A spine of volcanic mountains runs lengthwise down the center of Vanua Levu, trapping moisture from the southeast trade winds and giving the rolling hills and deltas of the north shore an ideal climate for growing sugarcane. Consequently, the area around the predominately Indo-Fijian town of Labasa is one of Fiji's prime sugar-producing regions.
On the south coast, the usually cloud-topped mountains quickly give way to narrow, well-watered coastal plains, ideal for copra plantations. Until the Great Depression of the 1930s, copra production made picturesque Savusavu a thriving European settlement. Savusavu is Vanua Levu's major sightseeing attraction, primarily because of its volcanic hot springs and magnificent scenic harbor -- a bay so large and well protected by surrounding mountains that the U.S. Navy chose it as a possible "hurricane hole" for the Pacific Fleet during World War II. Today it is a popular stop for cruising yachts.
The paved Cross-Island Road from Labasa runs along the eastern shore, through Savusavu town, and out to Lesiaceva Point at the end of a peninsula that forms the southern side of the bay and protects it from the Koro Sea. The Hibiscus Highway starts at Savusavu and cuts south across the hilly peninsula to the airstrip before continuing along the south shore to Buca Bay. Although 19km (11 1/2 miles) of it is paved, this road is neither a highway nor lined with hibiscus (cows grazing beneath the palms ate them all), but it does run along a picturesque, island-dotted lagoon through the heart of Vanua Levu's copra region. The coastal plain here is primarily a raised limestone shelf, which means that the reef is shallow and that the beaches pale in comparison to the magnificent white sands on Taveuni.
Vanua Levu's southern coast has Fiji's largest concentration of freehold land, which Americans have been buying in recent years. Consequently, you're likely to meet more Yanks here than in any other part of Fiji. Residents elsewhere in Fiji facetiously refer to Savusavu as "Little America."
The Way It Used to Be -- The old South Pacific of copra plantation and trading boat days still lives in Savusavu and Taveuni. It rains more in Fiji's north, but that makes the steep hills lushly green. The diving and snorkeling here are world class.
