Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Meals (around F$10) ca
n be
arrange
d wit
h one of the villagers or you can use the lodge's
kitchen facilities. Dorms
F$30
; rooms
F$60
Waitabu Marine Park Campground
888 0451,
bnhp.org
.
The marine park camp-
ground provides a great opportunity for a remote night under the stars. There
are t
oilets and
showers, and yo
u can
pre-order simple Fijian meals. Camping (with own tent)
F$13
; camping
(with hired tent)
F$17
The west coast
The
west coast
of Taveuni, protected from the trade winds, overlooks the Somosomo Straits
towards Buca Bay on Vanua Levu. Most of the coastline is rocky, with few beaches and no
fringing reef. The land was cleared of its hardwood trees by colonial farmers and planted in-
stead with neat rows of
coconut palms
. Today, the 6km stretch of road between the chiefly
coastal village of
Somosomo
and the Catholic mission at
Wairiki
is the population centre of
the island, home to the only town,
Naqara
, and the hospital and police headquarters at Wai-
yevo. Naqara's accommodation is pretty low key, so you're better off staying at one of the
coastal resorts such as
Nakia
to the north, or the popular
Aroho Taveuni Resort
at Wairiki.
The bulk of travellers visit the region solely for its close access to the
Rainbow Reef
(see
Snorkelling, diving and ocean sports around Matei
for details of dive operators). However
there are also a few land-based attractions nearby including the hair-raising
natural waters-
lide
at Waitavala and the
180 Degree Meridian
line which passes through Taveuni here. Also
nearby is the access road to
De Voeux Peak
, the island's second-highest mountain, and
Lake
Tagimaucia
.
Somosomo
Eighteen kilometres south of Matei along the west coast is the village of
SOMOSOMO
,
home to the
Tui Cakau
, high chief of an area encompassing all of Taveuni and much of
Vanua Levu. Compared to the surrounding homes along the roadside, the
chief's house
with
its adjacent meeting hall (
bure bose
) looks imposing but elsewhere it would appear rather
ordinary. This disregard of monetary wealth yet strict observation of stately rank is found
throughout Fijian villages and is at the very core of Fijian tradition. There's little reason to
stop at Somosomo other than to shop at the Morris Hedstrom store, the largest
supermarket
on Taveuni (Mon-Fri 8am-6pm, Sat 8am-noon).
