Laucala (pronounced ) is one of a triplet of small islands that lie to the east of Thurston Point on the island of

Taveuni Taveuni (pronounced ) is the third-largest island in Fiji, after Viti Levu and Vanua Levu, with a total land area of . The cigar-shaped island, a massive shield volcano which rises from the floor of the Pacific Ocean, is situated to the east of ...

Fiji Fiji ( , ,; fj, Viti, ; Fiji Hindi: फ़िजी, ''Fijī''), officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists ...

. The privately owned islands are the site of the Laucala Resort. The total land area of the main island is . It is long with a maximum width of , narrowing to in some places. The other two islands in the group are

Qamea Qamea (pronounced ) is one of three islets lying to the east of Thurston Point on the island of Taveuni, Fiji, the others being Matagi and Laucala. Geography Qamea lies some 2.5 kilometers east of Thurston Point and covers an area of 34 square k ...

several hundred metres to the west and Matagi.

History

The island was first settled by the Qaraniyaku people, led by their founder Buatavatava Naulumatua. He established Nauluvatu village.

Sphere of influence

Many islands and villages in the northern Lau islands were under political control or influence by Laucala: the villages of Vutuna, Daliconi and Mavana on

Vanua Balavu Vanua Balavu (pronounced ) is the third largest island in Fiji's Lau archipelago, and the main island of the Northern Lau Group. Geography and infrastructure This coral and volcanic island has a land area of . Its maximum elevation is . The isl ...

, and the islands of Naitauba,

Namalata Namalata () is a village and island in Fiji. It is located in the southern portion of the Vanua Balavu island group, part of Fiji's Lau Islands. The village is a constituent of the larger Lomaloma village. The people of Namalata descend from the ...

, Yacata,

Qelelevu Qelelevu or Nggelelevu is a coral islet in Fiji, a member of the Ringgold Isles archipelago, which forms an outlier to the northern island of Vanua Levu. Geography Apart from two nearby coral islets, Tai Ni Beka and Tauraria due west on the ...

and Cikobia. Later, the islanders of Vuna (village in

) took over in the Lau islands, replacing Laucala power in theses islands.

Migration

In 1865, the island of Naitauba was sold to Europeans by the Tui Cakau and its inhabitants moved to Laucala. Later, the people of Laucala were displaced to the neighbouring island of

World War II

During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

the

US Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage of ...

built a

Lauthala Bay Seaplane Base Laucala (pronounced ) is one of a triplet of small islands that lie to the east of Thurston Point on the island of Taveuni in Fiji. The privately owned islands are the site of the Laucala Resort. The total land area of the main island is . It is ...

at Nadi as part of

Naval Base Fiji Naval Base Fiji was a naval base built by the United States Navy in 1942 to support the World War II effort. The base was located on Fiji in the Central Pacific Ocean. The base was built as one of many advance bases in the island-hopping ca ...

. Based at Lauthala Bay Seaplane Base was the

VP-91 Patrol Squadron 91 (VP-91) was a patrol squadron of the U.S. Naval Reserve. It was the second squadron to bear the VP-91 designation, the first VP-91 was redesignated VPB-91 on 1 October 1944. The squadron was established on 1 November 1970 and ...

unit with

Consolidated PBY Catalina The Consolidated PBY Catalina is a flying boat and amphibious aircraft that was produced in the 1930s and 1940s. In Canadian service it was known as the Canso. It was one of the most widely used seaplanes of World War II. Catalinas served w ...

seaplanes.

Sale to Dietrich Mateschitz

In 2003

Dietrich Mateschitz Dietrich Mateschitz (; 20 May 1944 – 22 October 2022) was an Austrian billionaire businessman. He was the co-founder and 49% owner of Red Bull GmbH. In April 2022, Mateschitz's net worth was estimated at US$27.4 billion. Mateschitz worked in ...

, head of the

Red Bull Red Bull is a brand of energy drinks of Austria, Austrian company Red Bull GmbH. With 38% market share, it is the most popular energy drink brand as of 2019. Since its launch in 1987, more than 100 billion cans of Red Bull have been sold worldwid ...

energy drink company, bought the island from

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine owned by Integrated Whale Media Investments and the Forbes family. Published eight times a year, it features articles on finance, industry, investing, and marketing topics. ''Forbes'' also re ...

's heirs for £7 million. The resort now includes 25 bures, each unique from one another with differing themes. The projected cost per night ranges from US$7,000 to $36,000.

References

Islands of Fiji Vanua Levu Cakaudrove Province Private islands of Fiji Forbes family residences Dietrich Mateschitz {{Fiji-geo-stub