Nadi

Fiji was settled by Lapita seafarers about three thousand years ago and later by Melanesian and Polynesian arrivals, and by the nineteenth century it was a set of chiefly territories. European traders came for sandalwood and bêche-de-mer, and missionaries followed. In 1874 the paramount chiefs signed a Deed of Cession that made Fiji a British colony.

The colony needed labour for its sugar plantations, and the British government did not want to take Fijians from their land. It brought labourers from India instead. The first ship, the Leonidas, reached Fiji in May 1879, and by the time the system ended in 1916 tens of thousands of Indians had come under contracts known as girmit, and the workers themselves as girmitiyas. Many stayed after their contract ended, took up farming or trade and made their homes in the western cane belt, where Nadi and Lautoka lie.

The result is the Fiji you see in Nadi: a town whose main street is lined with Indo-Fijian shops, whose biggest building is a Hindu temple, and whose everyday language moves between English, Fijian and Fiji Hindi. About four in ten Fijians are of Indian descent. The relationship between the two communities has been the central political question of the country.

Fiji became independent on 10 October 1970. Coups in 1987, 2000 and 2006 disrupted politics and tourism, and each left a mark on the economy and on migration. Since a new constitution in 2013 and elections that followed, the country has been more settled, though the debates over land, race and power continue.

You can read this history in Nadi at a walking pace. The market, the temple and the curry houses are the legacy of girmit; the villages beyond the town are the legacy of the chiefs; the airport is the legacy of the Second World War and of tourism.

The word vanua means land, but for iTaukei, the indigenous Fijians, it also means the people, the customs and the chiefly system that goes with the land. About nine tenths of the land in Fiji is held under customary ownership by clans, called mataqali, and cannot be sold. This is why most of Nadi's surroundings, and the islands offshore, are leased rather than owned.

A village is led by a chief and a council of elders, and daily life follows Christian and customary rhythms together. Sunday is a rest day: many families attend church, do not fish or play sport, and expect visitors to keep the day quiet. Traditional houses, called bure, have thatched roofs and are sometimes still used for ceremonies, although most families now live in concrete or timber homes.

If you visit a village, go with a guide or a host. A gift of kava roots, called sevusevu, is presented to the chief at the start of the visit, and your host will explain when and how. Dress modestly, with shoulders and knees covered. Take off your hat and sunglasses when you enter, and do not touch anyone's head, which is considered sacred. Ask before photographing people.

The performing traditions are meke, the dance and song that tell stories of war and history, and lali drums, hollowed logs struck to call villagers together. Resorts stage meke nights, and village visits sometimes include a performance. They are not tourist inventions; they are old forms used at weddings, funerals and national days.

The practical point is respect. A short greeting, 'Bula', a smile and a quiet manner go a long way, and a visitor who asks questions is more welcome than one who takes photographs without asking. If you are unsure what to do, watch your host and copy them; people notice the effort and are patient with mistakes.

Kava, yaqona in Fijian, is a drink made from the ground root of a pepper plant, Piper methysticum. It is muddy grey, tastes earthy and numbs the tongue and lips a little. Its effect is calm rather than intoxicating, and for centuries it has been the drink of welcome, of chiefs and of ceremony across Fiji, Tonga and Samoa.

A formal kava ceremony has an order. The roots are pounded, mixed with water in a wooden bowl, called a tanoa, and strained through a cloth. The chief or the host is served first from a cup made of coconut shell, called a bilo, and the rest follow in order of rank. The person receiving the cup claps once, says 'bula' and drinks it in one go, then claps three times, a gesture known as cobo, and returns the cup.

Visitors are welcomed into ceremonies at resorts and villages. It is polite to accept the first bowl, and it is fine to ask for a small one, called a low tide, if you do not want much; a full bowl is called a high tide. You sit on the mat, cross-legged, and do not point your feet at the bowl. Kava is a mild sedative, so it is not a drink to have before driving.

The market at Nadi is one of the easiest places to see kava as a crop. Dried roots are sold in bundles, and powder is sold in bags. Prices depend on the plant's age and quality, with the thicker, older roots costing more. If you take kava home, check your country's rules: it is regulated in some places.

Beyond ceremony, kava has become a social drink. In towns and villages men and women gather in the evening at kava bars and homes, talk and drink until late. The practice is a form of hospitality and of community, and a visitor who joins with courtesy is treated as a guest.

The Sri Siva Subramaniya Swami Temple in Nadi is one of the largest Hindu temples in the southern hemisphere, and it is the most visible sign that Nadi is an Indo-Fijian town. It was built in the 1990s in the south Indian Dravidian style, with tall gateway towers covered with carved and painted figures, and it is dedicated to Lord Murugan, called Subramaniya in Tamil tradition.

The temple's builders and priests came from south India, and its details follow traditional rules. Visitors take off their shoes at the entrance and cover their shoulders and knees. Inside, worshippers offer flowers, coconut and fruit, and priests perform prayers at set times. Photography is welcome in the courtyard but not of ceremonies or of worshippers without permission.

The festivals of the Hindu calendar shape the year. Diwali, the festival of lights, falls in October or November and turns Nadi's shops and homes into rows of lamps and sweets. Holi in March brings coloured powder, and temple festivals through the year draw families from across the west. Dates move each year, so check before you plan around them.

Fiji-Indian culture is not a copy of India's. Fiji Hindi, a language that grew from many Indian dialects and English, is the everyday speech of many families, and the food, dress and customs mix Indian, Fijian and Chinese influences. Curries are made with Fijian root vegetables, roti is rolled around local fish, and weddings blend Hindu rites and Fijian gifts.

For a visitor, the simplest way in is a morning: the temple at opening, a walk on Main Street to see the saris and spices, and a curry lunch at a local eatery. Ask before taking photographs, and buy something from the shops that have let you look. Give yourself at least two hours, because the temple, the street and lunch together make a slower and richer morning than the guidebook timings suggest.

Offshore from Nadi lie two chains of islands: the Mamanucas, close by, and the Yasawas, further north. Both are volcanic in origin and ringed by coral reefs, and both are reached by catamaran from Port Denarau. The Mamanucas are a day trip, and many resorts sit on islands within a couple of hours; the Yasawas take half a day and suit stays of several nights.

The reef is the reason. Fiji's reefs shelter hundreds of coral and fish species, and snorkelling from a beach is often good. Reef health varies: bleaching in warm years and storms have damaged some sites. Wear reef-safe sunscreen, do not stand on coral, and follow your boat crew's briefing.

Cyclones are a fact of life between November and April. Cyclone Winston, in February 2016, was among the strongest ever recorded in the southern hemisphere and devastated communities in Fiji's east and north. Nadi is on the drier west side of the main island and usually escapes the worst, but heavy rain and flooding can close roads, and boats stop when the sea is rough. Islanders follow warnings carefully, and visitors should do the same.

The main island's western side is also where tourism was built. Denarau Island, once mangrove swamp, was developed as a resort in the late twentieth century, and today it is a compound of hotels, golf and the marina. The airport dates from the Second World War, when the Allies used Nadi as a base, and gun emplacements at Momi still overlook the bay.

For planning, treat the sea as the variable. Book boats with licensed operators, keep a day of slack before international flights, and be ready to change plans if the weather turns. A calm boat day in the dry season is one of the best days you will have in Fiji.

Nadi's table has three strands. The first is Fijian: fish, root vegetables and coconut. Kokoda, raw fish cured in lime juice and served in coconut cream with chilli and onion, is the dish to try. Rourou is taro leaves in coconut milk, and cassava and dalo, or taro root, come boiled or grilled on the side.

The second is Indo-Fijian. Curries of chicken, goat, fish and vegetables come with rice or with roti, a soft flatbread that is torn and used to scoop the sauce. Dhal, a lentil soup, and pickles are on every table, and sweets such as jalebi, barfi and gulab jamun fill shop windows. A plate of curry and roti at a Main Street eatery is one of the cheapest good meals in Fiji.

The third is the earth oven, the lovo. Meat, fish and root vegetables are wrapped in banana leaves and cooked over hot stones for several hours, then unwrapped and shared. Lovo is a feast dish, served at weddings, church days and resort nights, and it is worth booking one if you want to see how the community eats together.

Drinks are simple. Fresh coconut water, cut in front of you, is the everyday drink, and tea is sweet and milky. Fiji Bitter and Fiji Gold are the local lagers, and kava is the drink of welcome. Alcohol is sold in licensed places, and Sunday hours are shorter.

A good day of eating in Nadi has a rhythm. Have breakfast of fruit and fresh bread at the market, a curry and roti lunch on Main Street, and a kokoda at sunset by the marina or the beach. Between meals, snack on samosas and sweet tea. Ask for 'mild' if you do not want chilli, and carry small notes. Most eateries close their kitchens by mid-evening, so eat earlier than you would at home, and plan Sunday meals around the few places that stay open.