Today Kent had a day off of diving, so we hiked into Tavoro Falls. The waterfalls are located about 1.5 hours from Makaira; the asphalt turns to dirt a little ways past Naucelele village; people live in corrugated tin roofed houses and harvest their food from the land.
Further on we pass the area where Blue Lagoon was filmed and into the jungled land past pineapple, taro and ginger fields/plantations and a cattle ranch. People this far north on the island use horses as their major means of transportation. Samir, our driver, is a 5th generation Indian from Fiji; he got a teaching math degree in Hawaii and is currently applying for jobs in New Zealand. He tells us an old legend about an area we pass where early islanders practiced cannibalism and human sacrifice. Hikers used to visit the site, and report blood still seeping through the ground in the sacrificial area. Local headmen took it as a omen and closed the area to hikers today, designating it a sacred area. So needless to say, we did not do that particular hike. But hike we did in Buomo Heritage Park, up to the Tavoro waterfall. The hike was a series of steep switchbacks past gorgeous panoramic views far up into the hills above the village of Korovouo. We spent the day swimming under the powerful forces of the waterfalls, their refreshing pools a welcome indulgence after hiking in the sun and exhorbitant humidity. On the way back, we noted a boat leaving shore with people all dressed in white. Samir said they were carrying a body to a funeral at a neighboring island. We arrived back home to all the activity (never a dull moment); went snorkeling for a couple hours, ate dinner, and joined in another kava night, with melodic Fajiian singing under a sky filled with stars.
Today Kent had a day off of diving, so we hiked into Tavoro Falls. The waterfalls are located about 1.5 hours from Makaira; the asphalt turns to dirt a little ways past Naucelele village; people live in corrugated tin roofed houses and harvest their food from the land.
Further on we pass the area where Blue Lagoon was filmed and into the jungled land past pineapple, taro and ginger fields/plantations and a cattle ranch. People this far north on the island use horses as their major means of transportation. Samir, our driver, is a 5th generation Indian from Fiji; he got a teaching math degree in Hawaii and is currently applying for jobs in New Zealand. He tells us an old legend about an area we pass where early islanders practiced cannibalism and human sacrifice. Hikers used to visit the site, and report blood still seeping through the ground in the sacrificial area. Local headmen took it as a omen and closed the area to hikers today, designating it a sacred area. So needless to say, we did not do that particular hike. But hike we did in Buomo Heritage Park, up to the Tavoro waterfall. The hike was a series of steep switchbacks past gorgeous panoramic views far up into the hills above the village of Korovouo. We spent the day swimming under the powerful forces of the waterfalls, their refreshing pools a welcome indulgence after hiking in the sun and exhorbitant humidity. On the way back, we noted a boat leaving shore with people all dressed in white. Samir said they were carrying a body to a funeral at a neighboring island. We arrived back home to all the activity (never a dull moment); went snorkeling for a couple hours, ate dinner, and joined in another kava night, with melodic Fajiian singing under a sky filled with stars.
