Blogs from Taveuni, Fiji, Oceania

(... continued from previous) The next day, four of us along with two Fijian escorts hopped on a small boat to Nanuku, a small remote island with white sand, crystal clear aqua coloured water surrounding it and palm trees growing richly - exactly how you imagine paradise. After walking around the island and basking in its beauty we had dinner and all settled around a bonfire and gazed at the millions of stars above. The next morning we awoke to a bright sunny day and fresh turtle tracks on the sand in front of our bure. We went snorkelling where we saw colourful fish, coral and a small shark! One night was not enough on this little piece of paradise so I decided to stay another night, as everyone but Nick waved goodbye - a decision ... read more

25. Okt. 2012 - Flug von Savasavu nach Taveuni. Der Flug dauert 20 Minuten. Der Airstrip von Taveuni ist in die Spitze der Insel hineingepresst und nur 900 m lang. Kein problem für die Piloten der Twin Otter, die notfalls mit 500 m langen Landebahnen auskommt. Unser Haus liegt gleich gegenüber des Flugplatzes, man kann es zu Fuß erreichen, doch ein freundlicher Fijianer übernimmt den Gepäcktransport. Wir wohnen in einem geräumigen Ferienhaus in wunderschönen tropischen Garten, das jedoch schon bessere Zeiten gesehen hat (Matei Point). 26. Okt. - wir erkunden die Gegend. Das Riff liegt direkt vor unserem Strand; die Korallen sind tot.. ein Hurrican hat sie vernichtet, erzählt uns Holger, der schon seit 20 Jahren hierher in sein Ferienhaus kommt. Überhaupt. Wir treffen mehrere Deutsche Aussteiger, wie Robert aus Bielfeld, der schon 3 Jahre hier ... read more

This morning I packed my bags and left Taveuni. Before I left, I spent time just standing on the hillside at the end of Makaira’s property, overlooking the ocean with a 180-degree view up and down the coastline. Then the staff sang me a farewell song. Lucy hung a floral lei around my neck. I went off to the airport, waited for my plane to arrive, then boarded onto another small domestic flight. There were only 8 passengers this time! As we took off, I said goodbye to Taveuni. The flight back to Nadi was just as incredible. This time I had the opposite view of my flight there. Taveuni could be seen out my window for the first 20 minutes or so, until a cloud rolled across and covered the view. After an hour and ... read more

Taveuni is world-renowned for its reefs. The Rainbow Reef is particularly one of the most stunning so it was high on my list of must-dos while in Taveuni. I decided to go out snorkeling on the reef. I’m certified to dive, but I’m out of practice and I’m a very nervous diver and many of Taveuni’s dives are drift dives; all of it had me increasingly anxious about going out diving. But I knew I’d regret not going out to the reef. Snorkeling seemed like a good middle option and I was thrilled yesterday when I called one of the island’s dive operators that a snorkel trip was going out today. I was taken partway down the island’s West Coast to a water jetty to meet the dive boat. We had two instructors, then an Australian ... read more

The day before I arrived, the area right in front of Makaira (where I’m staying on Taveuni) was designated a Marine Sanctuary. Roberta, one of the owners of Makaira, and some other local people had been pushing for this for awhile. She is thrilled that it has been approved. She spends a lot of time on the reef right in front of her property. This last March, a big hurricane hit Taveuni - I’ve been hearing a lot from people here about what the island was like before the hurricane hit. I think it’s beautiful here, so I can only imagine what things were like before the damages happened. The reef took a big hit. Roberta and some of the guys who work for her, frequently go out onto the reef to do some coral gardening ... read more