THE GUIDE - Rough Guide to Fiji - page 220

THE LEGEND OF BEQA'S FIRE WALKERS
Unlike Hindu fire walking , Beqa's fire walkers perform purely for entertainment rather
than religious purification. The legend of how the islanders obtained mastery over fire has
been passed down through the generations.
Once there was a famous storyteller named Dredre who lived in the ancient mountain vil-
lage of Navakeisese on Beqa. His tales would captivate the villagers throughout the night
and it was customary to bring small gifts as a token of appreciation. One evening, Dredre
requested all present to bring him the first thing they encountered when out hunting the
next day. The following morning, a young warrior named Tui went fishing in a mountain
stream and pulled out what he thought was an eel from the mud. To his surprise, the eel
assumed the shape of a Vu , or spirit god, and Tui knew that Dredre would be most pleased
with his gift. The spirit god pleaded for its life offering all sorts of tempting powers but
only when Tui was promised the power over fire did he succumb. The spirit god dug a pit,
lined it with stones and lit a huge fire upon it. When the stones were white hot, the spirit
god leaped in showing no effect from the heat. Tui followed and to this day his descendants
from the Sawau tribe re-enact the same performance of walking on white-hot stones.
ARRIVAL AND DEPARTURE: BEQA
By boat Many visitors reach Beqa on a pre-arranged resort transfer from Pacific Harbour but
there's also a public ferry which departs from Navua every day except Sun sometime between
noon and 2.30pm (30min; F$45 per person one way).
ACCOMMODATION
Lalati Resort Malumu Bay 347 2033, lalati-fiji.com . Of the handful of upmarket dive
resorts on Beqa, which cater mostly to the North American market, the pick is Lalati Resort
on th e northeast coast, with six spacious bures, a swimming pool, spa and gourmet meals.
F$440
Lawaki Beach House 331 8817, www.lawakibeachhouse.com . The only affordable
place to stay on Beqa is on the west coast at the end of a long stretch of beach. The two
bures have en-suite hot-water bathrooms, while the six-bed dorm lodge and pr e-fab ricated
tents with m attress es share a cold-water bathroom. Rates include meals. Tents F$93 ; dorms
F$139 ; bures F$298
Yanuca
By comparison with Beqa, Yanuca , 12km west, is a relatively low island, with light forest,
gentle hills and a solitary village on the east coast. The main reason to visit is the excellent
surfing available at Frigates Passage , an extremely consistent and powerful left-hand break
that's one of the best surfing spots in the South Pacific; rides of 100m are not uncommon.