in one morning and all enjoyed eggs Benedict at the poolside restaurant and Kim and Emily had a nice swim afterwards.  We also attended a pig roast and enjoyed a Fiji dance troupe afterwards with the crews of Sea Mist, Leu Cat and others.

We stayed here for 4 days and we did several enjoyable dives.  The pinnacle was the best one and here is a video of Emily and Roberta (fellow cruiser and dive instructor) diving with a Lionfish.  Pretty much everything about the venomous lionfish—its red-and-white zebra stripes, long, showy pectoral fins, and generally cantankerous demeanor—says, "Don't touch!"

The venom of the lionfish, delivered via an array of up to 18 needle-like dorsal fins, is purely defensive. It relies on camouflage and lightning-fast reflexes to capture prey, mainly fish and shrimp. A sting from a lionfish is extremely painful to humans and can cause nausea and breathing difficulties, but is rarely fatal.

Lionfish, also called turkey fish, dragon fish and scorpion fish, are native to the reefs and rocky crevices of the Indo-Pacific, although they've found their way to warm ocean habitats worldwide.  Lionfish are popular in some parts of the world as food, but are far more prized in the aquarium trade. Their population numbers are healthy and their distribution is growing.

We really enjoyed the diving and after re-provisioning in Lautoka again and fueling up in Vuda Point, we were off to explore the Yassawas.

Tom

Nikorokula village and our first SevuSevu

 

"Na Koro" is the Fijian phrase for "Village". Na Koro is made up from people of the same clan.

Na Koro is ruled by a chief, called the "Tui" in Fijian. We were told that the chief of Nikorokula village was currently in Suva attending a funeral. Next to the Chief is the Chief maker or chief-in-training, called "Bete", followed by the chief appointees called the Mata-ni-vanua and then the rest of the clan as cooks, hunters and fisherman, etc. A former part of the clan, called "Bokola", no longer exists. Bokola were prisoners of Fiji's tribal wars and in former times were considered as a part of the village.

In Na Koro, the village spokesman, Turaga-ni-Koro or Mayor of the village, is chosen by a meeting of all the clan. The Turaga-ni-Koro arranges meetings with the villagers and notifies the Tui of the results. He also notifies the villagers of anything that comes from the Tui.

 

Cruising and travel guides describe proper village etiquette for visitors to Fijian villages. Dress modestly. Women must cover shoulders and the legs to below the knees. No hats or sunglasses. Bring yagona (kava) as a gift for the chief. Don't aim the soles of your feet at the chief or the kava bowl. Don't touch anyone's head (the head is sacred). And so on. Concerns of offending the chief and the village people with some unintentional slip-up weighed heavy on our minds. This "village etiquette" factor adds a bit of stress for those of us that are trying to be "culturally sensitive" visitors.

We were welcomed by Waisake's into the Kava hut where we sat on woven mats for our presentation of sevusevu. The sevusevu offering is a formal presentation of Kava, or Yagona, which is the root of a pepper plant. The islanders grind the root up and make a semi narcotic drink out of it. You do not get drunk from it just sort of a slight numbness in the gums and vague sleepiness.

Drinking Kava is done ceremonially in many of the Pacific islands and it is sort of like American Indians smoking a peace pipe.

We gave him about ½ kilo of the bare roots and told him where we were anchored and that we hoped to enjoy the beach and do some snorkelling and SCUBA. He made a short, serious speech in Fijian before picking it up which signifies his acceptance of us into his village. He then passed the roots to his assistant to grind up for our drink. In traditional times, Yagona was prepared by young, virgin village girls, who chewed the pieces of raw Yagona into a soft pulp before adding water. I made both of them smile as I reached into my backpack and pulled out a small amount of pre-ground kava in a baggy. This saved them 20 minutes of pounding and saved our bare kava root for their later enjoyment.

The assistant mixed the powdered root with water in a large hardwood bowl, called a Tanoa, straining the root through a cloth to keep out the grit. When it was ready, he clapped with cupped hands to make a hollow "pop" sound.

Sitting crossed legged on the floor, we were arranged in a circle. Each of us in turn was offered a bilo, a small bowl made from half of a coconut, containing the liquid. Honored guests are served first, then others according to their status in the group. Tom was served first as captain.

I had to clap once before accepting the bilo. The drink should not be sipped. It should be drunk in one continuous drink. I did so and returned the cup. The clapping of hands and the word "maca" signifies that you have properly emptied your bilo. The cup was passed to Kim and Emily and both solemnly accepted and drained their cup. Mercifully, they gave Emily only a small amount in her bilo. While tasting and looking like dirty dishwater, Kava has a pleasant calming effect on the body, while leaving the mind clear. Unlike alcohol, there are no hangovers.

Relieved after the formalities, we chatted with Waisake about our trip and life aboard our boat and in his village. Since this was Saturday, we asked if we could attend church services in the morning and they were visibly pleased that we asked and we made arrangements to return. We each were offered and drank one more bilo of kava before leaving the village.

We decided it would be safer to leave our dingy in a resort on Sunday rather than the town pier, so we arrived early enough to speak with the resort folks and to enjoy coffee and hot chocolate before the cab arrived. We struck up a conversation with a vacationing couple from Arizona who were intrigued that we were going to a village church and asked if they could join us. Since we were now part of the Nikorokula village, we thought it would be OK.

 

We all piled into our cab and the 5 of us soon were enjoying the service and wonderful Fijian singing. I was dressed in a traditional Sulu (skirt), Kim in a ankle-length dress and Emily in the dress given to her by Tiara and we really felt native. The woman from Arizona was an artist and she gave the village many art supplies.

 

After the cab ride back to the resort, we enjoyed a WAY over-priced lunch and enjoyed a swim in the resort swimming pool before returning home. The artist from Arizona surprised us at lunch by giving Kim and Emily gift bracelets of Arizona turquoise that she had made.

What a rich experience we had, but were grateful to be back aboard with several lazy days ahead exploring this area with the blessing of the people.

Tom