we left koro island on 17 june and had a beautiful sail to ngau island. after a quick tiki tour around the reported anchorages, stopped in herald bay - a stunning day and bay. the sunset awesome. did sevu sevu at the village of sawaieke the next morning when the tide was high having now discovered that most of the villages are easiest to access at high tide. the chief was in the bath so we left our kava with his grandson! we left gnau at 5pm that day as the wind had veered to the ne and we wished to use the wind to sail down to matuku island the most sw island in the lau group.
matuku island is a very sheltered harbour being inside what must have been a crater lake. arrived through the reef soon after dawn followed in by liberation (from nelson) and later 3 other yachts all of whom had sailed from suva (2 other nzrs) who were on their way to falanga (another 100 miles or so away to the east but meant to be the best island/lagoon in the lau group). not long after we were treated to a spectacular electrical storm and torrential rain so everyone was out collecting water and washing themselves!! the other boats either stayed one night only or simply had a sleep before moving on. we ended spending nearly a week here with no other boats about as we decided that there was no hurry until the wind and swells had abated and we could have a comfortable sail. the village at the head of the harbour is very small but very hospitable. chico the mayor of the village had been with the military in sinai and was a very interesting man whose family looked after us very well. on the sunday i joined them for church and gavin came in later for lunch put on by the whole village - a wonderful experience (and gourmet delight including an enormous sea crab, taro leaves done in coconut juice and island cabbage similarly). left matuku for totoya island on the 27th june having said our goodbyes and printed off some of the photos we had taken of them all. the $39 photocopier has been a very good investment and we have yet to change the colour cartridge!!. the villagers just love seeing themselves in print and such a small thing to give them in appreciation.
arrived on the western side of totoya island after a windward sail (se 15 - 20kts) about 2pm at the recommended anchorage straight in from the reef in a very pretty bay which was surprisingly sheltered. the wind eased in the evening and we were able to enjoy the beauty of the place, once again the only boat. the next morning walked across the isthmus to the eastern side of the island (following an old railway track) intending to do sevu sevu at the village on the other side but high tide meant we could not get along the foreshore to the village. so took lots of photos for a friend in nz whose father came from here. a truly beautiful island although not really one for the cruisers as the main villagers are all inside the main lagoon inside the island which is entered on the se coast and therefore very exposed to the se winds! left totoya at 5pm to sail overnight to komo island - a beautiful night sail.
komo island is very small but has a wonderful anchorage inside the reef with turquoise waters and little coral. arrived soon after dawn and spent an amazing day here in truly tropical weather. three other yachts already here - two of whom introduced themselves. we were given a mackerel from one for dinner - yum! we have been rather lazy with our fishing on passage. only spent one night here as the wind was forecast to increase to se 25kts the next day and the position of the island is such that we expected that it would not be that sheltered (veers around the headland). left at noon to sail to lacemba or failing that, to bavatu harbour in vanua balavu (the northern lau group). unfortunately, lacemba was not a viable option as the anchorage on the western side was too exposed to the strong se wind and the visibility poor with the rain squalls, so we pushed on to bavatu harbour. and what a good choice that was.
bavatu harbour is incredibly protected and very scenic, although the charts are inaccurate and entry through the reef is therefore a visual one using the leads and markers if in place. we were welcomed in by "streetcar", a yacht from the uk, who answered the vhf when we called the royal exploring isles yacht squadron. they were looking after the place for a couple of weeks. this is a small yacht club set up by tony philps, who owns the copra plantation there. he is keen for everyone visiting to use the facilities he has set up which are quite something and is also happy for visitors to walk the various tracks he maintains around the copra plantation. this includes a small village who it seems help maintain the place in a very tidy way. his home at the top of the hill is incredible and the view well worth the short walk. we were able to view the seas around us from there which we did on the second day when it was blowing 30 - 35 kts outside the reef, while we had no wind in th e inner harbour. met kate and rory off streetcar and vaughn and sharon off "reality", an american yacht, whom we spent time over drinks at the yacht club and/or walking the tracks. on the third day we visited the villagers who were making coconut oil - a labour intensive process but fascinating to watch. took lots of photos which we will post later. left bavatu harbour on the friday to sail back to savu savu on a beautiful day with a 10kt se.
arrived in savu savu the next morning and discovered that our friends lisa and lester on "obsession" (whangarie) were also there. we had been hoping to catch up with them as we met them originally in samoa on our last cruise in 2010 and ended up then going onto wallis island with them. it was a great evneing and ended up all having a chinese meal at our favorite chinese restaurant.had a great couple of days catching up and joined them on their last night anchored off cousteaus' resort. we returned to savu savu the next morning to finish re-provisioning. unfortunately the weather was not the best (rain on and off) and by the end of the week we decided to leave fiji and head north to wallis island, for some better weather hopefully. the weather window looked reasonable although wet and so the decision was made and we left savu savu on 12 july early afternoon after clearing customs.