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Nausori & Rewa Travel Guide
Viti Levu, Fiji
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Twenty kilometres north of
Suva
City
is
Nausori
Town
, a farming centre along the
Rewa
River
which grew up around the CSR sugar mill which eventually closed in 1959 due to unfavourable wet conditions for sugar growing - the town is now dominated by Rewa Rice. Most tourists visiting the area breeze through from
Nausori
Airport
,
Suva
’s domestic airport.
The town’s main attraction is its exotic market, the best in
Fiji
for mingling and photographing, especially on a Saturday when the streets overspill with Fijian villagers selling mud crabs, river prawns, mussels, asparagus and wild ferns amongst massive bundles of dalo, kava and coconuts. Nausori also has the dubious distinction of having the wildest pub in
Fiji
, the Whistling Duck off
Ross Street
. As you enter, a sign reads: Precaution, beware of flying objects. When a drinker finishes a bottle of beer, it is simply tossed over the shoulder - thankfully for the bar staff and live musicians playing there at weekends, they’re protected behind a steel cage. Opposite is KBs, a Night Club with a more sedate white collar clientele.
If you decide to visit either, the only place to stay is at Riverside Accommodation tucked away on
O’Connor Lane
opposite the Nausori Club on
Lateef Street
. The small wooden cottage occupied by a Fijian family has seven basic rooms sharing two bathrooms with cold water shower.
Rewa and Bau
The river delta spreading over the small but powerful provinces of Rewa and Bau, east of
Nausori
Town
, are mangrove covered forests, rich in marine life with snaking river beds thick with mud flats and dotted with small fishing villages along its banks. The villages themselves are uninteresting but the mangrove estuaries are fascinating environments worthy of exploring by small boat and the history of the region brings alive an era of savagery.
There are no organized tours of the river delta but you should be able to arrange a long boat ride along the
Wainibokasi
River
from Nakelo Landing, nine kilometres east of
Nausori
Town
beyond the airport. At the eastern end of the river is Kaba Point where the great war between Rewa and Bau came to its conclusion in 1855, Cakobau being aided by King George of Tonga with 2,000 armed warriors in thirty war canoes - with victory King George had more importantly persuaded Cakobau to take the leap from cannibalism to Christianity and the two hundred captives of Kaba were spared the cooking pot.
Bau
Island
Seven kilometres north of Kaba Point is the chiefly
island
of
Bau
. To visit the tiny island, accessible by punt from Bau Landing, you should contact the Turaga- ni- Koro on
Bau
Island
. If you do manage to receive an invitation, take yaqona roots and dress respectably. The island is small in size, but with a fascinating history. The mound in the centre of the island is where the chiefly families live, and around the parameter are sub clans: craftsmen from Lau warriors from Botoni and fishermen from Kadavu. Here stands the first church in
Fiji
, built from thick limestone walls. The baptismal font beside the alter was Cakobau’s killing stone where skulls of his captives were smashed before being eaten.
Toberua
Island
Accessed from Nakelo Landing along the
Qaraniki
River
, lined with mangroves and bamboo fish traps, and three kilometres into the ocean beyond Kaba Point, is the sandy coral cay of
Toberua
Island
. Boasting one of
Fiji
’s original boutique resorts, Toberua Island Resort is an incredibly friendly home where staff have lived and worked for thirty years and life- long guests return time and again, some clocking up as many as thirty visits. There are fantastic colourful coral formations and reef sharks at Toberua Passage which are excellent for both snorkelling and scuba diving. Mabualau, a limestone islet five kilometres to the east, is a tiny nature reserve inundated with large white fluffy Boobies.
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Readers may also be interested in the following destinations:
Cook Islands Travel Guide
Samoa Travel Guide
Tonga Travel Guide
Tahiti Travel Guide
Hawaii Travel Guide
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