Namatakula (literally means "the place of the snake") is a fairly large village with about 400 inhabitants. The village lies on the Coral Coast on the main island of Viti Levu (see map). Namatakula is fairly prosperous village in Fijian terms. Visitors to Namatakula can expect to sleep on a proper bed in a large house with six bedrooms. Your hosts are a prominent family, Simon and Judith Batibasaga (see image right) and your home one of the largest homes in the village (it boasts an eating area that can seat 20 people).
Namatakula's largest buildings are two churches - a Roman Catholic and Methodist
church and the community hall. The churches are very active among this devout
community. The community has a large primary school which you are welcome
to visit. Judith works as a teacher at a neighbouring village - teaching
children under 5 with very basic
teaching aids for people involved in education there is the unique opportunity
to sit in and watch how the Fijian education system works with limited
resources. It is quite an eye opener to visit Judith's class and see how
rudimentary the teaching system is - the kids using small blackboards and chalk
because their parents cannot afford notepads and pencils (see image
right). Mobile phones but NOT the Internet work at
Namatakula (the Warwick Hotel - 15 minutes away has an Internet
service).
The six bedroom visitor's house at Namatakula has flush toilets and showers on both floors. Water is tapped directly from the Namatakula river and is purer than the water you find bottled in stores.
There is a reliable source of electricity in Namatakula with the powerlines leading directly into the village. All houses have power.
Fijian villagers are very healthy and believe that cleanliness is next to Godliness.
It is important to note that Fijian villagers are offended by bikinis or scant clothing worn in the village area - be safe and wear clothing that covers the knees and shoulders. Do NOT wear hats in the village.
However, if you go to the beautiful secluded beaches nearby treat it like any other - and get a great suntan in a bikini during your Fiji holidays!
There is a public telephone in Namatakula (see image right) and the Batibasaga's have a phone and fax which can be used by visitors - a Telecard can be purchased from Judith.
You
will enjoy the most incredible and memorable holiday adventures whether walking
along the secluded beaches, or enjoying some of the unique activities on
offer. At Namatakula you will, from the moment
you step into the village, be accepted into the community. You will, in true
Fiji-time, be able to participate in traditional ceremonies, like Kava drinking
in the "vale ni so qo" (or large community hall), dancing and singing
as well as swimming in the sea, snorkeling on the Coral reef, exploring the
beaches or relaxing.
Image right: The beach off Namatakula at low tide
Alternatively you can visit the nearby Warwick Hotel or Crusoes Hotels for dinner - both just a short drive away but with daily rates equating to food and accommodation at Namatakula for up to a week! If you enjoy fishing Simon's son, Iso (pronounced Eso), will show you how he spears fish. In fact Iso catches the food in the sea that you will eat at Namatakula... and the lobster is delicious! See Rosa's cooking page at this link!
It is important to note that the "man is boss" in
the traditional Fijian community so you will find the village women doing
all the household work, cooking, etc. Tourists to the village are welcome
to participate in the kitchen, washing etc... but this is entirely optional
although you will enjoy chatting to the women about their experiences at
Namatakula. All food, washing etc.. is done for you by the women in the village
- and these costs are included in the cost of
accommodation. You might also enjoy joining the men either to watch
or participate in their traditional farming practices along the lands bordering
the road where they cultivate taro (a potato-like vegetable), Kava and a
form of giant asparagus known as Dromo-Dromo. Once again you are not expected
to do anything but relax and do what you wish, but for those who want to
take a step back in time this is an unforgettable experience well worth
considering.
School Teachers
We get a lot of enquiries from school teachers from all over the world. Their common desire is to spend a few days in a Fijian classroom. Judith is a school teacher at a local school and qualified teachers staying at Namatakula are welcome to spend some time in the classroom with Judith.
See image right - Judith with class in 2003
Music:
The Namatakula bands would have published many music CDs if it had not been for their isolation in Fiji.
They participated in the creation of our first music CD.
Click on the image right to preview the FijiBure.com music CD they participated in.
You can order the CD on-line from this link.
If you have children this will be a holiday and experience
of a lifetime as they are immediately welcomed into the fold by Fijian kids
of all ages - over 100 of them! The "village green" which separates
two rows of houses at Namatakula is perfect for a game of cricket, soccer,
rugby or other ball games that the Fijian kids just love playing. (Bring
a small rugby ball with you and your kids will be kept occupied for your
entire stay! Simple things like balloons and sweets are a firm
favourite.) The kids love singing -
as you can hear in the short movie at this
link! (Warning: 2.9
mBytes)
Children might also like to spend some time joining the Fijian children in their classrooms to see how Fijian teachers go about their work - again this is totally optional - one thing for sure there is no shortage of activities for the family!
While the local Namatakula Fijian dialect may be spoken by villagers they all speak English. (Fijian translation of common greetings can be seen at this link).
Namatakula is the ultimate backpacker adventure. You are in a safe environment, welcomed into a friendly community from the moment you arrive but have a natural playground, centered around the Coral Coast to explore. The village is just 5 minutes walk from the popular "Beach House".
When you arrive at Namatakula there is a very simple
traditional ceremony that you can participate in. When the villagers gather
in their community hall they welcome guests at a Kava ceremony. An elder
from the village will welcome you and the man or male spokesman for your
group, at this time, is expected to make a short speech and provide a small
gift to the village (such as 1kg of powdered Kava - which cost about
F$20 or US$10). Once these formalities are over your hosts Simon and
Judith will keep you informed of future Kava celebrations, entertainment
or other activities taking place during your stay. (A big wooden drum
is often beaten to alert villagers of celebrations, church services and other
community activities).
Payments will be organised directly with Judith Batibasaga
on your arrival at Namatakula. Please do not tender credit cards to the village
as they do not have those sort of banking facilities - cash is king. There
are plenty of ATM machines on the way to
Namatakula - they can be found at Nadi, Sigatoka, Pacific Harbour
and Suva. (Simon, who can collect you,
will help you here).
Gifts and Village Funds:
If you are thinking of bringing gifts consider bringing practical things like books, notepads, pencils, rubbers and sharpeners that can be used in the school. If you have children consider bringing a gift of a rugby ball, tennis balls, cricket gear, balloons etc for the village... a great ice breaker and your kids will have a great time. This option is entirely up to you and is not expected.
There is also a village fund which has been set up at the request of past
guests. The village fund is contributed to by guests, but it is important
to know that donations are voluntary and you are NOT expected to donate to
the funds. The funds are administered by the village mataqali (or elders)
without any outside
influence.
The two village funds are:
a building fund which is used in identified projects that help the entire community; and
micro-financing - a fund which is used to finance small enterprises that individuals or groups of villagers in each village want to set up. The money is loaned interest free and with no strings attached. The recipient is morally bound to return the money once he has started earning an income from his enterprise so that the money can be used again to help someone else in the village.
There will be a poster in your guest room in the village which tells you more about the village funds, alternatively you can discuss them with your host.
Sporting greats:
For such a small community of just 400 inhabitants the village of Namatakula currently boasts some remarkable sporting heroes, such as,
Noa Nadruku (pronounced Nandruku) - from the Canberra Raiders;
Jonetani Navonu - NSW - Tamberamba (Sydney)
Sirilo Lala - Fiji 7s
and, of course, Lote Tuqiri - Broncos (rugby league) - more recently rugby union star winger (the shark) for the Wallabies
Image Right: Lote Tuqiri dominates the entrance to the rugby field at Namatakula where Fijian rugby was born.
In fact the rugby fields at Ratu Felisi School at Namatakula is said to be the birthplace of Fijian rugby. Even today the Namatakula rugby team makes upmost of the province of Nadroga's team - and this province dominates the membership of the Fijian national rugby team despite the loss of Tuqiri to Australia and Rokocoko to New Zealand..
You will be able to talk to the villagers about these men who grew up at
Namatakula and who have their tribal homes there.
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Lote Tuqiri's home |
Noa Nadruku's home |
