Seeing Fiji The Hard Way

Hard Way

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IV/lOST visitors to Fiji—and many of the local people for that matter —never get more than a few hundred yards from the coastal belt of the main island of Viti Levu, and the roads leading into the main river valleys. To see the rest of the country, which is rugged and mountainous, you must be hardy and energetic, and you must go either by boat, on horseback or on foot, as there are no roads worth mentioning.

Fiji’s Governor, Sir Derek Jakeway, is one who likes to see the countryside the hard way. Recently he made a walking tour between the headwaters of the Ba and Sigatoka Rivers, which took him and his party over much country like that in the picture above. At left, the Governor is seen at Virara village, saying goodbye to Lusiana, wife of the Buli (chief) of Magodro District, after lunching in the village.

Most of the villages in this part of the interior

are well-kept and spotlessly clean—Nasivikoso (above) being a good example in this respect.

At left is a section of the village of Bukuya, where the Governor’s party spent their second night, and a magiti (feast) was pre sented by the villagers. The photo shows women of the village arriving with presenta tions' of cooked food, which was accepted on the Governor’s be half by Ramon Nair, District Officer. Others who accompanied the Governor were Dr. lan Porteous, Medical Officer, Lieu tenant lan Duthie, ADC, Mr.

Dennis Williams, Acting Com missioner, Western, and photo grapher Rob Wright, Jr., of the Fiji Public Relations Office, who took these pictures.

In the picture above, Sir Derek Jakeway second from right) and his sons Simon and Loger (centre) are seen crossing a river during n earlier trip into the interior of Viti Levu nd to the upper sources of the Wainimala Liver. At right Sir Derek is seen shaking hands dth women who had gathered at the village f Matanisau to watch his arrival. This was ne of seven villages which the Governor visited i a day’s hard riding along the Wainimala Galley. Matanisau is almost at the exact centre f Viti Levu.

On this journey, the Governor was endeavour ag to see for himself the rehabilitation work lone by villagers, after heavy floods several aonths earlier. At one stage of the journey, 'Utboard punts were used to negotiate rapids •n the Wainimala River.

The photographer on the Wainimala trip was lob Wright, Sr., of the Fiji PRO.