Port guide: Lautoka, Fiji

Lautoka is a modest town with a big heart, and sits amid the gorgeous surrounds of main island Viti Levu’s west coast.

Who goes there

Fiji is a popular cruise destination from Australia, and Lautoka also a commonly visited port on trans-Pacific cruises. Celebrity, Holland America, Norwegian, P&O Australia, Princess and Royal Caribbean are among visiting lines, but smaller ships from upmarket companies such as Ponant, Oceania and Silversea call in too. Captain Cook Cruises Fiji operates local cruises to outlying islands.

Sail on in

You can’t complain about the view of Fiji arriving on the horizon in an eruption of vivid green mountains and skirts of sparkling water, nor about the voluptuous bay and scattering of islands that protects Lautoka from the open ocean. Nearer at hand you arrive at an industrial wharf where the view is only of shipping containers, cranes and a looming grey sugar factory, but the working port beats a dull cruise terminal for interest as you tuck into breakfast on the open deck.

Berth rites

Although Lautoka Wharf has a ramshackle metal shed, all the action is on the quay where shore-excursion buses congregate, and local operators set up their tents and spruik tours at half the price (or more, if you bargain) of official shore excursions. There isn’t much infrastructure, but the process is well-organised, and the beaming Fijian welcome as delightful as always.

Going ashore

Consider a shore excursion in this destination, as you won’t find much in Lautoka itself. Still, the town is only a kilometre from port, so you can walk into the centre, or use the complimentary shuttle offered by some cruise lines. There isn’t a lot to see – don’t be tempted to seek out the “botanic garden” – but Fiji’s second-largest town is lively and friendly, with a huge undercover fresh-food market, a small shopping mall, and plenty of enticing Fijian and Indian snack foods.