is neighbouring Ovalau Island, on which sits the wee town of Levuka, the first capital of Fiji. We three shared the 6-seater with a woman delivering the day's papers...
As well as well-preserved shop-fronts, Levuka is awash with Fiji's "firsts" : the site of Fiji's first bank, post office, private members' club, hospital, town hall, municipal government; its public school, opened in 1879, was the first public school in Fiji. It was recently finally awarded UNESCO Heritage status.
It was in Levuka that Chief Ratu Seru Epenisa Cakobau (who'd ruled as a warlord and eventually united Fiji's warring tribes under his leadership) established a united Fijian kingdom and hence it was the original capital.
So far, so good - however, the US government held Cakobau responsible for an arson attack against the American Consul back in 1849 and demanded $44,000 compensation. Unable to pay the debt and fearing a US invasion and annexation, Cakobau chose to cede the islands to the UK (he'd offered in fact to cede in 1854 but only conditional on being able to retain the highest and most precedent title of "Tui Viti" (Paramount Chief - the highest and most precedent title) which the UK had refused. In 1870, Cakobau had no choice but to sign a deed of cessation to Queen Victoria, and thus Fiji became a colony until independence in 1970.
We stayed at a fantastic bed and breakfast with magnificent breakfasts and a glorious terrace from which to see this morning's sunrise
before heading back to the teeny-tiny airport (yes, that is the control-tower...)
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