After a 12-hour flight from San Francisco on Fiji Airways, Steven and I skipped March 30th altogether, crossing the International Date Line and arriving just after dawn on the 31st in Nadi, on the west coast of Fiji's Viti Levu. Because everyone flying into Fiji must pass through the international airport on the largest of Fiji's islands, and its location is at the cartographic center of Fiji, the island is often referred to as the 'mainland island.' Many tourists choose to only transit through Nadi before slipping away to a less hectic palm-fringed island for their getaway.
Since we had chosen to stay only six nights in Fiji as a stopover en route to New Zealand, we were content to remain on Viti Levu throughout. The island is home to three-quarters of the country's population and features a mix of ethnicities, some native to Fiji and others who have emigrated over time. The combination of Indo-Fijians, Europeans, Chinese, and other Pacific Islanders has made it one of the most cosmopolitan places in the South Pacific.
Think of the island as the shape of an oversized oval egg lying on its side, and Nadi is in the middle, left of the egg! After picking up a rental car, we headed immediately toward the 'bottom left of the egg,' as we had an 8:30 reservation to ride a bike contraption on an old sugar cane track called Ecotrax. Fortunately, even after an overnight flight and minimal food, Steven was still wide awake enough to contend with driving on some challenging roads and on the left side, too!
Brittany, the Ecotrax operations manager, greeted us in the locomotive shed, which was built in 1911, with a hearty Bula, an expression akin to Aloha in Hawaii, and one we'd hear and say hundreds of times over the next week! The railroad track had been laid for the sugar refinery in the late 1800s, when Fiji was colonized by Britain. She explained that we'd be riding the carriages along a 14-km stretch of the out-of-commission railway track, passing through small villages where farmers now raise livestock and grow vegetables rather than sugar cane.
Her colleague, Rosi, showed us the hand signals that those in the front needed to know, as they would be responsible for warning the people riding behind them, as none of the carriages were connected. If we were slowing down, it was important to raise our left hand!
A map of our ride!
We didn't realize initially how fortunate we were to be assigned to the front of the pack, since it meant having Rosi, one of the two staff members at our side. The other staff member, Nalini, brought up the rear carriage - we realized at the midway point that they'd switch spots for the return trip.
It meant that we could pepper both of them with questions to learn about life in Fiji. They weren't mic'd up, so none of the other passengers could benefit as we did. Steven sat in the back, so perhaps he had the easier job, as he didn't have to pedal to the metal!
The narrow-gauge railroad lines were used by diesel-powered trains to transport harvested sugarcane to sugar mills in Lautoka, north of Nadi. But now, the modified electric bicycle carriages known as velocipedes carry enthralled tourists through the lovely local scenery, comprising mangrove forests, river crossings, and wide-open coastlines.
The maximum speed we could cycle was 16mph, but it wasn't a speed race! The goal was to have fun, enjoy the scenery, and maintain a safe driving distance from those behind us.
If Steven or I were at risk of falling asleep, crossing the rickety bridge was sure to wake us up immediately, as we felt every bone-jarring piece of the track!
After cycling for 20 minutes, we stopped for a 'bum break!' Janina, I thought of you here, as the mosquitoes feasted on me, especially. They've always seemed to love my sweet blood, and stopping for a prolonged period made me an easy target. We'd brought mosquito wipes with us, but they were back in the car, as we didn't have (or make?) time to get everything organized and get to Ecotrax on time. I was lucky that the man behind us saw me jumping around like a crazy woman, took pity on me, and shared his bug lotion!
Left hand up to warn those behind us of the slowdown ahead!
Rosi stated that the large goat farm had been owned by a foreign family who were nearing the end of their 99-year lease. Fijian law requires that, after that period, the property be sold and that all family members leave the country. The farmers were moving to Australia shortly. Unfortunately, I didn't think to ask what happened if any of the foreigner's family members had married locals in the intervening 99 years.
We learned from Rosi that this was a former sugarcane field.
An obstacle on the track meant left arm up again!
Our first glimpse of the ocean was sublime.
A former B&B:
Rosi mentioned this man had just collected water from a well close to the track.
It was stunning views like this one that made Rosi exclaim, "Welcome to my office!" I don't think she was making up a story for our sake when she said how much she liked her job, as it gives her the opportunity to meet new people twice a day, gets paid to exercise, and has a chance to be away from any stresses on the home front.
Rosi pointed out the first primary school on our ride.
There had been a lot of rain in this area recently, which caused flooding near the track.
I held my breath, hoping that the Ecotrax mechanic had done his job well that morning and checked the track over the bridge, as it looked pretty wobbly.
Rosi told me that because the Brits had brought Indians to Fiji as slaves to build the tracks and the sugar cane plantations in the late 1800s, forty-five percent of Fiji's population is now Indian. Dynamite was used to blast the rock cliff so they could continue building the track through here.
The Ecotrax mechanic:
Rosi assured us that horses in Fiji are used only for transportation, not eaten.
Rosi mentioned that Seventh-Day Adventist, Methodist, and Jehovah's Witness churches were popular on Viti Levu due to missionaries who had come to Fiji centuries earlier.
Rosi commented that the villages are so isolated that the only people they normally see are Ecotrax passing by each morning and afternoon. It was cute hearing the boy shout "Bula, Bula" to us as we sped by. Of course, there was a chorus of "Bula, Bula" back to him from everyone in the carriages!
Snorkeling was available from here.
To our Western eyes and sensibilities, the village looked extremely poor. It was a sight we saw replicated at least 100 times over the next week. Rosi stated that the minimum wage in Fiji is just 4.50 Fiji dollars, equivalent to USD2.
The primary schools appeared to be the most modern buildings in any of the villages.
I think this was the entrance to a middle and high school:
My weary legs were thankful when Rosi said this was the end of the road for us, and we'd be stopping here for an hour or so. It would give another Ecotrax employee time to switch all the carriages around, while we had fun on the beach.
While Steven rested under the trees, I wandered down to Vunabua Beach. Rosi had told us that this area of Fiji was a popular filming location for movies and TV shows, including Survivor, one of my all-time favorites!
Only this rock had the glorious rust shades interspersed with gray.
Mauve-colored beach morning glories proliferated close to the shore.
Rosi and Nalini put out a spread of mangoes, bananas, and other snacks before we headed back.
A shouted "All Aboard" from Rosi was our signal that we were leaving soon! On the way back, our carriage was at the back of the pack, so we just needed to not lose sight of those in front of us, rather than lead the way.
Nalini told us that the building on the right was a bure, a traditional, detached wood-and-straw cabin belonging to the village chief.
Our last view of the ocean for a while, at least:
Nalini said that many people in the villages work at mega resorts, as there are not enough sources of steady income at home.
She cautioned us against driving at night anywhere on the island because cows, horses, and goats might dart out onto the road. When she learned that we were continuing on to the big city of Suva on the island's east coast, she confirmed what Rosi told us earlier about being hypervigilant when walking anywhere there.
Nalini and Rosi both stated independently to us that drugs had recently become a big problem on the island, coming in on cruise ships and other boats. She told me that I needed to always hold tightly onto my small purse around my neck and across one shoulder to reduce the chance of it being grabbed, and to always wear backpacks in the front. That was quite frankly alarming and made us wonder about the wisdom of traveling all this way to Fiji.
This was the well where we had seen the man carrying buckets from earlier.
Nalini later mentioned that sugar cane is still grown in Fiji, but only in quantities now for export within Asia.
The sign said, "Slow for Points." Nalini said the points were what we called switches, or the places where a track veered off.
Oh, yay, one more rickety bridge to go over before returning to home base and having ridden 28 kms. The experience had been a blast, even if I wasn't wild about those bridges!
We were anxious to be on our way, although the drive to Suva was only 140 km or about 87 miles. We had already learned from our drive that morning that getting anywhere in rural Viti Levu isn't the same as what we were used to, so it would take several hours. There are no "highways," just two-lane roads around the island, with more speed bumps than you can possibly imagine to slow down traffic between villages! Queens Road is the name of the circular road between Nadi, where we'd arrived that morning, and Suva, our destination that late afternoon. By the way, Kings Road runs the rest of the way around the island on the north shore. We were soon to learn how entrenched British signage, customs, and heritage were in Fiji!
Halfway to Suva, after meandering through some steep mountain passes, we came to Pacific Harbour, a self-proclaimed adventure capital that has evolved into a place for wealthy people to build holiday homes. The main hub of activity was described as a tourist complex called Arts Village. That sounded promising, but sadly, there were very few shops in a lovely location. We didn't notice any arts village per se, just some tacky, overpriced souvenir shops amid lots of boarded-up storefronts. What a shame that a developer doesn't come in and make a go of the place.
Elevated trash receptacles, presumably so that wild animals can't get into the garbage.
I hadn't seen or heard the phrase Freehold Land before, so I just Googled it. I learned that about 8-10% of Fiji's total land is available for outright ownership, making it highly desirable for foreigners. However, the Land Sales Act of 2014 restricts foreign ownership of residential land within city boundaries. I would have liked to ask Rosi or Nalini why some foreigners had to give up their property and leave Fiji after 99 years, yet others could buy freehold land. I wonder if it was because of the former's specific location?
What a relief to reach our hotel that night in Suva, shortly before sunset at 6ish, as the traffic in the capital city was nothing short of hairy for Steven. Our hotel lobby and ...
... a lovely terrace looking over expansive grounds, as long as you didn't attract mosquitoes!
Next post: Exploring Suva's markets, fabric stores, gardens, and more!
Posted on April 16th, 2026, from Queenstown, New Zealand's self-described adventure capital, where there are more thrills a minute available than any place I can imagine! I don't want to get ahead of myself too much, but as Steven said repeatedly the last few days, the country's South Island is just "spectacular." Please take care of yourself and your loved ones.
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