Backpackers and Billionaires
It used to be that backpacking trips to Fiji involved a bus
ride from Nadi to Suva, then a ferry to somewhere like Ovalau,
Savusavu, Taveuni or Kadavu. No more. These days young budget
travelers are lining up to go to the Yasawa Islands, a chain of
16 large volcanic islands and dozens of smaller ones roughly 35
km off the west coast of Viti Levu.
The dazzling white beaches, clear warm waters, colorful coral
reefs, and sunny dry climate make the Yasawa Group an ideal
tourist destination, but until recently a visit involved a rough
sea voyage from Lautoka in an unsafe village boat—or an
expensive seaplane flight from Nadi. Blue Lagoon Cruises has
been plying the Yasawas since the 1950s, but passengers aboard
those upscale vessels sleep in staterooms and local residents
receive few benefits from their presence.
Until the 1987 Rabuka coups in Suva, it was the policy of the
Fiji government that the Yasawas were closed to land-based
tourism. The long years of military-backed government brought
few changes to the Yasawas, although Australian investors were
allowed to construct the deluxe Yasawa Island Resort
(www.yasawa.com) in 1991 and a couple of village-operated
backpacker camps sprang up on Wayasewa and Waya. Since the early
1980s, local families have operated three small low-budget
resorts on Tavewa Island, thanks largely to Tavewa's status as a
freehold island beyond the authority of the Fijian chiefs. For
decades local church leaders have portrayed tourism as a
corrupting outside influence to be kept at arms length from
village life.
It would be hard to imagine anything more removed from real
Fijian life than Turtle Island Resort on Nanuya Levu Island,
Fiji's ultimate hideaway for the US$1,500-a-night crowd. Nanuya
Levu has been freehold land since 1868, and in 1972 Richard
Evanson used US$300,000 he earned in the Southern California
cable television business to buy the island.
Evanson's Turtle Island Resort (www.turtlefiji.com) became the
prototype of Fiji's current crop of boutique island resorts,
hosting notables like Hollywood stars and millionaires. Brooke
Shields stayed here during the 1980 filming of the escapist
classic The Blue Lagoon.
A self-styled environmentalist, Evanson has planted thousands of
trees on his island, and has converted the mangrove forests into
tourist attractions by cleverly creating boardwalks. The
resort's food is grown in organic gardens and power is generated
using solar and wind energy. Each year a group of volunteer
California eye specialists visits Turtle Island Resort to
perform eye surgery on needy villagers or to equip them with
donated prescription glasses.
Yet for most Yasawans, life has changed little since 1789 when
Captain William Bligh and loyal members of his crew paddled past
the group in an open boat shortly after the famous mutiny on the
Bounty. Even today, most villages are without electricity or
running water, and opportunities for economic development are
very limited. The Yasawans have felt neglected by politicians in
the distant capital, envious onlookers as mini-cruise ships and
yachts carried wealthy foreigners along their shores.
In May 2000, rabble-rouser George Speight and assorted thugs
seized the Parliament building in Suva, turning Fiji on its
head. Speight's pro-indigenous rhetoric struck a chord in the
Yasawas. Villagers from Nacula Island staged a mini-coup on
Turtle Island, locking Evanson in one of his 14 luxurious
bungalows as village youths rode wildly around Nanuya Levu on
Evanson's golf carts.
When the excitement died down, plaited mats were spread and kava
roots were pounded, and over many bowls of grog, Evanson and the
villagers came to an understanding.
Rather than killing the golden goose, Evanson convinced the
Nacula people that they'd be better off opening resorts of their
own and allowing him to continue running his business in peace.
Evanson offered interest-free construction loans and promotional
support, and the Nacula Tikina Tourism Association was born. The
association's Web site (www.fijibudget.com) currently describes
a dozen locally-operated resorts around the Blue Lagoon in the
central Yasawas, including the three existing properties on
Tavewa. All resort operators must conform to a strict code of
conduct intended to preserve the environment and guarantee
acceptable levels of service. Though primitive compared to the
luxurious Mamanuca resorts off Nadi, the Yasawa backpacker camps
provide basic food and accommodations at a relatively low price.
The mass influx of backpackers only began in 2002 when Awesome
Adventures (www.awesomefiji.com), a subsidiary of New
Zealand-owned South Sea Cruises, launched a fast catamaran
service up and down the chain. You can now depart Nadi's Denarau
Marina on the Yasawa Flyer any morning at 9:15 a.m. and be at
the resort of your choice in time for lunch. As many as 150
backpackers do this every day and the village-operated resorts
on Kuata, Wayasewa, Waya, Naviti, Tavewa, Nacula, Nanuya Lailai,
and Matacawa Levu are booming.
Reservations can be made upon arrival at Nadi Airport through
any one of a dozen 24-hour travel agencies right in the airport
terminal itself. All of these offices sell catamaran tickets
with a bus transfer to the harbor included. Deluxe lodgings and
gourmet food should not be expected at any of the Yasawa
resorts—yet the friendly people, spectacular natural
beauty, and low prices make most travelers overlook these
inconveniences.