Category Archives: Fiji

Malolo Island Passage

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It was difficult to leave Tomba Ni Ndaku (Vunisei village) on Kadavu, but we had to get back to Malolo island to prepare for the Musket Cove regatta.

We left Tomba Ni Ndaku and headed for an anchorage with a long beautiful beach.  However, when we got there, we found that there was no internet so we moved on.  Normally, we are not a slave to the internet, but this particular day we needed to be connected to communicate with family.

So, we motored a few more miles around the corner to the large town of Drue.  Two of our friends were also anchored here, but by the time we dropped the hook we were tired so we did not leave the boat.  It was a super lush hillside and anchorage.

The next morning, we had another beautiful moon rise with a little bit of fog.

The sail from Kadavu to Malolo is a little over 125nm which is near impossible to do during day light hours unless you have great winds.  Unfortunately for us, we were forecasted to have light winds so we decided to stop at a tiny island half way to Malolo. 

Vatulele Island

This little island is not visited often because the pass can be tricky to enter.  We had no tracks and no information from other cruisers.  All we had to go on was our charts.  The sail to Vatulele island is about 40-45nm.  As we set out for the day, we hoisted both sails and motor-sailed the first several hours.  The wind started to pick up so we turned off the engines and enjoyed a lovely day on the water.

By the time we got to Vatulele we had 17-18kts of wind and 1.5meter seas.   In addition, we some how managed to time the pass entry at low tide which was less than ideal.  The decision was made to skip this island as conditions were not conducive for a safe entry through the pass.

The left chart shows the little island just below Viti Levu.  The right photo shows you the narrow and very shallow pass.

So, we continued 33nm to Natadola Bay as we could make this anchorage just before sunset.  It has a wide pass; we have tracks coming and going, and our friends on SeaGlub were anchored here.

Natadola Bay, Viti Levu

We drop the hook and high tailed it over to SeaGlub where our friend Chris graciously offered to BBQ.  It was a lovely evening with good friends, tasty food, and cold beverages.

The next day, we motored 40nm to Malolo island where we claimed our anchor spot for the Musket Cove Regatta.

The events from this blog occurred in early September 2022.  Our blog posts run 6-8 weeks behind actual events.  We experience the full sevusevu ceremony from pounding of the root to consumption in our last blog post, and neither one of us gagged! 

Vunisei Village

Sevusevu at Vunisei, Kadavu

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We leave Yadu Island riding a huge high from our manta experience and head to the large island of Kadavu.  About six or seven weeks ago, we visited the south side of Kadavu, but we did not have a chance to visit the north side.  We motor-sailed 12nm from Yadu to the bay of Tomba Ni Ndaku and visit the Vunisei village. 

It was a beautiful, calm day to be out on the water.  A slight downwind run with clear, sunny skies.  We arrived the bay of Tomba Ni Ndaku around 1400, dropped the hook in a nook of the bay and headed into the village of Vunisei to do sevusevu.  Can you see the village in the lower photo tucked in the mangroves?

Vunisei Bay, Kadavu

Vunisei Bay, Kadavu

The village of Vunisei is not really visible from our anchorage.  We have to weave our way through a lot of mangroves before the beautiful village is revealed.  On our way in we encounter a panga with loads of kids happy to wave and shout “BULA” to us.

Welcome to the Village

We’ve been in Fiji now for almost 3 months and have performed the “short” sevusevu a dozen times.  But each ceremony has been the short-condensed version where the chief receives us, claps 3x, prays, welcomes us to the village, and we have a short chat.  However, this time, we get the privilege of a full and complete sevusevu ceremony!

We are greeted by Joe, the chief’s son who takes us to the town hall where the ceremony is to take place.  Joseph, the chief arrives along with the torang-ni-koro (headman), and 7 other men in the village.  Yep, I am the only woman present.

We politely explain that this is our first full sevusevu ceremony hoping they explain what they are doing along the way — which they happily did.

Sevusevu

The fresh kava root that we gifted to the chief is handed to his son Joe to pound into powder (step 1, upper left corner).  It is placed in a metal cylinder which is in a hole in the floor. He then uses a steel metal shaft to pound it into the cylinder.  Matt thinks he used a propeller shaft from a boat because it looked remarkably similar.

Step 2 includes placing the freshly ground powder into the tree bark (see the dried tree bark on the kava bowl in the upper right corner photo).  The tree bark is long and sort of looks like hair but is wicked strong.  Water is added and then the powder is all rolled and rolled and rolled amongst the tree bark in the water.  Infusing the kava with the taste and smell of the bark. This is new to us as we were told and had seen other villages use a tea towel instead of the tree bark.

Step 3 is when the liquid is cleaned and all powder residue is removed using the tree bark.

Step 4 is the final preparation for the grog.  All remnants of the kava root and tree bark are gone and the grog is ready to consume.  Using a coconut cup, the first one is handed to the chief, then the toranga-ni-koro, then me!  Oh dear, no pressure, please don’t gag or make a face.

The Grog and its effects

I clap once, say “bula”, and gulp the entire cup in one go, then clap 3x and say “Vinaka.”  I think to myself, “well done.”  Next up is Matt.  This is his first-time tasting grog and I am curious to see how it goes.  He somehow manages to dribble a wee bit down his chin, but other than that it goes swimmingly well. 

The cup is passed around a second time before we are able to extract ourselves politely.

Within a few minutes of drinking the second cup we feel a slight numbing sensation in our mouth, tongue, and throat.  It did not last long, maybe 30-45 minutes.  Keep in mind that the villagers do not drink, this is their recreational drink of choice.

Vunisei School

We walk to the top of the mountain just behind the village to visit the school.  I had brought a few school supplies for the teachers and wanted to present them personally.

From the hilltop, we had gorgeous views of both Kadavu village and Vunisei village.

On the way back to the town hall we came across loads of children.  There are 70 people who live in the village and about 25 of them are children.

Back to the Boat

We go back to the village chief and leaders and politely thank them for their hospitality and for walking us through the entire sevusevu ceremony.  They had wanted us to stay for more kava but 2 cups is all I can take so we graciously declined.

The water was flat calm when we left.  I just can’t get over how beautiful the entrance and exit is to this village.  What a lovely way to come home every day.

Matt got out the drown and took some beautiful photos at sunset.  And it just keeps getting better and better as the sun goes down.

Tomba Ni Ndaku is a beautiful anchorage with a lovely village!  We were invited to church the next day, but unfortunately, we had to move on to our next adventure.

We prepared to leave the next day at dawn and were greeted with a gorgeous moon set.

The events from this blog occurred in early September 2022.  Our blog posts run 6-8 weeks behind actual events.  We play with the manta rays while they eat and get cleaned.  Check out this blog post!

Manta Ray Escapades

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One of the main reasons we wanted to come to the Astrolabe Reef was to see the manta rays.  We had heard that there is a “cleaning station” and a good area where they feed near Vurolevu island.  This is a mere 1.5nm from Yabu where we are anchored.  

What is a “cleaning station”? A Manta Ray Cleaning Station is a location where fish, sharks, and mantas gather to get a regular hygiene check by parasitic copepods and a variety of small cleaner wrasse. Mantas spend some hours of the day here to get their gills, and skin cleaned.

Vurolevu Island and the Manta Rays

The next morning we head to Vurolevu island with the hopes of finding a few mantas.  As we approach the northern tip and slow the dinghy down, we immediately spot a large manta in the water.  Sweet.  In I go!

There is a nice current here with the water flow delivering delicious plankton into the mouths of these gentle giants.  I enjoy the alone time with 2 medium sized mantas (wing span of about 2-2.5 meters).

Within 15 minutes I am joined by 3 other tourists and decide to head to where Matt is which is about 300 yards from me.  SCORE!  He found the cleaning station.  Check out all the little fish having a field day with these mantas!  They swim around, under, and inside the mantas.  Yes, they swim inside their mouth and come out their gills!  Silly or brave, not sure which?

Manta Rays will jump out of the water to rid themselves of parasites (if they are not near a cleaning station).  They also jump out of the water when they want to impress a lady and or to simply play.

A Cleaning Station

There was no current over where we were swimming, so we could literally just hang out and admire these beauties!  Even though these animals are ginormous, they are not dangerous.  Some of the manta rays that we saw here had a wing span of 4.5-5 meters!  We are talking really, really huge!

But, mantas are harmless and can’t hurt swimmers.  We have found them to be very curious creatures and will often swim up next to and below you if you stay calm and still enough.  They really are delicate animals with no aggressive behaviors and are known to not be predatory in nature.

What do manta rays eat?

Mantas are filter feeders feeding on microscopic plankton near the surface of the water.  They glide back and forth high current areas gathering plankton. A manta ray eats 19,200,000 pieces of plankton every week – that’s a lot of plankton!

Did you know that the closest relative to a manta ray is a shark?  Unlike sharks, mantas don’t have teeth.  They sieve plankton out of the water using a row of tiny plates in their mouth, which they funnel in as they swim. 

One manta came so close to me that I actually saw him looking at me – honestly, he was checking me out!

I wanted to show you how very large these creatures were, but Matt was so far away that it is hard to get a perspective.  And, he happened to go below with a juvenile, not a full size manta.

Hurt Mantas

The natural predators for manta rays are sharks and whales.  Despite their large size and fast speeds, they do get hurt.

We saw several mantas with broken wings and bites out of their tail area.  Their wings naturally flow seamlessly to a fine point, but two of the mantas had their wing tips bent down.  It did not seem to slow them down.  Another two mantas had semi circle bites out of their left tail area.

Did you know?

  • Manta rays have the largest brain to size ratio of any cold-blooded fish?  
  • They have huge brains – the biggest of any fish! 
  • Believed to be as smart and highly cognitive as dolphins, primates, and elephants.
  • Studies have found that their brains are especially developed for learning, problem solving and communicating.
  • Some scientist believe that mantas can recognize their reflection, a sign of self-awareness.

The events from this blog occurred in early September 2022.  Our blog posts run 6-8 weeks behind actual events.  We visit many island near the Astrolabe reef in our last blog post.