Nananu-I-Ra Lookout
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Panoramic photo by
Frank Taylor
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Nananu-I-Ra LookoutThe World > Pacific Ocean Islands > Melanesia |
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On top of picnic table at the lookout point on the island of Nananu-I-Ra on the northern point of Viti Levu in Fiji. There was a resort here that closed in 2006, and there's still a lookout tower nearby (warning: the structure is getting unsafe due to age). Beautiful view here. Our sailboat Tahina is visible in the anchorage. There's a beautiful beach below the hill, but hidden by the trees.
A snorkelling trip out to Moon Reef also famous for its dolphins.
While in Fiji last month, I got to go hot air ballooning with Adrenalin Fiji - an awesome experience!...
A hidden waterfall, one of many on the upper navua gorge in the Fiji Islands. This was shot on a whit...
This was taken at Navutu Stars Resort which is located in the Yasawa Island Group of the Fiji Islands...
The sunset bar at Vuda Point Marina in the Fiji Islands is a great place to relax at the end of a day...
Dawn breaks over the old seaplane breakwater at Suva Point, Laucala Bay in Fiji.
The port on Denarau Island is where most of the ferries leave from to get to the outer island resorts...
The view through the lobby at the Sheraton Fiji Resort.
A stunning morning on the beach at the Sheraton Fiji Resort on Denarau Island.
Melanesia is a term describing Pacific islands inhabited by black skinned people. It includes the islands of the Torres Straits, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, New Caledonia and Fiji. The long chain of islands is highly volcanic and is also known as the "ring of fire".
The people who inhabited these rugged volcanic islands thousands of years ago established small isolated village communities that persist to this day.The communities are genetically and linguistically diverse, with over 400 languages, often as different from one another as French is from Russian. People sharing the same language are known as "one talks" and are considered extended family (which they are).
Although culturally and linguistically diverse, Melanesian people share a common bond in a sense of identity with their island. The people of the island of Tikopea, for example, speak of themselves as "we the Tikopea" a term that encompasses the people, island, trees, gardens, and coral reefs as one living entity. Melanesians are masters at social harmony. You can understand why they have to be when you consider that 90 percent of them live in small, very isolated villages that have been in exactly the same location for thousands of years. Melanesians tend to stay where they were born until they die - generation after generation. If they failed to achieve social harmony they would not survive long. A person unable to "adapt" was (and still can be) banished from the village. Until the mid 1900's this usually was a death sentence as the concept of social harmony generally extended just to the boundary of the tribal lands and inter-tribal warfare and cannibalism was common.
Melanesia is one of the few places on our planet where one can see truly ancient custom dances and rituals performed with utter sincerity and cultural importance. Almost all of the Melanesian people are Christians but there are many who are Muslims and still a few who cling to their custom religions. But even dressed up in Christian clothes, their spirits remain one with their ancestors and their land. It is a fascinating part of our world, rich in powerful images.
