Monday 11th July - Levuka Town tour and Gun Rock

Today is Levuka tour day as we decide to follow the walking tour from the Lonely Planet guidebook which has become our bible and always with us.
Levuka is overflowing with history - the last cannibal king, Ratu Sera Cakobau, cemented his power base here and the islands were the centre of early British Colonial action. Levuka was Fiji's earliest European settlement and the country's first capital. Early European trade was in sandalwood, sea cucumber and whaling and settlements grew up in the 1830s.  The local Lovoni people burned these down on a regular basis until they gained protection from the Chief of Levuka - until he was killed in 1846.  By the 1850s Levuka had a reputation for drunkness, violence and immorality and attracted 3000 Europeans with 52 hotels for them to drink in.  Many men took several wives (they told locals that was the custom back at home) and disputes were settled with a musket! Cakobau tried to form a government in 1871 but failed and in 1874 acted on an earlier British offer and Fiji was ceded to the Crown. It became a British colony and Levuka proclaimed its' capital.

Cession Site 1874 and 1970

It remained under British rule until 1970 when it regained independence - Prince Charles made the now tatty Provinicial Bure his headquarters during this process.

Levuka is a town of "oldests" and "firsts"  -
The site of the first pigeon post providing a
postal link between here and Suva.







The original 1868 Morris Hedstrom (MH) is just down the street - a bit like Fijian Sainsburys!





We see the ruins of the South Pacific;s first Masonic Lodge- sadly burned down in the 2000 coup by locals and the Levuka Public School - Fiji's first public school and the oldest hotel in Fiji The Royal Hotel which as we discovered last night is tatty, run down and in need of some serious investment. Unfortunately it continues to trade on its' status as the original Fiji place to stay.

David has developed an aversion to shaving but under pressure from the rest of us braved the local barbar for a cut throat razor wet shave - he splashed out and spent $2 FD (60p)!

In the late afternoon we walked out of town towards Gun Rock so named after a US exploration expedition on 1849 pounded it with canon fire from their ship in an attempt to impress the chief of Levuka. This happened again in 1874 and you can still see the scars left by this.

We had to find and ask the village of Vakaviti's chief for  permission to climb up to the top which he duly granted.

Fortunately two boys from the village accompanied us with their machete and acted as navigators, path clearers and historians. The climb was particularly tricky due to the fact that we were all wearing flip flops (doh!) but the views were well worth it.

                                   

 
 

View of Levuka from Gun Rock

David, Junior and his machete!