Fiji > The Viti Levu highlands

The alarm goes off at five o’clock. Today we are going sea fishing. Even the receptionist is surprised to see us at such an early hour. When she hears we’re going fishing, she makes us promise to bring back a fish. She worries that we didn’t request a breakfast package. “What will you eat now?” she asks. We plan to rely on some snacks on board. At exactly 5:45, the driver from Sigatoka Fishing Charters arrives. He drives us to Cuvu. Along the way, he says the weather has turned and the wind has picked up significantly. Yesterday, they went out to sea with customers, but the waves were too high, and the customers wanted to return. When we arrive at Cuvu Beach, it turns out the sea is too rough again. In the bay in front of Cuvu, conditions seem manageable, but in the distance, out on the open sea, there are high waves. The fishing boat suddenly looks very small. It feels a little strange that we first drove here; shouldn’t they have known this earlier? There is nothing to do but drive back with the chauffeur. An hour later, we are back at our resort. It’s seven o’clock, and the breakfast buffet is just being laid out. During breakfast, we consider the alternatives for today. The fishing tour could possibly be rescheduled for Tuesday. Then we could do the Highlands trip today. The only problem is that the traditional villages cannot be visited on Sunday, as this is a day of rest for the villagers. Perhaps this will also be the case on Tuesday, since New Year’s Day is also a national holiday in Fiji. As we walk to the car, the wind is fierce, and light rain falls. We drive the same route as this morning to Cuvu, and from there continue to Sigatoka. We decide to skip the Sigatoka Sand Dunes. It’s drizzling, and that doesn’t seem like good weather to climb sand dunes. We head into the mountains.

Fiji - A road trip through the interior of Fiji

The asphalt on the road is surprisingly good. Everywhere we had read warnings about poor unpaved roads in the mountains. This morning, the staff still doubted whether we could take the inland route to Nadi because of the poor condition of some bridges. We’ll see. In the worst case, we’ll have to turn back. The road winds through the mountains. Everywhere is green. Just past Mavao, the asphalt ends, and the road continues as a gravel road. We carefully avoid the potholes, many of which are still filled with rainwater from the past few days. The muddy surface makes some sections slippery. We drive cautiously. Normally, it is also possible to visit traditional villages along the way. Permission must first be obtained from the village chief. On Sundays, however, tourist visits are not welcome. Just past Tuvu, a man on horseback waves at us. “Where are you going?” he asks. We say the village of Bukuya. He looks doubtful. Could this be the tricky bridge? It isn’t. The man dismounts and starts explaining the route: turn left at the first junction, go straight for a while, then right again. Before we realize it, he has drawn a complete set of directions on a map of Fiji. We dare not tell him we are using phone navigation. He introduces himself as Joave, quickly adding, “Just call me Joe.” He lives here, and the land around us is his. “Do you want to see the waterfall? There are two,” he explains. One is just a few minutes’ walk.

Fiji - Joave takes us to a waterfall on his property

Well, why not? Joe seems trustworthy. We follow him across the grassland. At a stream, he invites me to sit on his horse. It’s a bit of a balancing act; there is no saddle, just a blanket on the horse’s back. We continue further and further into the forest. There, a five-meter-high waterfall awaits. Before I realize it, Joe climbs the rocks barefoot. “Come on,” he says. We decline. On the way back, he tells us about his crops and gives us some cucumbers for the road. Back at the car, we thank him warmly, give him a tip, and promise to send the photos. At Bukuya, we turn left. We drive along a narrower, more winding mountain road toward Nadi. As we climb higher into the Highlands, the view becomes more and more beautiful. The weather has cleared, and we can even see the islands around Nadi. Around 3:30, we arrive back at Queens Road in Nadi. Since there are no restaurants in the mountains, we stop quickly for a late lunch. We also fill up the car. On the southern side of Nadi is the Hindu Sri Siva Subramaniya Temple. At the entrance, I am handed a cloth to cover my legs, and I remove my shoes. The current temple was built on the site of a temple that has existed since 1926. The present, much larger temple was built in the 1990s in the Indian Dravidian architectural style. From Nadi, it’s just under an hour back to our resort. Here, the weather has improved as well. Nothing suggests that it was so windy this morning. For the first time in Fiji, we even see a few patches of blue sky. As the sun sinks into the sea, the sunset becomes more and more beautiful.