IN AND AROUND SIGATOKA
Sigatoka
The town serving the nearby farming communities is also the focal point of the nearby Coral Coast resorts. It sits on the banks of the Sigatoka River which is Fiji's second largest waterway. The river valley is regarded as Fiji's "salad" bowl on account of the vegetables grown on the rich alluvial flats. There are also large plantations of aubergines and papaya for export. Sigatoka is a good place for lunch break either at the Le Cafe' or the Sigatoka Club. Both are easily located.Pacific Green
This is a world class facility making beautiful furniture from coconut wood. The showroom is open 7 days a week and definitely worth a visit.
Sigatoka Sand Dunes National Park
There is a resource centre administered and staffed by the National Trust for Fiji next to the highway. It has an excellent visual presentation and literature to explain the significance of the dunes geologically and archeologically. Discovery of pottery pieces and burial sites in the 1950's established that settlement of Fiji occured some 3,500 years ago, at that time regarded as an impossible "horizon". The dunes rise up majestically from the ocean. A walkway from the resource centre affords easy access to magnificent views of dunes and surf.Tavuni Hill
Tavuni Hill is the former stronghold of Tongan warrior chief. About 200 years ago a Tongan warrior migrated to Fiji with his warriors, craftsmen, fisherman and farmers settling at Tavuni Hill where they made a magnificent fort to repel attacks from local tribes. The descendents of those warriors are now scattered throughout Fiji and particularly in villages on the southern side of the Sigatoka River valley. The last chief to reside in the fort was killed in a skirmish with government troops in the Colo war in 1876. The fort was taken and destroyed. It has since been opened to visitors who can only admire the views and the ingenuity of those who made the fort.Kula Eco Park
See some of Fiji's wildlife. The park plays an important role in a captive breeding programme for two of Fiji's threatened species the unique crested iguana and the magnificent peregrine falcon.
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