Kadavu Island: discover pristine diving and lobster on tap at this Fijian paradise

Urban folk might not take too well to Fiji’s Kadavu Island.

“City people have a problem sleeping because it’s too quiet,” said Silina Pawalu, resort manager at Matana Beach Resort.

Talking at the 2016 Fijian Tourism Expo earlier this month, Pawalu explained that the island – the country’s fourth largest – has yet to be tainted by the taste of mass tourism and mass development.

“The sound of waves crashing appears loud because there’s no background noise, only the odd coconut falling,” she said.

Matana Beach Resort is just one of 12 members of the newly created destination management organisation Tourism Kadavu, which launched some four months ago.

“We’re not tourist populated yet,” Pawalu noted. “We’re an emerging destination and we want to promote ourselves.”

From the main island of Viti Levu it’s a 45-minute hop by plane to Kadavu, but a world away.

“It’s the Fiji of 20 years ago – a very traditional experience,” she explained.

“Visitors will experience village life, not a show. You see the way life used to be in Fiji. Locals are self-sustainable so the island doesn’t rely on tourism; only about 100 people are employed in the industry.”

A fertile, volcanic island with plantations of cassava and pawpaw, there is no power, no roads, no buses. Only boats ferry visitors and locals between villages and attractions.

“It’s a wilderness experience and people really get into it,” Pawalu added.

For many the island’s main draw lies in its nearby reef: the fourth largest in the world.

“The soft corals are still there sitting perfectly [despite February’s Cyclone Winston],” she said. “And the dives are virtually untouched.”

The local reefs also harbour a bounty of crustaceans that visitors can devour back on dry land.

“We get them in vast supply and they are cheap so at Matana Beach we can treat guests every day.”

Other attractions include the outdoor activities that take in the lush landscapes, from trekking to bird watching, kayaking tours, snorkelling and swimming.

Activities aside, it is the lure of Fiji’s raw beauty that tempts visitors across, Pawalu said.

And people sink happily into the languorous lifestyle that the island offers.

“We talk about stand-up paddle boarding and waterfalls, but most people come over and have breakfast, swim, have lunch, read. They enjoy doing nothing.”