Page 14 - Fiji Traveller 2023 Issue 5

Photos: Andhy Blake

The Library to the south features names of some early visitors 'Tobu ni Balagi' (Swordfish Pool) and the 'Ba ni Vonu' (Turtle
scribbled on its interior walls. Pool).
It is believed that these cave wall writings were not an ancient The location of the swordfish pool is a natural wonder in itself.
practice, and this practice has since ceased. To get to it, you have to hike about five minutes inland from
If the tour of the limestone caves of Qilaqila does not blow you the shoreline.
away, then the varying shades of blue of its waters will. How these fish breed and swim in a pool several metres above
A boat tour around the bay can take you from pale blue to sea level is baffling.
sapphire waters, sky blue to teal and royal blue to aquamarine. Turtles on the other hand nestle in several sandy beaches in
It is as if the rays of sunshine on the sandy bottom of Qilaqila, and it is common to sight turtles in and around the bay.
Qilaqila, together with its colourful soft and not-so-soft corals Local fishermen and women may not easily give away their
and flourishing green vegetation on the limestone islets, mix to ‘trade’ secrets, but the Bay of Islands hosts good fishing spots
provide visitors with a cocktail of blue in its many hues. for urau (crayfish), saqa (trevally), kawakawa (grouper) and walu
To the traditional custodians of the Bay of Islands, the people (Spanish Mackerel).
of Daliconi village of chief Tui Daku and his Vusa Waitui clan, If you enquire, you may also get to swim in the marine park,
Qilaqila is much more than a natural anchorage. where Daliconi villagers keep their coral gardens and breed
It is tabu, or sacred place, as it was in Qilaqila that their giant clams, with the help of the Fiji Government’s Ministry of
ancestors landed in the search for land hundreds of years ago, Fisheries.
for a place they can call their own. The return of turtles, sting rays and giant clams in waters near
It is in Qilaqila that clan members find their cultural totems. Qilaqila has been attributed to the presence of the marine park,
Their fish totem is the Qio (shark); Macou, of the cinnamon which is located in a submerged reef circular in shape that locals
family is their tree totem and the Yalewa ni Qilaqila or Selekoti call 'Gutuveimama'.
(Frigatebird) is their bird totem. Locals will tell you that pods of whales have been sighted too,
Qilaqila is said to be the only locality in Vanuabalavu where usually around the cooler months of July and August.
Macou trees grow, and the people of Daliconi use its bark as
fragrance in body oils. Contacts:
Other natural attractions of the Bay of Islands include Qilaqila – Bay of Islands, Fiji
'Mocemoce ni Beka' (Flying Foxes’ Den) and 'Vunivuni ni Waqa'
(War Canoe Hideout). About the writer: Fresh from holidaying in his home village of
Local guides will also be able to point out the locations of the Daliconi, Samisoni is a former director of Front Page, the parent
company of Fiji Traveller.

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