Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Brief history
Nadi before the 1870s was a wild, uncharted region, seldom visited by the tyrants of Eastern
Viti or Lau and hardly documented by European explorers or missionaries. In 1870, a small
British community, known as the
Nadi Swells
for their broad-brimmed hats and affluent de-
meanour, set up cotton and cattle farms along the Nadi River. Soon after, with the establish-
ment of
sugarcane
as a viable crop and with indentured labourers from India, the region
began its transformation to an Indo-Fijian dominated market centre. During World War II,
the Royal New Zealand Air Force lengthened and strengthened the tiny Nadi airstrip, the US
military constructed a major
airbase
and two large British gun batteries were erected either
end of Nadi Bay to protect the surrounding waters of the Navula Passage. The Japanese inva-
sion never came, but the paved runway was certainly big enough to receive the first jet planes
and, with a slight expansion in the 1960s, Nadi established itself as the
tourist hub
of Fiji.
THE MAMANUCAS AND YASAWA ISLANDS
The
Mamanucas and Yasawa Islands
are covered in the next chapter, but day-trips to the
offshore islands of the Mamanucas from the Nadi area (which depart from
Port Denarau
)
are detailed in this chapter.
Downtown Nadi
With a population of around twelve thousand, split almost evenly between indigenous Fijians
and Fiji-Indians,
NADI
has a laid-back rural charm, enhanced by an almost constantly sunny
climate. The twin Fijian villages of Navoci and Namotomoto and the murky Nadi River sep-
arate
Downtown Nadi
from its northern suburbs. South of here, the congested Queens Road
is referred to as
Main Street
, lined with fashion and accessory shops and with a lively mar-