Encounters with the Underwater Residents and Welcoming People of Fiji
8 April 2023
I anticipated spending my time in Fiji, a nation of over 300 islands, mainly in or on the water, typically related to ocean activities. However, one warm May morning, I found myself deep within the mountainous interior of Fiji’s largest island, Viti Levu. I whizzed along a winding, muddy river in a red jet boat, passing sheer cliffs, dense jungle, and gentle banks where locals tended to their horses or fished for tilapia and mud crabs. The Sigatoka River, one of Viti Levu’s longest, is famous for its fertile banks, referred to as Fiji’s “salad bowl.”
After a while, Captain Nox, an indigenous Fijian boat driver, steered us into the shallows, cutting the engine to share local history with his 14 passengers. He pointed out a sacred mountain and recounted how Sigatoka chiefs resisted lucrative quarrying bids for its marble deposits. Historically, a tribe inhabited caves atop the mountain, defending their home by raining rocks and spears upon anyone attempting to invade via the only trail. He beamed and remarked, “But now Fiji is the friendliest island, eh?”
The Warmth of Fijian Greetings
The enthusiasm of the Fijian greeting “bula!” is unrivaled. It is a word that floats like a bubble, with everyone saying it to everyone, including passing strangers. Traditionally, Fiji serves as a crossroads in the South Pacific, spanning from Melanesia, originally populated by ethnically African people, to Polynesia, later inhabited by migrants from Southeast Asia traveling by outrigger and double-hulled canoe. More than half of Fiji’s 900,000 people are Indigenous or iTaukei, while nearly 40 percent are of Indian descent, stemming from indentured laborers brought to work on sugar plantations during British colonial rule. Nox took us to our next stop, Mavua, a typical rural iTaukei village of brightly painted cement houses with roaming chickens and children, predominantly subsistence farmers.
Kava and Community
In Mavua’s community hall, a spacious room with louvered windows, 30 villagers welcomed us with a kava ceremony. Kava, a beloved drink throughout the South Pacific, is an earthy brown beverage made from the macerated root of a shrub in the pepper family called yaqona. The first sip causes a slight numbing sensation on the tongue and, with continued drinking, it induces a mellow and relaxed state. Fijians call it grog, and this communal act of drinking serves as a means to forge relationships and mediate disputes.
As the kava was prepared, the village chief and the oldest man among us engaged in a ritualized dialogue, complete with clapping and eventually sipping. As the bilos (cups for drinking kava) were passed around, heavy rain began to fall, drumming on the roof. Women dressed in colorful outfits adorned us with salusalu, or leaf garlands. Meanwhile, village dogs waited hopefully outside the open doors, drawn by the aroma of lunch. We enjoyed a meal of cassava and bananas, greens, roti, sweet fried bread, ramen with curry sauce, and chicken. After the meal, accompanied by men playing guitars and ukuleles, everyone danced together joyfully, shuffling back and forth with arms around one another’s waists, laughing. We then sped away in the rain as Captain Nox spun us in circles.
Cultural Changes and Kava’s Significance
Later, back at Nanuku Resort Fiji on the south coast of Viti Levu, where I was staying, I participated in a private kava ceremony. A local named Josua Cakautini organized the event, performed by four robust men around a large wooden bowl, preparing the kava. Cakautini noted that before Covid, women often chewed the yaqona root instead of pounding it. “Covid clashed with everything we stand for,” he remarked. “Unity and sharing. But you have to survive. Now we can welcome you here, and we say ‘bula’ to respect you as a human being.” He showed me how to clap to receive my bilo of kava and instructed me to say “bula” and drink it all in one gulp, which I did. My lips tingled. “Fijian culture is changing,” he stated, “but kava remains the same.”
The Life of Fiji
The term “bula” means “hello” and also “life.” Fiji stimulates the senses and affirms your existence. The environment is lush, lively, and vibrant. Hardly anyone will let you arrive at or leave without offering a song of welcome or farewell. Roadsides are alive with grazing horses and children in uniforms, boys in dapper narrow skirts called sulus and girls in sleeveless shirt-dresses of mint green or coral. Snack bars compete with amusing names: Road Krill, Cannibal Country, and Cuppabula. Locals sell fruits, yaqona root, and strings of fish from simple stalls. Outfitters offer cage-free shark dives, snorkeling, and scuba excursions, showcasing vibrant reefs full of marine life. Water is pervasive and essential.
Snorkeling and Environmental Conservation
I ventured out snorkeling at a small private island with Kelly-Dawn Bentley, a marine biologist from nearby Pacific Harbour. We glided over a reef in shallow water, barely able to move our fins. Little black fish flitted around the coral, seemingly trying to shoo us away. A school of silvery thumbprint emperors swarmed around us like a cluster of UFOs. Bentley explained how local practices were being used to conserve Fiji’s precious aquatic resources. “We are collaborating with the local chief to hopefully designate this area as tabu,” she shared while motioning to the water nearby.
Throughout the South Pacific, tabu, a word Captain James Cook introduced to English in the late 18th century, refers to sacred prohibitions traditionally used to manage resources rather than simply forbidding offensive behavior. For example, if overhunting occurred, a chief could declare a mountain tabu to allow the animal population time to recover. After the crisis levels of overfishing in the ’90s, communities revived the practice of declaring reefs tabu, allowing fish populations to thrive. Although enforcement poses challenges, it reflects a modern utilization of an ancient concept. “Sustainability isn’t just about the environment,” Bentley asserted. “It’s socio-economic, cultural, and environmental.”
The Luxury of Kokomo Private Island
Kokomo Private Island emanates an effortless, casual luxury, feeling almost homey. The brainchild of Australian billionaire Lang Walker, Kokomo encompasses 140 acres of Yaukuve Levu, an island located a 45-minute seaplane flight from Nadi International Airport. As we approached, our bare-footed pilot descended over the blue hues of the Great Astrolabe Reef and circled over greenery, dotted with villas, before gently landing.
Kokomo features 21 villas and five larger residences ensconced in manicured grounds that mimic Fiji’s untamed jungles: dense palms, broad-leafed banana plants, and vibrant frangipani blossoms. Guests mainly hail from Australia and New Zealand, often traveling as families. The resort boasts a spa, a terraced five-and-a-half-acre organic farm, and a floating platform where guests can order drinks delivered by paddleboard. The staff ensures that the room-service sashimi is fresh, checking with the fishermen about daily catches. A large open building, modestly named The Beach Shack, serves as both the lobby and main restaurant, while a second restaurant, Walker d’Plank, hovers above shallow waters frequented by blacktip reef sharks.
Adventures Await in Fiji
On Kokomo, I relished a leisurely aquatic lifestyle. I could swim in my private pool or stroll down to the beach, navigating under a budding tree teeming with black butterflies. There were opportunities to snorkel or accompany iTaukei marine biologist Viviana Taubera to observe Kokomo’s coral restoration project or search for manta rays in the afternoon. We cruised across overcast waters towards a neighboring island known as a cleaning station for mantas, where smaller fish nibble at the parasites on the massive creatures’ bodies. “It’s too quiet out here,” remarked Taubera as she scanned the sea. Just then, the water erupted, revealing a school of silvery mackerel dancing below us.
On my penultimate morning, I was at Kokomo’s main dock before dawn, ready for fishing with Jaga Crossingham, an Australian sport-fishing guide. The crew prepared a two-level, 51-foot fishing boat, pointing out the padded chair at the stern, complete with a seat belt and footrests, meant for reeling in big catches. A pile of neon lures awaited, ready for action.
When the fish weren’t biting inside the reef, we ventured outside where the waves broke on the coral of Astrolabe. We trolled along, trailing six lines hoping for a catch. After a while, I was sent to the chair, reeling until my arm burned, managing to pull in a rainbow runner about three feet long. “Just a little one,” Crossingham commented as he dropped the fish into an ice-filled cooler for the staff’s sashimi dinner. We further spent a couple of hours hoping for bites, leading Crossingham to confirm my wilderness prowess by saying, “99.9 percent of people would have been very seasick.”
Out on that reef, I was reminded that any ocean nation is profoundly wild, shaped by water in extraordinary ways. Even though we missed the mantas, one could imagine them busy elsewhere. The thrashing waters can unsettle a seaman, yet they provide essential shelter for the vibrant marine life below. The warming seas threaten the reefs that protect the islands and the communities that rely on them, reminding us of the delicate balance of existence in these waters.
Where to Stay in Fiji
The majority of Fiji’s best spots are found off the shores of its two primary islands, Viti Levu and Vanua Levu, often catering to guests with private transfers.
Kokomo Private Island (doubles from about £1,765) features hilltop villas and beachside bure cottages overlooking pristine waters and operates its own sustainable ecosystem, with staff leading snorkeling tours with manta rays and serving local produce.
On the southern edge of Viti Levu, the thatched-roof villas of Nanuku Resort Fiji (from about £546) provide a tropical paradise with opportunities for diving, spa visits, and adventure activities such as whitewater rafting.
Another great option is Six Senses Fiji (from about £715) located on Malolo Island, known for its surfing spots and thatched bure villas complete with private pools.
What to Do in Fiji
Viti Levu’s Sigatoka River, one of the longest in Fiji, offers guided tours that reveal emerald hillsides and village life. Eco-conscious options like Talanoa Treks immerse hikers in Fiji’s lush interiors, exploring dense forests and stunning waterfalls.
