Cruising Fiji's Yasawa Islands: Into the mild blue yonder

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This was published 7 years ago

Cruising Fiji's Yasawa Islands: Into the mild blue yonder

By Kerry van der Jagt
Blue Lagoon Cruises offers various iteneraries through the Mamanuca and Yasawa Island groups.

Blue Lagoon Cruises offers various iteneraries through the Mamanuca and Yasawa Island groups.

Convention dictates there are two ways to disembark a cruise ship – by tender or gangplank. But there is a third, underused method, favoured by passengers on Blue Lagoon Cruises' Fiji Princess – jump overboard and swim ashore. But only after the captain has tied off to a coconut tree and changed into board shorts.

I am introduced to this technique on the first morning of our four-night cruise of the remote Yasawa Islands, a chain of 20 or so volcanic islands off the north-west coast of the main island of Fiji. Known as the Sacred Islands, this is the place where Fiji's ancestors are said to have emerged and also where the 1980 romance adventure movie, Blue Lagoon, was filmed.

Standing on the back deck I squint against the bright sunlight, taking in the sweep of turquoise water, the curve of coconut trees, the whiter-than-white sand – and then I see it, a thatched rum bar, set on the beach and manned by my favourite barman Sefo.

Snorkelling in the Yasawa Islands.

Snorkelling in the Yasawa Islands.

If this is a dream, please don't wake me.

After a thumbs-up from Sefo, I plunge into the languid water, a dozen or so strokes and I'm at the sandy doorstep of his bamboo and palm frond establishment. I'm no Captain Jack Sparrow (besides, it's only mid-morning) so I bypass the seven varieties of Fijian rum – including coconut, coffee, golden honey and banana – and settle on a handful of cookies and a cold cordial instead.

For the next day and a half Fiji Princess will stay tied at Nanuya Lailai Island, with guests having exclusive use of this pristine, private beach (of Blue Lagoon fame). From my perch at the bar the perfectly proportioned, twin-hulled catamaran sits a mere 20-metres offshore, a dental floss of rope looped between stern and coconut tree.

A warm welcome from students of Yasawa High School.

A warm welcome from students of Yasawa High School. Credit: Kerry van der Jagt

Refurbished in 2014, the boutique 68-passenger Fiji Princess operates on a two-to-one passenger-to-staff ratio. Facilities include an open-air dining room, shaded sky deck, Senikai Spa, sun lounge, splash pool, library and free Wi-Fi (when connection allows). My Orchid Deck cabin is roomy enough, with a queen bed, large window with ocean views, a nautical chic decor of blue and tan, Nespresso coffee machine, television, minibar and ample storage. The en suite bathroom is small but serviceable.

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Following our swim ashore (tenders transport beach bags or guests who prefer to keep their feet dry), some guests make a beeline for the hammocks, others head off to explore the island while I join a snorkelling safari.

Labelled the "soft coral capital of the world" by Jean-Michel Cousteau, the underwater world of the Yasawa Islands is Fiji's hero – and there's no better way to see it than on a small ship cruise alongside a Fijian crew who know these waters intimately.

Grassroots tourism at its best on Nanuya Lailai Island.

Grassroots tourism at its best on Nanuya Lailai Island. Credit: Kerry van der Jagt

Our guide leads us over vivid bommies, some completely encrusted with soft corals and surrounded by clouds of anthias, through schools of small orange fish, their flattened bodies falling like autumn leaves, and over elkhorn coral, their tips glowing blue like LED lights. During the winter months (May to October) manta rays arrive, while October to April is turtle nesting season. It's a heaving, seething parallel universe of life, light and colour.

At our guide's beckoning I kick hard and dive towards what looks like a clump of liquorice. "Black coral," he says, once we have resurfaced, panting like puppies from the exertion. It is only then I recognise him as Jitoko, our charismatic captain – part shipmaster, part Aquaman. Over the coming days Jitoko leads us on more snorkelling excursions, gives impromptu map reading lessons, tells us stories about his early life on Nayau Island and takes us looking for manta rays.

This is what I'm beginning to love about the all-Fijian crew, from captain to deckhand, everyone pitches in and helps out like an extended family. Back on the beach, First Officers Joe and Api are preparing the pit for tonight's traditional lovo dinner, head barman Tony is helping guests with kayaks, Jona is strumming his guitar and Sefo is handing around rum cocktails in the water.

Sefo in his beachside rum bar.

Sefo in his beachside rum bar. Credit: Kerry van der Jagt

Lunch is a beachside barbecue of steak, chicken and fish (caught fresh off the ship) served with a Fijian-style ceviche of Spanish mackerel in coconut cream and a traditional palusami made from spinach. The afternoon is at leisure – for relaxing, kayaking, or (as I did) swimming backwards and forwards between ship and shore, with a few sneaky stops at Sefo's rum bar along the way.

That evening, after returning to the ship to freshen up, we come ashore again for sunset cocktails followed by the opening of the much-anticipated Fijian lovo. Similar to a Maori hangi, a lovo is a celebratory feast of pork, fish, beef, yams and sweet potato that has been slow cooking in the earth oven all day.

The following day we hike to the eastern side of the island, buying shells from villagers and stopping at Lo's Tea House for a slab of coconut cake and a mug of herbal tea. For me, this is the real strength of small ship cruising, the chance to get off the beaten track – from a traditional dinner at Tamasua village to swimming inside Sawa-i-Lau caves, said to be the origin of the Fiji people.

The vibrant marine life of the Yasawa Islands.

The vibrant marine life of the Yasawa Islands.Credit: Blue Lagoon Cruises

Another feature of Blue Lagoon Cruises is the opportunity for passengers to give back to the communities they visit, now more important than ever after Cyclone Winston struck in February this year. As a sister company to the Vinaka Fiji volunteer program, an enterprise designed to help the lives of people living in the Yasawas, passengers onboard Fiji Princess have the opportunity to visit a school bringing donations and occasionally supplies.

But our visit to Yasawa High School on Naviti Island, the only high school in the Yasawas, is more than that, as the education co-ordinator Miss Tema, says. "Your visit means a lot to the children psychologically," she says. "By coming here you are telling them they are valued and important." We learn that after the cyclone many of the children ran away, having lost everything. "Yet, they came back and here they stand, singing their hearts out," Miss Tema says, with her hand on her heart.

Months after the cyclone much of the school still remains in tatters – classrooms with roofs missing, windows blown out, chairs and desks destroyed. Walking through the crumbling science block we pass the physics room, its door flapping like a broken wing, but emblazoned proudly with a sign: "School is a building with four walls with tomorrow inside".

The interior of a double cabin.

The interior of a double cabin. Credit: Blue Lagoon Cruises

Thanks to Vinaka Fiji the future is already looking brighter with the installation of rainwater tanks, as well as an active program of volunteers who are working one-on-one with the children to improve their reading. "We always need stationery," Miss Tema says. "But something as simple as a school backpack or warm blankets for the boarders can really lift morale."

She reinforces the point that any gifts from passengers need to be given directly to the school. The gifts will be distributed according to need. Some guests have already organised to stay in the Yasawas afterwards to work on volunteer programs.

On our final evening we set sail from Drawaqa Island, gathering on the sky deck to enjoy the setting sun, a pod of dolphins leading the way. As the sun sinks into the ocean, the sky changes from indigo to coral to fluorescent green, igniting the water and sending flames across the panorama. One passenger says it reminds him of the aurora borealis, while another says he can see swirls similar to a van Gogh painting. I know that in all my years I've never witnessed a sunset like it and I doubt I will again.

Jumping for joy in the Yasawas.

Jumping for joy in the Yasawas. Credit: Kerry van der Jagt

TRIP NOTES

MORE INFORMATION

fiji.travel

GETTING THERE

Fiji Airways flies to Fiji (Nadi) from Sydney and Melbourne. See fijiairways.com. Transfers from the airport or Nadi/Denarau hotel to Denarau Marina can be booked through Blue Lagoon Cruises.

CRUISING THERE

Blue Lagoon Cruises offers three, four and seven-night itineraries through the Mamanuca and Yasawa Island groups. The four-night Wanderer cruise (Hibiscus cabin) is priced from $2410 a person twin share, including all meals and guided shore excursions. There are also family cruises, which operate during selected school holidays. Phone +679 670 5006. See bluelagooncruises.com

Sofitel Fiji Resort and Spa offers pre and post-cruise accommodation near Port Denarau Marina from $386 a night in a luxury oceanside room. See accorhotels.com

FIVE MORE HIGHLIGHTS

SWIM

Between May and October guests have the opportunity to snorkel with manta rays in the channel between Drawaqa and Naviti Islands.

LAUGH

Enjoy a performance by singers and dancers from Matacawalevu Village. While some "traditional" dance routines seem staged, this is the real deal, full of spirit, fun and laughter.

TRY

Try stand-up paddleboarding (SUP) – with its clear, calm waters the private beach of Nanuya Lailai Island is the perfect place for both beginners and experts.

RELAX

Take a beachside spa treatment. During the visit to Nanuya Lailai Island the onboard Senikai spa sets up its massage table on the sand.

DIVE

Scuba diving is outsourced and offered as an optional extra at a couple of locations during all cruises.

Kerry van der Jagt was a guest of Blue Lagoon Cruises

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