Straddling time on the island of Taveuni

By GRAHAM SIMMONS

Chief Misa Lesuma was a little disappointed that the millennium celebrations did not accord his home island of Taveuni the adulation he expected.

As chairman of the Cakaudrove Millennium Committee, he had claimed that Taveuni was the only accessible place on earth to be traversed by the 180th meridian. Therefore, it would be both the first island on earth to see in the new millennium and the last to see out the old.

But somehow, the rest of the world didn't quite see things that way. Tonga and Kiribati were just two of the nation-islands having a better claim to be the first to see in the new millennium. As a result, Taveuni's expected tidal wave of tourists turned out to be just a bigger-than-usual trickle.

"Until the 50s," says Lesuma, "the 180th meridian and the International Date Line were one and the same. Then, purely for political convenience, the date-line was shifted east."

Lesuma, who now commutes between Launceston (Tasmania) and Waiyevo on Taveuni's western shore, just 400m east of the 180th meridian marker, remembers the old days well. "When I was a kid it was perfectly normal to walk straight from today into yesterday. We kids used to enjoy being able to go to the movies both on a Saturday and on the following day - also a Saturday!"

Despite the shifting of the dateline, the 180th meridian certainly still passes through Taveuni. A New Zealand survey team, however, has discovered that the old dateline marker on the seashore was a couple of hundred metres out of place. So a new dateline marker was built at the far end of the Waiyevo village football field, overlooking the sublime Somosomo Strait.

I am staying at Taveuni's Garden Island Resort, just north of Waiyevo village. A cool pool looks right out on to the strait, where, in the evening, the sun melts into the ocean, casting a golden glow over the dive boats and fishing boats riding at anchor.

The dive school here ranks among the finest on the planet, with the whole resort gaining the title of "second-best dive resort in the world" two years ago in the American magazine Scuba Diving International.

Taveuni, and the waters off Garden Island Resort in particular, offer some of Fiji's most colorful diving, on the renowned Rainbow Reef. Among classic dive sites are the Great White Wall, Blue Ribbon Eel Reef and Annie's Bommie.

Korolevu Island, just five minutes by boat from the Garden Island Resort, offers superb snorkelling. Among the mushroom-shaped corals, iridescent fish in 100 hues dance and dive as if purely for our pleasure. Other corals resemble a fan-shaped handful of knobbly pencils. Others are like bulbous anthills with multiple pentagonal faces.

Often heralded as Fiji's garden island, Taveuni amply justifies its title. The red-and-white tagimoucia flower that is its hallmark has a perfume combining the heady fragrance of frangipani with coconut and tropical spices. The flower gives its name to Lake Tagimoucia, a crater lake at 823m, accessible only by a strenuous hike through dense forests from Des Voeux Peak.

With expert four-wheel-drive driver Aisake, I get to ascend Des Voeux Peak, a hair-raising trip. We stop at Paulo Vuki's yaqona (kava) farm, high in the hills. Vistas of the Somosomo Strait and Benau Reef are a superb backdrop for growing the mind-bending Taveuni strain of kava - but nothing could be more mind-blowing than the view itself.

Past Paulo's place, the road gets even narrower, steeper and muddier. We enter dense, virgin rainforest, where cordylines and red-leaved croton plants hide under giant tree-ferns, with "rain-trees" towering overhead. Coleus plants and red-banded ferns line the track. As we finally crest the peak, the swirling mists enshrouding Lake Tagimoucia clear for just long enough to afford an alluring view over its placid waters.

On the east coast of Taveuni, the Waitabu Marine Reserve (gazetted in 1998 but only accepting visitors since March last year) offers excellent snorkelling, with soft corals that must rate among the finest on the planet. Led by village manager Sala, divemasters Anthony and Moses are great guides to the undersea world.

On the lagoon floor, sea grasses and blood-red corals grow in abundance. Translucent fish dart from between the reef cavities. Most spectacular of all are the shells that are harvested and worn at meke performances, each a pearl-coloured, egg-sized protuberance, wrapped in what looks like a diamond-studded, black velvet cloak.

Also on the east coast of Taveuni Island, the Lavena Coastal Walk is a "must", part of the recently re-branded Bouma National Heritage Park. At the head of the trail I run into John Latianara, of Bouma village, who acts as unofficial guide and caretaker.

"To do the walk properly you should allow at least a full day," he says.

The walk is stunning, with sights including sheltered coves where local people fish, huge volcanic boulders on rock ledges, waterfalls, and sweeping views out to the offshore islands. Many of the plants along the way have medicinal uses.

In fact, the whole of Taveuni is a walker's paradise. The old Catholic mission at Wairiki just about straddles the 180th meridian, on a site where the people of Taveuni successfully repelled the invading Tongans. Other walks lead up into the hills, offering views over the strait.

I'm sorry, but a taste of Taveuni isn't nearly enough. Next time, I'm going to Taveuni with a tent. I'll camp on one of the super-white beaches overlooking the strait, turn off my mobile, and vegetate a little. I might even grow roots, and hope that some kind gardener will occasionally come along and water my head to stop it from going bald. And that would indeed be a fitting tribute to the garden island.

Air Pacific

Bula Fiji

Case notes

* Getting there

Fly Air Pacific to Nadi, and then hop on a Sun Air flight to Taveuni. Total flying time one way is about four hours. Return costs for economy flights from Auckland start from $852 (Air Pacific to Nadi), and from $530 for the Sun Air leg to Taveuni.

Phone Air Pacific for both flights on (09) 379 2404 or contact your bonded travel agent.

* Where to stay

Garden Island Resort, PO Box 1, Waiyevo, Taveuni, Fiji, ph (00 679) 888 0286, fax (00 679) 888 0286

email garden@is.com.fj

Coconut Grove Beachfront Cottages, PA Matei, Taveuni, Fiji, ph/fax (00 679) 888 0328

email coconutgrove@is.com.fj

There are also some excellent campgrounds near the airport (eg Beverley's, right on the beach).

* Diving

Aqua-Trek (formerly Rainbow Reef Divers) is located at Garden Island Resort.

Bouma National Heritage Park

The park incorporates all of the following:

* Waitabu Marine Park: full tour costs F$50 ($49.60) adults, F$25 ($24.80) 12- to 17-year-olds, including transport, snorkelling trip, refreshments and entertainment. For details contact Tania de Hoon, Aquaventure Taveuni, PA Matei, Taveuni, Fiji, ph (00 679) 888 0381

email aquaventure@is.com.fj

* Lavena Coastal Walk: admission: F$5 ($4.96) unguided, or F$10 ($9.92) with guide. For more information, ph (00 679) 888 0453.

* Tavoro Waterfalls (formerly Bouma Falls): admission F$5. This money is being well spent on beautification projects.

* Lavena Lodge: a low-impact eco-lodge near the Coastal Walk track head. F$15 ($14.88) a person a night, ph (00 679) 888-0390

* Vidawa Rainforest Hike: A challenging full-day trip through some of Taveuni's most pristine rainforests, with prolific birdlife. F$60 ($59.53) adults, F$40 ($39.69) 12- to 17-year-olds. Bookings essential, ph (00 679) 888 0390.