Robinson Crusoe Island (Fiji)

Last updated
Robinson Crusoe Island
Likuri Island.jpg
Robinson Crusoe island from the mouth of the Tuva river
Robinson Crusoe Island (Fiji)
Fiji location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Robinson Crusoe Island
Geography
Coordinates 18°3′22″S177°17′13″E / 18.05611°S 177.28694°E / -18.05611; 177.28694
Adjacent toTuva River
Administration
Fiji

Robinson Crusoe Island is a tourism operation located off the southwest coast of the main island of Viti Levu, Fiji, [1] and has a history dating back 3,500 years. The island is located near Bourewa, an area that is believed to be the first site for human settlement in Fiji. [2] A pottery site found on the island has been dated back to 1500 BC. [3] Prior to resort development, Likuri Island was reserved as a location for ceremonies and Chiefly gatherings. The traditional owner of Likuri Island is the High Chief, Ka Levu Tui Nadroga and the chiefly family. [4]

The resort offers natural and traditional accommodation. The arrangement between the Australians and Fijians is based on the traditional systems of agreement and allows the visitation of a limited number of tourists seeking a more authentic experience of the Coral Coast and its historically significant culture. The operations of the resort therefore follow strict, eco-sustainable guidelines in regard to resource use and the prevention of pollution. [1]

Getting to the island requires a short drive south of Nadi and a brief boat trip, as it is close to the coral coastline. Overnight stays, day trips, meals, and entertainment tours are available from many resorts and the island features a tribal fire dance distinctive to the island's natural heritage. These trips are also available from Nadi and Denarau Island.

The island is more recently named after the story of Robinson Crusoe after a sailing yacht was wrecked on the nearby reef and the captain and his cat (coincidentally named Friday) took refuge on the island. The island is located in the estuary of the Tuva River, and coral reefs surround the island's seaside exposure, accessed by boat and abundant in Pacific fish, with snorkeling and scuba diving being frequent activities. On the landslide exposure, the island has some mangrove forests, and at its extremities soft sand bars and a lagoon bearing into the Pacific Ocean.

Canoes are available for further exploration and the close relationship with local villagers allows the opportunity for mainland visits to schools, church services, and other local events.

Gardens on Robinson Crusoe island LikuriIsland.jpg
Gardens on Robinson Crusoe island
Interior photograph of Bure Levu 2 on Robinson Crusoe Island Bure Levu Interior.jpg
Interior photograph of Bure Levu 2 on Robinson Crusoe Island

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fiji</span> Country in Melanesia, Oceania

Fiji, officially the Republic of Fiji, is an island country in Melanesia, part of Oceania in the South Pacific Ocean. It lies about 1,100 nautical miles north-northeast of New Zealand. Fiji consists of an archipelago of more than 330 islands—of which about 110 are permanently inhabited—and more than 500 islets, amounting to a total land area of about 18,300 square kilometres (7,100 sq mi). The most outlying island group is Ono-i-Lau. About 87% of the total population of 924,610 live on the two major islands, Viti Levu and Vanua Levu. About three-quarters of Fijians live on Viti Levu's coasts, either in the capital city of Suva, or in smaller urban centres such as Nadi or Lautoka. The interior of Viti Levu is sparsely inhabited because of its terrain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Geography of Fiji</span>

Fiji is a group of volcanic islands in the South Pacific, lying about 4,450 kilometres (2,765 mi) southwest of Honolulu and 1,770 km (1,100 mi) north of New Zealand. Of the 332 islands and 522 smaller islets making up the archipelago, about 106 are permanently inhabited. The total land size is 18,272 km2 (7,055 sq mi). It has the 26th largest Exclusive Economic Zone of 1,282,978 km2 (495,361 sq mi).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nadi</span> Place in Western Division, Fiji

Nadi is the third-largest conurbation in Fiji. It is located on the western side of the main island of Viti Levu, and had a population of 42,284 at the most recent census, in 2007. A 2012 estimate showed that the population had grown to over 50,000. Nadi is multiracial with many of its inhabitants Asians, Indian or Indigenous Fijians, along with a large transient population of foreign tourists. Along with sugar cane production, tourism is a mainstay of the local economy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lautoka</span> City in Viti Levu, Fiji

Lautoka is the second largest city in Fiji. It is on the west coast of the island of Viti Levu, in the Ba Province of the Western Division. Lying in the heart of Fiji's sugar cane-growing region, the city has come to be known as the Sugar City. Covering an area of 32 square kilometres, it had a population of 71,573 at the 2017 census, the most recent to date.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Viti Levu</span> Largest island in Fiji

Viti Levu is the largest island in the Republic of Fiji. It is the site of the nation's capital, Suva, and home to a large majority of Fiji's population.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Savusavu</span> Town in Northern Division, Fiji

Savusavu is a town in the Fijian Province of Cakaudrove. The town is located on the south coast of Vanua Levu Island and had a population of 3,372 in the 2007 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gili Islands</span> Three small islands off Lombok, Indonesia

The Gili Islands are an archipelago of three small islands or Gili island triplets — Gili Trawangan, Gili Meno and Gili Air — just off the northwest coast of Lombok, Indonesia. The local name of these three islands is Gili Indah which means "small beautiful islands".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Taveuni</span> Island in Fiji

Taveuni is the third-largest island in Fiji, after Viti Levu and Vanua Levu, with a total land area of 434 square kilometres. The cigar-shaped island, a massive shield volcano which rises from the floor of the Pacific Ocean, is situated 6.5 kilometres east of Vanua Levu, across the Somosomo Strait. It belongs to the Vanua Levu Group of islands and is part of Fiji's Cakaudrove Province within the Northern Division.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mamanuca Islands</span> Volcanic archipelago in Fiji

The Mamanuca Islands of Fiji are a volcanic archipelago lying to the west of Nadi and to the south of the Yasawa Islands. The group, a popular tourist destination, consists of about 20 islands, but about seven of these are covered by the Pacific Ocean at high tide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nadroga-Navosa Province</span> Province of Fiji

Nadroga-Navosa is one of the fourteen provinces of Fiji and one of eight based in Viti Levu, Fiji's largest island. It is about 2,385 square kilometers and occupies the South-West and Central areas of Viti Levu, Fiji's principal island. The province includes the Mamanuca Archipelago,Malolo Islands, off the west coast of Viti Levu, Vatulele, as well as the remote Conway Reef in the southwest. The population at the 2017 census was 58,931, being the fifth largest province. The main town in Nadroga-Navosa is Sigatoka, with a population of 9622.

Tavewa is an island of the Yasawa Islands, measuring approximately 3 kilometres long by 1 km wide. It is part of the Nacula District that lies north-west of the Fijian island of Viti Levu.

Pacific Island Air is an Air Charter company operating out of Nadi International Airport, Fiji.

Rail transport in Fiji moves cut sugar cane to crushing mills. Also, there used to be two horse-drawn street tramway systems, some other passenger systems, an underground mine system, and some tramways on construction projects. There are multiple other modes of transport in Fiji.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Monuriki</span> Islet in Mamanuca Islands, Fiji

Monuriki is a small, uninhabited island situated off the coast of Viti Levu in the Fiji Islands, in Melanesia in the South Pacific Ocean. Monuriki is part of the Atolls islands, and related to a group of three islets in the larger group of islands known as the Mamanuca Islands. This coral and volcanic island is the smallest islet and the southernmost of a small group of three islets, west of Tavua.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tavarua</span>

Tavarua is an island resort in Fiji. It has an area of 29 acres (120,000 m2). It is close to the main Fijian island, Viti Levu, and is surrounded by a coral reef. It is also known to be shaped, somewhat, like a heart.

Vorovoro is an island in the province of Macuata in the Vanua Levu Group of northern Fiji, 40 minutes away from the town of Labasa by boat.

Castaway Island is an island of the Mamanuca Group in Fiji. It is inhabited, with a tourist resort on its west side. The island has an area of 70 hectares.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Malolo Lailai</span>

Malolo Lailai, also known as Plantation Island, is the second largest and most developed of the Mamanuca Islands, lying 20 kilometres west of Nadi on Fiji's main island Viti Levu. Malolo Lailai is the centre of tourism in the Mamanuca Islands, and consists of four resorts, a number of residential houses, a marina and a golf course. The island can be reached in 50 minutes from Port Denarau by the Malolo Cat, a catamaran, or by Malolo Lailai Airport, a 10-minute flight from Nadi International Airport. Separated by a small isthmus which can be walked at low tide, the larger island of Malolo Levu lies north-west of Malolo Lailai.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Coral Coast, Fiji</span> Stretch of coastline in Fiji

Coral Coast is the stretch of coastline between Sigatoka and Suva, on the island of Viti Levu, in Fiji.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matamanoa</span> Island of the Mamanuca Islands, Fiji

Matamanoa is a small, private island within the Mamanuca Islands of Fiji in the South Pacific. The islands are a part of the Fiji's Western Division.

References

  1. 1 2 , Michael Lück,School of Hospitality & Tourism. AUT University. Auckland, New Zealand 13 December 2011. ISSN   1997-2520; e- ISSN   2014-4458
  2. "Incredible New Finds from Fiji's Earliest Settlement - WikiEducator". wikieducator.org. Retrieved 2018-05-15.
  3. , Vicki Andersen, "Experiences in Paradise" HighOnAdventure.com, August 1, 2011
  4. , Official statement of Resort in relation to ownership and management