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Kayaking – the Yasawas
– Fiji
Jill March
My husband and I were on honeymoon in Fiji. Friends and family had
bought nine days kayaking as a wedding present. This was such a
special gift, the memories of which will last forever. Thank you.
I love Fiji. I love the nature of
the place and the graciousness of the people. I stayed there for
only one month but the experience has left an indelible mark in
my mind that will never fade.
 Nine
days of my Fijian stay were spent kayaking amongst the Yasawas.
A stunning chain of sixteen volcanic islands, spreading over 80km
northwest of Viti Levu. The Yasawas are in the lee of Fiji’s
largest island, consequently the weather is almost always dry and
warm and the waters are calm and crystal clear.
Toby, Simon and Aporosa were our
guides, sharing their expertise, knowledge and senses of humour
to add to the total enjoyment of the experience. The ecofriendly
philosophy of the tour operators Southern Sea Ventures made this
tour a privilege to be part of. Their motto is ‘to take only
photographs and leave only footprints’ and this was thoroughly
respected, as I feel it always should be.
Paul and I, Johnny and Kate, Nigel
and Nikki, Karen, Cedric, another Kate and Tommy and Rene. That
was the team, together with the guides. We all got on, there was
no fuss, we all recognised each other as valuable individuals and
we were all joined together by the same goal; to kayak the Yasawas
and absorb as much as we could on the way.
 We
had journeyed by boat, roughly 70km to Tavewa Island, where, after
becoming familiarised with our kit and practising capsize drills,
we were treated to the most delicious feast. Our Fijian hosts on
Tavewa prepared a lovo; a traditional Fijian meal, cooked underground.
We all gathered round as the earth was shovelled off and the banana
leaves peeled away from the feast that lay beneath. I believe every
single person was salivating as the aromas cascaded from the underground
oven. The most tender pork, tasty fish and fresh vegetables filled
our plates and bellies in preparation for a good nights sleep under
canvas and the next day’s paddle.
We all sat together being ever so
polite in the early stages of getting to know each other. English,
Australian, Hawaiian and Fijian. An interesting mix of age, experience,
and stories, all prepared to listen to each other. A little banter
about the recent Ashes tournament broke the ice and instigated great
debate about the rules and regulations of the game for those who
did not know. Then on the fourth night we played a game of ‘truth,
truth lie’. We had to each think of three facts to tell our
companions about ourselves, one of which had to be a lie. We laughed
and shared the stress of trying to think of two interesting things
about ourselves! So who had danced with Walter Cronkite? been married
at fifty? worked on every continent? dated Portia De Rossi? skydived?
made headline news? was related to Hans Christiansen Anderson? or
puked down a ladies cleavage in a swimming pool? Yes, that last
one was me, but I was only five. 
The village of Navotua, on Nathula
Island, was a 15km paddle from Tavewa. It was a very special place
and worth the paddle even when the tide seemed to take you back
and your destination didn’t seem to get any closer for a very
long time. Navotua is Aporosa’s village. It is his home. Traditional
bures line the beach, looking out to the Koro Sea and the limestone
peaks of Sawa-l-lau, six kilometres in the distance. Simon and Toby
were considered old friends by all of the villagers and their welcome
and hospitality was filled with kindness and sincerity.
Learning, appreciation and adventure
were in store for us all on Navotua. Aporosa asked the gang if anyone
would be interested in a night snorkel. Paul and I were, along with
Johnny and Kate (another pair of newlyweds) and Rene and Tommy,
a beautiful Hawaiian couple with a keen sense of adventure and fun.
They were both experienced kayakers; one of Tommy’s truths
was that he had kayaked 50 miles in one day, for that reason he
was dubbed ‘High Tide Tommy’.
Aporosa appeared out of the darkness
like a shadow, padding down the beach, spear and torch in hand.
He led us a long way down the sand, over rock pools and coral, exposed
at low tide. We negotiated the terrain gingerly as Aporosa bounded
barefoot over sharp rocks and coral. The soles of his feet were
as thick as concrete. Aporosa is a formidably strong man over 6ft
tall with limbs packed with muscle and a face proud and powerful.
As I nervously put on my mask and
fins and entered the water in pitch-blackness, Tommy turned to Paul,
Kate, Johnny and I and said ‘The thing with night snorkelling
is…you never quite know what is behind you’. I gave
a timorous laugh and we all looked at each other in the pale beams
of our torches and gulped. The darkness closed in on each one of
us and our torches shone narrow beams of light that illuminated
the strange and obscure of the marine world; squid, octopus, box
fish and many other odd looking wide eyed nocturnal fish. My breathing
quickened as I realised Aporosa had speared a lobster and we made
our way buffeted by the waves, down the stretch of the coast. As
soon as the reef disappeared there really was nothing, just blackness
and flashes of each other’s legs in the dim torch light, kicking
wildly. I felt blinded by the darkness and totally disoriented.
We had to look up frequently to guide ourselves back to the faint
lights of the village. We arrived home exhilarated and the daredevils
of the group.
Aporosa spoke of his village plainly
and with eloquence. They were poor, but the connection with Southern
Sea Ventures helped a lot. One hundred and fifty years ago visitors
to this island may have ended up in the cooking pot, Aporosa said
with a grin. In his opinion the church had saved his people. Aporosa
was proud to share his home with us.
 We
visited the infant school and caused chaos for the teacher in their
morning class. We played together and the digital cameras fascinated
the children, looking in disbelief at instant images of themselves.
Beautiful children, peaceable and the respect they held for each
other, as friends and family was strong.
We bought souvenirs from the ladies
of the village who laid out their traditional arts and crafts in
the village square. We played tag with the children and were later
treated to a Meke, in which a group from the village performed songs
and dances to a captivated audience, placing delicate and fragrant
frangipani garlands around our necks. There was a lot of audience
participation and laughter. Then it was Kava time, Tommy, leaned
over to me again and said ominously ‘last time I drank this
I couldn’t feel my ears’. I kept hold of mine all night,
while we danced and chatted with our hosts.
The saltwater caves on Sawa-l-Lau,
just a six kilometre paddle away, were stunning. Deep inside the
jagged tooth-like limestone peak we explored the caves that featured
in the 1980 film ‘The Blue Lagoon’ starring Brooke Shields
and Christopher Atkins. On watching the film since leaving Fiji,
I was struck by the permanence and secrecy of these caves. A short
and easy swim underwater transported us all to a cathedral like
chamber. Faces similar to my own surrounded me. Awestruck that we
had left the sunshine and glory of the beach and were now in such
a surreal and mysterious place. A shaft of light from up above cut
through the darkness and we all clambered on to rocks to marvel
together and have a group photo. Toby, as a regular to these caves,
took the chance to climb barefoot at least 12m up the rocks before
leaping into the cave’s deep pool.
 We
said our goodbyes and left Navotua and Sawa-l-Lau for the uninhabited
island of Vawa. Our dream paradise. A steady paddle, the group were
strong. Spread across and slicing through the turquoise waters.
The kayaks were stable and fit for the beginner or expert. As the
week went on the kayaks got a little faster as we had less food
to transport. Maybe they were also getting faster as we were getting
better. Paul and I definitely developed out synchrony.
We pulled our kayaks up on to the white sand of Vawa. The gentle
lapping of the waves caressed the perfect beach. We pitched our
tents along the beach and had a day to relax and explore this deserted
land. Not one other soul, not even a mosquito, as there was no natural
water supply. We had carried all the water we needed.
A leisurely snorkel and swim were
rewarded with spotting a reef shark and a host of exquisite reef
fish. At sun set we watched a thousand shades of red and gold touch
the sky and clouds. As the sun dipped beyond the horizon we gathered
and saw the ‘emerald flash’ of light refracting in the
atmosphere.
Paul had never built a fire on a
beach. He wanted to, as did all the boys. They collected some firewood
and built an impressive fire in which flames danced for hours. We
collected our sleeping rolls and lay by the fire watching every
star in the universe shine on Vawa. As the moon rose and the clarity
of the night caused a little chill, we returned to our tents and
slept until pineapple pancakes were served by Toby the next morning.
 We
had a long paddle back to Tavewa, 18km. The group did well. We stopped
for chocolate and nut breaks on the aqua waters. We would paddle
up along side each other and lock our kayaks together whilst resting
in such overwhelming brightness. A few of us girls jokingly comparing
bicep size after the work out on the water. However, it didn’t
feel like a work out, for nine days it was just something that we
all did naturally. Any other mode of transport would have been so
alien. As a novice the peace and pace of kayaking was truly rewarding
and I look forward to kayaking more.
On our return to Tavewa I completed
a gentle climb to the island’s peak to be rewarded with awesome
views of our paddling route through the Yasawas. An array of aqua
shades intensified the green of the land encircled by pristine white
edges. The kayaking had been fun, we paddled around 80km in total,
in which time a strong sense of camaraderie and friendship had developed.
The Fijian lives, we had entered as guests, were very special, intrinsically
linked to each other, their families and the glorious natural world
that they are surrounded by. The beauty of the Yasawas charged my
senses and humbled my being. Such a beautiful and intrinsically
simple place enabled me to realise the inherent connection between
man and the natural world that should always be treasured and respected.
About The Author:
Jill
is on a year long honeymoon with her husband Paul. At the moment
she is living and working in New Zealand and enjoying the opportunity
to write. She is originally from the UK and is hoping to start a
MA in Creative Writing on her return.
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