Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Many of the
Chinese
traders remained, marrying into local Fijian families, and the Chinese
link remains strong today. Kadavu's largest export is
kava
, reputed as the finest and strongest
in Fiji. The fourteen provincial chiefs on Kadavu remain relatively autonomous from the
Burebasaga Confederacy and are amongst the most powerful local chiefs in Fiji.
Vunisea and west Kadavu
You're most likely to be swept in and out of the township of
VUNISEA
on your way to one
of Kadavu's resorts, which is a shame as it makes a convenient base for exploring the attrac-
tions of
west Kadavu
. It has a pretty setting between Namalata Bay on the north coast of
Kadavu and Galoa Harbour on the south coast. In pre-European days, warriors would slide
their war canoes on rollers over the isthmus separating the north and south bays to save them-
selves the long journey around the coast.
Namuana village
Beside the airstrip and fronting the beach at Namalata Bay is pretty
Namuana village
, fam-
ous for its
turtle calling ceremony
, an event that now occurs only occasionally. The turtles,
said to represent two maidens of the village lost to sea, are summoned to the surface by a
chant sung by the women. If a turtle doesn't appear, it's said a person from its bitter rival vil-
lage of Nabukelevu is present. A twenty-minute trail from the village leads up to the saddle
of the hill, with great views of both bays, and continues to secluded
Waikana Falls
, where
you can swim in a shallow pool.
The south coast road
A rough but scenic dirt road heads across the isthmus from Vunisea along the
south coast
of
west Kadavu all the way to Nabukelevu-i-Ra Village on the western tip of the island. Along
the way it passes several beautiful bays and the towering peak of
Nabukelevu
, also known as
Mount Washington. It's possible to climb to the 838m-high summit in a full day, starting out
from Davinqele Village on the south coast. From the top you'll see the dramatic north face of
the peak tumbling down to the sea.
Central Kadavu
East of Vunisea, a dirt road, better for walking than driving, meanders inland to the dense
tropical rainforest of
central Kadavu
. Roughly 8km in, the road splits in two. The right-
hand track heads north following an undulating valley to a series of five beautiful sandy
cove
beaches
beside the picturesque village of
Naikorokoro
. Around the point, west of the vil-
lage, is the enviably located
Matana Beach Resort
, set back from the beach and screened by
thick vegetation.
Heading east from
Matana
, a ten-minute walk around the rocky point leads to
One Mile
Beach
, a secluded beauty with deep sand and massive coconut palms. The beach marks the
start of a 10km-long
trail
along the northern coastline, passing a couple of small rocky head-
lands and Naivakarauniniu Village on the way, and ending up at
Papageno Resort
and its