A Precipitating Pacific Paradise

We set out by jeep along the muddy coast of Taveuni Island and soon found ourselves arriving at a beach with a few very small boats. Despite our querying looks these boats were for us and the 12 year old kids on them were to be our guides. A half hour journey bouncing high over the waves had us clinging to the underneath of the wooden plank that straddled the boat. The sort of hi-octane experience you pay a hundred dollars for in Queenstown! As we approached the island the villagers were busying themselves on the beach, and came to help carry our somehow still dry bags ashore.

We were now in the Fiji we really wanted to see. Rope swing, coconut trees and white sandy beaches. A small piece of paradise in the middle of the South Pacific. That night we sat around listening to plenty more music and drinking the kava. They grow, dry, and grind the kava on the island, and it tasted better than we'd had previously, and really makes your tongue go numb.

The following morning we woke from our tree top dorm to the sound of rain. Remember that small piece of paradise... Well it was now a wet piece of paradise. This rain went on like this for two days, turning it into a very wet piece of paradise. We kept ourselves entertained however with a table tennis tournament (which Adam lost to a tiebreak in the final), some snorkeling (it was as wet above the water as below it), and some coconut leaf weaving.


This was however in a safer time, before we learnt the true danger of the coconut tree. From nowhere a loose coconut came falling and struck one of the girls on the back of the neck, narrowly missing the top of her head. Now these coconuts aren't like you buy in the store. When they fall from the tree they are fully encased, as hard as a rock and about the size of your head. A mad dash on the speed boat in the pouring rain was required to get her checked out as she went into shock and was in a quite a bad way. We caught up with her a couple of days later and she was beginning to do okay. From that point on though we were looking up at the coconut trees with a much warier sense of apprehension. Are you safe walking along the beach, what about in a hammock staring ominously up at them, how about sat on the toilet??? Believe it not this girl was actually on the toilet when the coconut came through the roof and hit her - at least to save some embarrassment she had just finished.

We left the beautiful but wet beach of Maqai and slowly made our way back towards Nadi. We stopped off again at The Beachouse for a couple of nights where we had time for a bit more snorkeling, some coconut jewellery making and some of the best weather we'd had in two weeks. On our last night we returned to Nadi and saw our stay in Fiji out in style with another Lovo Lovo, a fire show, some group bula dancing and a few Fiji Golds.

 

We may not have been blessed with sunshine for two weeks, but the Fijians we met were all so welcoming and genuine that no matter whether it was rain or sun there was always plenty of fun.