Nestled among the sugar cane fields of Momi lies a now silent gun battery. in 1941, with World War II raging throughout the Pacific, the Fiji Islands, like most other Pacific Islands, was vulnerable to Japanese attack, an if captured, the perfect staging area for incursions into New Zealand and Australia.

As the Japanese swept down from Papua New Guinea, the Solomon's Islands to parts of what is now Vanuatu and headed towards Fiji, defence positions were constructed by the 30th Battalion of the New Zealand Expeditionary Forces in key positions around the main islands of Viti Levu.

The capital city of Suva hosted at least three batteries and the Royal New Zealand Air force Base. In the west, Momi was selected as a battery site because it overlooked the Navula Passage. The passage offered on of the few breaks in the surrounding reef and was the spot where enemy ships could enter to attack Nadi Town and the adjoining airfield.

The battalion built eight cement structures that housed a command post, a fire control room, a rest room, two ammunition storerooms, two gun placements, and a range finder. In the two gun emplacements, the battalion installed two six-inch guns and mounted them facing the sea. While building the battery, the troops lived in tents while a large bure served as an Officers Mess.

In August 1942 a battalion of the United States Coast Artillery replaced the New Zealanders. The Americans remained at Momi until they were stationed at Guadalcanal in the Solomon Islands in 1944.

Today the Momi Battery is in the care of the National Trust of Fiji Islands.

Opening Hours are 9 am to 5 pm daily.

For more information please contact the National Trust of Fiji at nationaltrust@connect.com.fj