PICTURE yourself playing rugby on a field under the hot blazing sun as it approaches midday and when the clock hits 12pm, you stop playing and find yourself sitting or squatting in reverence of a prayer being recited in the area.
This scenario is exactly what happened in the Wairiki Parish Grounds in Taveuni, where the Fiji Bitter Wairiki 7s Carnival took place from December 11-14.
The final leg of the Fiji Bitter 7s series for this year, the tournament was a rollercoaster of thrill, horror and intensity set against the backdrop of religion, rugby and the essence of grassroots rugby in its most raw form.
Coverage of the four-day event for The Fiji Times was a whirlwind of thoughts and actions that trickled to being at the right place, at the right time with the right mindset and a relentless pursuit for reporting, filming and capturing rugby and the spirit of community on the Garden Island of Fiji.
The Wairiki 7s was now in its 17th year since its humble beginning in 2007 and Wairiki, with its majesty of being a Catholic parish caught between two drastically different periods of time was the centre of attention and activity on Taveuni.
Categories of competition ranged from the junior grade to the under-18-21 and the men’s category.
Volleyball and netball competitions prevalent in prior Fiji Bitter 7s stops were not available in the Wairiki leg.
The journey from Suva
This reporter and photographer Eliki Nukutabu departed The Fiji Times office on the afternoon of Monday, December 16 for the Narain Jetty in Walu Bay, Suva where the MV Lady Daya would transport a myriad of rugby players, technical officials and other passengers to Taveuni.
The only inter island ferry trip to the island for the week, it saw a multitude of passengers aboard a ship sailing first to Savusavu and to Taveuni after.
Sailing towards the Garden Island for many passengers on board was a visual feast of absorbing the island’s grandeur from its lush vegetation and the alluring azure waters surrounding it as the nation’s largest island loomed in size from being a mere speck on the horizon.
Disembarking from the boat and onto the island involved claiming our luggage from the baggage hold area and it was a short ride to the First Light Inn, where we would be accommodated for the entirety of our time there.
Settling in and planning
The vital task of getting to know your surroundings was a paramount thing to tackle once we checked in at the inn.
We became acquainted with other tournament officials at the inn who helped facilitate our access to the grounds or other related aspects such as meals and items such as special bibs for members of the media.
Our first trip from the inn took us to Somosomo Town where we needed to stock up on essential supplies to last us for the duration of our time on the island.
Heading back to the inn meant a mandatory phone call to the office where they were informed of our progress and also meant sending an update on the tournament, since the junior grade matches were underway then.
We both agreed coverage of the tournament needed full on-time exposure on print and online for everyone with access to either one or both could be kept updated of what went down.
This notion would pay off later in the week, with a ferris wheel in Wairiki gaining widespread notoriety for its faulty behaviour.
Matches unfold
The junior grade matches wrapped up on the first official day of competition and pool matches in the under 18-21 and men’s category unfolded.
The prevalence of flair, agility and skill shown by the 24 under 18-21 teams and 20 men’s teams were testament to the immense talent on display at the grassroots level.
Teams travelled from as far as Kadavu (BLK Lavidi) or as near as Lavena in Taveuni (St Teresa Naba) to be part of the thrill and fun underway in Wairiki at the time.
This newspaper spoke to the Supercool Vatukoro under 18-21 side, and its team coach Ilai Nameke spoke of how they had to fundraise through selling kaji cards to finance their way to Wairiki.
Meanwhile, the Fiji Pine Brothers team was made up of players who had to juggle work and training to prepare itself for the tournament.
Listening to the stories of how teams made it to the tournament, one cannot help but feel a sense of understanding and compassion for the seemingly Herculean effort they put in to get themselves into tournaments as such.
It demonstrated the pursuit of commitment and refining themselves for more intense rugby scenarios and the affirmation of the power and potential present within grassroots rugby.
Ferris wheel galore
By the time this has been read, the ferris wheel that spun out of control is now a distant memory in the minds of so many people but for those who were oblivious to the incident, this is a brief account of what transpired.
At the Wairiki tournament, the ferris wheel was one of the many additions to the carnival atmosphere where food and gaming stalls were also abuzz with activity.
Spectators flocked to the ferris wheel at the end of day one to enjoy the thrill it gave and happily rode it until it encountered a mechanical fault.
What unfolded after was controlled chaos, as bystanders leaped over barricades and rushed to the ferris wheel in a frantic attempt to get passengers off.
Once the situation was controlled and no lives were lost, the ride was halted indefinitely while the public scrutiny from those present and others viewing the incident on The Fiji Times Facebook page continued.
The incident attracted the attention of Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka, who announced a nation-wide ban on ferris wheels.
Hospitality and glee
While the ferris wheel sat silently and loomed over the Wairiki Parish grounds like a dormant entity, the games and hospitality of the people of Taveuni bloomed in the opposite.
There was always rambunctious laughter and merry-making wherever you went and the unceasing invitations of breakfast, lunch and dinner.
The Fiji Times team were treated to delicious meals such as sui, fish prepared in various ways, barbecue, a buffet spread and among other things – wacipoki.
Breakfast was a variation of either pineapple pie coated with condensed milk, roti parcels and buttered scones.
The organisers ensured everyone was always well fed or had enough to drink (in grog and fizzy drinks of course) and went out of their way to ensure we were taken care of as well.
Wrap-up in Wairiki
Viti Roofing Devo Babas would go on to win the men’s category and walk away with $12,000 cash, the Aloha Brothers team won the under-18-21 category and the Lilian Amazon team would win the women’s category.
And with that, our time in Wairiki had come to an end and with it, the eye-opening experiences this reporter and photographer Eliki Nukutabu had a chance to live for themselves.
We departed Taveuni for Suva on the morning of Sunday, December 16 on board MV Lady Daya as it took us and most teams and officials back to Viti Levu.
The trip back to Suva was a quiet one, as everyone held on and braced themselves against the churning waves and long boat ride from Taveuni to Savusavu and eventually Suva.
Conclusion
Covering a tournament so far from the office comes with its challenges, and The Fiji Times team to Wairiki expresses its greatest thanks to the many officials and people on the island who we had the greatest pleasure in getting to know, help make our time there and the tournament the success it turned out to be.
In conclusion, this piece ends with a brief story of our time there. After the end of day two, The Fiji Times team, a media colleague and our driver had ventured up to the International Date Line to have a look at it.
Once there, we decided to film our wrap-up presentation for Saturday at the date line as a pre-recorded intro since we would all be too busy or tired on the actual day.
Eliki held the camera (an iPhone held in a stabilised frame) and on the count of 3, we were off filming what would lead everyone to think it was done on Saturday.
As the filming continued, Eliki noticed our driver was so fascinated with the entire production process as this reporter wrapped up the tournament on Thursday when it was in fact going to be on Saturday.
Once this reporter signed off and filming stopped, our driver was still in a fascinated state when Eliki swung the camera onto him and yelled out “And the weather?”
The driver was taken aback and stuttered in shock and confusion before everyone burst out into a state of laughter.
And the weather!
Tournament officials, referees and the Viti Roofing Devo Babas and Police teams stand for the national anthem before the cup final on Saturday, December 14 at the Wairiki Parish Grounds. Picture: VEREIMI WARA
The Supercool Vatukoro under 18-21 team pose for the camera as the Holy Cross Parish looms behind them at the Wairiki Parish Grounds in Taveuni on Thursday, December 12, 2024. Picture: VEREIMI WARA
The Taveuni coastline sandwiched between the sea and blue skies on Sunday, December 15, 2024. Picture: VEREIMI WARA
From left: The Fiji Times sports reporter Vereimi Wara, BulaFM radio announcer Milika Malaka, The Fiji Times photographer Eliki Nukutabu and driver Paulo Vuki at the International Date Line in Taveuni. Picture: VEREIMI WARA
The Wairiki Parish Grounds as seen from the sea. Picture: SUPPLIED