Fiji Redux: Trip to Ovalau, part I

31 Oct - 3 Nov: From Suva I took an hour-long bus ride north to remote Natovi wharf, a Patterson Bros. ferry to the island of Ovalau, and another 45-minute bus ride to Levuka, Fiji's colonial-era capital (shown above, from a bluff above the town).
Leaving Natovi wharf. Never actually disembarked there -- the bus simply backed into a waiting ferry's cargo hold.
Looking south toward Viti Levu from the ferry's deck.
Father & son enjoy a tiffin on the ferry's top deck. Most of the passengers live & work in Suva during the week and return to their Ovalua villages on weekends.
Ovalua Island. Volcanic in origin but now jungle-covered, it's only 13 km long & 11 km wide.
Approaching a tiny wharf on Ovalau's mostly unpopulated west side.
The bus ride to Levuka passed through a dozen or so peaceful villages along a dirt road that skirted Ovalua's rocky rim.
Levuka storefronts on Beach St. The town reeks of 19th-century colonial ambiance. Stringent zoning laws maintain Levuka's architectural integrity; the town eagerly awaits world heritage designation.
More storefronts in the shadow of Ovalau's lush & rugged bluffs.
Hundred-year-old steps snake throughout Levuka's steep hills.
My homey accommodation for 2 nights in Levuka.
Vivid frangipani.