We decided to take a taxi ride down the west side of Taveuni. Despite
warnings in the Lonely Planet Guide not to do this ride just to see the blow
holes, we did it anyway and were pleased with the scenery at the end.
First we run out of gas, just before we get to Nusawa.
The taxi driver says this is the first time it has ever happened to him
and we ask a villager for some diesel. She goes up a hill and
comes back with it.
We stop at the only bank in Taveuni - in Naqara.
There is a better rate for Traveler's checks than US cash or ATM card.
Naqara is busy with several shops and a few places to stay - but we are
glad to be in the quieter Matei.
We reach the blow holes
at the South Cape. There is lava rock, like on the Big Island of
Hawaii.
The cab driver has friends and relatives along the route
and we stop at a village. A horse is tethered. One house has
an outside oven. The trees with pointed leaves are used to make
mats and bags.
We meet school children who are curious. The taxi
driver knows the man who is with them and stops to chat to him.
We pass the Vatuwiri Farm Resort that was a large copra
plantation and also has cocoa trees. There are coconut
trees in each direction.
We pass the Wairiki Catholic Mission that has a large
church, built in 1907. We also find the islands 180 degree
meridian cinema which is opposite one of the few food stores in the
area.
We've found the 180 degree meridian. A board shows a
faded picture of the Royal Greenwich Observatory. The sign is at
the end of a rugby field. The field has a large hand roller - like
one might find on an English village cricket pitch. Finally I've
reached the opposite side of the earth from London!