PACIFIC – Page 11 – OCEAN POSSE

MUST SEE: LEVUKA, FIJI

THE ORIGINAL GUNKHOLES OF THE SOUTH PACIFIC

Levuka is a town on the eastern coast of the Fijian Island of Ovalau. Up until 1877, it was the capital of Fiji. Currently, this strangely haunted town has a population of about 5,000. It is the economic hub of the largest of 24 settlements on the Island. Levuka was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in June 2013, in recognition of the port town's exceptional testimony to the late colonial port towns in the Pacific Ocean.

The modern town of Levuka was founded around 1820 by European settlers and traders as the first modern town in the Fiji Islands. Levuka quickly became an important port and trading post in the Pacific. A disparate band of settlers made up Levuka's population- traders, missionaries, shipwrights, speculators, vagabonds, and even respectable businessmen. Much of Levuka’s unique heritage is in its wooden architecture (highly vulnerable to fire).

The South Pacific’s first Masonic Lodge is Levuka’s only Romanesque building.

The South Pacific's first Masonic Lodge was built in 1913 and housed the Freemasons that were established in Levuka by Alexander Barrack in 1875. There is much controversy about the Masonic fraternity in Fiji. The dominant traditional Christian faiths consider the Masons to be devil-worshippers. The Masonic Lodge was burned down in the 2000 Fiji coup d'etat. The Lodge contained priceless historical artifacts and records of Levuka's history dating back to 1875. The arsonists have yet to be identified and prosecuted.

by EDITOR

GOOD NAUTICAL: BAIE MARQUISIENNE

Nuku Hiva, Marquesas

8°54.8555'S, 140°13.4389'W

At Anchor — SV WHIRLWIND in Baie Marquesienne: Looks like we are anchored in a desert!

Baie Marquesienne is on the western facing side of the island of Nuku Hiva. The Trade Winds generally blow from the East or SE; the swell is similar so this anchorage is generally in the lee of the island making the anchorage very calm and surprisingly dry. Since the water is calm, the clarity is pretty good too and there is a nice spot to snorkel on the N side of the anchorage. I saw sharks, dolphins, and lots of very colorful fish among large boulders and small bits of coral here and there. The bay is surrounded by rocky hillsides that appear to be dry with patches of green vegetation where wild goats roam and bleat all day long. A valley winds up into a steep canyon.

The head of the bay is a rather steep too so landing is not really an option. We have four people onboard and were fortunate to have two that wanted to stay onboard and two that wanted to explore. So, we got dropped off on the beach, brought a radio, some water, and headed off into the wild. There is no marked trail to follow but there are waterways (some dry, some running, some rushing) that we followed up and up and up...until we could not go up any more. As we travelled up the valley we found an oasis and a waterfall, wild pigs and goats, many different flowering trees and plenty of shade to stay cool.

The head of the Bay is like a steep and rocky dam separating a small (this time of year) estuary from the bay

The vegetation along the dry creek bed getting greener as we go into the valley.

Exploring up the valley from the Bay we found an oasis.

Palm Tree reaching for the sun in the steep and deep desert like canyon.

A small but mighty waterfall found. The picture does not do justice to the fact that we could not go any further up from here.

The explorers: Mike and Maurisa enjoying the Polynesian Paradise and the Desert Oasis

The sunsetting on the rocky outcropping lining the dry creek bed we followed up and down from the Bay.

https://goodnautical.com/french-polynesia/anchorage/anse-uea-bai-marquisienne

by EDITOR