Vanua Balavu (pronounced ) is the third largest island in

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 ...

Lau Lau or LAU may refer to: People * Lau (surname) * Liu (劉/刘), a common Chinese family name transliterated Lau in Cantonese and Hokkien * Lau clan, one of the Saraswat Brahmin clans of Punjab * LAU (musician): Laura Fares Places * Lebane ...

archipelago An archipelago ( ), sometimes called an island group or island chain, is a chain, cluster, or collection of islands, or sometimes a sea containing a small number of scattered islands. Examples of archipelagos include: the Indonesian Archi ...

, and the main island of the Northern Lau Group.

Geography and infrastructure

This

coral Corals are marine invertebrates within the class Anthozoa of the phylum Cnidaria. They typically form compact colonies of many identical individual polyps. Coral species include the important reef builders that inhabit tropical oceans and sec ...

and

volcanic A volcano is a rupture in the crust of a planetary-mass object, such as Earth, that allows hot lava, volcanic ash, and gases to escape from a magma chamber below the surface. On Earth, volcanoes are most often found where tectonic plates a ...

island has a land area of . Its maximum elevation is . The island is characterized by steep undercut cliffs with fertile volcanic soil. It is well watered and has hot springs. There is an extensive

reef A reef is a ridge or shoal of rock, coral or similar relatively stable material, lying beneath the surface of a natural body of water. Many reefs result from natural, abiotic processes— deposition of sand, wave erosion planing down rock out ...

system, including the islets of Qilaqila also known as the Bay of Islands. The traditional owners of Qilaqila are the iTaukei, the mataqalis' from Mavana Village. All visitors to Qilaqila must do sevusevu and have received permission from the village elders of Daliconi Village to visit. The main village on the island is

Lomaloma Lomaloma (; officially ''Lomaloma Tikina'', ) is a village at the south of the island of Vanua Balavu in the Lau archipelago of Fiji. The settlement is part of the tribal district of Tikina, Lomaloma and consists of 9 villages, 13 Yavusa (tribe ...

. Vanua Balavu has an airstrip, a post office in Lomaloma

copra Copra (from ) is the dried, white flesh of the coconut from which coconut oil is extracted. Traditionally, the coconuts are sun-dried, especially for export, before the oil, also known as copra oil, is pressed out. The oil extracted from copr ...

port, and a small hospital. There was also the Lomaloma Copra Biofuel Project which provided power to three villages, Naqara, Sawana and Lomaloma, however, it is now defunct.

Points of interest

A large sea cave on the southeastern tip of Vanuabalavu was excavated and shown to have been used by humans more than 10 centuries ago.

Notable people

A notable person from Vanua Balavu is Laisenia Qarase, Fiji's

Prime Minister A prime minister, premier or chief of cabinet is the head of the cabinet and the leader of the ministers in the executive branch of government, often in a parliamentary or semi-presidential system. Under those systems, a prime minister is not ...

from 2000 to 2006, who hails from the village of Mavana. Other prominent Vanua Balavu natives are the academic leader

Esther Williams Esther Jane Williams (August 8, 1921 – June 6, 2013) was an American competitive swimmer and actress. She set regional and national records in her late teens on the Los Angeles Athletic Club swim team. Unable to compete in the 1940 Summer Ol ...

, from Levukana village, former

Attorney-General In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general. In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...

Qoriniasi Bale, from Levukana village, and prominent former politician

Filipe Bole Filipe Nagera Bole CBE, CF (23 August 1936 – 19 June 2019) was a Fijian politician who hailed from the village of Mualevu on the island of Vanua Balavu in the Lau Group. He had a reputation as one of Fiji's few politicians untainted by scan ...

, also from Mualevu village. Charles Walker, a former politician and Fiji diplomat hails from

Sawana Sawana is a village on the Fijian island of Vanua Balavu, in the LauThe People of the Sea: Environment, Identity, And History in Oceania, By Paul D'Arcy, University of Hawaii Press archipelago and is part of the '' Tikina'' of Lomaloma. Sawan ...

village with Lavinia Wainiqolo Padarath; a staunch trade unionist and former politician, Walker served as a Minister for Women and Social Welfare under the Fiji Labour Party election win in 1999. Mere Samisoni, businesswoman and politician, comes from the village of

, as does the former Lami Mayor

Tevita Vuatalevu Tevita is the Fijian and Tongan form of the name David. It may refer to: * Tevita Aholelei, IFBB professional bodybuilder * Tevita Folau (born 1985), professional Australian rugby league player * Tevita Leo-Latu (born 1981), professional rugby le ...

, who hails from the village of Mavana. Current Flying Fijians Josh Matavesi and Sam Matavesi who were born and raised in Cornwall, England are also a native of Vanua Balavu through their paternal line. Beach on Vanua Balavu

References

Fiji
By Korina Miller, Robyn Jones, Leonardo Pinheiro, Published by Lonely Planet - Page 237

External links

Archeological
findings in Vanuabalavu. * Reference to th
Geography of Vanuabalavu

Moana's Guest House, Vanua Balavu
Islands of Fiji Lau Islands {{Fiji-geo-stub