Blake and Deb in Fiji: Taveuni, Part 1

Taveuni is the third largest of Fiji’s 322 islands and is a four-hour ferry ride from our town of Savusavu. The ferry makes the journey just three times a week, always leaving at 6:00am, which required us to get up at a most uncivilized hour and walk for half an hour down our road in the dark to reach the dock in time to board. The sleepy crossing to the western shore of Taveuni was followed by a taxi ride to our accommodations in the town of Matei at the island’s northern end. From there we took another taxi down the eastern shore to the huge Bouma National Park and the Lavena Coastal Walk.

Taveuni was hit hard by the recent cyclone and, even a month later, there was evidence of this all along the road to Lavena. Huge piles of uprooted trees, broken branches, and other plant debris lined the road. Plantations were littered with fallen coconut trees. Some village homes were knocked off their foundations and still lay in crumpled heaps. Other houses near the water were completely swept away, leaving only their foundations. The road to Lavena became unpaved not far outside of Matei, but it was especially rough after the cyclone and resulting sea swells chewed it up further. After a butt-numbing hour-plus ride that made Deborah wish she was wearing a sports bra, we were ready for the 10km (6 mi) round trip coastal walk, which ended at a waterfall.