Vuda Point is a

headland A headland, also known as a head, is a coastal landform, a point of land usually high and often with a sheer drop, that extends into a body of water. It is a type of promontory. A headland of considerable size often is called a cape.Whittow, Jo ...

on the west coast of

Viti Levu Viti Levu (pronounced ; ) is the largest island in Fiji. It is the site of the country's capital and largest city, Suva, and home to a large majority of Fiji's population. Geology Fiji lies in a plate tectonics, tectonically complex area betwe ...

island, in

Ba Province Ba () is a province of Fiji, occupying the north-western sector of Viti Levu, Fiji's largest island. It is one of fourteen provinces in the nation of Fiji, and one of eight based in Viti Levu. It is Fiji's most populous province, with a populat ...

Fiji Fiji, officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists of an archipelago of more than 330 islands—of which about ...

. It is located between the towns of

Nadi Nadi (, ) is the second-largest city in Fiji. It is located on the western side of the main island of Viti Levu, and had a population of 59,707 at the most recent census, in 2017. Nadi is multiracial with many of its inhabitants Asians, India ...

and

Lautoka Lautoka (, ) is the second largest List of cities and towns in Fiji#List, metropolitan area in Fiji. It is on the west coast of the island of Viti Levu, in the Ba Province of the Western Division, Fiji, Western Division. Lying in the heart of ...

. Vuda Point features the village of

Viseisei Viseisei () is a village at Vuda Point on the west coast of Viti Levu island, in Ba Province of Fiji. History According to tradition, it is the oldest settlement in Fiji, established by Lutunasobasoba when the first Melanesia Melanesia (, ...

, with the Vuda Marina yacht harbor and several small resort complexes.

Nadi International Airport Nadi International Airport is the main international airport of Fiji as well as an important regional hub for the South Pacific islands, located by the coast on the Ba Province in the Western Division, Fiji, Western Division of the main island V ...

serves the area.

History

By tradition, Vuda Point was the landing site of the canoes that brought the

Melanesia Melanesia (, ) is a subregion of Oceania in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It extends from New Guinea in the west to the Fiji Islands in the east, and includes the Arafura Sea. The region includes the four independent countries of Fiji, Vanu ...

n ancestors of the

Fijian people Fijians () are a nation and ethnic group native to Fiji, who speak Fijian and English and share a common history and culture. Fijians, or ''iTaukei'', are the major indigenous people of the Fiji Islands of Melanesia. Indigenous Fijians ar ...

to the country. Oral traditional folklore states that the chief Lutunasobasoba the progenitor of most indigenous Fijians, arrived at Vuda with his entourage, sailing from

Lake Tanganyika Lake Tanganyika ( ; ) is an African Great Lakes, African Great Lake. It is the world's List of lakes by volume, second-largest freshwater lake by volume and the List of lakes by depth, second deepest, in both cases after Lake Baikal in Siberia. ...

Tanzania Tanzania, officially the United Republic of Tanzania, is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It is bordered by Uganda to the northwest; Kenya to the northeast; the Indian Ocean to the east; Mozambique and Malawi to t ...

East Africa and journeyed up the Tuleita to the Nakauvadra mountain ranges. After the Second World War and the establishment of

city and wharf. The Vuda area was prime real estate due to its location near the city during the booming years of sugar production. The first expatriate families to settle in the Vuda were the Kumars, Maharaj Sharmas, Mishras, Waddinghams, McElraths, and Goundars. They currently reside in the area except for the Mishras, along with other old families in the area, such as the Vakubuas, and the Babas. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

the US Navy built a

Naval Base Fiji Naval Base Fiji was a naval base built by the United States Navy in 1942 to support the World War II effort. The base was located on Fiji in the Central Pacific Ocean. The base was built as one of many advance bases in the island-hopping ...

Fleet Recreation Center at the point. In the 1970s an Italian husband and his Japanese wife settled at a southeastern ridge of Vuda Point. Their two sons became established engineers with international offices. In 2009 Sapphire Bay Fiji Ltd was established to develop the Sapphire Bay Fiji resort, and construction began in 2013 on several rental villas. Sapphire Bay Ltd
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References

External links

Vuda Marina Fiji websiteSapphire Bay Fiji Resort website
Headlands of Oceania Landforms of Fiji Ba Province Viti Levu {{Fiji-geo-stub