Day one of a four day road trip around Viti Levu (‘Great Fiji’), the largest Fijian island, home to about three quarters of the population.

First stop from Suva was a side trip to the FEA Towers, accessed by a surprisingly good dirt road (FEA Tower Road) which starts just past Colo-I-Suva Forest Park. The road goes through an attractive village before heading increasingly steeply to one of the highest points in the region. At the summit are a number of communication towers, and (from the drone) views toward Suva and across the rain-forested interior.

I then headed north on Kings Road which was moderately interesting, though there were relatively few sights of interest to stop at. After Korovou I made a brief stop near a waterfall and the village of Dakuivuna.

Next stop was at one of the many villages alongside the Wainibuka River.

Further north the landscape changed from thick rainforest to sizeable areas cleared for agriculture.

Saint Francis Xavier Church is an atmospherically aged church with a memorable mural. The church dates from 1917 and shows its age. Inside is a series of true fresco murals painted in 1962–1963 by artist Jean Chalot. It is an interesting mix of a traditional European stone church but Fijian elements like woven mats instead of pews.

There were incredible views of the surrounding landscape from outside the church.

Sadly most shops in rural Fiji appear to be heavily fortified, with this example by Namuaimada Beach having a barbed-wire perimeter fence, then a secure porch area, and a solid front door, through which you were served by the owner (with a huge dog at their feet). You weren’t able to enter the shop, but at least I could get an ice cream.

The beach itself was attractive from land and air.

Rakiraki is a popular tourist destination at the northern tip of Viti Levu, which I’d visited 12 years prior, for a memorable diving holiday at Volivoli. This time I stayed at Dreamview Villas, which lived up to their name, though the interiors were rather worn.