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Steaming Savusavu-townFiji’s Best Kept SecretBy Chris Millikan
Silvery morning mists do little to obscure its lush, secluded loveliness. Established on Savusavu Bay for sailing ships trading in sandalwood, beche-de-mer and copra, this meandering colonial hub bustled during the cotton boom and continues today as the main port on Fiji’s ‘other big island.’ With her old coconut estates and planter’s club, Savusavu-town faces Nawi Island. Eight of us head there after breakfast to visit Fiji’s leading pearl farm, a Fijian venture founded several years ago by marine biologist Justin Hunter.
At the flimsy-looking wooden shed perched on stilts, Fijian workers reveal fascinating pearl-culturing secrets. Expert Japanese technicians implant bits of mantle into each nucleus during spawning season, irritating the oyster; eventually quality pearls form. Piles and piles of oysters were strung into mesh bags and attached to strings. Returning to shore in the glass bottomed boat, we view thousands of oysters buoyed at differing depths and stages of development. Surrounded by eleven meters of lines below, guided expeditions snorkel these crystal waters, which teem with vibrant fish.
Gracious morning tea on the large breezy deck provides commanding views of the sweeping bay, among the world’s most beautiful. It’s easy to imagine hundreds of yachts and sailboats anchored in the sheltered harbour, especially at regatta time. A string quartet fills the lobby with melodies; couples make the most of the danceable, toe-tapping music. At the little handicraft market my hubby buys a small hand-carved kava bowl for his sister. Caressing the lovely wood he predicts, “She’ll like putting candies in this.” In the collection of shops along the one main street, a fellow passenger buys dangly beaded earrings for her daughter. Others search out postcards or Fijian knickknacks at the market. We gaze at lustrous pearls strung on golden chains. Serviced by airlines and ferries, Savusavu is more accessible than some of Fiji’s more northern islands. Though tourism is gaining popularity, the town retains a remote feeling. A great place to explore, it’s already a backpacker’s heaven. After a pleasing wander off the beaten track, we wave farewell to families casting their lines from the wharf. We set off to try our luck in the Yadua Passage, well known by locals for good fishing. Travel Planner: |
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TM
Cautiously navigating coral reefs and shallow waters
surrounding Fiji’s outlying northern islands, the Mystique Princess introduces
us to its extraordinary history and culture at riveting port-stops, including
Savusavu on Vanua Levu.
During the five-minute boat ride, our guide Noleen
introduces us to black lip oysters, letting us finger shimmering pearl samples
in iridescent rainbows of pink, gold, and turquoise overtones. “Clear,
uncontaminated waters help create exceptional pearls here,” she says. “Their
unique glow and shades are natural, none enhanced or dyed. It takes up to four
years to form good pearls … we expect to harvest 165,000 pearls annually.”
Back on the rustic dock, we meander toward town. Steam
plumes rising from the little beach lend surreal charm to this pretty, laid-back
outpost. Journalizing details of Fiji in the 1840’s, Commodore Wilkes noted five
hot shoreline springs; today there’s four. A barefooted fellow trekker jumps
frantically from spot-to-spot, realizing too late that the hot springs saturate
a wide area. This thermal activity reminds us that this spot was once a fiery
caldera.
Many local matrons still use the boiling springs below Hot
Springs Hotel, cooking pots of root crops such as taro, yams and cassava. We
meet two young brothers waiting patiently in the thatched shelter for their bag
of rice to finish cooking. As the bubbling water burbles out of the coral, we
puff up the steep hill to the hotel.