A bit of Fiji Geography and History

There are over 300 islands that make up Fiji. We are on the largest Viti Levu. The second largest is Vanua Levu. We have had a pleasant and relaxing time at the Club Fiji beach resort. I must say though that my unfulfilled dream was to visit the South Pacific as a yachie on my own boat. The accounts of many Bluewater sailors of visiting the small inhabited islands and being welcomed by villagers is quite different from this. However the staff here are very friendly and go out of their way to make one welcome. This is a  well run and well maintained fairly economic resort that was built 22 years ago.

The Fiji islands were first populated by Polynesians 1500 yrs BC then by Melanesians 500 BC.  Captain Cook visited in 1774. Indian labour was brought in for the sugar cane industry and now their descendants make up about 50% of Fijians. About 80% are Hindu and 20% Muslim. Interestingly there is very little intermarriage between Fijians of Indian descent and those of original Fijian ethnicity.
Fiji was a British colony from 1874 to 1973 when it gained independence. It has been a member of the Commonwealth but twice was expelled and only recently in 2014 readmitted to the Commonwealth.