Vatoa, Fiji
The day dawned fitfully, enlivened by the southeasterly winds and their accompanying swells. The clouds were swollen and gray with nary a patch of blue to be seen in any direction. The National Geographic Endeavour was in the middle of a low-pressure cell. Breakfast was frequented by only a handful of guests. The supposition was put forth that lunch, served while the ship was in the lee of Vatoa Island in Fiji’s Lau group, would see a record turnout of diners. This turned out to be prophetic.
The Lau group is about halfway between the main islands of Fiji, to the west, and the Kingdom of Tonga, to the east. The group has about 57 small islands, scattered over 400km from north to south. Geographically Lau is subdivided into the northern and southern Lau. Together the island groups are under the administration of the Eastern division. Most islands of the Lau group are made of composite materials, some are pure limestone and a few are volcanic. Interrupted periods of uplift permitted coral to grow over the limestone, creating great masses of reefs. Relatively recent volcanic activity is evident by the lava domes on top of the limestone bases of some of the smaller islands. Vatoa is a raised coralline limestone island covered in tropical foliage and skirted by sandy beaches. Its lagoon showcases a breathtaking range of blue and green hues.
Because of the Lau’s proximity to Tonga, the islanders have been greatly influenced by Polynesian people and culture. The southeast trade winds made it easy to sail from Tonga to Fiji, but more difficult to return. A revolution in canoe design facilitated traffic and trade between the island groups. Tongan and Samoan canoe-builders began settling in Fiji in the late 1700s, bringing with them their innovative canoe designs as well as other decorative skills and crafts. They intermarried with Fijians, and the Tongan influence is expressed in names, language, food, decoration, architecture and physical features. The first Christian missionaries also entered Fiji via Lau.
Approaching the northwest side of Vatoa, indeed in the lee, our vessel received a reprieve from the winds and the sea state. After dropping anchor, our fleet of Zodiacs was dispatched to enter the island’s lagoon through a narrow channel in the reef. By this time the sun had broken through the ceiling of gray, lightening the day to blue. The island’s principle village straddles the western sandy shore about halfway between this verdant-covered outcrop of limestone’s northern and southern extremities. Landing on the sandy beach, the colorfully-clad islanders greeted us with warm smiles and soulful songs. Virtually the entire village had turned out for our arrival. They eagerly showed us their immaculately-kept village of which they obviously took great pride. Small brightly-painted domiciles with corrugated or thatch roofs, well-manicured lawns, and evenly-planted gardens festooned with bright ornamental plants described a village born and kept of care. Some of us strode towards the back of the village with our naturalists looking for birds or increasing our understanding of economical tropical plants. Villages like this one, as many isolated such townships throughout Polynesia and Melanesia, carve a generous portion of their living from what they can grow and catch. Breadfruit trees, absolutely distinctive by their large size and beautiful, deeply-incised leaves, abounded throughout the village. Cassava and taro, staple starch plants of Fiji, grew in community plantations. And, of course, coconut trees, often referred to in this part of the world as the “tree of life,” were in no short supply. A large quantity of copra was being dried and prepared on a small smoker rack near our landing site. A highlight was the village’s school, where any villager under the age of eighteen spends their week days expanding their knowledge. It was beautifully kept, denoting a keen sense of the importance of a proper education, even on a virtually forgotten slab of South Seas paradise. Upon leaving many of the villagers waved to us until our Zodiacs had dropped from site.
Little more than a click north from the village lays a stretch of pearl-white sand fringed with coconut palms and gently lapped by turquoise waters. This was a picture-perfect location from which to launch our afternoon activities. Vatoa’s lagoon encompasses a series of healthy patch reefs rich with fish and invertebrate life. Snorkeling was our passport to this exquisitely-colored realm. The National Geographic Endeavour’s glass-bottom boat also provided a portal beneath the waves, albeit with the addition of natural history interpretation. Hard and soft corals, bevies of reef fish, and even a few sea kraits swimming gracefully in the shallows offered us a view of a thriving aquatic lagoon community. A series of light, unthreatening cotton-ball clouds broke up the blue sky, and as the sun lazily dropped towards the horizon, a tide of orange light swept our day into night.
The day dawned fitfully, enlivened by the southeasterly winds and their accompanying swells. The clouds were swollen and gray with nary a patch of blue to be seen in any direction. The National Geographic Endeavour was in the middle of a low-pressure cell. Breakfast was frequented by only a handful of guests. The supposition was put forth that lunch, served while the ship was in the lee of Vatoa Island in Fiji’s Lau group, would see a record turnout of diners. This turned out to be prophetic.
The Lau group is about halfway between the main islands of Fiji, to the west, and the Kingdom of Tonga, to the east. The group has about 57 small islands, scattered over 400km from north to south. Geographically Lau is subdivided into the northern and southern Lau. Together the island groups are under the administration of the Eastern division. Most islands of the Lau group are made of composite materials, some are pure limestone and a few are volcanic. Interrupted periods of uplift permitted coral to grow over the limestone, creating great masses of reefs. Relatively recent volcanic activity is evident by the lava domes on top of the limestone bases of some of the smaller islands. Vatoa is a raised coralline limestone island covered in tropical foliage and skirted by sandy beaches. Its lagoon showcases a breathtaking range of blue and green hues.
Because of the Lau’s proximity to Tonga, the islanders have been greatly influenced by Polynesian people and culture. The southeast trade winds made it easy to sail from Tonga to Fiji, but more difficult to return. A revolution in canoe design facilitated traffic and trade between the island groups. Tongan and Samoan canoe-builders began settling in Fiji in the late 1700s, bringing with them their innovative canoe designs as well as other decorative skills and crafts. They intermarried with Fijians, and the Tongan influence is expressed in names, language, food, decoration, architecture and physical features. The first Christian missionaries also entered Fiji via Lau.
Approaching the northwest side of Vatoa, indeed in the lee, our vessel received a reprieve from the winds and the sea state. After dropping anchor, our fleet of Zodiacs was dispatched to enter the island’s lagoon through a narrow channel in the reef. By this time the sun had broken through the ceiling of gray, lightening the day to blue. The island’s principle village straddles the western sandy shore about halfway between this verdant-covered outcrop of limestone’s northern and southern extremities. Landing on the sandy beach, the colorfully-clad islanders greeted us with warm smiles and soulful songs. Virtually the entire village had turned out for our arrival. They eagerly showed us their immaculately-kept village of which they obviously took great pride. Small brightly-painted domiciles with corrugated or thatch roofs, well-manicured lawns, and evenly-planted gardens festooned with bright ornamental plants described a village born and kept of care. Some of us strode towards the back of the village with our naturalists looking for birds or increasing our understanding of economical tropical plants. Villages like this one, as many isolated such townships throughout Polynesia and Melanesia, carve a generous portion of their living from what they can grow and catch. Breadfruit trees, absolutely distinctive by their large size and beautiful, deeply-incised leaves, abounded throughout the village. Cassava and taro, staple starch plants of Fiji, grew in community plantations. And, of course, coconut trees, often referred to in this part of the world as the “tree of life,” were in no short supply. A large quantity of copra was being dried and prepared on a small smoker rack near our landing site. A highlight was the village’s school, where any villager under the age of eighteen spends their week days expanding their knowledge. It was beautifully kept, denoting a keen sense of the importance of a proper education, even on a virtually forgotten slab of South Seas paradise. Upon leaving many of the villagers waved to us until our Zodiacs had dropped from site.
Little more than a click north from the village lays a stretch of pearl-white sand fringed with coconut palms and gently lapped by turquoise waters. This was a picture-perfect location from which to launch our afternoon activities. Vatoa’s lagoon encompasses a series of healthy patch reefs rich with fish and invertebrate life. Snorkeling was our passport to this exquisitely-colored realm. The National Geographic Endeavour’s glass-bottom boat also provided a portal beneath the waves, albeit with the addition of natural history interpretation. Hard and soft corals, bevies of reef fish, and even a few sea kraits swimming gracefully in the shallows offered us a view of a thriving aquatic lagoon community. A series of light, unthreatening cotton-ball clouds broke up the blue sky, and as the sun lazily dropped towards the horizon, a tide of orange light swept our day into night.
