[Paddlewise] Fiji trip report: Kandavu

You can fly with feathercrafts from Nandi or Suva to Kandavu (Vunisea air
strip) on Fiji Air. The overweight charge is about $20.00 US per single kayak.
You can paddle off from either side of the island from the airstrip, but we
chose to take a truck and boat to Reece's Place on Galoa Island, which is the
closest resort to the airstrip (about a mile) and gave us a base to leave
unnecessary luggage. (The transportation was free, and the resort is the
cheapest we found in Fiji, with inexpensive diving access to the pristine
Astrolab reef. Bill Reece will barter dives for regulators, which cost him big
money to import.) 

There are strong prevailing winds from the east to east-by-southeast on
Kandavu, yet for some very good reasons, the practical way to proceed is into
the wind up the windward side of the island. First of all, the western end of
the island is considered hazardous to small craft because of tricky currents
around Cape Washington. The Astrolab reef blocks swell on the south side of
the island and the trick is to paddle out to just inside the reef and follow
it east. This will keep you from getting bogged down in heavy swell in SoSo
Bay, and allow you to get to Waya Island by the end of the first day (about 14
miles). There is a reasonably-priced diving resort across from Waya-- Matava--
run by Australians. We camped on Waya Island, owing to Bill Reece's connection
with the American owners, who are absentee. Bill's brother George is
caretaker. The next day of paddling will get you around to Albert's Place
(about 8 miles), another bargain diving resort in a beautiful setting. There
is a shortcut on the way through a mangrove swamp. Just remember to turn right
after you come out of the swamp-- Albert's Place faces Ono Island.

When we continued on around to the west, we were surprised by the size of the
swell following-- there's a big fetch from the Astrolab to the northeast coast
of the island. I wouldn't want to have had to paddle into it. 

There aren't very satisfactory charts of Kandavu that we could find in Suva.
The DMA chart is pretty small and doesn't show many villages. The map they
copied for us at Suva (government map office) was slightly larger and had all
the villages. 

We obtained in visiting permit for Kandavu in Suva, on the Victoria Parade
just across Gladstone Road from the main government building. 

>From Albert's Place on around the island and back west there are only two very
pricey resorts that demand three-night stays (at $250.00 US per night per
person), but plenty of empty beaches where you can spend a quiet night. Always
look for heavily trodden paths that indicate the beach is subject to a lot of
foot traffic between villages. Better to find more isolated beaches. If you
happen to stop near settlements you will likely be invited to spend the night
and served a great dinner. Nobody really seems to care if you camp on their
land on Kandavu, and the big villages give the impression that they really
would prefer not to be bothered by a visit (unless you've come to shop the
store!). Much of the land is owned by individuals-- but just try to find out
who they are so you can ask permission to camp! What worked for us was to have
a package of yaqona ready in case we were busted. Landowners and villages
around the New Zealander-owned Dive Kandavu Resort tend to be more finicky. We
paddled an hour to a village we thought owned a pristine beach to ask
permission, only to be told it wasn't theirs. When we returned to the beach to
camp, the owner soon arrived-- with the police! A bundle of yaqona for each of
them with our explanation sent them cheerfully off. What also works is to let
Bill Reece show you beaches on the map where owners are happy to let you camp
for a little kava.

 

If you don't want to risk your life paddling around Cape Washington, you can
cross the isthmus at Vunisea airstrip. A transport truck costs $5 Fijian. Then
it's a short paddle back to Galoa Island. 
***************************************************************************
PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List
Submissions:     paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net
Subscriptions:   paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net
Website:         http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/
***************************************************************************