Ovalau

We arrived in Ovalau anchorage late on Sunday afternoon. We wanted to clear out and sail to New Caledonia but we had missed the customs office and the rain had set in making the visibility impossible on the open ocean. Monday was 'Fiji' day and unfortunately we were unable to raise anyone in customs so had to wait it out for another day in Ovalau. It was just as well because the storms and rain rolled in and it was a bleak and grey day. In the afternoon the weather cleared a little so we were able to take the dinghy into town and have a walk. The village is very historic as Ovalau was originally going to be the capital of Fiji because ships could sail in and out of the harbour easily. The plan never eventuated but the high street buildings and the quaint churches that are left behind give an indication of a once bustling community. Sadly today the only real prosperity seems to come from the huge fish processing factory that is located on the dockside. All the shops were closed so we walked along the road to the next village stopping at various historic sites along the way. We had to chuckle at the telephone poles that were actually built in the water cutting across the bay as it was the most direct route between the villages. We had no idea how the lines would have been serviced. As we walked back into town we were amazed by the number of pigeons that congregated on the telephone lines in one part of the village. It seemed that they were trying to seek shelter from the rain as there was certainly no food available on the ground. We expected to see seagulls in town rather than pigeons so this was a bit of a surprise. We wandered into the only shop that was open and bought chocolate ice creams. The door of the Customs office was padlocked so we made our way back to Faraway and settled in for a relaxing night. Tomorrow we would have to be up early to clear customs, buy fresh bread, fruit and vegetables and start sailing to New Caledonia whatever the weather.