The Yasawa Flyer

The Yasawas are a chain of volcanic islands running northeast to southwest off the northwest of Viti Levu, the main island. The Yasawa Flyer, a catamaran service, sets out from Port Denarau every morning and works its way up the chain, calling at various islands, and returning the evening of the same day. Besides passengers, the catamaran delivers provisions.

Breakfast was at 0645 so we would be picked up at 0730. It was basically bread, butter and jam, fruit, cereal, milk, and tea or coffee. Lodgers who had better rooms got a cooked breakfast. But it was adequate. I prefer to eat little before getting on a boat anyway.

The bus already had passengers from resorts deeper down Wailoaloa Road; we were the last pickups of the run. So we got to have breakfast a bit later than those from other resorts.

Unless you are staying in a premium resort at places like Port Denarau, and the closest you want to get to water is the hotel pool, you really want to take a boat to get out to the islands. Another, nearer, chain of popular islands, these to the west of Viti Levu, are the Mamanucas. Some tourists spend all their time in the Viti Levu resorts and the only Fijians they see are the resort staff. This was something I discovered only by reading the guide books and traveller advice pages carefully.  Not going to the islands seems to negate the purpose of going to Fiji.

We had a bit of free time to explore the port area after checking in our luggage while they loaded the catamaran. Port Denarau is built on reclaimed swampland. They've put a shopping centre and marina there. I was tempted to buy a beverage from Lulu Cafe to use the WiFi but decided that I didn't want to know about what was happening elsewhere. In the event, I was off the Internet for a week. And the world didn't come to an end.

That day our boat was not the usual bright yellow Flyer but a white one, Ocean Dreaming. Our luggage was stowed aft. A system of coloured tags indicated at which island resort an item should be dropped off. Each resort had a box-full of these tags. I was bound for Wayasewa (also Waya Lailai, both meaning Little Waya) for two nights.

There is an air conditioned lounge, but if inclined, one can catch the breeze on the stern or the top deck. A Fijian crew member was occupied holding an outdoor antenna in place so that the Fijians could watch a football game on the TV. On the main TV they screened the BBC documentary The Blue Planet. 

We passed South Sea Island, a tiny piece of rock not much bigger than a few football fields. A few km north of it is Bounty Island. I don't remember who told me this but not long before the generator on Bounty Island had caught fire and smoke billowed from it. The residents of South Sea Island resort turned out to watch and go "oooooo". That mishap put the facilities on Bounty out of action for a while.

(To be continued on Wayasewa.)