Ovalau & the Lomaiviti Group
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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.
01 / Attractions
Must-see attractions
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…
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…
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,…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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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