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Ovalau & the Lomaiviti Group

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Volcanic hills, mountains, valleys, volcano mouth of beautiful green lush Ovalau island overgrown with palms, lost in jungle, covered with clouds, home of Levuka town. Fiji, Melanesia, Oceania. ; Shutterstock ID 1256221183; your: Erin Lenczycki; gl: 65050; netsuite: Online Editorial; full: Destination

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Overview

Despite its proximity to Viti Levu, the Lomaiviti group is often overlooked as a tourist destination in Fiji. Its residents may moan this is unfair, and if you make it here you'll understand why. It was in Levuka, the capital of the main island Ovalau, that the first Europeans settled and eventually made this the country’s first capital. Its wild and immoral colonial days are long over but you'll likely be seduced by its laid-back charms and welcoming atmosphere – not forgetting its historic centre that won Fiji's first World Heritage site listing in 2013.

Attractions

Must-see attractions

  • Masonic Lodge Ruins

    Masonic Lodge Ruins

    Ovalau & the Lomaiviti Group

    This stone shell was the South Pacific’s first Masonic lodge (1875). This was once Levuka’s only Romanesque building, but it was burnt to a husk in the…

  • Marist Convent School

    Marist Convent School

    Ovalau & the Lomaiviti Group

    The Marist Convent School (1882) was a girls school opened by Catholic missionaries and run by nuns, but is now a lively co-ed primary school. It was…

  • Pigeon Post Site

    Pigeon Post Site

    Ovalau & the Lomaiviti Group

    The site of Levuka's original Pigeon Post, marked by a nondescript drinking fountain in the centre of the road. From the timber loft that stood here,…

  • Sacred Heart Church

    Sacred Heart Church

    Ovalau & the Lomaiviti Group

    Sacred Heart Church dates from 1858. The clock strikes each hour twice, with a minute in between. Locals say the first strike is an alarm to warn people…

  • Former Morris Hedstrom

    Former Morris Hedstrom

    Ovalau & the Lomaiviti Group

    The 1868 former Morris Hedstrom (MH) trading store is the original MH store in Fiji. Behind its restored facade are the Levuka Community Centre, a library…

  • Levuka Village

    Levuka Village

    Ovalau & the Lomaiviti Group

    Tidy little Levuka village, once the home of Tui (Chief) Cakobau, is 200m further north. In the cemetery next to the village's Methodist Church, is the…

  • Navoka Methodist Church

    Navoka Methodist Church

    Ovalau & the Lomaiviti Group

    In the cemetery next to the village’s Methodist Church is the grave of former American consul John Brown Williams. It was his claim for financial…

  • 199 Steps of Mission Hill

    199 Steps of Mission Hill

    Ovalau & the Lomaiviti Group

    There are many old colonial homes on Levuka's hillsides, and the romantically named 199 Steps of Mission Hill are worth climbing for the fantastic view –…

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