The guide books recommend a trip to the Vit Levu rain forest. So we headed off on a bus with the other ICA crews. The bus was an interesting machine. The seats were basic, and the heat was oppressive until we moved off and the windows brought in some cooler air. The driver was an Asian man with short tightly greased down hair who had a face of grim concentration as opposed to the tour guide a cheerful young Polynesian man, armed with a loud hailer. The reasons for the loud hailer and the concentration soon became clear. The noise of the engine was intense and only the loud hailer could overcome it. As the ancient British Leyland bus ascended the steep volcanic hills that surround Savu Savu the reason for the concentration became clear. The frequent gear changes were made without the benefit of syncromesh. The driver simply adjusted the revs and crashed the gears through. Only once did he miss the bus came to a standstill and then roared again up the steep hills.

As you ascend some tremendous panoramas came into view and you could see the bays of Savu Savu hundreds of feet below. Out in the villages the population is more Polynesian. Villages tend to be of building block with tin roofs rather than traditional with the quality of build varying quite widely.

As you ascend the temperature cooled and the vegetation becomes more verdant. Surprisingly, however it didn't rain. A small layby marks the national park where we were greeted by the park rangers. The park has been clearly assisted by New Zealand. A circular walk of about two hours had been constructed in the style of a DOC path, even down to the numerous caution signs that New Zealand DOC paths tend to have.

The path drops down steeply through thick forest. There are instructive markers showing the name and history of the various native trees. Eventually the path arrives at some pleasant waterfalls before beginning the steep ascent back to the road and our wheezing transport.