Wailagi Lala
Encyclopedia
Wailagi Lala is the northernmost outpost of Fiji
's Lau Islands
. This tiny atoll
, with an area of just 30 ha and rising no more than 3 m above mean sea level, is situated at 16.45° South and 179.6° West. It is the only true atoll in Fiji.
Literally translated as "no water or rain", Wailagilala lies to the eastern sea border of the Fiji archipelago in the South Pacific, and is the gateway to Fiji for ships coming or going to Samoa
through the Nanuku Passage. Its crystal-clear waters are attributed to its remote location and lack of terrestrial water run-off.
The island has an abandoned cast iron
lighthouse
, 95 feet long, built about 1909. It is believed to have been prefabricated in England
and shipped in sections to the South Pacific. The island has been uninhabited since the lighthouse was converted to automatic operation.
Dominated by its lighthouse, the sand island is surrounded by spectacular lagoon and coral reef
s. The reef protecting the island has a deep, wide, fairly well marked pass that appears to have been blasted through it, allowing easy passage into the lagoon and the sandy anchorage just off the island.
The island is composed of carbonate sands and gravel, and beach-rock. Alexander Agassiz drilled a hole there late in the 19th century. It passed through 15 m of coarse sand with coral and shell fragments before reaching "yellow limestone", which continued to the end of the hole at 24 m. There are submerged terraces 5 m, 8 m and possibly 25 m below mean sea level, and marine notches 25 m and possibly 45 and 60 m below MSL.
The island was leased in early 2007 and will be developed as a luxury private retreat.
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 Lau Islands
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...
. This tiny atoll
Atoll
An atoll is a coral island that encircles a lagoon partially or completely.- Usage :The word atoll comes from the Dhivehi word atholhu OED...
, with an area of just 30 ha and rising no more than 3 m above mean sea level, is situated at 16.45° South and 179.6° West. It is the only true atoll in Fiji.
Literally translated as "no water or rain", Wailagilala lies to the eastern sea border of the Fiji archipelago in the South Pacific, and is the gateway to Fiji for ships coming or going to Samoa
Samoa
Samoa , officially the Independent State of Samoa, formerly known as Western Samoa is a country encompassing the western part of the Samoan Islands in the South Pacific Ocean. It became independent from New Zealand in 1962. The two main islands of Samoa are Upolu and one of the biggest islands in...
through the Nanuku Passage. Its crystal-clear waters are attributed to its remote location and lack of terrestrial water run-off.
The island has an abandoned cast iron
Cast iron
Cast iron is derived from pig iron, and while it usually refers to gray iron, it also identifies a large group of ferrous alloys which solidify with a eutectic. The color of a fractured surface can be used to identify an alloy. White cast iron is named after its white surface when fractured, due...
lighthouse
Lighthouse
A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses or, in older times, from a fire, and used as an aid to navigation for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways....
, 95 feet long, built about 1909. It is believed to have been prefabricated in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
and shipped in sections to the South Pacific. The island has been uninhabited since the lighthouse was converted to automatic operation.
Dominated by its lighthouse, the sand island is surrounded by spectacular lagoon and coral reef
Coral reef
Coral reefs are underwater structures made from calcium carbonate secreted by corals. Coral reefs are colonies of tiny living animals found in marine waters that contain few nutrients. Most coral reefs are built from stony corals, which in turn consist of polyps that cluster in groups. The polyps...
s. The reef protecting the island has a deep, wide, fairly well marked pass that appears to have been blasted through it, allowing easy passage into the lagoon and the sandy anchorage just off the island.
The island is composed of carbonate sands and gravel, and beach-rock. Alexander Agassiz drilled a hole there late in the 19th century. It passed through 15 m of coarse sand with coral and shell fragments before reaching "yellow limestone", which continued to the end of the hole at 24 m. There are submerged terraces 5 m, 8 m and possibly 25 m below mean sea level, and marine notches 25 m and possibly 45 and 60 m below MSL.
The island was leased in early 2007 and will be developed as a luxury private retreat.