Days three and four of a four day road trip around Viti Levu (‘Great Fiji’), the largest Fijian island, home to about three quarters of the population. I left Lautoka and headed south east on my anti-clockwise circuit of the island.

First stop was the village of Viseisei, regarded as the first place that people arrived in Fiji around 3,000 years ago, commemorated with a sizeable monument.

There are a number of buildings around the main village square including Jone Wesele Church, community hall, and traditional chief’s house. It’s very much a tourist experience with a $10 entry fee and controlled access.

At the southern end of Nadi is Sri Siva Subramaniya Swami Temple, the largest Hindu temple in the Pacific.

It is a beautiful and colourful site, which took a while to build. Foundations were laid in 1976 but the temple was not consecrated until 1994.

Sigatoka Sand Dunes National Park was the first National Park in Fiji, protected since 1989. I saw it from the air. Large inland areas appeared to have been recently burnt.

I finished the day at the beautiful Wellesley Resort, set in a lush tropical valley, which unfortunately meant lots of mosquitoes.

I took a short boat trip to snorkel offshore, seeing these incredible angel fish.

I got a better feel for the landscape from the air, looking along the coral coast.

On my final day I snorkelled off the beach, finding less but probably better quality coral and fish closer to shore than from the boat. From Wellesley Resort it was a one and a half hour drive back to Suva in heavy rain to complete the island loop.