While at the Fiji Museum in Suva, Mrs. AAR watched a video about how Roberta Davis is helping restore the coral reefs on . . . Taveuni Island (tahv-ă-ew-nee eye-land). So she emailed Ms. Davis and the next thing you know we were booked for seven nights at her resort.
Two ways to get here from Suva:
A 16 hour ferry ride
A one hour flight
After an 11 hour flight from Los Angeles, followed by a 4.5 hour bus ride to Suva, Mrs. AAR had taken over the planning duties, so guess which option we took?
You know the plane you’ll be flying will be small when they not only weigh your luggage, but they weigh you. Thankfully the plane on the runway at Nausori International Airport (SUV), a 45 minute taxi ride ($11 USD) from Suva, was a two engine job, unlike the single engine rattletrap I had flown to Vieques, PR many years earlier. It reminded me of my time spent with the SEALs, where they continually informed me "two is one, one is none."
And an hour later the plane landed on the runway at Matei Airport (TVU), which I was thankful to hear was recently upgraded from gravel to asphalt. The place is just a couple small buildings with a shaded waiting area in between. Something that says this may be the gateway to a very special place that not that many people know about.
Besides a free breakfast, our digs came with a free airport transfer that included a stop at the grocery store. We bought some vittles, a six pack of Vonu beer, and a bottle of Bounty Fiji Premium Overpriced Rum (116 proof). I figured that since this was the tropics, local rum would be the thing to drink, from both an economic and authentic perspective. I was wrong: expensive and nearly undrinkable.¹
With our essentials in hand, our driver Poi delivered us to the Makaira Resort which is about one mile down the road. It consists of four villas, a small dining hall, and a massage hut.
Roberta had mentioned that 35 years earlier when she bought the land for her resort, she wanted to ensure there could be no future development between her and the Pacific Ocean. It appears though that a parcel of land eluded her grasp and was now a bar named Tramonto.
Now having a bar but not a five minute walk from our villa had pluses and minuses:
Plus: Did I mention it was a five minute walk from our villas?
Minus: They could have lowered the bass . . . just a little. Normally this wouldn't be an issue back home, but when the sun goes down on Taveuni at 6:30 pm, it gets dark and I mean can't see your hand in front of your face and a million stars in the sky dark, which when combined with sketchy internet, a 7:00 am included breakfast and a busy day, leads to an early bed time.
The second night we attended a Lovo just up the street at a place called The Drift ($25 USD). It's a type of Fijian cooking utilizing an underground oven of coals to cook pork, chicken, lamb, potatoes, etc. . . . similar to a Hawaiian luau.
Upon arriving, I sat next to a man who I thought for some reason was going to serve me a cocktail, but instead was going to serve me kava. It's a Fijian root based drink that has mild sedative, anesthetic, and euphoriant properties, but is shall we say, an acquired taste.
I had had this stuff before in of all places Grand Rapids, MI, so I knew what I was in for, but it was too late. I was hopeful that because I was in Fiji, this might be more authentic and therefore more palatable. As I watched him place some brown matter in a rag and start squeezing it while dunking it in some tepid water, I wasn't encouraged.
When my "kavista" handed me a cup, I channeled my inner Tony Bourdain, drained it, smiled and said "Mhmmmm."
The balance of the night was outstanding: an endless buffet followed by meke, a Fijian dance accompanied by singing. I've now attended four of these events (Hawaii, Rapa Nui, Fiji, New Zealand) and this was the best, most likely due to it being performed by locals and therefore filled with love, children and genuine enthusiasm, with none of the slickness of the other professional shows.
The island reminded me of a question I am often asked, "Sir! How were you so successful you could retire in your early 50s?" To which I reply "The secret is quite simple. You need to keep one foot in tomorrow (planning for the future), one foot in yesterday (learning from the past) while confidently standing astride today."²
Baba took us out on his Boston whaler ($250 USD) which enabled us to snorkel on a desert island called Korelevu, at least until another group of snorkelers arrived via the competition. It was interesting to see Taveuni from the sea and you can understand why it's called the Garden Island of Fiji. He left us "alone" on the island for two hours, not so much so we could experience the romance, but so he could fish for his dinner. Though he did provide us a Flintstonian tuna sandwich that we ate for the next two days.
In between all of our adventures I caught up on my reading, my binging, and my sunsets. Snorkeled the reef directly in front of the resort numerous times (the one Roberta had helped restore), napped, had a massage, and made a run into the main town of Somosomo, which was a nice way to meet some locals, pick up some incredibly fresh and cheap vegetables and maybe a six back of beer.
The Rainbow Reef is known as the soft coral capital of the world and is located just a mile or so west of Taveuni. If you are going to dive or snorkel it, than Taveuni Ocean Sports is the way to go. A first class operation.
Julie, the Dive Master, also owns the upscale Nakia Resort about 20 miles down the coast from our place. So we arranged to have dinner at the adjoining restaurant on our last night.
The cabbie we took there wanted to know what time to pick us up. I said we'd call him but he didn't have a phone. So I then said he should talk to Julie when he dropped us off, figuring I’d let them handle it Fijian a Fijian. But when we arrived, Deep refused to get out of the taxi as a dog there had once bitten him, "Well," I thought, "so much for that masterplan." When I got out though, I did say "Are you worried the dog will bite me?" He didn't reply, though appeared genuinely unconcerned.
Prior to dinner, Julie’s mom who is also American, mentioned she liked living in Fiji as there are no guns and therefore inexplicably Taveuni Island is very safe. It got us talking about the upcoming US presidential elections, the exact meaning of "absolute immunity," and Jan 6. She then mentioned that these kind of issues are not found in Fiji.
When I mentioned she "might be a little disingenuous as there have been more than a few coups in Fiji in the last 40 years," she answered that “coups can be good for some people,” to which I replied, “they always are." Mrs. AAR then put an end to our discussion by asking me to join her for a #AARBeerOclock sunset view and an excellent dinner.
Which was very nice way to end our visit.
Lodgings
Our Ocean Front Villa at Makaira Resort ($300 USD/night tax inc.) blended the best of comfort vs. rusticity by offering a very spacious living area with a comfortable bed and a relaxing deck with a superb view of the Pacific Ocean combined with a rustic bathroom that made me really appreciate the one back home.
This is not a complaint, as the actor George Sanders in his memoir mentioned the benefits of roughing it on vacation; so the rest of ones life can feel that much more luxurious.
Now what is a complaint is the set of steps leading down to the dining area that consists of three steps with vastly different heights as . . . it could get a man killed . . . and that's not even factoring in the nearly undrinkable rum. When Baba, the fisherman, mentioned he had helped build our villa, he was quick to clarify that he did not help build the stairs.
Endnotes: I wanted to provide some very specific details that while vaguely interesting did not contribute to the overall narrative. Perhaps just wait until the end to read.
¹ Bounty rum gets decent reviews, which leads me to believe that the export stuff might be from a very different vintage.
² My early retirement was also the direct result of not having children and a frugality bordering on mental disease.
Nice to read genuine reviews (plus, STYLE). Thanks. Note: if you are in your 50's and live an average life span, those $300/night sleeps are going add up. I suppose that is 300 US. An unreal sum in Fiji---but your writings have saved me from going to one possible destination in the future. Thanks!🤣