The province forms part of the country's Eastern Division (which also includes the provinces of Kadavu and Lomaiviti), and of the Tovata Confederacy, a traditional hierarchy of chiefs from northern and eastern Fiji. Lau Province is one of fourteen provinces of Fiji. Of this chain of about sixty islands and islets, about thirty are inhabited. Lau Province is one of 14 provinces in Fiji. It is located in the South Pacific Ocean, due east of the Koro Sea. Cricket is the most popular team sport in Lau, unlike the rest of the country where Rugby and Association Football are preferred. The Tui Nayau and Tui Lau titles came into personal union in 1969, when Ratu Sir Kamisese Mara, who had already been installed as Tui Lau in 1963 by the Yavusa Tonga, was also installed as Tui Nayau following the death of his father Ratu Tevita Uluilakeba III in 1966. Levuka,Tourist Destination in Fiji,Levuka in Fiji - Travel Map Levuka is a town on the south-east coast of the Fijian island, in Lomaiviti Province, in the Eastern Division of Fiji. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful. This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. [1] However, Tongan influence can still be found in names, language, food, and architecture. The Lau Islands are the centre of the game of Cricket in Fiji. Nausori airport is located on the eastern side of the main island, ... Lomaiviti Province Cicia Island, Lau Province Lakeba Island, Lau Province Vanuabalavu Island, Lau Province Maola Island, Lau Province Rotuma. The Tui Nayau, who had been the nominal overlord of the Lau Islands, became subject to Ma'afu. Lauan villages remain very traditional, and the islands' inhabitants are renowned for their wood carving and masi paintings. In early July 2014, Tonga's Lands Minister, Lord Maʻafu Tukuiʻaulahi, revealed a proposal for Tonga to give the disputed Minerva Reefs to Fiji in exchange for the Lau Group. The south-east trade winds allowed sailors to travel from Tonga to Fiji, but much harder to return. The Lau Islands (also called the Lau Group, the Eastern Group, the Eastern Archipelago) of Fiji are situated in the southern Pacific Ocean, just east of the Koro Sea. Around 1855, the renegade Tongan prince Enele Ma'afu conquered the region and established a unified administration. [4] Historically, the Minerva Reefs have been part of the fishing grounds belonging to the people of Ono-i-Lau, an island in the Lau Group.[5]. The title Tui Lau was left vacant from his uncle, Ratu Sir Lala Sukuna, in 1958 as referenced in Mara, The Pacific Way Paper. The Lau Island culture became more Fijian rather than Polynesian beginning around 500 BC. He is helping to facilitate the local community traditional protocols and traditional requirements for the Fiji research mission team throughout the islands in the Lau Group where we will conduct our coral reef research.