Fiji - Day 3 - Sand Dunes

We had a relaxing start to our day - we actually were able to sleep in a bit - breakfast was not until 8 o'clock this morning.

After breakfast we headed off to Sigatoka Sand Dunes National Park, which was a short 45 minute drive from our resort.  We started our morning off with some stretching exercise to get ready for our hike.  Then off into the woods we went.

We stopped along the way to plant some trees to help with their reforestation project after many native plants and trees were wiped out of the area.  Everyone then named their tree and came up with some really good names.

Continuing on with our walk, we entered the Driodrio Forest, which in local Nadroga means darkness.  According to Fijian folklore, the ancestors of Boli Boli Village believed this forest to be a gateway to the spirit world and if a falling star was seen in this forest at night, they believed it foretold the death of an elder in the village.

At this point, the students had to make a decision on which hike they wished to do - the 2 hour 4.5 km hike or the 1 hour 1.5 km hike.  We continued hiking onward to our respective sand dunes where the kids were able to participate in the local fun of jumping off the sand dunes.  Lots of fun was had by all.

We then went down the other side of the dune for a beach walk - hiking in a local Fijian way - barefoot.  They students stopped along the beach to pick up driftwood to later make a tree-hugger.   However before that, they learned about teepees along the beach - which they used to protect the sand from blowing into the forest and also used as a resting place for local fisherman.

Back into the forest we went to make our tree-hugger,which is driftwood and vines made around a tree to save it from being cut down.  According to legend, 6 women formed a circle around a big tree to save it, only to have the machines come in and slice through the tree and the women together.  Now tree huggers are put up in honor of these women and to save the trees in the future.  After our tree-hugger was completed we continued our hike back to the starting point.

We washed off from our sandy adventure and had lunch.  After lunch we did some silk screening the traditional way with roots and nuts and also played some volleyball.

Then back to the resort to wash up and enjoy a little down time.  School visit tomorrow and moving on to our next resort in Fiji.   Kids are all doing great and having the time of their lives.