Lautoka

Lautoka is the second city of Fiji and the centre of the sugar industry, with a mill in the middle of town and cane trains running through the streets in season. It is more Indo-Fijian than Nadi, with the Sri Krishna Kaliya temple, the mosque and a busy market reflecting that, and it sees very few tourists despite being half an hour from the airport. The name means spear hit, from a story about a duel between two chiefs.

History

The city's name comes from two Fijian words meaning "spear hit": by oral tradition, one of two chiefs fighting a duel cried "Lau-toka!" as his spear struck home. The first known European sighting of the coast came on 7 May 1789, when Captain William Bligh charted it roughly during his open-boat voyage to Timor after the mutiny on the Bounty. Lautoka grew as the centre of Fiji's sugar cane industry, worked from the late 19th century by indentured labourers, many of them from India, and it keeps a distinct cultural identity, with a musical tradition linked to the early development of jazz; in 2012 it was named the administrative capital of the Western Division (Wikipedia, Lautoka).

Highlights

• The sugar mill - the plant at the centre of town, with cane trains serving it.
• The Sri Krishna Kaliya temple - a Hindu temple in the town centre.
• The market - a large working produce and kava market.
• The waterfront - the port and the view out to the Mamanucas.

When to go

May to October is the drier season. The cane crushing season, roughly June to November, is when the mill and the trains are working. Saturday is the big market day.

Things to know

Lautoka is a working port and industrial town, not a scenic one, and there is little laid on for visitors. The mill is not open to the public. Most travellers pass through on the way to the Yasawas.

Nearby

Nadi is south, and the Yasawa boats leave from Lautoka wharf.

Key facts