Take a Dive into Paradise
Take a Dive into Paradise
Island life as it should be writes Mike Bingham
One hour’s flight from Nadi and I am a world away from jumbo loads of tourists, salesman and traffic noise. I have discovered the real Fiji, where villagers still feel at home fishing, planting their gardens, thatching bures and hunting wild boar. And providing a genuine welcome to the tourists drawn by the magic which is Taveuni.
The island is about 40km long and no more than 10km wide. There are 28 extinct volcanoes, patches of rainforest, coconuts, mangoes and bananas grow wild, as do exotic flowers. And coral reefs known to scuba divers around the world.
Not that snorkeling is necessary when the lamplight fish appear as dinner is completed by the shore.
There are scads of lamplighters, which are about 10cm long with a fluorescent patch under each eye. On a moonless night they produce laser–like aquatic magic as they gather by lava tubes beneath the resort, Paradise Taveuni.
The resort of 10 self-contained bures is the creation of Australian couple Allan and Terri Gortan.
They have lived in Fiji for seven years, adopted two local children and formed a working relationship with Vuna, the nearby village.
Check-in after the bumpy transfer from the airstrip, is a world away from the foyers of big scale tourism. Guests are greeted with a foot massage on their bure’s veranda.
The villagers carved the traditional furniture and artifacts and provided and installed the thatching of the bures.They also staff the resort .When traditional Fiji evenings are staged for guests, all the villagers come along.
The bures are big comfortable and free of radio, TV and air conditioning. Along with conventional bathroom, there’s a splendid outdoor shower and spa.
There is a horse-riding, forest tour, a village visit, sports fishing, spa sessions and jet-ski rides. Seventeen prime dive sites are within easy reach and manta rays patrol within 10m of the shore. Taveuni has a dive shop and night dives are popular.
Marabu, one of the villagers, offers guided tours on his boar-hunting expeditions. The boars weigh more than 100kg and Marabu wears a long scar on the back of one leg from a past encounter. He was amused by a New York cop who checked into the resort and wanted to go hunting. “What kinds of guns do we use?” he asked.Marabu smiled.”No guns. Just my wooden spear.” The cop wisely gave up the idea.
It’s early to bed at Taveuni and an early rise for breakfast of fresh picked coconut, pineapple, pawpaw, pasionfruit and two different varieties of bananas. There’s good coffee, but the blended natural fruit drinks are the way to go.
The island’s claim to fame is it is one of the few inhabited places on the meridian. There’s even a church near the resort where the meridian cuts through the pulpit.
Mike Bingham was a Guest of the Fiji Visitors Bureau and Paradise Taveuni.
Mike Bingham’s article appeared in the Escape Sections of the Sunday Tasmanian, Jan 20th and the Sunday Herald Sun
Infinity Pool