[The last renewal of this page: Oct. 31, 2013]

Only one week is left before I end my stay in Fiji for about two years.

I decided to do something that I could not do though I wanted, so that I would have nothing to regret.
That is a run over mountain road.

I tried to go into the mountain with my own car, Toyota Corolla, (so that local people surprized saying " Did you go there on Corolla? really?") but it requied me a lot of expense to repair it.
There are many times that I stopped going and returned, giving up to go further.

There are two major mountan road to across the island from the North to the South.
One starts from Tavua to Suva, which is the longest moutain road. The other one starts from Ba to Sigatoka.
To run through these roads, we need a 4WD. Especially to vist dam lakes (for water supply)located at the highest points in both roads, a 4WD is essential.

As this is my first challenge (and the last one), and also I wanted to vist an old Navala village to take pictures there, I chose a road from Ba to Sigatoka, and in the middle of the course, descend down to Nadi through Nausori Highland.





I rent a car at the first time here in Fiji. It is a full time 4 wheel drive, RAV4.




Although the wet season has started, I was lucky to have a good weather.
Departing Nadi, I go ahead to Ba on the circling street fo the island.




A familiar sugar cane plant continues along the street.




I came into the town of Bar. At the outskirts of a town, there was a refinery of sugar cane and trucks with a full load of sugar cane were gathered.
There displayed a steam locomotive being used long time ago to pull the wagons for sugar cane. (A diesel locomotive is used now.)




Being left a town of Ba, leaving a circling street of island, I go ahead on the road to go to the mountain area in the central part of the island.
A truck with a full load of sugar cane is heading to the refinery that I saw just a while ago.




A junk truck with a full load of sugar cane runs staggering.




Anywhere in Viti Levu Island, we can see the goats, hourses and cows are grazing.






A wounderful scenery continues.




After about one hour dirve, an old sight of Navala village with straw-thatched rooves (Bure) came in sight.
I came here again after I came here fist in June last year on my way to go around Viti Levu Island.




Where we can find the traditional house and life style have been kept in Viti Levu Island is only Navala village, which is isolated deep in the moutain.
It is like a scenery in the drawings.








Going across the bridge, now I'll be in Navala village.




Inside of the village. So beautiful!




What a wonderful appearance being typical of Fiji!




I firstly visited a resposible person of the village to ask for the permission to take pictures.
It is a rule here for a visitor to pay F$25 (US$12.50) to the village. It is a very valuable toursim income for the village.




A woman who called me first, Fina is taking a role of my guide.




There are no partitions in a bure. It is cool inside, and looks very comfortable to sleep in.
There comes no electric power here, so it is completly dark at night, they said.




This is a bure the people here built with the traditional structure and method.
They said there is no rain leaks at all.




A floor is jsut covered with a rush mat on the ground. So the floor is not flat nor smooth.




I started to take time lapse photographs.
I take a several hundred of pictures with an interval of a several second. I will process them later with PC to create a movie to play the movement of one hour in ten soconds or so. (A low speed movie)
I have taken a lot of sceneries of beautiful Fiji with this method, so far.
For my last things to do, I really wanted to get this photograph here in Navala village.




This is one shot from the time lapse photograph.




This is also one shot from the time lapse photograph.
I was able to get wonderful images.








It's so hot!






Fina who is taking a role of my guide is assisting me all the way at my side.
She explained to other village people who came to me wondering what I was doing that I had gotten a permission from the resposible person of the village, and protecting me. It was so helpfull.




A vehicle at the left is the RAV4 that I came on.






Anywhere I go, kids in Fiji are so friendly and come to me.
They are very pure and cute.






Leaving Navala village, I go proceed to deep in the mountain.




Oh! What a beautiful range of mountains!




I took a time lapse photograph here too.




This is one shot from the time lapse photograph. I could get the good one here too.




Well, this RAV4 is splendid!
Especially for me, as my own car Carolla (20 years old!!) was just a junk and extremely weak, I spent a hard time driving on moutain road, it is a great surprise that this RAV4 runs easily on a bumpy mountain road in a high speed without any difficulty!
Just as I expected, a 4WD is great!
I think I will buy a 4WD even if it is an old used car after I get back to Japan.






A comfortable run in the mountain road continues.










I was sruprised very much to find a village down in the valley, although here is so deep in mountains!




Such a deep in moutains, such a deep in valley...




They seem to have a power line. Fiji is great.












Banana tree along the road.




A goat is there. It looks like a village is right close to me.




The sea bursted into view.
I seem to have gotten out to the Nadi side now.




Nadi bay is in sight.










I arrived at Nausori Highland. I came up to here on my Carolla from the Nadi side for a couple of times to take pictures before.
Fantastic view!






From here, the roads descend down to Nadi.
A very nice scenery.






I have finally run the whole distance without any problem�I
I took a rest in the only one fancy coffee shop in Nadi, with a cup of very nice coffee.

It was perfect! I could take nice time-lapse photographs, and I could enjoy running over the moutain road on a 4WD. There is nothing to regret anymore in this island.

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