Colo-I-Suva, Thurston Garden, Fiji Museum, Pacific Harbour Beach
Moving away from Nadi, I took the bus to Pacific Harbour, where I stayed at a resort that had a dormitory. After checking in I spent the day at the beach, swimming and enjoying the sun. I got some rest, and the day after I got on another bus, which took me all the way to the center of Suva, the capital of Fiji. Once there, it took me a while to find the next bus, and even after I got on the bus it took a while before we set off on the way to the park. It was a relatively short ride, and after getting a bit confused with where to buy the ticket, I was finally in.
Or rather, I was in the car park. From there, I still had some walking to do in order to get to the actual entrance of the park and the beginning of the trail. The walk wasn’t bad, although it was a bit boring. There were trees to look at on both sides of the path, but not much other than that. As it was a wide area, for the most part the trees didn’t provide much shade and I was walking under the hot sun, in silence, until I got to a split in the road.
There were no signs around, and I didn’t have a map. Not sure where to go, I decided to stay on the main road. A few minutes later I saw a taxi in the middle of the road. I walked past it, wondering if the driver is waiting to pick up someone from the park, or if he decided to just show up in case someone is looking for a taxi. It didn’t take too long for me to find out the truth. As I walked along the path, two locals were coming from the other side. It turned out, they were a family on their way to the park, when their car got stuck. They also informed me that I was going along the wrong path. After getting clear directions, I said goodbye and traced my way back to the split in the road. Taking the other path, I got to the beginning of the actual trail very quickly.
While there was a map at the entrance, I only looked at it briefly and didn’t bother taking a picture of it. Almost immediately I started to question that decision. Once again, there was a split in the road and I wasn’t sure which road would lead me to what part of the park, or if it matters. I decided to take the road which looked a bit better and was closer to the water. With each step I took in the narrow forest path I could hear the sound of the rushing water getting stronger. I went down a few stairs, across a bridge, and then I was at the first point of interest, which the nearby sign marked as the “Upper Pools”. There were a couple of pools, with the water flowing between them. It was a nice place to spend some time, relax, and even go for a swim, but I didn’t stop there. It only took a few minutes to get there, and I was far from tired, so I kept going along the path.
The trail kept splitting in different places, and I tried to choose the direction that seemed better maintained. For most of my hike in the forest I could hear and see the water flowing beside me, which was quite nice and added more interest to the park. Every now and then I’d come across another small waterfall or a pool, although it wasn’t as big as the Upper Pools. It was still nice to look at, and it felt like I had the whole place to myself, as I didn’t see anyone else in there
I wondered how long it would take to get to the end of the road, when the trail started to go up. Then, along a twisty part of the trail, I started to hear voices. At first I thought I might be imagining it, very faded in the background, but it got louder and there was no doubt that other people were somewhere nearby, having quite a good time.
I went up some stairs, straight for a few minutes, down some more stairs, and then I got to the end. Another point of interest, the “Lower Pools”, which to me looked better than the Upper Pools, although that might have been due to me getting a bit tired by that point. That was also the source of the voices I heard, as there were a few guys playing in the water. They introduced themselves when I got there, and it turned out that they were a local rugby team just having a break from the regular training. After a while, while I sat there to rest and enjoy the view, the rugby team went on their way and left me alone at the Lower Pools. It was nice and calm, and stayed there for a while longer before I decided it was time to go back.
While there was a road for cars, which theoretically would take me all the way to the starting point, I didn’t have a map, and wasn’t sure that I wouldn’t get lost, so I simply made my way back the way I came. I did see a family when I started to make my way back, but other than them there was no one else. I was worried about taking the wrong turn at some point and wandering off to another part of the park, and at a few points along the way I genuinely felt lost, but I just kept going. Then, just when I was sure I needed to go back a few steps, I saw a few more people above me, and soon after that I was back at the Upper Pools. From there it was an easy walk back to the starting point, and then another boring walk to the entrance of the park, where the nice security guard helped me catch a bus back to the city.
When I got off the bus I had to walk for a little while through the city, and other than a couple of buildings on the way there was nothing that I found interesting. Eventually I arrived at Thurston Garden, which was really more of a park. It was a nice park, with grass, some trees, and a few benches spread around the area, although not much other than that. It was empty at the time I was there, and along with the cloudy weather it resulted in a somewhat gloomy vibe. It didn’t take long to go around the park, and soon enough I was back at the starting point.
After getting a bit confused, I got back to the garden, crossed in, and found the Fiji Museum on the other side. It started by talking about the general history of Fiji (and other parts of the Pacific), and was mainly about maritime history, which by this point I started to feel quite familiar with. There were a few items on display, and models of canoe boats, and informative signs telling the story of the place and the people. There were also displays from the time Europeans started to arrive to the place, and their interaction with the natives. At the very end there was a section about the damage that was done to the ocean and what people are doing in order to fix it. The place was smaller than I expected, but overall it was interesting and provided some information. After that, I got back to the resort at Pacific Harbour and spent the rest of my time at the beach.
Unfortunately, once more, that was it. I left Pacific Harbour, and didn’t want to do any of the island tours. I did want to go to Koroyanitu National Park, but after I got back to Nadi, despite my efforts, I could not find anyone who wanted to go there with me, and going on my own wasn’t a realistic option. The rest of my time in Fiji was spent either by the beach, by the pool, or playing the guitar at the hostel. It might not have been the way I wanted it to end, but at least it was relaxing.
Fiji was a fun experience, despite coming in the rainy season and not being able to do everything that I wanted to do. The people are kind and friendly, the scenery is nice, and at least on the island of Viti Levu prices are not too bad. The other islands seemed to be quite costly, which is the main reason I chose to not visit them, but I’m sure they have something great to offer. I also found out that Fiji is a lot more than just going to the beach. As great as this type of travel can be, Fiji also has forests and parks worth visiting, offering a unique experience and a break from the traditional vacation spots.
With my time in Fiji coming to an end, so was my Adventure in Oceania and the Pacific. It was very different from other places I’ve seen so far, from beginning to end. The contrast was quite confusing at times, but at the end I experienced quite a few unique things which I didn’t even realize were an option. Of course, there were some difficult moments too, some due to mistakes I made and some just seemed unavoidable. It was also the first time that I felt a lack of proper planning actually caused me damage and ruined some of the joy of traveling around. On the other hand, the good was great, places that I used to fantasize about visiting, people who were more than happy to help when I needed them, and a unique and unexpected history. But after the last few months, it was time to leave the Pacific behind me, wondering when or if I’ll be back.