Historic and Cultural Cruise, journey to the end of the earth - Part One - Lautoka, Kioa and Rabi

It was an early start on Monday morning 16th May as we would have a full day of sailing ahead of us.  I was collected from my hotel at 8.15am along with Rod, a journalist who would be travelling with us, and taken the short distance back to the Blue Lagoon Lounge.  Although I'd been told to arrive by 8.30am, the lounge was almost empty when I got there but it wasn't long before people started pouring through the door.  As I waited, I was joined at my table by a few of the people I had me the evening before and also by Alan Roxburgh, a Fijian and octogenarian who had spent may years researching the history of the Fijian islands and who had been asked to come along to share some of that history with us.  The excitement was palpable as we waited to board the bus to the wharf, this was the first Historic and Cultural cruise to visit Vanua Balavu, islands which rarely get visitors, let alone tourists like us.  

Map of route, Lautoka-Kioa-Rabi-Taveuni-Vanua Balavu-Levuka-Lautoka

As the bus pulled up alongside the moored vessel, our crew were waiting for us, serenading us.  And Captain Saula, our captain for the week who I had met in November last year was also there to welcome us on board the MV Mystique Princess.


It was the usual routine, get settled in our cabins then meet on the Sky Deck for the welcome meeting.  This was the first opportunity to see the whole collection of passengers and I was pleased to see familiar faces from the evening before and even a couple who had been by the pool in my hotel the previous day.  Among the guests were two journalists, one freelance, one from the Fiji Sun (who would be submitting daily articles and a 4 page weekend spread), a couple from Brazil and Greece, living in Manilla, a Swiss couple who spoke very little English, a German couple living in Thailand, a couple from the US & Canada now living in Brisbane (the ones from my hotel) and a couple from the Sunshine Coast of Australia who thought they were going to the Yasawas.  That was in addition to the people I had met the evening before who were friends of the CEO Tim and his wife Ingrid either through the Variety Club or because they live in Fiji.  Lots of the group had been on cruises before so were used to mingling and already it was promising to be a very good week with plenty of mixing and lots of laughter.


After the usual safety briefing and welcome aboard, morning tea was served, delicious sandwiches and cakes which I usually avoid, but I had skipped breakfast at the hotel on the basis that I knew we would be fed as soon as we were on board so I did have a sarnie or two.  And then it was free time as we would be sailing into the night to reach our first destination, the island of Kioa.  It was lovely to be able to chat to fellow passengers, break the ice and then actually spend some time relaxing with my kindle on one of the extra sunbeds which had appeared on board since the afternoon before.  And in between relaxing, lunch was served, I did have a brief afternoon nap to catch up on some much needed sleep then went back up to the Sky Deck for more relaxation and a presentation by Alan Roxburgh on Kioa and its people.  At around 5pm, our passage took us north from the coast of the main island of Viti Levu across open water towards the south coast of Vanua Levu and despite the expectation that the open water would be rougher, the crossing was actually very calm.  Pre-dinner drinks and hors d'oeuves were served on the Sky Deck and we were entertained by the crew before our call to the dining room.  After dinner that evening, we all joined in with a sing along from the Blue Lagoon Song Book which is made up of many older but very familiar songs like Obla-di Obla-Da, Yellow Submarine and my favourite John Denver classic, Country Road.  

Sunrise off Kioa

I woke up at 5am the following morning, I think it was the sound of the anchor being dropped which woke me but since I'd been used to waking up for the early morning swim the week before, I wasn't too bothered, so I went up to the Sky Deck with my camera to see what was happening.  It was still dark sa I ventured up stairs so I picked up a coffee on my way up, arriving just in time to see a thin line of light on the horizon and the silhouettes of the islands around us.  Shortly afterwards, I was joined by Di, an Australian who lives in Fiji with her husband, and we chatted and took photos as the sun came up, illuminating the bay and showing us for the first time the island of Kioa.

Map showing Kioa and Rabi, our passage marked in green.

It was then time for an early breakfast so we would be ready for the first item on our agenda.  The people of Kioa would be coming out to greet us in their outrigger canoes, dressed in traditional dress, to circle the ship twice before returning to shore ready to welcome us as we were ferried over by tender.  

Kioan villagers in their outrigger canoes

As we watched the spectacle of the outriggers circling the vessel, it was immediately clear there was something different about the people of Kioa, compared that is, with the people we had met in villages on Viti Levu and the Yasawa Islands.  We had been told by Alan the day before that the people who have made their home on Kioa are Polynesians who were displaced from Vaitapu Island, Tuvalu, (which used to be the Ellice Islands).  The Ellice Islands purchased Kioa in 1946 as it was facing over population and some of its people were moved to Kioa.   

We were welcomed to the village of Saila by the women of the village who presented us with floral headdresses and we were invited to enter the village hall where we were to be given a traditional welcome.  The traditional dress, the song and the style of dancing was another reminder that these people had a different heritage from the Fijians of the Yasawas.   And of course we were then invited to get up and join in with the dancing which was a little challenging and required quite a lot of co-ordination, which I'm not sure I have!

After the welcome, we were encouraged to explore the village, to walk around the village green, past the houses and over the bridge to the school where we were treated to an impromptu concert by some of the very well turned out and tidy school children.  That was the first occasion (of many) on this trip when I though it might do children in the UK some good to see how some children live and learn.  We were also invited to part with some cash and buy handmade souvenirs from the women of the village.  I invested in a fan made of coconut leaf which was to come in very handy for the rest of the trip.  


Before returning to the boat, we were given the opportunity to have a swim, but someone had spotted a sea-snake in the shallows so I opted for a quick paddle then hopped back on one of the tenders.

Sea Snake

 It was then time for morning tea (more food) as we made our way away from Kioa towards the island of Rabi where we would be having a swim and snorkel and a barbecue lunch on the beach at Tabiang.  It didn't take long before we were there and as usual, I was one of the first at the back of the boat waiting to get to the beach with all my gear.   The water was beautifully clear, a perfect temperature to cool off from the heat of midday and the snorkeling was pretty good.  More photos of fish and corals were taken to add to the collection.  Lunch was also very good, there's not much they don't do well when feeding us on these trips but you can't beat a beach barbecue. 

After lunch, it was back to the vessel for another short passage round the island from Tabiang to Tebewa.  We arrived at around 3.30pm and dropped anchor just off Tebewa and we were ferried straight over to the town where we had been promised a presentation by the children of the school.  We were impressed to see that there was a road on the island and as we stood waiting for everyone to arrive from the vessel, we were passed by several trucks with children riding in the back, in their school uniforms.  Eventually we were all there, but we were still waiting as Tim and Captain Saula went into the council office which was part of the large building in front of us.  Unfortunately, there had been a communication break down between the council and the school.  As it had been school holidays the week prior to our visit, the message had not reached the school that we would be coming so they weren't ready for us and indeed it was their children in the back of the trucks on their way home.  We took a slow stroll through the village towards the school while the teachers tried to muster a group of children who would be able to entertain us, but by the time we reached the gates, it appeared that they hadn't been successful.  Nevertheless, there were some children still waiting for transport who were more than eager to pose for us, and most people we met along the way were keen to be photographed.   It was disappointing, not only because we missed out on a show which we understood was one of the highlights of the trip, but also because the children may have missed out on some of the school equipment, sweets and other goodies that the passengers brought with them.  I should add though that the Blue Lagoon donation to the school was left with the council so at least in that respect at least, the children didn't miss out.  

Tim felt bad that we had missed out on a key part of the itinerary.  So, with a little coercion from the German couple, he laid on free champagne on the Sky Deck when we arrived back on board.  We were all suitably appeased!!   The vessel left Tebewa heading for an anchorage off Taveuni, the Garden Island of Fiji which was to be our destination for the following day.


After dinner was the Men's fishing competition, where all the male passengers were encouraged to participate in trying to catch a fish.  As fishing seems to be a national pass-time in Australia and New Zealand, the back of the boat was full of people trying to catch a fish.  Unfortunately, it was a full moon and in Fiji, apparently, fish don't like a full moon so it makes it hard to catch fish.  Only one fish was caught and the winner of the Men's competition was John with his Barracuda.  Me being me, I had to go down and have a look at the barracuda and all its teeth, so they made me (almost) kiss it, in the style of an Aussie TV personality called Rex Hunt who loves fishing and apparently always kisses his catch.  

My Rex Hunt impression!

To be continued........