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Active Adventures on Fiji

For international travelers, the best kinds of resorts are the ones that pamper you with sumptuous amenities and services while creatively integrating native rituals and sensibilities. Traveldish reports on a special retreat in Fiji where cultural traditions are held close.

Fiji is often described as a land of ancient rituals. This is especially true in Qeleni, on the island of Taveuni, where visitors must bring a sevu sevu, or kava drink, in order to be welcomed into the village. Kava is a traditional island beverage that is still an important part of social and economic life. Its very creation made with the dried roots of the shrub piper methysticum in dedicated large wooden grog bowls is itself an important ritual. You'll still find grog bowls not only in the rural villages such as Qeleni, but also in the Fijian parliament and in many businesses.

While kava isn't known for being especially tasty - its consistency ranges from thick brown slime to bluish gray tea - it is valued for its natural healing properties and relaxation benefits, which has led pharmaceutical companies to attempt to package its ingredients into tablet-form cures for anxiety and stress. But anyone who has had real kava, or yaqona as it is commonly known, will tell you there's nothing like the real thing fresh mixed by islanders.

A favorite destination on Taveuni is the Maravu Plantation Resort, a beach hideaway approximately fifteen kilometers from the village. Maravu employs several Qeleni residents, who accompany resort guests to the village for visits and tours. Just because these international travelers hail from Europe, the United States and elsewhere doesn't mean they can get by without offering kava to the chief, who will drink from a special cup made of coconut shells.

As it has been done for centuries, the grog bowl is placed a respectable distance from the chief, who is flanked on either side by a chanting party. A cupbearer brings the travelers' offering forward, holding the cup with arms full extended, lowering his body until his knees are fully bent. At the appropriate point in the chant, the cupbearer straightens up, approaches the chief and squats before him. The chief then drains the cup amid hand clapping and cries of maca! It's this kind of access to Fijian rites and ceremonies, including the traditional Meke dance that's staged before leaving the village, which keep visitors coming back.
Maravu has everything you'd expect from an intimate Pacific Island resort - stunning beaches, a budding spa, lush tropical gardens, swimming pool, waterfalls, dining, entertainment, friendly staff that call you by name, and sunsets that could make even the least romantic visitors weep.

That might describe a lot of resorts in Fiji, where the accommodating nature of the people and the beauty of the landscape are legendary. But Maravu distinguishes itself with the variety of active cultural adventures offered by the staff. Among the variety of cultural courses on hand are a Fijian cooking lesson, where Maravu guests learn to make Kokoda, a popular tropical dish. Guests can also attend a course in natural healing where they learn about herbs and Fijian magic passed down through the generations. Of special interest is Lovo Night, where guests attend a traditional feast featuring fish, sweet potato in coconut cream and peppered taro are wrapped in banana leaves and cooked on hot stones in an underground oven.

Finally, in order to fully illuminate the imaginations of visitors, Maravu offers Fijian storytelling. Like many myths, the tales not only tell of tormented lovers, but also incorporate anthropomorphic anecdotes involving the area's mountains, lakes, flora and fauna. One such yarn often told to Maravu guests involves a princess who was about to be forced by her father into an arranged marriage. However, her love for another man caused her to flee the village into the mountains. Utterly exhausted, she fell asleep on the banks of Lake Tagimaucia. There she cried endlessly, as her tears of anguish turned into beautiful flowers called Tagimaucia, which means "to cry in your sleep."

Guests at Maravu, however, will be crying tears of joy when under the spell of their special brand of Island massage. According to resort co-owner and managing director Jochen Kiess, Fijian massage reflects the local way of life - relaxed, deep and natural, using coconut oils and tropical plant essences. "Many Fijian people are natural healers, and this reflects in the massage as well," says Kiess. Massages are offered either in the guest's private bure, the Fijian-style bungalow where guests stay, or in the massage bure. "A lot of our guests become so relaxed they fall asleep during the massage."

Maravu rounds out its activities by offering opportunities for horseback riding, snorkeling, mountain biking, kayaking, off-roading, diving, nature walks, deep-sea fishing for local species such as wahoo, walu, yellow fin tuna, mahi-mahi and barracuda. The resort is also a popular wedding destination; where bride and groom dress up in ceremonial Fijian wedding garb, choose a hilltop, beach or poolside location for the ceremony.

This article originally appeared on Traveldish, the Web's premier online resource for cultural adventures, language vacations and the global playpen.

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