Waitabu Marine Park Blog

I would like to invite you to celebrations marking the 10 years of Community-managed marine protection at aitabu Village, Taveuni Island on May 24th. Local resorts and tour companies with be open to the public. Following this anniversary, the community will be putting on a week of special visitor promotions from May 26th to May 30th. Join in the fun this May! Please contact Helen at helen@resortsupportfiji.com to rsvp. Program for May 24th: 8 am- Arrival, Sevusevu and welcome 8:30-9:45- Snorkeling trips 10-11:00- Morning tea 11:30- Traditional Yaqona Ceremony, speaches 1-2:00 pm- Lunch 2:45- Entertainment 3:45- Farewell speech and closing prayer Waitabu Marine Park » Blog Archive » Attend the Event

The Vidawa Rainforest Hike has guided tour of Taveuni as the taught to them by their forefathers, full of local history, knowledge and wildlife. The guide will explain how they lived off the land and shaped it to meet their needs. and how they have come to realise the need to conserve and protect their forests for future generations. They offer full day treks that will take you deep into the old forests of Taveuni, past ancient village sites, meandering volcanic streams, stunning views of the island and surrounding reefs and through some of the best bird watching areas of Taveuni. You will also enjoy a refreshing swim at Tavoro Falls . Taveuni's Vidawa Rainforest Hike and Bird Watching

Both Air Fiji and Sun Air have regular daily flights to Taveuni from Nadi and Suva. Or catch a ferry, (which sails from Suva and Savusavu on Vanua Levu) to Waiyevo, Taveuni , on certain days of the week. From Matei Airport on Taveuni , the park boundary is a 30 minutes drive south-east. Taxis, resort vehicles, and the public bus service can get you there and back. Unless you are staying in a resort that has a vehicle available, the most convenient way to travel is by taxi. There are plenty of them on Taveuni and if you fill it up with other travellers, you'll find the cost is quite reasonable. Getting to Taveuni

Waitabu Community Meaning “ forbidden water ”, Waitabu is a small Catholic community of 30 families led by chief or Tui Nasau. Within the main clan of Waitabu there are three mataqalis, or families. Families work hard to send their children to school and spend a majority of their income on tuition. The main source of income in the region is the farming of Taro (a local root crop) and Yaqona (producing the local kava drink). From Eta, Waitabu Park Manager: “We have a wonderful cultural experience where you can meet the friendly Fijian people of Waitabu village. Come and enjoy a traditional Bilibili raft ride out to the reef, snorkel in the un-spoilt marine park and then come back to a delicious freshly prepared tea. You can even chose to participate in the traditional Kava ceremony with home grown Waitabu Kava and learn a traditional Fijian Meke (dance)” Fijian Meke, Photo: Naushad Yakua Community Culture

The Short Story Since beginning our work in Fiji in 2003, CORAL is now seeing real and measurable progress from our Coral Reef Sustainable Destination ( CRSD ) approach. We have designed a business plan and are developing sustainable financing projects for the Namena Marine Reserve, and we provide technical support to the Kubulau Management Resource Committee (KMRC)—a community-based body charged with managing the region’s marine resources—in its operation of the marine reserve. We facilitate close working relationships between marine recreation providers and members of the local community on issues of marine area management and decision-making. And on the nearby island of Taveuni, we assist the Waitabu Marine Park with improvements to its local management of the reef. In addition to a dedicated Indo-Pacific program manager located at CORAL ’s San Francisco headquarters, we employ two Fiji-based field staff to aid in all program execution. More Progress in Fiji CORAL ’s work in Fij...

Reef Check Headquarters is located on the beach in Pacific Palisades, California. The responsibility for Reef Check is divided among several National and Regional Coordination Centers. If you are located in the vicinity of our National or Regional Coordinators, please contact them regarding training, fundraising, site selection and other details. Then please register directly with us here at Reef Check Headquarters using our Registration Form . We welcome people with diverse skills to participate in Reef Check . If you think that you can help, then please contact your nearest coordinator. If no coordinators are located near you, then contact us. The following list of teams is updated monthly. Ed Lovell Biological Consultant E-mail: lovell@connect.com.fj Helen Sykes (679) 336 3625 or 359 2136 E-mail: Helen@marineecologyfiji.com Supporters Alex Hill - Diveaway at Hideaway Resort, Coral Coast , Viti Levu Garden Island Resort and Aquatrek Taveuni , Taveuni Island Helen Sy...

Reef Check Champion- Bruce Raymond Bruce Raymond with RC's Gregor Hodgson In this issue we feature Bruce Raymond, President of Quiksilver International . Bruce was a professional Top 16 surfer who after helping pioneer the International Professional Surfing (IPS) joined Quiksilver as a sponsored athlete in 1975. He managed the promotions and advertising at Quiksilver Inc from 1978 – 1980 before returning to Australia as the CEO of Quiksilver Garments in 1981. In this capacity Bruce managed the Quiksilver Trade Marks, Copyright, Licensing structure worldwide and the International Promotional Fund. In 2003 he became the President of Quiksilver International and continues to be the driving force behind many Quiksilver initiatives, including Athlete management, Global projects and Events. Fijian kids in ...