4/3/26: Tepees & Tree Hugging at Sigatoka Dunes & Fiji Culture Village!

After arriving in the city of Sigatoka in southern Fiji the previous afternoon, Steven and I discovered that its signature attraction, the Sigatoka Sand Dunes National Park, was closed due to water conditions. We were disappointed not to view the dunes that were formed over millions of years, as sediments were brought down by the nearby Sigatoka River, washed ashore by the pounding surf, and blown into dunes by prevailing winds. 

Noora: Driving through Sigatoka, we couldn't help but notice the distinctive architecture of the Nadroga Jam-e Mosque, which serves the local Muslim community. Islam has a history in Fiji dating back to the late 19th century. 

Before returning to Nadi on Fiji's west coast, where we'd flown from San Francisco a few days previously, Steven thought we should try to catch a back view of the dunes, from the nearby Kulukulu hamlet, if possible. He was marvelous, figuring out how to meander up and down rough, unmarked roads and past small homes, before finally catching this glimpse. Even though the view wasn't much, we were content, especially considering we had no other options.

Driving past the park on Queens Highway on Sigatoka's outskirts on our way to Nadi, I noticed the entrance gates were wide open, much to our delight! The park was officially designated Fiji's national park in 1989 for its archaeological, cultural, historical, and geological significance to the people of Fiji. The sand dunes, ranging in height from 20 to 60 meters, are the largest in the Pacific Islands. 

As we learned at the Fiji Museum in Suva, extensive archaeological excavations and research in the dunes have revealed ancient Fijian civilizations. Some human skeletal remains discovered in the dunes date back over 3,000 years. At the museum, we saw pottery remnants from the ancient Lapita people, found scattered in the dunes.

The park's only employee, Seru, met us at the car and showed us some of the easier trails to take through the park, because Steven has had significant leg issues for months, which means limited walking. While taking the trails through the middle of the park and down to the beach wouldn't provide majestic views of the dunes, we were still assured of having panoramic views.

Seru's enthusiastic Bula welcome warmed our hearts.

As Steven is facing his second back surgery shortly after we return from our trip in late June, I wonder what his back surgeon would say if he saw Steven hiking this Taka Track! 

Fortunately, it leveled out after a bit, and we were treated to glorious views in several directions.

We guessed that this track through the grassland probably led to the dunes at the park's summit.

For quite a while, when we've been walking, Steven's goal has been to reach the next bench or a place he can rest for a few minutes. This one, near the beginning of the Yataga Track, which led to the seashore, was in the perfect spot!

The cooler section of the tropical forest was welcoming after being in the hot open area.

Perhaps because the park had been closed for days, we shouldn't have been surprised to have the tracks to ourselves. We were thrilled to gaze at that view with no one else around.

I didn't expect to spot snail shells in the sand when we were still a hike from the sea.

When we looked back to see where we had hiked, I don't think we fully appreciated that these were the 'sand dunes' that Sigatoka was so famous for. Although it would have been fabulous to view grander dunes, similar to the mammoth sand dunes found in the national park at home in Colorado or Indiana, we accepted that those could only be seen from higher elevations in Sigatoka.

OMG views!

Seru had told us that the tepee shapes as far as our eyes could see along the Henilla Track on the beach were constructed to prevent further sand erosion.

Any "bench" would suffice then!

As the dunes were a burial place for Fijian ancestors, the national park was considered sacred to its people. With sand dunes constantly shifting and storm surges, new discoveries are continuously being uncovered. The first remains were unveiled when a seaward-facing portion of the dunes eroded in the 1940s. By 1991, 66 human skeletons had been excavated at the dunes.

I hope that I'll never forget the sound the crashing waves made as they lashed against the beach. We could understand their immense power and how the dunes had formed over time.

Instead of seeing seashells, I spotted oodles of sea hearts or large seeds from a tropical vine that wash ashore. I collected a couple with the intention of bringing them home. Unfortunately, when I declared them to the uber-vigilant customs inspection official on arrival in New Zealand, he confiscated them. Boo hiss!

Far along the beach was an easy-to-miss sign pointing inland.

The Qaro Track headed through a forest and then down a challenging, steep path that must be dangerous after the rains, as a sign warned hikers to use the steps beside the track instead. Neither of us wanted to fall with no one around to help us.

A bit later, we read a sign that described the Mahakoni Forest as a secondary forest. Its trees were planted in the late 1960s to halt sand encroachment onto the adjacent Queen's Highway. We heard scads of melodious birds, but didn't see any, nor fruit bats or skinks, a type of Fijian lizard.

I took the following photos, unsure of what we were looking at! I asked Seru about the trees we'd seen with the vines wrapped around them when we returned to the park office a few minutes later. He said the vine shapes were called tree huggers and were based on what a group of women had done in a small village in the Himalayas in 1974 to protect trees from commercial tree loggers. 

Concerned by the Indian government's policies on deforestation, the women had wrapped their arms around trees to prevent them from being felled. Their activism became known as the Chipko Movement, whose aim, according to Seru, was to safeguard living things for future generations. The grassroots environmental movement has since spread throughout the world.

Seru stressed that the women's primary concerns weren't about money, but about the environment. He added that when locals want a teambuilding exercise, he has them put together more tree-huggers and tepees. Before tepees were built along the beach to help reduce erosion and promote vegetation growth, there was just bare sand. 

When I showed Seru the sea heart I'd found on the beach, he took me over to a huge tree near the office and pointed out the vines they came from. He called them water vines because water is released from the pods once you cut the vines. Each pod holds from 10 to 12 beans.

Seru understood my disappointment at not seeing the huge sand dunes towering over the sea where we'd hiked, but explained that vegetation had grown over the lower dunes to such an extent that they no longer resembled sand dunes. 

Not a bathroom sign we've seen elsewhere!

We then continued westward toward Natadola, home to one of Viti Levu's best stretches of sandy beaches and a slew of fun activities. Several times, though, Steven questioned whether any beach was worth driving along the poorly maintained dirt road.

We were both glad not to give up and turn back once arrived at the beach, even though the rain started in earnest within a couple of minutes of our arrival!

Masseuses were set up in small cabanas or booths on the beach, but the rain made their business almost nonexistent, even though there were two resorts within a stone's throw of each other facing the beach. This sweet lady, Ruth, made me promise to stop on our way back to the car to look at her souvenirs!

On a warmer day, or even on a drier day, relaxing on the beach sounded divine. Unfortunately, we had neither!

We only made it as far as the next group of masseuses, who were located closer to the Intercontinental Fiji, before it poured cats and dogs. 

As Clara had no clients, she kindly allowed us to stay in her cabana until the rain let up. As our older granddaughter in Chicago is also called Clara, I wouldn't quickly forget her name!

As we walked back to the car, sure enough, Ruth saw me and beckoned me inside to look at all the souvenirs she'd laid out for me to peruse! I bought a cute bracelet for Max, our Berkeley granddaughter.

There was no one wanting to go horseback riding, either, in the inclement weather.

On the spur of the moment that night, we attended a dinner show at the Fiji Culture Village in Nadi, even though we had reserved a very different type of dinner show for the following evening.

Our greeter!

After some introductory music, the guests were divided into groups of 15 people to tour the 'village.' The Fijian temple was always the tallest building, so its high priest would be closer to the gods. Males only were sacrificed at the temple.

Inside, the long cloth represented communion with the gods.

The bure was where the village leader or powerful chief lived. Perhaps you may recall my pointing one out on our Ecotrax bike ride several days ago? Jone, our group's leader, explained that in Fiji, the village is always led by men, and that the chief always has many wives. Jone explained that even when a man is wrong, he's still right, much to the female tourists' dismay! A village chief is born into the inherited position and becomes the head of the clan, which includes about 600 members divided into districts. Fiji's current president is also a village chieftain.

Each guest was invited to a photo op with the chief, holding a club, after we learned that everything he had in life was buried with him. That even includes his wives, who are clubbed to death or buried alive! Jone then took pains to reassure us that this practice stopped 250 years ago.

Jone next introduced us to the village firemaker, whose record time was 30 seconds.

We watched as he rubbed together hibiscus wood and a second soft wood to create smoke, then added coconut fibers to produce a flame. He was slightly off his record, as flames didn't occur for almost a minute. It was still exciting to watch! He'd certainly 'smoke out' the competition in the firemaking challenge on Survivor!

Next up was the pottery-making exhibit, where Jone explained that no pottery wheels were used and that the pottery was dried in the sun for hours. The pottery was so sophisticated that it was once considered as valuable as money. Jone added that the idea of a woman wearing a flower in a particular ear was used to indicate marital status when polygamy was practiced!

At the craftsman's hut, Jone held several clubs and pointed out their particular functions. One was a war club, another to lop off people's heads, etc! He held up a long-handled, four-pronged fork that cannibal leaders used to eat flesh without touching it! The head was normally eaten first.

Not far away was the basketweaving house, where we found out that it would take a month to make a full-sized mat. The colorful wool fringe was made with yarn from Australia and New Zealand.

Remember my reference to Masi in the post about the Fiji Museum? It was the fabric made from tree bark and used for weddings and other special occasions. The black color came from crushed charcoal, and the red came from the earth

The most interesting exhibit or station, in my opinion, was these fish traps, and when Jone took turns, blowing the conch from both ends. It could be heard up to 300 meters away, and might signify a tribal leader's passing or the threat of war.

After thanking us for choosing Fiji as part of our travel journey, Jone led us to the lovo site, or underground earthen oven. Because the oven took about five hours to cook the food, it wasn't done every day. The fish caught the day before had been placed under the banana leaves, then carefully revealed.

After feasting on a wide array of dishes, we watched as the chief began the kava-welcoming ceremony, a tradition still practiced today. It included ceremonial dances and music, followed by the preparation of kava, a potent beverage. I knew it was considered rude for a guest not to try it, so I did. It must be an acquired taste, as I felt my mouth go numb for a while!

The highlight of the evening was the appearance of the fire dancers, a show I never grow tired of seeing!

That act was followed by other dancers, who were also riveting to watch.

The farewell song was quite emotional and was the perfect ending to an interesting experience. I don't know how much of the 'show' might once have been an accurate representation of Fijian practices and culture versus a commercialized, more than slightly tacky one put on for tourists. We enjoyed it either way!

Next post: Touring Nadi markets, the Garden of the Sleeping Giant, and a hugely different Fijian dance show!

Posted on April 25th, 2026, from Perth, in the far south of Western Australia, where we arrived after a day of traveling from southern New Zealand. We didn't realize months ago, when we planned our trip, that today was ANZAC Day, and we were lucky to see locals turn out in great numbers to commemorate all who have served and died in war, conflict, and peacekeeping operations. Please take care of yourself and your loved ones.