Vatu Vara Island is a Fijian island in the northwest sector of the Lau Group of islands. The island is in diameter at the base of its summit and is also referred to as "Hat Island" due to the summit's shape. The

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

cliffs, some in height, of the

guyot In marine geology, a guyot (pronounced ), also known as a tablemount, is an isolated underwater volcanic mountain ( seamount) with a flat top more than below the surface of the sea. The diameters of these flat summits can exceed .Mago Island Mago Island (pronounced ) is a volcanic island that lies in the northwest sector of Fiji's northern Lau Group of islands. One of the largest private islands in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the pristine island consists of of land. The island ...

and some south-west of

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 ...

at Lat: 17° 26'00 S Long: 179° 31'00 W. The volcanic and limestone island is nearly in diameter at its base. Its summit, the highest in Lau, is a massive truncated pyramid bounded on all sides by almost perpendicular cliffs up to in height. The crest of the pyramid is some in extent, and is generally flat, although pitted with holes and depressions from deep, some of them filled with water. At its base there is in most places a wide belt of gently sloping land, standing not more than

above sea level Height above mean sea level is a measure of the vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) of a location in reference to a historic mean sea level taken as a vertical datum. In geodesy, it is formalized as ''orthometric heights''. The comb ...

, and forming the brim of the hat suggesting the island's profile. On the northern and eastern edges of the island the sea breaks against the limestone cliffs, which are deeply undercut; but elsewhere the island is circled by a broad fringing reef, which, off the western coast swings sharply away from the shore to enclose the lagoon. The precipitous sides of the central mass are scored by three shallow terraces, marking pauses in the uplift of the island; but these are not readily observed, being smothered under the dense vegetation that clothes the whole towering structure. The island is a former

atoll An atoll () is a ring-shaped island, including a coral rim that encircles a lagoon partially or completely. There may be coral islands or cays on the rim. Atolls are located in warm tropical or subtropical oceans and seas where corals can gr ...

, specifically called a “Guyot”. This is an extinct volcano that has become overgrown by coral reefs to form an atoll. The flat top was once at sea level, hence the flat summit. Its distinctive size and hat-like shape is recognizable from over away, including from nearby islands such as

Kaibu Kaibu (pronounced ) is an island in Fiji's Lau archipelago. A 22.4 kilometer-long reef encompasses Kaibu and the neighbouring island of Yacata, from which Kaibu is separated by a lagoon. The island, which has an area of about 2 square kilometers ...

, Yacata, and

. The island is privately owned by

James Jannard James Jannard (born June 8, 1949)
retrieved September 9, 2013 is an American designer, business ...

Vakatawa kei Vatuvara (Guardian of Vatuvara)

The traditional mythical guardian of Vatu Vara is a sea goddess (or nymph) named Sakulawe. In Yadrana, Lakeba, the Turaga Vaka family have one of their elderly matriarch named after Sakulawe, as a token of respect to one of their late blood relatives and a chief of Vuna: Ratu Masiwini; Masiwini is the great-grandfather of current Fiji National Provident Fund CEO Aisake Taito, married to the daughter of Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara.

Vakatawa kei Vatuvara (Guardian of Vatuvara)

See also