Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The north and east coast
On the island's north coast , backed by grassy sunburnt hills with patches of ironwood trees,
is the chiefly village of Yaro . Twenty minutes' walk along the tidal beach down the east
coast is Solevu , promoted as “shell village” to tour groups although many of the shells on
sale here are imported from Asia. Fifteen minutes further south is the tiny settlement of Cubi ,
inhabited by a community from Fulaga in the Lau Group - the men are renowned wood carv-
ers and you should be able to find fine samples of tanoa bowls and war clubs. From Cubi,
you can follow the inland trail to Uluisolo or it's a ten-minute walk to the southern lagoon .
THE DESTRUCTION OF SOLEVU VILLAGE
In July 1840 a flotilla of six US Navy warships was sent to the South Pacific to survey
the islands and assure the safety of American whalers in the region. Having toured Tonga,
Samoa, New Zealand and most parts of Fiji, the ships arrived at Malolo island. A small
boat was sent to Solevu Village to bargain for much needed food provisions but the crew
was ambushed and two officers killed. Outraged by this unprovoked attack, the captain of
the flotilla, John Wilkes, set about revenge. First, the bodies were recovered and buried in
an unmarked grave on tiny Kadavu island (presently home to Bounty Island Resort ); then
the village of Solevu was swiftly burned to the ground, garden plantations ripped apart, ca-
noes sunk and 57 men slaughtered. The attack proceeded to neighbouring Yaro where the
village elders hastily surrendered by prostrating themselves as a sign of humility. Wilkes
ordered the villagers to supply his ships with water, yams, a dozen pigs and three thousand
coconuts - a huge task considering the damage caused by the attack and the poor farming
conditions of the region. Wilkes was subsequently court-martialled for his severe actions -
the first military strike in Fiji carried out by Western forces.
The southern lagoon
The southern point of Malolo juts out into a shallow lagoon almost touching Malolo Lailai
- you can walk between the two islands at low to mid-tide. Although not practical for swim-
ming or snorkelling (the reefs have been extensively damaged by fishing), the southern la-
goon is great for kitesurfing , with southeasterly trade winds creating almost perfect condi-
tions between May and October.
Inland Malolo
The real beauty of Malolo lies inland. There are plenty of walking tracks around the island
including several ascending to the 220m-high Uluisolo . At the summit is a US-built World
War II lookout post offering fabulous views of the entire Mamanucas and as far north as
Matacawalevu in the northern Yasawas. It takes just under an hour to reach the top, although
note that there is little shade along the way.
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