We left the beautiful Bay of Islands after a two-week stay. We decided to do some day sailing with a few stops rather than one long over night passage. Our first stop was Matei Bay (or sometimes called the Airport Anchorage at Taveuni). It is very close to Naselesele Point. This is where we found our first surprise!
Matei Bay / Airport Anchorage, Taveuni
The reason we picked this bay was because there is a restaurant here. We were ready for a night out.
Super pretty bay that is very wide and easily accessed. However, not protected in adverse weather.
From the Bay’s anchorage you can see the Taveuni Island Resort nestled in the tree tops and two beautiful beaches.
We arrived late in the afternoon and decided to head straight for the restaurant. There are two places to eat onshore. One is called the Dive Cafe (pictured below) and the other is Tramonto Restaurant.
They both offer stunning views of the bay and delicious food. We opted to eat at Tramonto. We found out that they use organic ingredients from their family’s organic farm called Vacala Organic Farm. And to our surprise, they sell produce to the public!
Early the next morning we contacted one of the owners of the Vacala Organic Farm. Matt, the owner, picked us up and took us up to a section of his 85 acre organic farm!
It had been 6 weeks since we had fresh produce so we were eager to collect as much as we could.
As you can see, we left with a huge haul of fresh produce and vegetables. Score for Sugar Shack!
Naqujqai Bay
The forecast predicted a rather large storm to bring heavy rains and 40+kts of wind. This storm forced us to leave Matei Bay and head toward Naqujqai Bay (a more protected bay).
Naqujqai bay is long and skinny and is surrounded by hills on 3 sides. Very protected. We are the sailboat with the blue arrow pointing at us.
Before the storm arrived, we enjoyed a lovely walk to a lookout.
The Remote Resort owns this property and has strategically placed lounge chairs to watch the sunset.
The Remote Resort is a lovely little hideaway protected from most wind directions.
The staff at the Remote Resort are remarkably friendly. And again, to our surprise, they allow yachties to dine with them.
Our friends on Amok, Lexi and Dan joined us for a delightful lunch.
Another surprise.
We go to shore to do sevusevu with the chief.
As we were talking with him we discovered his wife is part of the Mitchell family. Of course, we joked about being cousins.
They had a photo of their property when it was a thriving coconut plantation.
From One Bay to Another
We decided we wanted to stretch our legs with a hike from Naqujqai Bay over the hill to Viani Bay. The locals told us it was about an hour hike. Well, there were lots of twists and turns, no signs, and barely a trail.
We went through a lot of muddy areas, rivers, bushy areas, tall grass, hillsides and more.
A little over 2 hours later we arrived at the lookout. You can see Viani Bay from the lookout.
Our track is the blue and yellow one below. 6.7 miles!!
We crossed the river several times, not sure if it was the same one or not.
The vegetation was beautiful and so very green.
We passed by a copra drying area and found the landing area from the river. The landing area had a kayak and a self made catamaran.
In the middle of the jungle was a small village consisting of 3 houses. It was a long walk to anywhere.
We finally made it to Viani Bay where we enjoyed a lovely cold drink and rested for a spell.
Exhausting walk because of the mud and hills, but we got it done!
Our blog posts run 6-8 weeks behind actual live events This blog post occurred toward the end of June 2025.
Did you miss our adventures to the Bay of Islands Lookout?
