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The Tagimoucia Flower

In the high mountains of Taveuni, know as Fiji's Garden Island, there is a beautiful lake of
considerable size. A flowering plant called Tagimoucia is found only on the shores of this lake
and any attempt to transplant the vine has failed. The Tagimoucia is one of Fiji's most
beautiful wild flowers, the bunches of red flowers have a small white centre.The legend of the
Tagimoucia flower goes something like this.

In a hill above the shore lived a woman and her little daughter. One day the little girl was
playing when she should have been working. Her mother kept asking her to get on with her
work but she ignored her mother and kept on playing. Annoyed, the mother seized a bundle of
sasas (mid-ribs of the coconut leaf) which she used as a broom, and spanked her daughter.
"Go on, get out, you naughty girl. Go out and I don't want to see your face again."

The little girl was so upset that she sobbed and ran away. She kept on running not realising
where she was going. Her tears blinded her and as she ran along she blundered into a large
climbing plant that hung from a tree. It was a thick green vine with large green leaves but
there was no flowers on it. The child became entangled with the vine and could not get free so
she stayed there, crying bitterly.

As the tears rolled down her cheeks they changed from salt tear to tears of blood which fell on
the stem of the vine and turned into lovely flowers.

At last the little girl stopped crying and managed to free herself from the vine and went back
home. She was delighted to find out that her mother had forgotten her anger and so they lived
happily together again

The Tame Fish Of Fiji

On the island of Nananu-i-ra, just off the North-east corner of Viti Levu, can be seen one of
the strangest sights in the Pacific. Here Paul Miller who lives on the island keeps a school of
tame sand cod. These fish are friendly and come to be fed every day by Paul.

Oen Cropp, one of Australia's best know underwater cameraman says the fish will do
anything. It is quite safe to get in and swim with them. The fish, weighing up to 45lbs will
take food from your fingers and will allow themselves to be petted and stroked. Ben and his
wife Van have filmed many exciting and amazing sequences with these fish and they have
particularly asked to try to have the waters round the island declared a fish sanctuary.

Legend Of Old Fiji

There is a legend "NANANU-I-RA" which goes something like this:- "Once upon a time
there lived in the village of Nanukuloa (village of black sands) on Viti Levu (Queen of the
sands). Adi fell in love with a handsome young chief from Bua, about twenty miles across the
water. Bua was famous for its forests of beautiful sandalwood with a fragrant perfumed
timber, and the people of Bua were great canoe sailors.

Adi's lover, being a skilled sailor, sailed his fast canoe across the intervening sea to visit her,
bearing many gifts carved from the exotic sandalwood of Bua.

Unfortunately, however, the tribes of Bua and the tribes on Viti Levu were not friendly, and
the suit of the young chieftain was rejected by Adi's father and the chief of Nanukuloa.

Undaunted, however, the two lovers were determined to meet secretly and this is what they
did. Off the coast near Adi's village is the island of Nananu-i-Ra, meaning "Dreamland in the
West" and it was here the lovers arranged to meet. [TOP]

The Red Prawns Of Vatulele

Long ago on the island of Vatulele there lived a very beautiful chief's daughter called
"Yalewa-ni-Cagi-Bula" or Maiden-of-the-Fair-Wind. So beautiful was she that every eligible
chief who visited Vatulele sought to take her as his bride. Yalewa-ni-Cagi-Bula however, was
hard to please and on every occasion she scornfully refused to accept their approaches.

Not far away on the mainland of Viti Levu lived a very handsome and dashing chief's son who
was heir to the throne of mainland tribes. He had heard of the beautiful daughter of the chief
of Vatulele and decided that she was worthy to be his wife. Finally, after much preparation,
our bold young chief set off, laden with gifts, to seek the favours of yalewa-ni-Cagi-Bula. He
was well received by the chiefs of Vatulele, and confidently, he produced the special gift
which he had personally carried from his mainland.
This gift consisted of the greatest delicacy known to Fiji Islands, a bundle of giant prawns
from the coastal streams of Viti Levu, cooked to a tasty turn in coconut milk. Such a delicacy
could be expected to melt the heart of any Fijian maiden - but not so on this occasion.

Her face clouded in anger and with flashing eyes she commanded ladies in waiting to seize
him and take him to the highest cliff on the island above the "Caves of the Eagles" (known in
Fiji as Ganilau) and cast him out into the sea. As he tumbled down the cliff to the sea his gift
of bright red prawns fell from his hands into a rocky pool at the base of the cliff, and the
leaves in which they were wrapped fell among the rocks around the pool. Our bold young
chief survived the fall and returned sadly home to end his days pining for his lost love.
Everyday he would go down to the sea and look towards the south where on a clear day, he
could just make out on the horizon a dark line which was Vatulele. Legends tells us that on
one occasion he even began to build a bridge of stone to span the sea between Vatulele and
Viti Levu and the remains of this bridge can still be seen jutting out to sea near the village of
Votualailai. The end of the story is as interesting as the beginning for where the red prawns
fell into the rocky pool they came to life and to this day the pools under the cliffs on Vatulele
are filled with bright scarlet prawns and in the crevices of the rocks grow the leaves in which
they were wrapped. To the Fijians of Vatulele these bright scarlet prawns known as "URA-
BUTA" or "cooked Prawns" are sacred and may not be harmed in any way.

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