Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
region's friendly rural atmosphere. Inland is the high plateau around
Nadarivatu
, base camp
for exploring the 1323m
Mount Tomanivi
. South of here you can traverse the
Nadrau Plat-
eau
to visit the historically infamous village of
Nubutautau
.
Navala
Home to almost two hundred traditionally thatched bures, the village of
NAVALA
is an icon-
ic symbol of Fiji. Back in 1950, the community decided to reject modern building materials
and to encourage all school leavers to learn the art of traditional
bure
making. The result,
sixty years on, is the last remaining
thatch village
in Fiji. The only cement structures are the
church, school and a few generator huts.
To visit the village, introduce yourself to the first person you come across on the roadside -
they will take you to the village headman where you pay a F$25 village entry fee. The money
represents a
sevusevu
and helps with the upkeep of the village. Strolling around is a delightful
experience. The chiefly bures have elaborately designed rooftops and are set in a neat line fa-
cing the village green. The more disorganized clusters of bures on the lower slopes of the Ba
River are where the ordinary people live. The village is surrounded by grass-covered moun-
tains full of secret caves where the people once retreated in times of war.
BURE BUILDING
Traditional Fijian homes or
bures
are usually built communally by members of the same
mataqali
. The main wooden structure is made from a hardwood tree, often
vesi
. Bure
shapes vary slightly between regions: most are broadly rectangular although in Lau they
have rounded ends similar to those found in Tonga. The wooden posts are joined together
with
magimagi
, a fibrous coconut string, rather than nails or bolts. There is no central post,
ensuring a large open-plan living area and a high ceiling for ventilation. The walls are usu-
ally made from bamboo, sliced and woven together. A raised platform makes up the floor,
and this is laid with straw as a cushion and woven mats for decoration. The roof is thatched
using a reed called
sina
and lasts for around five years before being replaced. Across the
top of the roof, or piercing either side, is a black post known as the
balabala
. This is the
trunk of a fern tree and is decorated with white cowrie shells to indicate various forms of
chiefly status. Roofs of lesser huts or kitchens are made from the leaf of the coconut tree
and will last from three to ten years depending on the skill in weaving. Bures are usually
laid out around a central
rara
, or village green, used for ceremonial events and daily rugby
practice.
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE: NAVALA
By bus
The only way to reach Navala by public transport is from Ba town. Buses (F$4.40;
1hr 30min) leave from the bus stand at 12.30pm, 4.30pm and 5.15pm, although the last of
these reaches Navala after dark. The bus heads back to Ba at 6am, 7.30am and 1.45pm.
