25 Nov 2007

Fiji forums: How is Kadavu? - TripAdvisor

Fiji forums: How is Kadavu? - TripAdvisor
Blogger: Gamefishing Fiji - Edit Post "Fiji forums: How is Kadavu? - TripAdvisor"
"Kadavu is awesome! I love that little rugged island.

Matava is an eco resort, very picturesque, great food that Jeannie, the owner, grows right out of her organic garden. They have kayak trips, waterfall treks, village visits, and a great staff and wonderful owners. It is very reasonable.

The only drawback is that they don't have a white sandy beach, but you can kayak a few minutes down the way, and you find your nice sandy beach."

Fiji forums: How is Kadavu? - TripAdvisor

20 Nov 2007

Fiji forums: Diving, swimming, relaxing recommendation. - TripAdvisor

Another rave review for us on TripAdvisor...

Richard

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Fiji forums: Diving, swimming, relaxing recommendation. - TripAdvisor

"Those are the best for diving in Fiji - which would give you the full Fiji experience.

All of these are bure-style, and you can't miss.

Matava is a bit more adventure oriented and you won't be doing as much swimming, more exploring and adventuring - but the others have relaxing elements to them."

Fiji forums: Diving, swimming, relaxing recommendation. - TripAdvisor

19 Nov 2007

Alex Creagh & Crystal Waters chartered Bite Me


Alex & Crystal chartered Bite Me last week to add some tropical angling adventure to their honeymoon holiday at Matava Resort. Their sights were set on a Pacific Blue Marlin but day one proved that successful marlin fishing requires a dash of lady luck. Though large schools of small skipjack tuna were found, the billfish remained elusive.

Their perseverance paid off however on day two when a nice blue of about 250lbs ignored the bent butt 80s and smashed a brown & orange MBT lure set on a stand-up 50lbs class outfit. The blue roared off on a typical blue marlin furious charge leaping across the ocean as Bite Me charged ahead to stay in touch.

Alex an Ozzie but living with Crystal in Canada, did an exceptional job in the harness and after a fight of about 45 minutes, the blue was tagged, photographed and released.

Video footage courtesy of Crystal Waters (is that a cool name or what ?) to follow shortly.


With the tag in and the hooks out, deckie Joe prepares to swim the blue before release.


Alex takes a well earned breather as deckie Joe swims the marlin and Crystal gets some close in video footage.

12 Nov 2007

BlueWater Magazine : Kadavu record breaker

A great old article I stumbled on from BlueWater Magazine : Kadavu record breaker

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A grand total of 330 islands, sprawled out over 500 square miles of Pacific Ocean, makes up the magnificent Fiji group. For many years it's been well documented in fishing magazines that these islands not only produce an amazing variety of tropical gamefish, but also that the fish always seem to come in exceptionally large sizes.

My trip to Fiji last year, which I covered in BlueWater, not only provided excellent fishing, but also confirmed what I'd heard and read about the place. The huge black marlin and enormous wahoo we ran up against were enough to convince me that the potential for records there is virtually untapped!

The success of that particular trip sparked plenty of interest, and I must admit that I couldn't wait to get back over there myself. Editor David Granville also displayed a keenness to have a look at the place, and we started negotiating a trip with Xtasea Charters, which is based at Pacific Harbour on the Coral Coast of Fiji's main island Viti Levu.

These guys specialise in light- and heavy-tackle gamefishing and offer daytrips and extended trips down to the beautiful island of Kadavu - about 70 miles south of Pacific Harbour. There, they operate from a couple of pretty little resorts that are only a few miles from some real hotspots - such as an enormous sea-mount and a 1000 fathom canyon!

With the assistance of the Fiji Tourist Bureau, the owner of Xtasea Charters Capt Brad Cupid and his right-hand man Rob Krause, were able to put the trip together for David and me back in July. Accompanying David was his charming wife Robyn - a keen fisho herself, who made our plan of targeting some line-class records even more interesting.

As we found in Fiji last year, the wahoo in particular are surprisingly large, and the prospect of both a men's and women's claim to world recognition was a real possibility

BlueWater Magazine : Kadavu record breaker

11 Nov 2007

Ecolodge & Green Building Tips - The International Ecotourism Society

As all our clients and many of our visitors to our website know, we are committed to environmental sustainability and our true belief in the principles of eco-tourism. I have just found this great article about Green uling, and just had to share it. Full article here:Ecolodge & Green Building Tips

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Ecolodge & Green Building Tips

By Karen Lewis

Karen Lewis, Founder and Operator of Lapa Rios Ecolodge, a successful ecolodge in Costa Rica, shares know-how on building an ecolodge and tips on green building practices and sustainable products.

Introduction - “How do you green a tourism business?”

With input from colleague Glenn Jampol, co-owner of Costa Rica’s Finca Rosa Blanca, I list below those construction principles and products that provided a sustainable foundation for Lapa Rios. The outline only offers directives, as solutions must be tailored to individual sites. Finding specific products and methods will require independent research.

John Lewis and I began the development of Lapa Rios, a 14-bungalow ecolodge located in the Osa Peninsula, in 1990. We designed and built our conservation project using 1990s standards with the assistance of David Andersen, a Minneapolis architect. There was no blueprint for green construction or handbook for finding green products.

Community involvement, locally-found building materials, and time-tested practical solutions to these challenges proved essential to our success. First, we enrolled community members in the on-going preservation of the regions’ rain forest by suggesting and then demonstrating over time that ecological preservation efforts assured their (and our) economic future. Second, we located locally renewable building materials (wood, grasses, leaves) to use in constructing our lodge and we encouraged nearby agriculturalists to become our suppliers.

Full article here:Ecolodge & Green Building Tips

5 Nov 2007

FISHING FIJI'S GREAT ASTROLABE REEF VIDEO

The wahoo fishing just keeps getting better in part 2, but there's more. Some big giant trevally and spanish mackerel join sailfish to make for two great days of Matava Resort fishing.

The Great Astrolabe Reef wraps around nearly 75 miles of the coastline of Kadavu Island, Fiji where we find Matava Resort and Capt. Adrian Watt's "Bite Me" sport fishing charters. Waters are chock full of wahoo, sailfish, spanish mackerel and giant trevally plus the reef diving is perhaps the best in the world with incredibly healthy corals and plenty of tropical fish and reef species.

See the full video on the
IGFA ANGLER' S DIGEST website

IGFA ANGLER' S DIGEST MATAVA, KADAVU, FIJI WAHOO & SAILFISH FISHING VIDEO
Wahoo, sailfish, spanish mackerel and giant trevally fishing from Fiji


QUICKTIME 7.0 + REQUIRED TO VIEW FISHING VIDEOS


4 Nov 2007

Yasawa Islands forums: trying to decide - TripAdvisor

Yasawa Islands forums: trying to decide - TripAdvisor

"If you want secluded, look up Matava on Kadavu. That is by far the most wonderful place i have ever been and i have traveled.

This is real Fiji, and that staff there, well, i wanted to take them all home.

They have an organic garden and the food, i put on lots of pounds, couldn't wait for the next meal. Lots to do, and the Astroble reef is right there.

There is an island 5 min, by kayak(free) to kayak around and snorkle right off the magical beach."

Yasawa Islands forums: trying to decide - TripAdvisor