With Dan back from the states and our watermaker fixed it was time to do a little cruising in the Mamanuca and Yasawa Island chains here in western Fiji. We’ve heard they are amazing and we wanted to see for ourselves so on a gorgeous, sunny day we set out on yet another adventure.
The first stop for us was at the northern end of the Mamanucas at Monuriki Island. This is where they filmed the movie Cast Away with Tom Hanks. The island itself is absolutely beautiful but unfortunately for us the day we arrived there was too much swell to anchor so we did a drive by, took a couple of pics. Of course we had to take one with me and Wilson. We were both a bit disappointed about not being able to stay but sometimes you just have to keep moving if you want to stay safe.
We made another stop in a beautiful anchorage on the north side of Tavua Island. It appeared to be the perfect spot and we had it all to ourselves. The water there was really clear and on the beach we watched as villagers from the other side of the island were searching the rocks for crabs and fish. We even had a fishing boat come by with several men in it. Behind them were three or four young boys snorkeling and spear fishing. Yes here in the islands the kids work just as hard as the adults. Maybe that’s why they turn out to be such awesome people. You know, they aren’t sitting around being handed everything. But wait, I’m getting dangerously close to discussing politics here so I will just move along.
We really enjoyed this marvelous little anchorage but when I said,“It appeared to be the perfect spot”, appeared is the key word. After about two hours of relaxing and enjoying the views the wind and swell kicked up and we just weren’t feeling good about it. The anchorage is not well protected so it’s one you really want to stay in when it’s fairly calm. So, with daylight fleeting we hauled anchor and raced to the northern end of Malolo Island where the Likuliku Lagoon Resort is located. They are not cruiser friendly but they do have a wonderfully protected bay with crystal clear waters and since we stayed here before we were sure it would be the best spot with the most protection from the wind and swell.
When we say they aren’t cruiser friendly it means that cruisers aren’t welcome on shore at the resort and quite frankly if they could keep us out of their bay they probably would. The first time we stayed here their island boat was taking one of their guests waterskiing and was doing circles around the three anchored boats making it pretty uncomfortable. It was almost as if they were doing anything they could to get us all to haul anchor and leave. Of course when you look at their website and see that an over the water bure runs almost $11K USD per week it’s easy to understand the exclusivity and reason for their “no cruiser” policy.
We arrived at Likuliku just as the sun was going down. With all of the coral reefs around here traveling these waters at dark is never advisable so we were delighted to have made it just before dark. That evening Dan cooked up some wings on the grill and we sat back and enjoyed another beautiful night in Fiji. It may have taken three tries to find the right spot for the night but we found it. One thing we know is that if it doesn’t feel right, it probably isn’t so you need to move to another spot.
Next we head north to the Yasawas…check back to find out about our wonderful adventures in these amazing islands.
Until Next Time…
Jilly & Dan
