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Fiji # 8 : “Garden of the Sleeping Giant” Part 2

Posted in Cruise, Fiji, Garden Flowers, Gardens of the World, Travel, tagged 'Reef Endeavour', art in nature, banana flowers, Captain Cook Cruises Fiji, dragonfly, ferns, Fiji, Garden of the Sleeping Giant, Lautoka, Mamanuca Islands, Nadi, nature's sculptures, orchids, Thunbergia battiscombia, Thunbergia grandiflora, tropical plants, water Iris, waterlilies on March 16, 2013| Leave a Comment »

I left you wandering in the beautiful orchid gardens of the sleeping giant just off the road between Nadi and Lautoka. But there is much more to the Garden of the Sleeping Giant than just orchids – much more. It’s a tranquil place to walk on a hot day. Unfortunately we did not see it all, partly because of time constraints – we had to get back to the ship for our next island hopping adventure – and partly because cyclone Evan had badly damaged the forest. Much of it was closed to the public for the time being. I’m sure it will be open again soon for those who wish to walk through the forest to the top of the hill for the fine views that I am promised are there.

P1130932 © JT of jtdytravels

The path we were able to walk was a board walk that led us down into a shady gully

where part of the jungle-like undergrowth had been cleared

to make a welcoming grassy patch.

P1050232 © DY of jtdytravels

Small gardens of tropical ground cover plants edge some of the ‘lawn’ area.

This part of the gardens is sometimes used for weddings.

A wedding ‘chapel’ is on the hill above here.

P1050242 © DY of jtdytravels

In the forest, some of the older trees were just magnificent,

held into the ground with formidable roots.

P1130927 © JT of jtdytravels

At the base of the gully is a lush lily pond.

P1130929 © JT of jtdytravels

And where there’s a lily pond, there are usually lilies!

P1130929 © JT of jtdytravels

I love the structure of a lily. One of nature’s beautiful sculptures.

P1050228 © DY of jtdytravels

Several beautiful red dragonflies made use of the lily leaf water pools.

Their gauzy wings are another delight of nature.

P1130939 © JT of jtdytravels

Water iris are another delight found beside this pool.

P1130936 © JT of jtdytravels

Nearby, there were tropical gingers in abundance.

I’ll leave you to enjoy them as we did.

P1130925 © JT of jtdytravels

P1050235 © DY of jtdytravels

P1130931 © JT of jtdytravels

Thunbergia battiscombia P1050223 © DY of jtdytravels

Thunbergia grandiflora P1050245 © DY of jtdytravels

P1130946 © JT of jtdytravels

P1130943 © JT of jtdytravels

Too soon it was time to wend our way back up the board walk towards the entrance.

P1130942 © JT of jtdytravels

On the way there was time to look back at the hills – and enjoy more orchids.

P1130960 © JT of jtdytravels

P1130955 © JT of jtdytravels

P1130979 © JT of jtdytravels

Close to the entrance to the gardens is a delightful shaded ‘fern house’.

P1050249 © DY of jtdytravels

Palms. Again, one of nature’s masterpieces of sculpture.

P1130968 © JT of jtdytravels

A small water ‘rill’ had been diverted through the fern house.

The sound of gently running water gave authenticity to the fern forest feeling.

P1130971 © JT of jtdytravels

In this area, dashes of red and gold lifted the predominant greens.

P1130969 © JT of jtdytravels

Shape and texture were also there to be enjoyed –

if you took more than a cursory look.

P1130866 © JT of jtdytravels

Just outside the fern house, a few bananas were in flower.

Aren’t they superb? Well worth a close look.

P1130975 © JT of jtdytravels

The entrance area is furnished with inviting, comfortable cane lounges.

Welcomed back with a cool drink, this is the place to rest awhile.

P1130858 © JT of jtdytravels

Taxis arrived, and it was time to leave this delightful garden.

P1130982 © JT of jtdytravels

It was time to drive back to Lautoka.

We were about to embark on another island hopping adventure.

P1140049 © JT of jtdytravels

With some new passengers on board , we set sail for the Mamanuca Islands.

Arriving at a small coral cay, we stopped to enjoy the late afternoon.

An hour of snorkelling was a great way to end the day.

P1140056 © JT of jtdytravels

On the horizon, though, clouds began to gather.

This is the tropics and afternoon storms are very frequent – and to be expected.

Now join us as we sail through the warm tropical waters.

Ahead of us, an interesting three days as we explore the small archipelago of the Mamanuca Islands.

P1140049 © JT of jtdytravels

With the Fijian flag flying in the breeze,

we are on board Captain Cook Fiji’s exploration ship, the MV ‘Reef Endeavour’.

Why not join her sometime for your own Fiji adventure!

Jennie and David

All photography © JT and DY of jtdytravels

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Fiji # 6: Lautoka

Posted in Cruise, Fiji, Travel, tagged "MV Reef Endeavour", busy port, export port, Fiji, Fijian Indians, indentured labour, Lautoka, Lautoka Port, orchid gardens, Orchid Gardens of the Sleeping Giant., sleeping giant, Sleeping Giant Hill, sugar cane, sugar cane industry on March 16, 2013| Leave a Comment »

The Port of Lautoka emerged out of the morning mist as MV Reef Endeavour inched its way towards the wharf.

Our original destination was Denarau, Nadi but our Captain changed course during the night to this Port because of the winds.

I didn’t mind. I’d never been here before.

P1130807 © JT of jtdytravels

This is not a town frequented by tourists. It’s a busy port for import and export.

P1140027 © JT of jtdytravels

As the sun warmed the air, more of this busy port became visible as we waited to disembark for the day.

We were to have a day on land while some passengers disembarked and others joined the ship.

P1130823 © JT of jtdytravels

The opposite side of the port is just marshy scrub.

P1130824 © JT of jtdytravels

We didn’t go into the town centre but took the road around this memorial to head south.

Our destination for the day was the Orchid Gardens of the Sleeping Giant!

On the way I took photos of the countryside from the car window.

P1140016 © JT of jtdytravels

There are several of these well kept roundabouts on the road that joins Lautoka to Nadi.

This one has a sign that welcomes you to Lautoka, the “Sugar City” –

this area is one of four major sugar growing areas in Fiji and the main sugar export port.

Its estimated that 200,000 people in Fiji depend on the sugar cane industry for their income.

We saw several areas where various commodities awaited shipping. These were wood chips.

A large flour mill used a rather clever bi-line for it’s product:

“Raising the standard of flour” !

As you see in most of the world’s ports these days, there were piles of shipping containers.

The story of the Fiji sugar cane industry is a long and involved one. But one of the most important factors that still has implications for life in Fiji today was the use of indentured labour from India to help make this industry a viable one.

In the 1870‘s, the British Colonial Government began to recruit indentured workers from India and South East Asia to help develop the sugar cane industry in Fiji. Over 37 years, 61,000 such workers arrived in Fiji. They came from different regions and from different backgrounds and castes. Many came from rural Indian villages.

The indenture contracts required them to work in Fiji for a period of five years in often difficult conditions. Most never returned to India. From the early 1900s, Indians started arriving in Fiji as free settlers. Nowadays, most Fijian Indians have lost touch with and feel no connection with the country of their ancestors. They feel as much Fijian as their native ethnic Fijian counterparts.

Fijians of Indian descent are concentrated in the so-called Sugar Belt and in cities and towns on the northern and western coasts of the major islands of Viti Levu and Vanua Levu. Differences between the two communities, ethnic Fijians and Indian Fijians, have characterized Fijian politics since independence in 1970… and still do. But the intermingling of peoples makes Fiji a colourful, multi ethic country.