Destination Fiji Most Who Visit Fiji Want Little More Than a White-Sand Beach, a Cloudless Sky and the Opportunity to Fall Into a Sun-Induced Coma Under a Palm Tree
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© Lonely Planet Publications 19 Destination Fiji Most who visit Fiji want little more than a white-sand beach, a cloudless sky and the opportunity to fall into a sun-induced coma under a palm tree. On this score, Fiji doesn’t disappoint. The Mamanuca and Yasawa islands arc north like a stingray’s tail from the body of Viti Levu and are Fiji’s movie stars, dangled in front of the world as idyllic South Sea Edens – their reefs and co- balt blue waters providing cinematic eye candy for films such as Tom Hanks’ Cast Away and Brooke Shields’ vehicle to stardom, The Blue Lagoon. Fiji has been in the tourism business for decades and the Nadi and Denarau island-hopping-escape itinerary has proven to be a winning formula. Those who arrive with notions of sipping cocktails on alabaster beaches are seldom disappointed. The underwater scenery is spectacular and some of the finest, and most accessible, dives in the Pacific can be found here. Its reputation as the ‘soft coral capital of the world’ is well justified and, with the opening of the country’s first overwater bungalow resort on Malolo, Fiji remains flushed with sunburnt tourists despite the 2006 coup. Northwest of Fiji’s largest island, Viti Levu, is the Yasawa Group, a chain of volcanic islands set to rival the better-known Mamanucas in the popularity FIJI IN A stakes. A daily catamaran threads its way from one bay to the next, dropping COCONUT SHELL off and picking up travellers as it goes. The Yasawas are sparsely populated Population: 861,000 and the rainless dry spells that once made life so difficult for villagers is proving to be their greatest asset now. Local communities, inspired by the GDP: $4.6 billion successes achieved further down the line, have opened budget ‘resorts’ and GDP growth: -6.6% tout their coral gardens and laid-back charm as ‘the real Fiji’. Number of international But the Yasawas and Mamanucas – as lovely as they are – are only part airports: 2 of the equation and there’s more to Fiji than can ever be seen from a beach towel. Largest export: sugar To get to grips with the national psyche you have to spend some time on (18%) either of the two main islands, Viti Levu and Vanua Levu. Two-thirds of the Length of coastline: population live in urban centres and it is on Viti Levu that you’ll find the 1129km country’s two cities: Suva, the capital, and Lautoka, a port town reliant on Chiefs in the Great the sugar-cane farms that surround it. Council of Chiefs: 55 Fijians are politically savvy and their politics fascinates them. Newspaper Number of coups since editorials are choked with letters elaborating on the subtle ramifications of independence: 4 and the latest government proposal or pouring scorn on surreptitious political counting manoeuvrings. And they have much to comment on: since 1987, Fiji has had four coups. The last was in 2006 when Commodore Frank Bainimarama Percentage of Indo-Fijians staged a military takeover from the prime minister he himself had appointed in the population: 37% after the 2000 coup. He alleged that corruption and systemic racism was his and falling prime motivator and disbanded the Great Council of Chiefs, that (until then) Number of people eaten had wielded considerable political clout. by Ratu (Chief) Udreudre: The coups, and the underlying unrest they represent, barely make it across 872 the radar of most travellers. They don’t, as the locals are quick to point out, threaten tourist safety. The locals are just as likely to blame irresponsible scaremongering by overseas interests (particularly the New Zealand and Australian governments) as the primary reason for the downturn in their economy as they are their own country’s political instability. The 2006 coup and the proposed People’s Charter underpin one of Fiji’s most contentious issues – who qualifies to be a ‘Fijian’ and enjoy the rights that go with it? In the late 1870s, Britain brought indentured Indian labourers to work the sugar-cane fields. More than 130 years on, Indo- Fijians are yet to enjoy the civil liberties enjoyed by indigenous Fijians. 20 DESTINATION FIJI lonelyplanet.com Today the tension between the ethnic Fijian landowners and the entre- preneurial Indo-Fijians is one of the key problems facing Fiji. The fallout from this couldn’t have come at a worse time. Fearful of an Indian-led government, many Fijian landowners have refused to renew Indo-Fijian sugar-cane farmers’ land leases. Farmers and their families have suddenly found themselves homeless, and have drifted into a cycle of poverty in squatters’ camps around the main centres. Meanwhile, a declining sugar yield and the EU’s decision to cut sugar subsidies is dealing a double blow of woe to Fiji’s beleaguered main industry. ‘Within min- While this may sound all doom and gloom, Fijians themselves have a deep well of optimism, and it is their unfailing friendliness and unre- utes of land- strained warmth that has so endeared them to travellers the world over. ing at Nadi’s Within minutes of landing at Nadi’s airport the word bula (cheers! hello! airport the welcome!) will be burnt into your vocabulary. Fijians are also noteworthy for their elastic sense of time; for some travellers the transition between word bula the fast-food, quick-fix West and the chilled-out, take-it-as-it-comes islands (cheers! can be frustrating. This languid pace is called ‘ Fiji time’ and it refers as hello! wel- much to a philosophy of kerekere (a concept that time and property is communal) as to anything that can be read off a clock. come!) will ‘Fiji time’ creeps even slower north of Viti Levu. The country’s second be burnt largest island, Vanua Levu, is surprisingly undeveloped and its deeply in- into your dented coastline and rugged interior continue to challenge road builders and civil engineers. Daily flights from Nadi and Suva, however, have made vocabulary’ this island fortress quite accessible. Few travellers make it beyond a handful of resorts; Savusavu, often the first port of call for visiting yachts, is the island’s most visited area. Indeed, Fiji is a great maritime nation and has long been defined by the ocean it drifts in. When Captain Cook’s crew first met the Fijians in Tonga they described them as ‘formidable warriors and ferocious cannibals, builders of the finest vessels in the Pacific’. It was this vast stretch of water, which both protected and isolated the locals, that fostered the culture Cook’s men described. Perhaps then, it is only fitting that Fiji today has become a permanent fixture for yachties on the ‘Coconut Milk Run’ between the US and New Zealand. In Fiji’s vast territorial waters, spinning on the periphery around the hub of Viti Levu, are 321 other islands. Taveuni, the Garden Island (so called because of its abundant tropical growth and beautifully weathered moun- tains), and further south, Kadavu, with its kaleidoscopic Great Astrolabe Reef, are but two. Life on these islands revolves around church, village etiquette and gardening. For the moment, locals here are happy to sit back and observe, with wry commentary, the political goings-on in Suva. In March 2010, Fiji was hit by Cyclone Tomas, described by those who experienced it as the worst cyclone to have hit the country in living memory. Thankfully, Viti Levu missed the worst of the damage. However towards the east of the country – on the northern islands of Cikobia and Qelelevu, in parts of Vanua Levu and Taveuni, and on the more-sparsely peopled islands of the Lomaiviti and Lau Groups – there was widespread damage. Storm surges completely inundated coastal towns and villages, and winds of over 200km/h flattened many more. © Lonely Planet Publications 21 Getting Started Fiji has it all – beautiful beaches, pristine reefs, welcoming faces, abundant sunshine, a rich culture and a genuine zest for tourism. Travelling around the mainland and to the Yasawa and Mamanuca islands couldn’t be easier. The mainland is ringed by a road and well serviced by buses, and the Yasawa and Mamanuca Groups are serviced by a fleet of modern catamarans. Virtually everyone speaks English. There are dive centres, honeymoon retreats, back- packer camps, fishing charters and kayaking tours on offer all over the place. For those wishing to indulge in some serious R&R, five-star resorts can arrange everything from a helicopter shuttle to a champagne lunch on a deserted atoll. With only minimal planning, independent travellers to these areas can make use of a good transport network and numerous accommodation options. Peak-season travel requires more thought, as will reaching the more remote areas such as Vanua Levu, Taveuni and Kadavu. Here roads deteriorate and infrastructure becomes less reliable. Factor in the cost of an internal flight and be prepared for small boats to transport you along the coast. These islands, however, are the place to head to if you want to get off the tourist trail and explore the archipelago independently. Whatever your preferred approach to travel, bear in mind that Fiji is not a ‘budget’ destination per se and caters better to midrange wallets. That said, plenty of backpackers head here and travel comfortably enough without spending a ransom. WHEN TO GO The best time to visit is during the so-called ‘Fijian winter’ or ‘dry season’, from May to October. This time of year is more pleasant, with lower rainfall See Climate Charts ( p233 ) and humidity, milder temperatures and less risk of meteorological hazards for more information.