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Published: August 7th 2007
The gecko that bit me
SOOOOO CUUUUTE! Photo by Israel.So on the 2nd we left Kadavu and arrived on Taveuni. There's a lot more tourists here, mainly American and some Australians.
We stayed at Tovutovu resort. This place was fantastic, really good value. Although it was the most expensive place we stayed, it felt like it should have been far more expensive. For only F$75 ($10 more than Raintree) we got a big bure with a private bathroom and hot water! The towels and bedding were changed daily. There were also tea & coffee sachets in the rooms. By the end of the stay here, the staff absolutely loved us and were really spoiling us. One woman in particular often gave us free drinks or extra large portions. The only annoying thing was that there was no kitchen so we had to eat out most of the time. The restaurant at Tovutovu wasn't that great, other than the fact the ladies loved us. (We even got kisses goodbye when we left). Anyone going to Taveuni, I recommend Tovutovu Resort. It was the best place we stayed with the friendliest staff and 100% locally owned. The dive operation they run seems to be the best on the island too.
A seaslug!
One of the really good photos I managed to get. Probably because I was able to get really close On the first night we went for a walk through Matei (the town where the airport & Tovutovu are). Back at Tovutovu, we found huge cane toads. They are fun cos they don't react when you poke them with sticks. Since they are poisonous and don't have any predators,
they don't get scared when you harass them. I was too scared to pick them up though, even though Israel says it takes a LOT of harrassment to get them to secrete their poison.
On the second day I finally went diving! It was fantastic, an absolutely amazing experience. I did 2 dives at "Fish factory" and "Pandora's box" which are sites on the famous Rainbow Reef. The Divemaster, Tyrone, was great, pointing out heaps of interesting stuff. Like corals that change colour when you touch them. I took heaps of photos but most were no good. There's not really enough to light to show the colour of the corals and detail of the fish, so they are nothing compared to what it really looks like. Fish I saw included puffers, wrasses, parrotfish, damselfish, white tip reef sharks and much more. Diving in the tropics is so much more
enjoyable than in NZ. The wetsuits are thinner so I can actually move my shoulders and fewer weights are needed so it's far more comfortable. Needless to say, its warmer too 😊
That evening Israel & I did a bit of beach combing and found some more baby morays. The crabs here run so fast. You need to really put in some effort to catch them. They are real sprinters.
On the third day here, I intended to go snorkeling while Israel went on a birdwatching hike. The wind was quite chilly though, so I didn't end up doing anything. Boring. That night I played the cane toads like drums though. Fun.
On the last day on Taveuni (the 5th) we went for a walk to see some waterfalls and birdwatch. There were lots of baby cane toads around the falls. They were so cute, so I plucked up enough courage to pick them up. I put a couple in the stream to test if they could swim. Turns out they can, but it's best not to do the testing in a current or they get swept away. That night I even picked up some adults! I
Pretty coral
It was a lot brighter coloured in real life. think they were getting sick of being poked with sticks though, they weren't as docile as normal and kept hopping away.
The next day we caught a ferry to Vanua Levu....
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