Dreaming of Fiji
by Jennifer Kim Goldfarb
Our next stop was Taveuni, known as the garden island of Fiji. Although it is the third largest island, it felt just as remote and private as Tokoriki. We stayed at the Maravu Plantation Resort near Matei, an area with lots of foreign residents. We’d heard rave reviews about the resort, which turned out to be a truly elegant, top-end property run by a European family.
The accommodations are comprised of individual bungalows scattered on a 22-hectare copra plantation. Copra is dried coconut kernel used to produce coconut oil. During our stay we splurged on massages, enjoyed gourmet meals on the giant, covered porch, swam in the black-bottom swimming pool, and even took a short horseback ride up a small hill on the property for a panoramic sunset view.
It would have been easy to spend the entire time kicking back on our porch, savoring the tasty cuisine, and sampling kava, a local herbal beverage with medicinal properties, every night. But we picked up the pace just a tiny bit, and headed out to the Lavena Coastal Walk one day. The car ride out to the start of the 5K path took us along a bumpy, gravel road past stretches of wild taro and other lush, exotic flora. The walk itself was an easy, enjoyable stroll on a clearly marked path. Along the way, we beachcombed on a short stretch of sand, crossed a suspension bridge, and ended at a deep pool fed by a waterfall. We took a short swim in this secluded spot before heading back to the visitor hut.
We also spent time enjoying the world-renowned marine life off the coast of Taveuni. My husband snorkeled the waters, while I explored the depths of the ocean with my brand new scuba certification.
One of the highlights of our trip was a jaunt to the local pizza joint, a wood shack set on stilts above the beach. We watched crabs scuttle around on the rocks below while we sipped Fiji Bitter and waited for our thin, cripsy pizza to cook. Another memorable culinary experience was sipping the homemade kahlua at Audrey’s Sweet Something’s, a cafe of sorts run out of Audrey’s home.
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