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Bula! Kei Kidavaka!

A Rainforest of Kadavu Island

The Fourth Largest of the Fiji Islands

In August of 1995, I took my first big solo dive trip....halfway across the Pacific Ocean....to the island of Kadavu, in the Fiji Islands. I stayed at the Mantana Beach Resort. Now, to use the word "resort" is a very loose interpretation of what we Americans call to mind as a resort. However, it was a wonderful place. The facility sits on the edge of a beautiful white beach (mantana). The diving was fabulous. There were several small villages nearby. The villagers, especially the children, were quite charming. A couple of us were invited into a home to drink Kava with the elders. Nearby the resort was a large hill, or small mountain, however you are inclined to name those things. Atop the mountain was a wonderful rainforest. One day it was too windy to dive. So, a couple from New Zealand, a man from California, and myself started out on a morning trek into "the bush," as the Kiwis called it.

Well, we ended up getting quite lost, fearful that we might miss lunch! It was hot and muggy in the forest and there were wild boar ruts all over the place. We went deeper and deeper as we tried to find our way back to the edge of the forest. We ran across the most interesting creature. It looked like a cross between a very large spider and a crab. Finally, we reached a spot where we could see the grasslands in the distance. But, how to get down there? That was the dilemma. We found a beautiful waterfall, and walked down the side of it. Then, there was nothing. We ended up using the long sharp grasses to rappel ourselves down the side of the cliff. I was wearing cheap imitation Tevas. The soles were broken completely in two when I finished my arduous trek.

Below are some photos from the jungle. I didn't get to take as many pictures as I would have liked to, because my lens fogged up. Later, I had to replace my camera lens. It seems it developed a nasty case of jungle rot!