Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
South Ovalau
The coast of
South Ovalau
is rugged and covered in thick tropical forest. Jutting out above
Tokou Village is the dramatic volcanic plug nicknamed the
Devil's Thumb
. Heading up the
west coast, flanked offshore by Moturiki Island, you'll find the village of
Wainalako
, foun-
ded by freed Solomon Island slaves in the middle of the nineteenth century. A few kilometres
beyond Wainalako is the Bureta airstrip.
Lovoni
From the Bureta airstrip, a dirt track winds inland, following the Bureta River to
Lovoni
vil-
lage, one of the island's star attractions. The village was made infamous by the fierce
tribe
who lived behind an impregnable hillfort in the centre of the volcanic crater here (they've
since moved to a more practical location just to the side).
The easiest way to visit is by road with Epi's Tours ( 763 7546 or 923 6011,
owlfiji.com/epi.htm
;
F$45 includes lunch), although note that this involves a bone-crunching
ride from Levuka in the back of a carrier van followed by a two-hour lecture on the history
of Lovoni. A more rewarding alternative is to take a
guided hike
with Nox (see
Activities
around Levuka
)
starting from Draiba village, a few kilometres south of Levuka. This is the
shortest trail from the coast but it still takes a tough couple of hours through thick rainforest
before you reach the dramatic setting of the crater - arrange for a carrier van to bring you
back by road. You can also approach Lovoni from
Bobo's Farm
or
Salana Village Stay
,
al-
though these are both full-day hikes.
CAKOBAU AND THE LOVONI TRIBE
During 1870 and 1871,
Cakobau
tried time after time to subdue the fierce
Lovoni tribe
who had been constantly menacing the European settlers around Levuka. Unable to break
through the ring of defences protecting the village in Lovoni Crater, Cakobau sent a Meth-
odist missionary to Lovoni, inviting the tribe to a
reconciliation
in Levuka. Tired of being
pursued by Cakobau, the Lovoni chief consulted his priest and accepted the invitation. On
June 29, 1871 the entire village came down to Levuka. A meal was prepared, but as soon as
the tribe set down their weapons to eat, Cakobau's warriors surrounded and subdued them.
In time the majority were sold off as
slaves
and dispersed throughout every corner of the
archipelago. Those that remain are a stoutly proud group, believing their village to be the
only one in Fiji not to have been conquered by Cakobau.
Naigani Island
The history of
Naigani Island
, 10km off the northwest coast of Ovalau, is typical of the re-
gion's volatility. The islanders trace their roots back to
Verata
on Viti Levu, to which they
remain politically aligned. Verata was one of the two traditional enemies of Bau, so when the
island was invaded by Cakobau in 1860 a thousand of the islanders were killed and carried
