A Fine Introduction to the Lau Group
The Lau Archipelago is listed by Forbes Magazine as one of the 12 Most Beautiful Places in the World, and that is where Avante is headed this morning. The islands are predominantly limestone which, over millennium, have eroded significantly leaving fantastically shaped islets, dramatic arches and deep, secluded lagoons. Steeped in tradition and rich in culture, it is from here that Fiji’s chiefs once ruled, and today, the area still has an impact on policy making that far exceeds the number of its residents. The islands run southeast from Fiji’s 2 main islands. They are remote and isolated, and with no land-based tourist industry, they are seldom visited. It is only the more adventurous cruisers who show up on these shores, for charts in these reef-filled waters are not as detailed and comprehensive as one would ideally want. Life is very simple and quiet in the small villages that dot the area. We have no idea what to expect, but the few pictures we have seen show a magical landscape just waiting for us to explore.
Monday, May 4th – Another rocky, rolling night! Beautiful this bay on Matangi Island may be, but we are ready to get out of here. A-weigh we go!
We had been concerned that
we might have a boisterous ride into the wind for our 60 nm trip
southeast to the Lau Group. Instead, we motor the whole way in calm
seas. For days, The Captain had been watching the wind and hoping for a
shift in direction so we could sail there. However, the wind remained
out of the southeast, and he finally had to settle for a day with very
light wind. The First Mate, who is more of a Nordhaven mentality (think
big motor boat), was not perturbed in the slightest. In her mind, it
was a great sail!
Destination: Vanua Balavu. This is the first island one comes to when approaching from the north. Sighting the entrance to the reef, we are pleased to see that the two white leads are standing straight and tall as advertised and just waiting for us to line up on them. With The First Mate at the helm and with The Captain doing double duty monitoring our path on the chart plotter and running up to the bow to scan for unmarked coral heads, we line up on the leads and slowly motor through the pass into the waters around Vanua Balavu.
We are amazed at what we see as we near shore. This island is rock, all rock, and rises precipitously up from the ocean. Deeply undercut by erosion, the view is impressive and a bit foreboding. How and where could someone live on these shores? There is no visible soil; yet vines, shrubs and even trees have found foot holds in crevices.
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Though
the expanse of water between the outer reef and the island is wide,
there is a definite channel we must stay in or risk running aground on
coral and rock. Bright sun is behind us, and visibility is superb. We
can see the shallow areas, and with the additional help of a few marker
poles on the outer edges of coral uprisings, we motor along the north
coast of the island.
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Looking just beyond the pole, we can see coral poking through the surface. It is amazing how quickly it shallows out there.
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We follow the channel, staying well clear of the shallows off a rocky point with an amazing tree whose wind-swept seedling found a foothold in a crevice of rock. We round it and head toward Bavatu Harbour where we intend to anchor.
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The Captain remains on lookout as we approach the entrance to the harbor which is guarded on one side by an impressive rock mound and by a steep cliff on the other. We steer down the middle of the pass into the harbor while watching the depth meter. The charts for the Lau Islands are vague on many things, and this small opening looks suspicious. The pass turns out to be quite deep. and once through the opening, the depth immediately drops to 70 feet, then 80 feet and finally 90 feet. This is going to be another deep anchorage.
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Bavatu Harbour is well protected. Steeply rising rock walls surround us. If it were not for the heavy vegetation covering the rocks, The First Mate feels this place would be a great echo chamber. Ah-o-o-o , but nothing echoes back. The bottom seems pretty flat at over 80 feet. We anchor in the middle where we should get a nice breeze. We put 300 feet of chain out and allow plenty of swing room from shore.
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We have seen not a sole nor a boat of any kind since entering the waters of the Lau Group, but there are plenty of signs of inhabitance in this bay. At the far end, there is a small wharf, and on a point of land not far from the entrance are a rustic tarp-covered house and dock which have seen happier days. We have been told that there is a coconut plantation located on the land somewhere above us. We can see two structures built near the top edge of the cliff. One appears to be a house, and the other looks like the supports for a house in progress.
As dusk approaches, we hear voices coming from the wharf. Several men climb into a small launch and speed out the harbor. These must be workers from the plantation. Rushing up on deck, The First Mate waves to them, and they gaily wave back. We wonder where they are going at this late hour. The nearest village is at least 5 miles away. In the gathering gloom, it will soon be dark. That’s not a time to be out amongst the coral shallows.
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Sitting on deck as the last of daylight fades, there is not a sound. It is unbelievably still. No wind, no waves lapping the boat, no birds. At long last, we are going to have a peaceful night.
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Much later, we hear a motor rumbling nearer and nearer. It’s the launch returning. With the narrow beam of a flashlight, they have safely made their way back to the harbor. Raised on these shores, these men could probably navigate around here blindfolded.
Thursday, May 5th – Slept like babes in a cradle last night we did! We are ready to explore, and launching the dinghy, we set off. We retrace our path of yesterday toward the reef entrance, and this time we have the opportunity to really look at the landscape. Many of the trees are without leaves and appear dead. We speculate that not all types of trees have regrown their leaves after TC Winston. We are heading into their winter season after all.
Feature after geological feature capture our attention. A toadstool-shaped rock sitting on its slender neck is revealed at low tide.
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Reversing our direction, we motor down the coast. The nearest small village can hazily be seen in the distance. Immediately around us there is nothing but blue water, sharply defined rocks, chaotic vegetation and an occasional golden sand beach. We pass One Horse Bay so named for the horse that once roamed the interior plantation. We cruise into Little Bay and up towards its sandy beach. Deeper in the bay, we are intrigued to see a smaller bay revealed. How neat! A bay within a bay.
Entering this smaller bay, the water graduates to that beautiful turquoise shade which signals shallow water. We slowly maneuver around areas of rock and coral. How beautiful, still and untouched the scene before us is.
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The water is so clear and still that The First Mate’s camera can capture the coral and the brilliant blue fish swimming down there. What a treat this is! She wants to return to snorkel in these seemingly safe waters.
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Bavatu Plantation, located on the heights above our bay, has had a rocky history. Privately owned, it was first developed as a coconut plantation back when copra or dried coconut meat was in higher demand than it is today. It then was bought and plans were drafted to turn the island into a fantastic resort, but that never happened. The present owners have kept the plantation going, and with two private houses overlooking the bay and a crew of caretakers, they use it as an occasional private retreat. That was until TC Winston. We hear that there was significant damage on this high bluff. Philip, our Australian cruising friend, knows one of the owners who also happens to own The Copra Shed in Savusavu. “Walk on up there”, he told us. The owner does not mind. The manager and crew will be there. With a great desire to stretch our legs, we head on up to see what we can see.
As expected, it is quite a hike up to the top. What is not expected is the amount of devastation we see. What used to be a beautiful hillside of graceful palm trees looks more like a dying wasteland of tree stalks. Long-standing palms lie scattered over the land with root balls of red soil exposed. Where elsewhere we have seen new life thrusting forth, it has been slow to start here, and much of what we see looks to be beyond hope.
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The few buildings we see along the way are all destroyed. Roofs are blown off. Siding lies broken and crumbled. What does remain standing looks useless as a structure. Could all this devastation have been from Winston? We think not. They did have a cyclone through here several years ago. Some must be from that.
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To our surprise, we see a flock of sheep. A few cows are hidden in the vegetation. A gently rolling plateau unfolds before us as we reach the top. Who would have thought such a fertile and green expanse existed up here from the look of the island at sea level? A small group of sleek horses graze nearby unconcerned by the ruins and fallen trees around them. We wonder how all these animals survived through the cyclone.
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A substantial rock wall partially encloses a small grouping of houses and sheds. Bright blue paint and white roofs are a stark contrast to the destruction we have seen. It is obvious from the piles of brush and coconuts and the neatness of the compound that a great deal of clean up and repair have gone into this section of the plantation.
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Crossing the plateau, we walk up the hill to where the structures we could see from the bay are located. Looking back, we see a man approaching and stop to wait for him to catch up, for we are trespassers after all. He must be the caretaker/manager. His name is Siti. His employer, the owner of the Copra Shed, had sent him over here after Winston to begin to put things in order. We are welcomed and especially so after hearing that we had recently been at the Copra Shed Marina for our third time. He accompanies us up the hill to the two buildings.
Both homes had suffered significant damage in the storm, but one at least retained its roof. The other building, we are told, was a fabulous house, but looking up at it, nothing much remains. In the high winds of the cyclone, its overhanging metal roof had lifted up like a 747 wing to fly down and across the plateau. That must have been quite a sight if any had been bravely looking out at that time. The remaining walls were blown down which is what made it look to us, anchored below, like a building in process.
Looking down from one of the homes, we can see Avante floating peacefully in the bay. What a tremendous view these homes have. However, their great location fully exposed them to the awesome winds of TC Winston that came right through Vanua Balavu.
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We are full of questions,
and he has the answers. The devastation we see is all from Winston. No
structure on the plantation remained intact. He came over from
Savusavu with a boatload of everything he thought he would need to get
started. He brought the food and a cook. He has a crew of about 8
working for him. Some were already employed and lived up here. All are
from the village we can see in the distance. Yes, he did send a launch
to the village yesterday evening. They were out of Kava, and how else
does one end a day without a convivial gathering around the Kava bowl?
Incidentally, if one is thinking of something akin to a shot of whiskey,
an island rum punch or even a sip of coffee, one better think again.
Kava has been equated by the non-aficionado to muddy water, old shoe
leather and worse. From The First Mate’s perspective, the kindest thing
that can be said about it is that it is an acquired taste.
We are impressed with the amount of work he has accomplished thus far. The last 2 months have been spent rebuilding sheds and houses for the workers. All the bright blue buildings are new. His workers needed a roof over their heads. Lives have to be rebuilt. He runs the place as a compound. One woman feeds them all. Another does the washing. They live together, work together, and relax together. He indicated that this was necessary for these villagers because so much of their lives has been destroyed. Gone might be a better word. Of 44 homes in the nearest village, only 4 remained standing. The rest were completely washed away into the sea. All they had left were the clothes on their backs. Many of the villagers are still in shock and suffering with their loss.
On Avante, we have a plastic trunk which was used to ferry boat parts to and from the States and the boat many times. No longer in shape to make another trip, we had been storing old clothing, sheets, towels, rope, fishing line and hooks, plastic bowls, clothes pins, kitchen knives and other articles in it to use for trade or gifts on remote islands. After hearing about the devastation of this village, we decide to donate the trunk and its contents to this village. Siti and workers are returning to the village for Mother’s Day this weekend, and Siti is delighted to take it with them. How it will all be handed out, we know not, but that it will be needed, we do know.
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Siti takes us to the start of a trail which leads up to a high point overlooking an area called the Bay of Islands. He promised us a grand view, and he was right.
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In the distance another island of the Lau Group can be seen. The line of surf delineates the reef encompassing the area.
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Returning to the compound, Siti is waiting for us. He wants us to sign the Plantation Visitor Book which is filled with visiting yachts’ inscriptions from many years back. We add our own and say good bye to Siti for now. Tomorrow, we will transfer that trunk to his launch.
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On the way back to Avante, we motor past the ramshackle building on the point. Siti told us that it used to be the Bavatu Harbour Yacht Club. Once upon a time, visiting yachties would hang out there on the decks where cold beer was always available. Covered now in tarp and looking very precarious, those days are past. We wonder if they will ever return.
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Friday, May 6th – Some snorkeling and a visit to a beach or two is planned for today. We head out to the surf-covered boundary reef but do not find the coral very colorful. Allowing the dinghy to coast its way back through the reef, we enjoy the surge of the waves as they hit us. It truly is amazingly beautiful out there on the reef. There is not another sole around — just us and the whole expanse of ocean and islands.
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Back on Vanua Balavu, we pull the dinghy up onto a beach. Feeling a bit like Robinson Crusoe, we hike from one end to the other leaving our solitary foot prints in the sand.
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Walking along the waters edge, dappling her feet in the water, without a care in the world, and what does The First Mate see? A circling reef shark! And then a second one! Enough already. They swim so close and the water is so clear, her camera has no problem capturing them, but she has a problem swimming with them. She knows they do not attack, but it would be much more reassuring if they did not wiggle and move like their more predatory cousins. A wimp is what The Captain calls her, and, no denying, he’s right.
Tomorrow we are moving on to the Bay of Islands. Having seen this interesting collection of islands from on high, we are eager to see them up close and personal. So far, we are loving the Lau Group!