Lavena Coastal Walk Taveuni Island
Situated on the coastal boundary of Bouma National Heritage Park, this walk gives you the chance to see a mixture of remote beaches, rainforests and traditional gardens. Although the walk takes about three to font hours there and back, it is really worth making a day of it.
Once you get to Lavena, you will need to register an pay the park entry fee at the Visitors Centre. The Centre opens at 9 am but it you arrive earlier, make sure you call in on your return. After signing in you will see that the track heads out around the coast from the Visitor Centre. After about 100 meters there a great place for swimming and picnicking at Unuca Point ( pronounced "Oothuna" ).
From Ucuna, it is about 30 minutes till you reach the settlement of Naba ( "Namba" ). Naba settlement is a small community descended from the Solomon Islands immigrants to Fiji which has been recently accepted as an integral part of the Lavena community. The path passes through interesting coastal vegetation and beach forest. On the landward side, traditional garden crops of dalo, cassava, papaya an yaqona ( kava ) can be seen.
Just before Naba, a small collection of reef pedestals rise out of the beach and nearby reef. These strange looking boulders are evidence of Taveuni's recent volcanic history where lava flowed to the coast. Erosion from the sea has been bottom up, leaving the remaining boulders looking high and dry.
From Naba the track continues for 10 minutes before crossing the Wainisairi River suspension bridge. The Wainisairi River drains Taveuni's famous Lake Tagimauea, Fiji's largest fresh water lake. After the bridge the track heads round a small point before heading up towards the Wainibau Falls. The last 15 to 20 minutes involves walking beside the Wainibau river on a well formed track. It is tempting to swim in the stream but it is worth waiting to the end. The Wainabau Stream forms the south-western boundary of Bouma National Heritage Park. The 4,000 hectare Ravilevu Nature Reserve protects the forest on the other side of the stream.
The last 100 meters of track lies over riverbed boulders which are slippery when wet. Follow up the true left side of the river until you come to the pool. From here you can see on of the two Wainibau Waterfalls and it's just a short swim or paddle till you are bathing right under the falls in a delightfull rainforest setting. The fish with the bright yellow and black tails are a species of the flagtail perch.
Lavena Coastal Walk Taveuni Island
Once you get to Lavena, you will need to register an pay the park entry fee at the Visitors Centre. The Centre opens at 9 am but it you arrive earlier, make sure you call in on your return. After signing in you will see that the track heads out around the coast from the Visitor Centre. After about 100 meters there a great place for swimming and picnicking at Unuca Point ( pronounced "Oothuna" ).
From Ucuna, it is about 30 minutes till you reach the settlement of Naba ( "Namba" ). Naba settlement is a small community descended from the Solomon Islands immigrants to Fiji which has been recently accepted as an integral part of the Lavena community. The path passes through interesting coastal vegetation and beach forest. On the landward side, traditional garden crops of dalo, cassava, papaya an yaqona ( kava ) can be seen.
Just before Naba, a small collection of reef pedestals rise out of the beach and nearby reef. These strange looking boulders are evidence of Taveuni's recent volcanic history where lava flowed to the coast. Erosion from the sea has been bottom up, leaving the remaining boulders looking high and dry.
From Naba the track continues for 10 minutes before crossing the Wainisairi River suspension bridge. The Wainisairi River drains Taveuni's famous Lake Tagimauea, Fiji's largest fresh water lake. After the bridge the track heads round a small point before heading up towards the Wainibau Falls. The last 15 to 20 minutes involves walking beside the Wainibau river on a well formed track. It is tempting to swim in the stream but it is worth waiting to the end. The Wainabau Stream forms the south-western boundary of Bouma National Heritage Park. The 4,000 hectare Ravilevu Nature Reserve protects the forest on the other side of the stream.
The last 100 meters of track lies over riverbed boulders which are slippery when wet. Follow up the true left side of the river until you come to the pool. From here you can see on of the two Wainibau Waterfalls and it's just a short swim or paddle till you are bathing right under the falls in a delightfull rainforest setting. The fish with the bright yellow and black tails are a species of the flagtail perch.
Lavena Coastal Walk Taveuni Island
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