Are you planning a holiday to Fiji? Is Fiji your favourite holiday destination? Do you want a truly local Fijian experience?
My name is Steve, my family and I are local Fijians and we want to help you to have a uniquely local Fijian holiday. We have designed our new web page www.micksfijitours.com to provide you with information about our Fijian holiday day tours and our transfer services.
Introducing Our New Blog
At Mick’s Fiji we are passionate about Fiji and providing you with an authentic local Fijian experience. We want to help you have the holiday of a lifetime. Our new blog will provide you with information about Fiji as well as contributions from local Fijian’s, local Fijian businesses and visitors to Fiji all of whom want to share their knowledge and experiences with you.
Introducing Our New Web Site
Nothing says ‘holiday’ more than a big, friendly Fijian smile. And no one smiles more than the Indegenous Fijians who run Mick’s Fiji.
Our new web page has been designed to provide you with information about our many local Fijian tours, our transfers service both land and water ,information about Mick’s Fiji and other useful information for visitors to Fiji. For your convenience we have divided our tours into 5 groups:
In addition to day tours Mick's Fiji also offers airport, resort and port private transfers services.
Introducing Fiji's Number 1 Facebook Discussion Group - Holidaying in Fiji to Bula Paradise
We also organise a discussion group on Facebook that has nearly 5,000 members including local Fijians, Local Fijian businesses and visitors to Fiji who all want to share their knowledge and experiences. This is a great forum to use to help you plan your Fijian Holiday and tours, please feel free to join and invite your friends.
Mick's Fiji Cultural Village Tours
I would like to introduce you to our village Tours, these are a great way for you to experience the real Fiji. Our local villages are Tau village & Sanasana Village (both on the coral coast) these are real local Fijian villages where you will get to experience our local culture first
hand.
By visiting the local Fijian villages you are also helping the local Fijian people, we love to have visitors and welcome you to our village. Mick's Fiji will pick you up from your resort Lobby and take to you to our village where you will be immersed in local Fijian village culture and we will provide you with a traditional Lovo (underground cooking) lunch.
Visiting a local Fijian village can be a bit of a culture shock, for those not accustomed to the standard of living for most indigenous Fijians. Fijian village life is very different to what you may be use to coming from western society.
A visit to one of our villages can also be uplifting to see that the people can have so little and yet still be full of life, laughter, and happiness. You will see how we put community and family ahead of all else and we share.
The most prominent buildings in the village are the Chief's house and the church:
Chief's House: The chief's "great house" occupies the most prominent position in Tau village. It was also the largest structure. The high and steep-pitched roof is designed to drain rainwater quickly and efficiently while allowing for good ventilation and air circulation, important factors in warm and humid climates.
The chief's house is also the most decorated in the village, with finely crafted masi cloth. The masi features typical Fijian geometric stenciling and motifs patterned after nature.
Village Church: The Village church is very much at the centre of Fijian life and is in a very central part of the village. Most Fijians are very religious, and all villages than can afford to build one, will have their own church. On a Sunday, village activities revolve around the times of the church services. No Kava is drunk, or important village matters discussed until the afternoon service is over.
Sunday mornings you will hear the lali (a wooden drum, carved from a log) summoning the local people to church. Even if you are not religious, attending one of our services is something you should try to do if you get the chance. You probably won't understand the sermon, but the choir will need no interpretation. Pacific islanders have some of the best harmonies that you will ever hear.
How to dress for church: refer to Village Etiquette.
Village School: The best way to visit the schools is to take a village tour. All Fijian villages take pride in their schools our as we do take pride in our local Tau village school
Tropical Cyclone Winston was the strongest tropical cyclone to make landfall in Fiji and the South Pacific Basin in recorded history this was the second strongest cyclone ever recorded globally. The cyclone reached its peak intensity on 20 February, winds of 230 km/h (145 mph) shortly before making landfall on Viti Levu, Fiji.
Cyclone Winston damaged much of Fiji, many people are still without homes and many of the schools were damaged. At Tau Village our school was damaged and we lost our library.
No matter how small a village school annual budget is, the teachers work long and hard to get the best education possible for the children. Most villages are too small to have anything but a primary school, so older kids often have to travel many miles to the next village to attend secondary school. Boarding schools are the norm for more remote villages.
What to bring the kids, things like:
pencils,
rubbers,
balloons,
exercise books,
books for the school library.
They will all be put to good use, games are good too in particular ball games, rugby balls etc.
Kava Ceremony Tau Village
Known as yaqona or simply grog in Fiji, kava is a mildly narcotic drink made from mixing the powdered root of the pepper plant (piper methysticum) with water and results in a numb feeling around the mouth, lips and tongue and a sense of relaxation.
Kava: Is Latin for Intoxicating pepper and it is a sedative and anesthetic. Yaqona: Is Fijian for Kava. Waka: Is the lower halve of the plant and is stronger and is slightly darker in color. Tanoa: The Kava Bowl, is the made from the Vesi tree. Bilo: Is the coconut bowl you drink from. The Chief generally has his own bowl.
Kava is something you need to become accustomed to, people sometimes do not like the taste initially but you will become accustomed to after several bowls.
The Kava plant is a part of the Fijian way of life, possibly in a way that a many westerners may not understand. In Fiji we have grown up with the kava ceremony, when you try this in our village you will hopefully get an understanding of just how important the kava plant and ceremonies are to the Fijian people?
If you look on Kava as just a substitute for alcohol, then you will never understand what it's really all about. Kava can be drunk at any time of the day, though usually a "session" takes place in the afternoon or evening.
We look forward to seeing you on our Cultural Village Tours and we would like to welcome you to our village. please visit our website www.micksfijitours.com and our Facebook page.