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On Monday, February 13th we arrived inside the Great Astrolabe Reef which surrounds the islands in the Kadavu Group which are part of Fiji. The area has some of the most beautiful water in the world. As we dropped anchor, we could see Dravuni Island, one of the Pacific’s most unspoiled destinations. It has one of the smallest populations in the Fijian islands, less than 200 people live there. Crystal clear waters and a breathtaking secluded beach make Dravuni Island as close to a deserted island as you may every get.
We tendered from the ship to shore in some rather rough water. It had been so rough the previous evening, that the floating pier at the island had been broken. The Captain sent an engineering party ashore ahead of us to repair the pier. To our surprise we were greeted ashore by some of the local tribesmen. Just a few hundred feet from the shore was the Meeting House for the village council. It is an open sided thatched roof structure with a woven matt covering the floor. There we met the Chief and some of his Council. These structures are found throughout the South Pacific in each and every village.
As we walked through the very small village we were greeted with Bula Bula (Welcome) from the local villagers. All of these people were friendly and each wanted to know where we were from. We spent considerable time talking with many of them. One happened to be the local minister. He explained that they ate bread fruit, coconut, mango, taro roof, fish, and some chicken and pork. As we continued walking the village we had the opportunity to look inside many of the homes. Most don’t have screened windows. All of the homes collect rain water in large tanks for drinking.
During our walk along the beach area, several passengers reported being stung by jelly fish. None of them was seriously injured since the jelly fish were very small.
We departed Dravuni Island at 6:00pm traveling west to avoid Cyclone Jasmine that was headed to our original destination, Tonga. Due to the cyclone, this port call we canceled. Next stop is Bay of Islands, New Zealand on Friday, February 17th.
