The Ultimate Guide to Nausori
Overview
Nausori Town is located about 20 kilometres East of the Fijian capital, Suva, on Viti Levu, Fiji’s largest island.
This town is named after the village of its traditional landowners, Nausori Village.
Nausori’s central business district (CBD) lays on the banks of Fiji’s widest river, the Rewa River and surrounded by large tracts of agricultural farmlands.The Nausori International Airport is Fiji’s second main airport and caters to domestic flights, including international passengers who transit through Nadi International Airport to Fiji’s capital.
Due to its proximity to Suva City, there is a general notion that Nausori’s township begins from the Rewa Bridge, however Nausori’s wards actually include residential areas on the Suva-side of the Rewa River; Davuilevu, Wainibuku,Nakasi and Naulu.
Despite the small size of the Nausori CBD, the town’s large population reflects its meeting point for the three provinces of Naitasiri, Rewa and Tailevu..
Along Princess Rd that connects Nausori to Suva within Naitasiri Province, the town boundary of Nausori ends at the Waila Housing junction.
Along Kings Rd that connects Tailevu Province to Nausori Town and onto Suva, the town boundary of Nausori ends at Saraswati College.
Along the Wainbokasi Rd that connects Nausori to the wider delta area of Rewa Province, the town boundary of Nausori ends at Nadali Village.
Nausori Town is within Fiji’s Central Division.
Nausori Town’s municipal boundary along Princess Rd currently ends at the Waila Housing development, which will change as boundaries expand to Waila 3A and Waila 3B in Davuilevu, as well as to the Nausori International Airport near Wainibokasi.
History
Similar to other towns in Fiji, Nausori’s municipality developed around a sugar mill, and as part of Fiji’s central division, was home to a large community of Indo-Fijians and European settlers that flourished with Fiji’s cession to Great Britain in 1874. By 1822, Nausori was the first area in Fiji to have a mill by the Colonial Sugar Refining (CSR) Company, now known as the Fiji Sugar Corporation.
The British administration oversaw the recruitment of thousands of labourers from India to work plantations, and the CSR became their largest employer, which thus established Nausori as a pivotal point of entry for these early migrants.
Nausori was declared a town in July, 1931, and its municipal affairs continue to be administered by the Nausori Town Council.
Economy & Main Industries
Nausori has its roots as a major agricultural base, however wards such as Nakasi have given risen to an expanding retail district that covers Rb Southpoint and Rups Bazar Complex, and offered residents in the area services and amenities that were previously only found in Nausori and Suva’s central business district.
Pacific Manufacturers is Fiji’s only matches factory and is based in Nakasi, which also claims Fiji’s only gas-based crematorium, Dignified Cremations.
The Fiji Meat Industry Board also retains a key abattoir that caters to Fiji’s meat industry.
Fiji’s Ministry of Agriculture also has its main laboratory, the Koronivia Research Station along the Kings Rd of Nausori,between Davuilevu and Nakasi.
Nausori is surrounded by rich agricultural plains, making farming a key economy in the area.
Key Areas of Development
Nakasi has long been a key residential area and in recent time, the scene of a quickly expanding commercial sector that includes the Rups Bazaar Complex, one of Fiji’s largest retail centres. This retail complex centralizes an extensive list of services and entertainment including outlets for Home Finance Company (HFC) Bank, Burger King, Jacks of Fiji, True Value hardware, home essentials and home design, Grace Road Kitchen, Studio GR hair salon and Life Cinema, amongst others.
The Nakasi Modern Village is also on the rise as 645 acres of residential, retail, resort and commercial operations including a golf course, educational and medical facilities. Its development site at Nakasi’s Sauniwaqa subdivision includes Native land traditionally owned by the people of Kalabu (Naitasiri Province) and Lokia (Rewa Province). As part of a private and public partnership by Korean investment company, Dong A Holdings, these extensive development will be carried out in three stages as a private and public partnership. Nakasi Modern Village’s residential areas includes civic sites and educational facilities for primary, secondary and tertiary-level education, alongside sites for public administration and services, a fire station and hospital. Developers have plans for a designated tourism development area that will cover a cultural centre, museum,a central business and commercial hub, as well as industrial parks and landscaped recreational parklands.
Vitivou Estates is located along Nausori’s Davuilevu ward and is the site of the last, largest tract of Freehold development land along the Suva-Nausori corridor. Developed by the Hexagon Group of Hotels,Vitivou Estates integrates over a hundred residential lots and 5 commercial that will include a shopping centre, shops, conference room and supermarket, as well as a hotel targeting travellers commuting through the Nausori International Airport, across the Rewa River.
In Davuilevu, a large Freehold residential development is underway by the Housing Authority of Fiji, covering over 53 hectares on land owned by Fiji’s Methodist Church.
This residential master plan includes over 730 residential lots, commercial lots, industrial lots, multi-unit residential strata titles, flats by the Public Rental Board, homes by the Housing Assistance Relief Trust, civic lots, parklands, pedestrian amenities and a telecommunications tower reserve.
The Nausori Town Council’s development projects include a multipurpose court, drainage works and a bridge crossing for the public.
Weather, Climate & Geography
Nestled on Viti Levu’s South Eastern coast, Nausori receives consistent rainfall, which is known to total 150mm during Fiji’s dry season (May-October), and up to 400mm during Fiji’s wettest month.
While Nausori is generally laid out over flat lands that made it an apt choice for the Central division’s main airport, the municipality does have hilly terrain in parts such as the residential area of Vunivivi and Davuilevu.
Nausori’s CBD straddles the three provinces of Tailevu, Naitasiri and Rewa and this, it is meeting point for provincial events and rural commuters from villages who stock up on supplies.
Population & Demography
Nausori includes parts of Naitasiri, Tailevu and Rewa provinces, which all recorded increases in the 2017 Housing and Population Census; Naitasiri had a 10.5% increase since 2007, Tailevu a 15.9% increase and Rewa’s population increased by 7.0%.
The urban proportion of Naitasiri’s population is at 83.7%, while for Tailevu, it sits at 31.5% and for Rewa, 86.5%.
The district of Nausori covers about 7 villages (including Nausori village) and comes under the province of Tailevu, while areas such as Kalabu near Nakasi are part of Naitasiri province and the Koronivia Rd area towards Lokia village (on the Rewa River front) come under Rewa Province.
These three provinces cover different sections of Nausori Town’s municipality, however parts of Nausori Town are commonly referred to by their ward names (eg Davuilevu, Nakasi, Wainibuku etc) and not what province they respectively fall under.
Entertainment Attractions
Leleuvia Resort is one of the closest tourism operation to Nausori, by virtue of its landing jetty at Baulevu Rd, which cuts past Nausori Airport to the seaside. There is also Toberua Island Resort, whose landing is located in the Nakelo district of Tailevu.
Along the Princess Rd highway that connects Nausori to Suva is Raintree Lodge, a leafy lakeside hotel tucked in proximity to Colo-i-Suva park, a natural reserve of tracks and waterfalls.
Nausori Town is by no means a tourism attraction but is a transit point for international passengers who fly into the Fijian capital and is home to historical and religious landmarks, particularly for the Methodist Church in Fiji and Fiji’s large Indo-Fijian community- many of whom are descendants from Indian labourers recruited to Fiji by the British Empire from 1875-1916.
The first mission of early Methodists in Fiji was established in Davuilevu. This was home to Reverend Thomas Baker, a Wesleyan missionary murdered and eaten by cannibals in Fiji’s interior, Nabutautau, in 1867. Davuilevu is now home to the Davuilevu Theological College, Baker Hall (named for Reverend Thomas Baker), Methodist Lay Training Centre and Lelean Memorial School, a high school named for Reverend Charles Lelean, a long-serving Australian missionary in Fiji. Neighbouring the theological compound is the orphanage, Dilkusha Girls Home, the Dilkusha Girls School, Dilkusha Boys School and Dilkusha High School.
Nausori’s riverside recreational grounds is known as Syria Park, named in memory of a ship that struck the Nasilai Reef in May, 1884, killing 59 people in what is noted as Fiji’s most tragic maritime incident. A monument stands on the Nausori-end of the old Rewa Bridge.
St Lawrence’s Anglican Church is the oldest Anglican church on Viti Levu and sits in Nausori’s CBD, where it continues to hold services.
Nausori’s entertainment is more so in Nakasi, where a cinema, retail, fine-dining and other recreational activities can be found. Syria Park in Nausori’s CBD occasionally hosts several festivals and carnivals held through the year and for occasional activities by villagers from Rewa, Tailevu and Naitasiri provinces.
Rugby is extremely popular in Fiji and matches draw constant crowds to Nausori’s local stadium, Cakabou Park, which sits near the Rewa Bridge. Soccer is also popular, and the Rewa
Schools & Educational Institutions
There are several primary, secondary schools and tertiary institutions in Nausori that cater to the town’s residential areas and surrounding villages.
Primary schools include Nausori Primary School, Vuci Methodist Primary School, Dilkusha Girls School, Dilkusha Boys School, while the Nausori Special School caters to children with learning disabilities and special needs.
High schools include Lelean Memorial School, Dilkusha High School, Sila Central School, Vunimono High School, Bhawani Dayal Arya College and Saraswati College.
Healthcare
Nausori has a host of private medical centres and two main public hospitals;
- Nausori Health Centre | Central Business District (679) 3477444
- Wainibokasi Health Centre | Wainibokasi Rd | (679) 3477521
- Life Pharmacy | Nakasi | (679) 358 5852
Emergency Services
- Nausori Fire Station | Wainibokasi Rd | (679) 3400 775 | 911
- Nausori Police Station | Central Business District | (679) 3477222 | 911
- Social Welfare Department | (679) 3478361
- Dilkusha Children’s Home | (679) 3478325
Key Transport Services
Nausori is a populated municipality and within its central business district, oversees over 20 taxi bases, two mini-bus stands, a carrier stand and a bus terminal. There are also Road Service Licenses (RSL) providers due to the large flow of rural farmers and vendors who commute into Nausori to sell agricultural produce at the Nausori Municipal Market.
In 2015, Nausori’s bus terminal was relocated from its former base along the Kings Rd overlooking the Rewa River to Verrier St. Buses cover many routes from Nausori into Suva and the surrounding provincial villages.
There are many rental vehicle companies in Nausori to cater to varying demands for rentals and tours.
Government Authorities
There are various Government services available in Nausori, including the following:
Immigration Department | Nausori Airport | (679) 990 5063
Nausori Magistrate’s Court | Central Business District | (679) 340006
Nausori Town Council | Central Business District | (679) 3477133
A fully inventory of Government services and ministerial headquarters are based in Suva.
Types of Properties
Nausori’s main residential areas are Vunivivi, Waila, Davuilevu, Nakasi and Waibuku.
Vunivivi is located next to Nausori’s central business district and nestled on hilly terrain with views stretching out over town and the Rewa River. Its entry is located alongside the Nausori Municipal Market.
Waila is located across the Rewa River from Nausori’s CBD, along Princess Rd, a back road that connects Nausori to Suva on the waterfront. Princess Rd is an entry point for the greater Naitasiri Province, which covers an abundance of agricultural tracts with farm houses and a variety of land in the Nausori area.
Houses in Wainibuku and Davuilevu include a large host of homes by the Housing Authority of Fiji, which is adding to this inventory as the urban population in Fiji’s Central division swells.
Nakasi’s residential area is home to a large variety of concrete single dwellings, and is a residential area of growth, particularly as more retail services add to its centralization.
Nausori’s main wards all have varying types of residential inventory- concrete and double-storey stand-alone houses, homes that constitute several flats, wooden homes and corrugated iron homes, as well as farm houses.
