Rotuma

Rotuma lies about five hundred kilometres north of the rest of Fiji, a volcanic island of a few thousand people with its own language, unrelated to Fijian, and a Polynesian culture distinct from anything else in the country. It is part of Fiji but self-governing in important respects, and the Rotuman Council controls who may visit: permission is required in advance and casual tourism is not encouraged. The island has beaches, craters, and a long tradition of keeping outsiders at a manageable number.

History

By Rotuman oral history the island, once called Siria after the star above it, was first settled by people from Tahiti Nui, the Marquesas and Rapa Nui, who used it as a royal burial ground; one tradition tells of Bulou ni Wasa, who arrived with her seven brothers on the canoe Rogovoka and was made ruler, and later settlers are believed to have come from Samoa under a chief named Raho, a story the scholar Friedrich Ratzel recorded from Samoan legend in 1896. In the 17th century Tongan forces occupied the island until the Rotumans overthrew them in an uprising said to have taken a single night. Rotuma lies around 500 km north of the Fijian mainland and is today a self-governing dependency of Fiji, with its capital at Ahau (Wikipedia, Rotuma).

What you'll find

• The Rotuman language and culture - Polynesian and distinct from Fijian in every respect.
• The volcanic landscape - craters, hills and a coastline of coves and beaches.
• Solkope and the islets - small islands off the coast with clear water.
• The village life - a small population living largely as it has for generations.

When to go

May to October is the drier season. Flights run roughly weekly and are frequently cancelled or full. Cyclone season runs November to April and the island is exposed.

Things to know

Permission from the Rotuman Council is genuinely required and is not a formality; arriving without it is not acceptable. There is essentially no tourist accommodation and stays are with families. Flights are unreliable and being stranded for an extra week is a normal outcome.

Nearby

The island stands alone; Viti Levu is five hundred kilometres south.

Key facts