tribewanted visit Kia Island

from w
There's an island west of Mali and Vorovoro Islands called Kia, not to be confused with Kioa which is near Rabi, north of Taveuni, and a home for migrant Tuvalu people.

I noticed in the tribewanted site that some of the guests on Vorovoro went to Kia and had a good time there. the people of Kia are experts in catching fish and turtles - not that the latter are on the menu much these days. Peceli has been in the Labasa area for two weeks but I don't think he had time to visit Vorovoro this time because he had so much to do about distribution of goods from the Geelong Rotary Donation in Kind container that we sent months ago to Labasa.

from the chief's blog:
KIA!

The hill on the horizon. The island of fish. The place where Api comes from. Kia.

Last time we made the cross-channel trip to Kia Island was with Chief Wildgeeza back in Janaury and Api and his family have been asking the tribe to return ever since.

Departing at dawn from Vorovoro we sped across the flat ocean in two fibre punts, landing on the white flour sandy beach of Ligau on the Western side of KIa an hour and a quarter later.

A morning session at the village primary school, was followed by a steep climb to Kia's rocky ridge. Steep, slippery scree and grass, the climb was a good physcial challenge for the tribe and built and appetite for the four meals we managed to eat during the day.

Tui Wasi (Ryan) and the Kia boys dived for our lunch and dinner; meals of fresh curried fish and soup was interspersed with games of rugby, playing with the children on the beach and a long night of kava and meke-ing before all passing out on one mat together.

As more members visit Vorovoro we hope to visit this stunning island and friendly people more, and start to support the school as we do in Mali. And everyone should climb that mountain.
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from Peceli
Yes, I did visit Vorovoro.
I met Ben the main man and he is the Tribe founder in Vorovoro. Vorovoro looks a million dollars in the moonlight. I was with 15 tribe members and more then 40 people welcoming and farewelling people in the traditional manner outside the front or the Fijian Bure. I visited my favourite spot where the turtles laid eggs more than fifty years ago as in Timaima's song. And they told me on Vorovoro that the turtles still lay eggs there, even just last two months ago. I later spent a night with Tui Mali in his house in Vuo village.