Momi Bay Guns

I found Momi Bay by accident, looking at a map for a shortcut between Nadi and the Coral Coast, and noticed a tiny marker labeled “WWII Guns” with no further explanation. Curiosity won. The site sits on a headland above Momi Bay, about a forty-minute drive south of Nadi, and it turns out to be one of the better-preserved coastal defense installations left over from the Pacific War — two six-inch guns installed by New Zealand forces in 1941 to cover the reef passage that was considered the most likely route for a Japanese naval approach to Nadi Bay, had the war gone differently in the Pacific.

The guns themselves are exactly what you’d hope: enormous, rust-streaked barrels still angled out over the water on their concrete mounts, flanked by the crumbling remains of ammunition bunkers and observation posts cut into the hillside. A caretaker who lives on-site showed us around for a small donation, walking us through the underground magazine — low-ceilinged, damp, smelling of old concrete — where shells were stored before being winched up to the gun platforms. He told the story with the specific pride of someone whose own relatives had served in the local defense force alongside the New Zealanders, standing watch over a channel that, as it turned out, no enemy ship ever tested.

What makes the site worth the detour isn’t really the military history, though that’s a genuinely under-told chapter of Fiji’s story — the islands were a real strategic anchor point in the Pacific theater, and thousands of Fijians served, some in the famed Fiji Infantry Regiment that fought in the Solomon Islands. It’s the view. The headland looks straight out over Momi Bay’s reef system, the water shifting through six shades of blue over the coral shelf, and there’s something almost funny about standing next to a weapon of war built to guard a scene this serene. Lia pointed out that the guns never fired a shot in anger, and somehow that made the whole place feel less grim than it had any right to, an entire installation built and staffed and maintained for a threat that politely never showed up.

We stayed for the sunset, which lit up the reef passage in a way that made the whole detour worth it even without the history, and drove back to Nadi in the dark with the windows down.

When to go: Accessible year-round, best combined with a day trip to nearby Natadola Beach. Late afternoon gives the best light for the view over the bay and cooler temperatures for the short walk up to the emplacements. Bring cash for the caretaker’s donation, as there’s no formal ticket booth.