CHAPTER III 



THE HOT SPRINGS OF VANUA LEVU 



The abundance of hot springs in Vanua Levu, and in fact in 

 the group generally, is not commonly known. In the earlier 

 accounts of these islands those of Savu-savu are often alone referred 

 to, not only for this island but for the whole archipelago. The 

 United States Exploring Expedition under Wilkes spent six months 

 in 1 840 in making a survey of the whole group. Yet Dana, who was 

 attached to the expedition, remarks that " the only trace of actual 

 volcanic heat which the islands appear to contain is found at Savu- 

 savu Bay." 1 Home in his excellent account of the group, which he 

 visited in 1878, was among the first to direct attention to the 

 abundance of hot springs there ; but he does not enumerate many. 

 Although he travelled extensively over Vanua Levu, he refers to 

 only three in that island, namely, at Savu-savu, Wainunu, and 

 Vunisawana. 2 It will be shown below that most of the thermal 

 springs discovered by me might easily have been overlooked. 



Before dealing with those of Vanua Levu I will mention the 

 other localities in the group in which thermal springs are from 

 various sources known to me. They probably form but a small 

 proportion of those that actually exist ; but the list can be readily 

 extended by those acquainted with special parts of the archipelago. 

 In Viti Levu they occur amongst other places at Wai Mbasanga, 

 on the Singatoka river (Home) and at Na Seivau on the Wai 

 Ndina, where Macdonald in 1856 found temperatures of 106 and 

 140 Fahr. in two different springs. 3 Mr. Thiele in more recent 

 years referred by hearsay to some hot springs on the Wai Ndina. 4 



1 Unitea States Exploring Expedition, vol. x. ; Geology, by J. D. Dana, 

 P- 343- 



2 A Year in Fiji, by John Home, London, 1881, p. 163. 



3 Journal, Royal Geographical Society, 1857, vol. 27. 

 * Scottish Geographical Magazine, August, 1891. 



