Location of Mana Tadra on Taveuni Island
Advice to Visitors
Getting Here: You need to fly into Nadi International Airport on the west coast of Fiji’s main island Viti Levu. Then clear immigration and customs and get to the Domestic Airport next door to fly via Fiji Link to Taveuni’s Matei Airport. This plane is a 19 seater twin prop and pax get a 15 kg luggage allowance – if you need to carry more you can, but expect / offer to pay for excess. The flight is only ~1hr 15mins and has great views if the weather is clear. I usually overnight in Nadi and catch the early morning flight – I recommend the Fiji Gateway Hotel which is a short walk from the International Airport. I will meet you at Matei Airport, which itself will give you a good first great impression of Taveuni.
Driving: We drive on the Left with steering wheels on the Right just like Australia, NZ, England, Singapore etc. All D/L holders are welcome to drive here and the roads are very quiet – just have to be careful of pedestrians, dogs, horses, goats etc. and the occasional impatient driver who thinks he is in the rat race somehow – speed limit in most built up areas is 50km/hr, and some even 20km/hr – speed bumps are used. Less than half of the roads on Taveuni are sealed and all bridges are single lane.
Money: There is one bank on the island (Bank of South Pacific) with two ATM machines – these are now a lot more reliable than they used to be. I recommending getting cashed up at Nadi Airport or previous airport, but yes you are welcome to use the ATMs on the way from the airport. Credit Cards are accepted by most resorts and major shops, but recognize that most can/will add on 3% to your bill for this “privilege” – I just use cash – FJ$1 ≈ US$0.50 / A$0.66. Please look forward to paying less than you would at home for virtually all consumables, and some things are cheap by any standard.
Shopping: There are several mini marts (most sell beer, wine, spirits), a few hardware stores, and a couple of small dept. stores, a few fuel stations, a good bottle shop plus a few other specialty shops. Beach wear, flip flops and anti – insect roll on are all readily available and most resorts/dive operations have good souvenir shirts.
Communications: Taveuni has pretty good mobile phone comms and I have two internet WiFi systems at my place on good plans. Data is cheap at ~FJ$1/GB. Please plan on having mobile phone comms here – international roaming works well here, but you can get local SIMs / cheap phones here.
TV: Fiji has several free to air channels I get via an antenna and a Walesi set top box plus I have Sky Pacific Satellite TV (has BBC, CNN, History, Discovery, Nickelodeon plus many others) –My main guesthouse house has Sky Pacific Satellite TV. I also have NetFlix in my main house which has just become viable on the internet here.
Electricity: Same power and Plugs as Australia & NZ – 240V 50Hz. Most of my friends and myself have to make our own power via Solar / Diesel Generator / Batteries / Invertors – Please conserve power wherever you are and please don’t use high power appliances (eg hair dryers, microwaves, electric kettles) without prior arrangement, and please don’t leave fans on at night.
Water: My western side of the island gets about 2.4m of rain per year which translates to abundant spring water and rain water for collection and storage. I have a main filter system for all water and a second filter in my kitchen for drinking water – please fill reusable water bottles at my house – bring your favorite or get one here. And please avoid single use bottled water unless you really feel sensitive about water quality. Water supply at all houses, resorts and bars can vary seasonally so it is always good business to conserve water.
Climate: It’s never cold here – in Summer its usually averages maxes of ~31C day time and minimums of ~23C night time and in Winter ~28C and ~20C. It can rain at any time but most rain falls in Summer. The sea on my western side of the island is protected from the prevailing SE winds and swell by 1200m of volcanic rock – so it’s usually pretty calm off my place, and on the main diving areas across the straits. Ocean temps usually vary from ~28C in Summer to ~25C in Winter. Pools can get to 30C+ in Summer but only occasionally cooler than 24C in Winter, varying with day / night and weather.
Insects and Bites: There may be enough mosquitos for some visitors to make it worthwhile to use roll on insect guard when outside, and to keep doors closed and spraying after closing doors before going to bed. My place has insect screens on all windows.
Hospital: Medical care is available on the island but please don’t rely on a full range of services. Whatever the hospital can provide is usually provided at low cost or no cost. Most expat residents get their pharmacy requirements from Suva on the main island.
What to Bring: Most everyone here wears board shorts, tee shirts and flip flops all year round – this is my uniform, so please bring beach wear, hat, sunglasses etc. When going out to something special, most swap a tee shirt for a Bula/Happy/Hawaiian shirt. Please bring runners but the only time I wear them are for golf, tennis or long walks. It’s probably worth bringing sandals/reef shoes if you are not keen on flip flops or runners for walking on rocky beaches or for boating. If you are a keen snorkeler or diver its worth bringing your own basic gear (but I have heaps). Please bring at least a splash proof camera for snaps – if you rely on your mobile for action snaps you will have plenty of opportunities to lose it or damage it. If you are a golfer please bring a glove, some balls and tees (but I have heaps).
- Fiji Cash
- Mobile Phone
- Beach wear, hat, sunglasses, sunscreen
- Runners (and maybe sandals/reef shoes)
- Splash proof camera
- USB Stick (for taking away photo / video selection) – but can get here
- Reusable water bottle
- Electrolyte Replacement tablets/powders
- Golf glove, balls, tees (maybe)
- Snorkeling gear (maybe)
- Required pharmaceuticals for stay (if applicable)
- Dive Card (if applicable)
