[The last renewal of this page: June 20, 2012]

I have been enjoyimng visiting small islands and the interesting spots on main island Vitielve where I could go and back within a day or so. However, my feeling that I will never be able to conquer Fiji or stand at the starting point to do so without knowing all around Vitilevu Island, have been growing day by day. And now, just about four months since I came to Fiji, I decided to venture an attempt to traavel around the whole Vitilevu Island.




Nadi, which is located at the west end of the main island of Fiji, Vitilevu Island, is where I am living.
There are two airports in Vitilevu Island, one in Nadi, and the other one in a capital city of Fiuji, Suva at the east end of the island.
Suva is prtty much looks the same as cities in South East Asian countries, but Nadi is a beautiful and quiet tourist destination.

Starting from Nadi, I decided to go around the island going clockwise taking for two nights. The first night is in Rakiraki at then north end of the island, and the second night is in Suva at the east end of the island.
The north half of the road going aound the island is called King's Road, and the south half is called Queen's Road. At the town Ba, I will leave from the road going around the island temporarily, to go to mountainous area toward the center part of the island to visit Navala village, which is well know as a traditional Fijian village to keep old style of native life still now.
I am very anxious to seen the north end town Rakiraki and its beautiful beach up there. It will be very interesting to drive through the inland jungle zone from Rakiraki to Suva. (Other section of the route is along the seashore.)




Let's start! I'm trying to go out to the road from the gate of the Skylodge hotel, where my cottage is.




Passing through Namaka are where I always do shopping.




The runway of Nadi Airport is in sight in front in the left.




The airpot entrance is there in the left. I am coming here everyday to work in the office which is located in the airport building.




After the Nadi Airpot, a straight road is continued to Lautoka. It is very popular road for me as I visit a campus of my school in Lautoka very often for job.




After getting in Lautoka, big trees apear along the road all the way.






A busy down town of Lautoka is to the left , but along with this road, just a few stores can be seen.




From Nadi to Lautoka is a section which many cars are going and the road is not in a good condition, but after Lautoka, the road gets better and is very straight all the way.




Passing thourgh a few villages on the way.






After crossing a big bridge on the Ba river, we'll get in Ba town.




Getting into downtown Ba now.




The first experience to use a parking meter in Fij. (There are parking meters in Nadi town and Namaka, but most of them are broken.)
However, a sigle coin was not much enough to cover my parking time which is about 20 minutets, (In fiji, a parking meter permit us to park longer depending on numbers of coins we deposit.) and I found a document for a violation by police on the front window when I came back! It is a town of Indian people who work so seriously.




A mosque for Muslim.








Ba is a town made by Indian people. (Fijians were not supposed to make town.) Most of the people here are Indiansm and I felt as if I were in India,




People look very peaceful and friendly. Very different from Indians that I see in Nadi. It looked like a very comfortable place to live.




From the Ba I left the road going around the island, and got into the mountainous area toward the center of the island, to get to Navala village.




I found the series of freight cars of sugar cane train were parked on the railways. Sugar cane is grown in all over the Vitilevu island, and for thier transprotation, island is convered with a network of railways which gauge is really narrow. The train is available only during the hearvesting season (from the summer to the autumn in Japan), and therefore since I have moved to this country in last February, I have never seen the train going actually.






The road getting bad in mountainous zone.












Where I could get pictures the road was OK, but other part of the road was as bad as I could not get pictures driving a car at the same time. If I try to follow the rut of the road, rocks on the road toutch to the bottom of the body of the car make big sounds, and if try to avoid the rut, rocks being splashed up hit the bottom of the body of the car also make a tremendous sound, and therfore I could not feel comfortable all the way.




All the vehicles passed each other on the way were 4WD, and there was no sedan like my car.




After almost 2 hours drive, a beautiful scenery of a village with numbers of straw-thatched rooves jumped in my eyes! This is Navala village!




Oh, its's great!




Wonderful!






The last drive to go!




Now I got here!




What a quiet and comfortable atmosphere!








I asked the lady of the village if I could see around the village. (You see how Fijian woman is tall and large!)




I was introduced for the village seniors of Navala.




Today, they seem to have some festival, and something like street stalls are in a row in the open space.






It looks like they've just finished seasoning the meat, and going to cook it.




This lady took me around the village to show the bures. (Traditional Fijian house with straw)






There are bure for bedroom, bure for kitchen, bure for lavatory, etc.. Each set of bures are commonly used by relatives.




She showed me a bure for bedroom. Beds are installed at each corners.




The sheet and the rush mat are put down on the ground, and people can sleep lying on it as well. The pictures of relatives living together are put up all over.




It was a village in a dream being separated from the real world, where relaxed peaceful happiness is in the air.




I was surprized to find a bus on a regular route was coming up to here! It was an amazing bus, indeed!




Slowly and slowly like a turtle, leaning the body left and right, it's gone.




After getting back to Ba, started to go to the North on the road going around the whole island.




Road here is just straight, and very few cars were going. It is just like a Highway.




Getting into Tavua town.




A little town in the country.




After passing by Tavua, the road coasted the sea shore is continued till Rakiraki.








As comming close to Rakiraki, seashore along the road is getting so quiet and beautiful.




Arrived at Rakiraki town.






Bus terminal is here.










Shoreline and Manake Island near Rakiraki at sunset time.




In the morning, I visited a pier to go to Malake Island in the off shore.




This boat seems to go back and forth between here and the island.




The twisted shaky pier gave me a good fear.




Go along the shoreline.




On the way, I dropped into a byway to visit the Volivoli Resort.




Oh, nice! It's a little resort hotel located at the shoreline being sorunded mangroves.
I thought I will definitely come again to stay here!






There was a sand beach beside the mangroves.




Came back to the main road, and keep on going.




Naiserelagi Church. Many people were attending to Missa from villages many kilometers away on foot.




It is very rare stone made chruch in Fiji. It was second time to see following to the 1st one I saw in Viseisei village before.




This is a frasco picture being painted by Jean Charlot, a French painter, and Jesus Christ in the center has a black skin to fit to Fijians, placing Fijians on the left and Indians on the right.






Say goodbye to the shoreline, and get into the inland jungle zone. As I getting into the moutainous area, weather was getting poor and poor.




Even in the jungle zone. There are villages sporadically.




The road condition is getting worse and worse.






I met a taxi for the first time after a long drive.




I wa almost stuck in the mud many tiems.




I was about to gave up for a few tiems...




It seems I finally cleared the jungle zone. The pastures are spreading around.






I finally came back to a town! It's a town coasted to the east of the island.




The urban area is continuedn till a capital city, Suva. There is nothing to feel emotions. This let me feel that a big town is very close.






After driving through a very boring area, I finally got arrive d at the bus terminal of Suva.




I arrived at the hotel for tonight, Tanoa Hotel.
Look at this! It tells all the work I have done today!




Walking around the town of Suva, but as it is Sunday, most of shops are closed and it just looks like a goast town. Usual activity of the city is not here.








What I saw four months ago when I came here by bus for buisness trip to visit Japan Embassy right after I arrived in Fiji, was no here at all.




The largest shopping mall MHCC was only opened, and I enjoyed shopping something that I can not find in Nadi.




The ports in Suva are occupied with Chinese vessels. Chinese are spread out in the town of Suva.




In the next morning, I left the bus terminal of Suva in the rain. Suva is welknnown as it climate with a lot of rain. I left Suva believing that the weather will get better as I leave here.




From Suva to Sigatoka is a road along wiht a beautiful shoreline called Coral Coast. A little resort hotel was in sight to start with.








As I getting far away from Suva, weather gets recovered as I expected.




I dropped in the Art Village, a facility in the Pacific Harbour, which is one of the best resorts in the Coral Coast.




There are many shops for tourist and various shows are available here.




Anyway, it is Sunday, and no shows, no events....




Yes, just take a look at well organized facilities.




I have never expected to see lotus flowers...




Beyound the pond is a very cheap hotel of this facility for backpackers.






Watching at beautiful lotus flowers, I enjoyed a lunch.




Along the Coral Coast, I just go ahead on the road going around the whole islan.




I found a big beach where many Fijans get together to enjoy holday playing very actively, which is very rare scenery in Fiji. They seem to come here in several buses. This beach seems to be a resort palce for local people.
First time to see this kind of place in Fiji.






I also get happy with just looking at them playing.




Playing method is the same in all over the world.










They look just happy with all the families.




There was such a beach as well.








Infinitive numbers of beautiful beaches wihtout anybody are every where all around the island, and therefore, it'll take for mroe than all of the life if I try to swim and enjoy every beach.
I was just standing rooted there looking around in blank amazement.






I was feeling that I was getting close to Sigatoka, and then...




I arrived at the motel out of the Sigatoka where I stayed one night comming from Nadi by car in April.
Oh, yes! Totaling with the route I have ran at that time, I acutally completed a round trip of Vitilevu island in this moment. Although for this time, it is not completed yet, I am so happy and cold not help to shout "Bravo! Bravo!".




A place with a nice memory. A fijian lady at the reception remnber me and welcomed me calling "Oka! Oka!".




The beach here is justm fantastic! The last time I came here in April, it was in the bad weather, but this time the sea showed its best beauty!




The white wave is seen ahead, but it will never come and reach here. It's a strage feeling.
Where the white wave is seen is the edge of the coral reeef, and from there ahead, it gets steeply deep. In another word, till there, a very shallow sea almost the same depth is spread out.
All the beaches in the Coral Coast is like this.






Drive through the side of a resort hotel in Sigatoka.




The scenery is getting familiar now...




Gee, I came back to Nadi town! It's a town I visit for shopping in every weekends.




Nadi town is also very quiet with no people as it's holiday tday.




At las, I came back to the Skylodge Hotel in Namaka area of Nadi where mny cottage is located! (Within the property beyound this fence)
I made it!! I have driven 570Km without any problem!
I am full of a feeling of satisfation. I got a strong feeling that now I can feel Fiji with all of my body at the first time.



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