Tivua is a small Island in the northern part of the Mamanucas, surrounded by 500 acres of coral reef, a white sandy beach and an extensive lagoon.
The Island is owned by Captain Cook Cruises Fiji (CCCF), who offer a tailored full-day Island Day cruise package to guests from all parts of the world- including locals – who want to get away from it all and enjoy the sun, the sand, and the sea.
Sailing on the Spirit of the Pacific – which can carry 100 passengers and 13 crew members – enjoying scenic views of the surrounding islands, a leisurely sail and soothing tunes from the local crew, it takes about an hour and 25 minutes to get to Tivua Island.
A delicious tropical buffet lunch including beer, wine and soft drinks is included and all guests can partake in a kava ceremony. The cruise back to Denarau includes a coconut demonstration, basket weaving, afternoon tea and more music and entertainment.
“Departing at 10am from Port Denarau Marina and returning at 5pm every day of the year, except for Christmas day, Tivua is not too far from Denarau and the Island Day cruise enables guests to have the whole Island to themselves without having to worry about resorts guest,” says CCCF managing director, Jackie Haworth-Charlton.
Here are 5 reasons why you need to go on a Tivua Island Day cruise:
1. The sailing
The Spirit of the Pacific was built for the cold waters of New Zealand as a training vessel for the youth of New Zealand. CCCF has recently renovated and opened up the vessel for the tropics, getting rid of a lot of superfluous structures. “We have now made her much better for the type of purpose we have for her,” explains Haworth-Charlton. “The vessel now has a revised reek so instead of having the big square sails which made sailing with our strict timing a little complicated she now just has a much simpler reek so the crew are excited about getting the sails up and actually doing the sailing. The passengers are welcome to get involved with the sailing aspects and the crew are always delighted to be inclusive in that,” she adds.
2. The snorkelling
There are some beautiful pockets of coral and fish. CCCF recommends that their snorkelling passengers go with a guide so that they can see the best parts of the coral. “We have sea anemones, with the beautiful clownfish swimming through the, and there are lovely branch and rain coral out there. Of course for beginners sometimes they like to just go slowly, put their hands on the sand and find their own way out snorkelling and they are certainly welcome to do that without having to go to deeper water. And it is a great place to learn to snorkel because of that. It is nice and shallow immediately into the beach so you can get your confidence up before you go out into the deeper water,” says Haworth-Charlton.
3. Glass Bottom Coral Viewing
When the time is right, CCCF crew launch the glass bottom boat which their marine biologists guide to the best coral areas around the Island for the guests and do a little bit of talk about the lovely things to see there which is great for those people who perhaps do not have the confidence to go snorkelling, or the very young or very old. “The whole experience appeals to a really board market. Not those who are keen to hear a lot of noisy Jet Skis or speed boats around the islands that is not what we are about. It is about nice and relaxing and getting to know about all about nature and what it has to offer and it is at its best out there on Tivua Island.”
4. Picture perfect kayaking
It takes 10 minutes to walk and about 20 minutes to kayak around the Island. Most of the kayaks are doubles so you can take a friend and enjoy the beautiful water. There are also a couple of Stand-Up Paddleboards there as well so can give that a try. “We have a few Kayaks on Tivua Island and you can kayak around the island in about 20 minutes which is pretty good. Because of the protective water it is a fantastic place to kayak,” says Haworth-Charlton.
5. Nature/medicinal walk
Day cruise guest get a guided-walk through the Island and explained the uses of all the plants that grow on Tivua Island. Fijian folklore has uses for most things and alternatives to modern medicine to rectify things like if you have a cut to give it some antiseptic, if you have a sore tummy then the leaves you can take to help settle that. So there are lots uses for the plants that are on the island that can be pointed out such as Noni, Dilo, Sekoula leaves. “The use of local plants and flowers are very much part of local culture so certainly the Nature Walk on Tivua Island is a wonderful experience,” shares Haworth-Charlton.
But wait, there is more…
Indulge in a spa treatment from Senikai Spa
Senikai Spa is one of the two service providers contracted by CCCF to enhance experience of the Island Day cruise guests. Senikai Spa have a couple of massage and beauty consultants on the island who will be able to do hair braiding or therapeutic massage for the guests and they are quite happy to do a really hard therapeutic massage or a nice gentle, relaxing massage by the beachside. “It is wonderful to have a massage in the open air. We have a dedicated bure for the massage but they are open so you can hear the waves slapping the shores while you are having a massage,” says Haworth-Charlton.
The diving experience by Viti Water Sports
CCCF recently introduced a new dive wreck called, Raiyawa, an exciting dive for avid divers who want to do something adventurous. What used to be a signal boat around the islands of Fiji before being decommissioned by the Fijian Government, now provides an amazing dive platform, housing incredible amounts of fish, Groupers, Batfish, and lots of schools’ of smaller fish hiding in her depth. Haworth-Charlton says Raiyawa is at 22m so for advance divers but there is some wonderful shallow dives around the island too. “We are very popular with open water divers as well as those wanting to experience there first dive,” she adds.
Oh, and there is the Kids’ Club
CCCF has a kids’ activities manager and a bure dedicated to that on the Island. So if parents wish to come out and enjoy the snorkelling and their children are too young to be able to go with then the CCCF kids’ activities manager will be there to keep them occupied so a great day out for the whole family.
And finally, the Wedding Point
The Wedding Point lies on the Western side of Tivua and it is an absolutely beautifully romantic side of the Island, particularly at sunset as the sun falls below the beautiful islands of the Mamanucas. “It is away from our Day Cruise passengers. We have a lovely archway that we decorate with flowers and leaves. It is very, very simple but people from all parts of the world, but Australia and New Zealand it is becoming extremely popular to get married in Fiji. The number of weddings that we have done over the past 12 months include, Italian, Australian, New Zealand, and Fijian. It is on the rise,” Haworth-Charlton says.
Tivua Island has only two accommodation bures so you can spend the night out there and it is very inclusive — apart from that the island is just for the Island Day cruise.
For information on Tivua Island Day Trip Cruise, visit www.captaincookcruisesfiji.com
