The Government Comes to Town

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Fulaga, Lau Group, Fiji

By: Kerry, photos by Kerry and Damian

Fiji 2015-5847Most of the time, Fulaga doesn’t loom large on the Fijian Government’s radar, but while we were there a ship turned up with no less than 108 government officials aboard, from 21 different departments, led by the Commissioner for Lau.

The ship was unable to negotiate the main pass, so it steamed around to the far side of the island and disgorged its retinue, via the local pangas, onto the beach of Muanaicake. Apparently, it was only after they landed that the villagers were told they’d need to billet the officials for the night: an extraordinary imposition on the 90-odd population of the village, we thought, especially considering the officials reportedly receive a daily living allowance.

Nevertheless, fish were caught, mountains of food were prepared and beds were found. Such is Fulagan hospitality.

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Fulaga on the Flip Side

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Fulaga, Lau Group, Fiji

By: Kerry

Fiji 2015-5439When we needed a change of pace from the village (or they needed a change from us!), we moved over to the Sandspit anchorage on the far side of the lagoon, hanging off an untouched, golden beach, or sheltered amongst dozens of rocky mushroom islands.

The Fulaga lagoon is six miles wide, dotted with scores of little islands, ranging from the size of a house to the size of a kennel. Scrambling up to a high point, the view looks like dozens of green buttons strewn across a peacock blue coat, with beaches providing gold braid as added decoration.

Sel Citron hiding in the anchorage, as usual
Looking towards the Sandspit

Up close, the islands are black friable rock, too sharp to walk on, their bases eroded so severely that, at low tide, they look as though they are about to topple off their pedestals. Some have, and lie tilted on their side on the shore.

Many are bare rock – too brittle for anything to get a grip – others support a few tenacious pandanus or figs, or the endemic Fan palm Pritchardia thurstonii, that grows wild nowhere else.

Graham and Di

Paddling a kayak among them, their shapes morph surprisingly: look at one profile and the islet looks massive, but from another side it looks frail and ready to fall. Their unpredictability makes them fascinating.

Unfortunately, it’s an El Nino year and our time in Fulaga has been dominated by days on end of 20 knot–plus winds and squally weather: some of the coldest and windiest in years.

But we had two remarkable days: perfectly still, glorious sunshine, beautiful light and spectacular clouds. Of course, I took a bazillion photos – they probably all look the same, but I like ‘em.

And then there was sunset…

~~~ ><(((°>  ><(((°> ><(((°> ~~~

Bringing Spectacles to the People

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Fulaga, Lau Group, Fiji

By: Kerry, Photos by Damian and Kerry

Sikele and Sera preparing yet another feast in their outdoor kitchen

Sikele and Sera preparing yet another feast in their outdoor kitchen

Sera Tuks is Fulaga’s district nurse and only medically qualified resident. As such, she’s solely responsible for the 100-odd souls in Muanaicake, as well as about the same number in Muanaira and Naividamu, the other two villages on the island, plus the population of Ogea, the next-door island. Some 400 people in all.

When the nearest medical aid is a crackling phone line to Suva hospital, or a four-day ship passage (assuming your medical emergency coincides with the monthly visit of the trader), it’s an enormous responsibility, and one she handles with diplomacy, humour and professionalism. (Helicopter evacuation, at huge cost, is a last resort).

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Supplies Arrive

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Fulaga, Lau Group, Fiji

By: Kerry

Fiji 2015-5221When Penina was eight months pregnant with her first child (thirty-some years ago), she was aboard the inter-island trader, the Makogai, when it foundered on the outer reef of Fulaga in the middle of the night. Two lives were lost but Penina managed to get ashore and led a small group of survivors through the bush to the village, where the alarm was raised and the rescue effort was launched.

Since then, she’s had a mortal fear of the sea. While we were in Fulaga, she and Seta were getting ready to go to a Methodist Church conference in Suva, but Penina, understandably, was dreading the voyage on the supply ship.

When it finally arrived – well behind its monthly schedule – we understood why.

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The Rhythm of Village Life, Lau Style

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Fulaga, Lau Group, Fiji

By: Kerry

It’s easy to lose track of time in Fulaga: we thought we’d stay for a couple of weeks, but before we knew it, five had slipped by. And we’d slipped into the daily and weekly rhythm of village life.

Monday mornings is the women’s weaving get-together, where – over much giggling and gossip – pandanus leaves are painstakingly prepared and woven into mats, dance fans, baskets and other items, and anyone can stand up and have their grievances heard, discussed and resolved.

I’d wondered about the petty politics and jealousies that usually fester in a small community. In the whole time we were in Fulaga, I never heard anyone speak ill about anyone else. One way of keeping the peace seemed to be the early and open airing of problems, where the whole village discusses the issue. Generally, it seemed, the air was cleared and the gripe session ended with everyone rolling around laughing and teasing one another. At least, that’s what we saw, though we weren’t privy to discussions of more weighty issues.

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Fulaga

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Fulaga, Lau Group, Fiji

By: Kerry

We arrived in Fulaga on Sunday, but that being church day, we were invited to postpone our sevusevu until Monday morning. Maunie and Exit Strategy (both friends of ours) were the only boats in the anchorage when we arrived, but throughout the day, six other boats, who’d also taken advantage of the weather window, arrived.

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Heading South

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Vanua Balavu, Lau Group, Fiji

By: Kerry

Our anchor position in the Bay of Islands. Yellow is land. White is water. According to the chart plotter, we are parked pretty close to the lookout on the top of the hill...

Our anchor position in the Bay of Islands. Yellow is land. White is water. According to the chart plotter, we are parked pretty close to the lookout on the top of the hill…

More than elsewhere, sailing in Fiji is about alignment: wind direction, wind strength, current, tide, sun angle – they all need to be in your favour to negotiate the inter-island passages, the countless reefs and bommies and narrow passes.

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Maravu and Lomaloma

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Little Bay, Vanua Balavu, Lau, Fiji

By: Kerry

Fiji 2015-0053To stay in Little Bay, the Cruising Guide said we needed to do sevusevu at Maravu village, a little further along the coast. We dinghied around the corner to a lovely beach fronting a copra plantation, and walked 30 minutes through scrubby bush along the coast, through plantations of bananas and cassava to Maravu.

The village is the home of former Fijian Prime Minister, Laisenia Qarase, who was ousted by Commodore Bainimarama in the 2006 coup (and was subsequently convicted of corruption).

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