This is not an anchorage many people do and there’s not a lot of info. At first glace it looks like it’s totally open and why would anyone go there. But I had heard of someone going and gave it a hard look. Soggy Paws came to our rescue with the waypoints. There is actually a reef that protects this area, and if the winds aren’t really strong it’s a fine place to be! There might be some wind, but the reef keeps it still and calm in the anchorage. We motored in to this beautiful clear-water area and anchored in sand. There are coral patches, but it’s easy to avoid them.
The good news is there’s a market on shore, some nifty eateries, and access to cabs that can take you to sights you may have missed if you visited from Viani Bay.
The bad news is it’s a pain in the ass to get ashore over reefy areas. The higher the tide, the better, but you will still have to lift your engine and row. You can anchor on the beach there, pull your dinghy up, then walk or take a cab where you want to go. While we were anchored here, we took a cab to Bouma National Park to hike to the falls, walked to a reasonably nice small market, enjoyed lovely lunch at a gorgeous restaurant overlooking a beach and a fabulous breakfast at one of the small resorts, again overlooking a beach, and snorkeled outside some of the mini islands in the anchorage area. It was one of our favorite places.
Below is a list of links to our Matei (Taveuni Island) posts in chronological order:
Motoring to Matei
Exploring Matei
Nights in Matei
Trip to Bouma National Park
Walk to the Lower Tavoro Falls
Hike to the Lookout Pavilion in Bouma National Park
Hike to the Middle Tavoro Waterfall
Swimming at the Lower Tavoro Waterfall
Lunch at the Restaurant Tramonto
Resort Hopping
Breakfast at the Coconut Grove Resort
The Islets of Matei
Taveuni Island
Plus these earlier posts about visiting Taveuni from Viani Bay:
Outing to Taveuni Island Part One
Outing to Taveuni Island Part Two: The Waitavala Waterslide