Vatu Vara
Encyclopedia
Vatu Vara Island lies in the northwest sector of Fiji
's northern Lau Group
of islands, 32 km west of Mago Island
and some 60 km south-west of Vanua Balavu
at Lat: 17° 26'00 S Long: 179° 31'00 W.
The island is 3 km in diameter at the base of its 305 m high summit and is also referred to as "Hat Island" due to the summit's shape. The limestone
cliffs, some 60 meters in height, of the guyot
and the rest of the island are covered in dense tropical jungle.
The volcanic and limestone island is nearly 2 miles (3.2 km) in diameter at its base. Its 305 meter summit, the highest in Lau, is a massive truncated pyramid bounded on all sides by almost perpendicular cliffs up to 200 feet (61 m) in height. The crest of the pyramid is some 40 acres (161,874.4 m²) in extent, and is generally flat, although pitted with holes and depressions from 6–30 feet deep, some of them filled with water. At its base there is in most places a wide belt of gently sloping land, standing not more than 25 feet (7.5m) above sea level, and forming the brim of the hat suggesting the island’s profile. On the northern and eastern edges of the island the sea breaks against the limestone cliffs, which are deeply undercut; but elsewhere the island is circled by a broad fringing reef, which, off the western coast swings sharply away from the shore to enclose the lagoon. The precipitous sides of the central mass are scored by three shallow terraces, marking pauses in the uplift of the island; but these are not readily observed, being smothered under the dense vegetation that clothes the whole towering structure.
It is a former atoll, specifically called a “Guyot”. This is an extinct volcano that has become overgrown by coral reefs to form an atoll. The flat top was once at sea level, which is why the summit is flat. Its unmistakable shape, and its massive peak like that of a vast stone hat, dominates the surrounding skyline and is recognizable over a radius of thirty-five miles (56 km) from nearby islands such as Kaibu
, Yacata, and Vanua Balavu
.
The island is privately owned by Jim Jannard, and is currently uninhabited.
Fiji
Fiji , officially the Republic of Fiji , is an island nation in Melanesia in the South Pacific Ocean about northeast of New Zealand's North Island...
's northern Lau Group
Lau Islands
The Lau Islands of Fiji are situated in the southern Pacific Ocean, just east of the Koro Sea. Of this chain of about one hundred islands and islets, about thirty are inhabited...
of islands, 32 km west of Mago Island
Mago Island
Mago Island is a volcanic island that lies in the northwest sector of Fiji's northern Lau Group of islands. One of the largest private islands in the southwestern Pacific Ocean, the pristine island consists of of land....
and some 60 km south-west of Vanua Balavu
Vanua Balavu
Vanua Balavu is the second largest island in Fiji's Lau archipelago , and the main island of the Northern Lau Group.-Geography and infrastructure:...
at Lat: 17° 26'00 S Long: 179° 31'00 W.
The island is 3 km in diameter at the base of its 305 m high summit and is also referred to as "Hat Island" due to the summit's shape. The limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
cliffs, some 60 meters in height, of the guyot
Guyot
A guyot , also known as a tablemount, is an isolated underwater volcanic mountain , with a flat top over 200 meters below the surface of the sea. The diameters of these flat summits can exceed ....
and the rest of the island are covered in dense tropical jungle.
The volcanic and limestone island is nearly 2 miles (3.2 km) in diameter at its base. Its 305 meter summit, the highest in Lau, is a massive truncated pyramid bounded on all sides by almost perpendicular cliffs up to 200 feet (61 m) in height. The crest of the pyramid is some 40 acres (161,874.4 m²) in extent, and is generally flat, although pitted with holes and depressions from 6–30 feet deep, some of them filled with water. At its base there is in most places a wide belt of gently sloping land, standing not more than 25 feet (7.5m) above sea level, and forming the brim of the hat suggesting the island’s profile. On the northern and eastern edges of the island the sea breaks against the limestone cliffs, which are deeply undercut; but elsewhere the island is circled by a broad fringing reef, which, off the western coast swings sharply away from the shore to enclose the lagoon. The precipitous sides of the central mass are scored by three shallow terraces, marking pauses in the uplift of the island; but these are not readily observed, being smothered under the dense vegetation that clothes the whole towering structure.
It is a former atoll, specifically called a “Guyot”. This is an extinct volcano that has become overgrown by coral reefs to form an atoll. The flat top was once at sea level, which is why the summit is flat. Its unmistakable shape, and its massive peak like that of a vast stone hat, dominates the surrounding skyline and is recognizable over a radius of thirty-five miles (56 km) from nearby islands such as Kaibu
Kaibu
Kaibu is an island in Fiji's Lau archipelago. A 22.4 kilometer-long reef encompasses Kaibu and the neighbouring island of Yacata, from which Kaibu is separated by a lagoon. The island, which has an area of 20 square kilometers, is located 56 kilometers west of Vanua Balavu...
, Yacata, and Vanua Balavu
Vanua Balavu
Vanua Balavu is the second largest island in Fiji's Lau archipelago , and the main island of the Northern Lau Group.-Geography and infrastructure:...
.
The island is privately owned by Jim Jannard, and is currently uninhabited.