Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
By taxi, carrier van or 4WD
To explore further, taxis and carrier vans have a base beside
the seawall opposite the Church of the Sacred Heart in Levuka.
Levuka
Once a wild whaling outpost, diminutive
LEVUKA
is now a charming seaside town. Its laid-
back atmosphere is epitomized by its weathered yet colourful clapboard buildings, most of
which now function as Chinese or Indian-run
stores
, so packed full of goods and groceries
it's difficult to poke around without bumping into someone. Outside, the pillared pavement is
where the town's residents meet for a gossip. The town has a rich Fijian and colonial heritage
and the best way to learn about it is by walking and talking with the genuinely hospitable
locals, either on a guided walking tour (see
Activities around Levuka
) or on a home visit ar-
ranged through the museum at
the Morris Hedstrom building
on Beach Street.
The main thoroughfare of Levuka town, misleadingly named
Beach Street
, passes between
the rocky seawall and the town's most historic buildings. It's a simple tar-sealed track where
dogs roam and people wander back and forth unconcerned about the occasional carrier van
that trundles along.
Brief history
With a protected harbour and a welcoming chief, Levuka Village hosted a small band of Brit-
ish and American
whalers
during the 1830s. In return for shelter, the whalers gave gifts of
muskets which the villagers used to fend off the fierce hill people from Lovoni in the centre
of the island. Soon to follow the whalers were a motley crew of fugitives, blackbirders and
beachcombers, with zealous Victorian
missionaries
hot on their heels. In the 1860s, follow-
ing speculation that Fiji would soon become a British colony, Levuka grew rapidly, with
traders arriving from New Zealand and Australia. By 1871, when the great warrior Cakobau
declared Levuka the
capital of Fiji
, there were over two thousand European residents and 52
