IT’S hard to miss Fiji’s first purpose-built ecotourism lodge while driving along Princes Rd in Colo-i-Suva.
Located opposite the police post and next to the Colo-i-Suva forest park and Forestry Department, Raintree Lodge has come a long way since the 1950s.
Standing on remnants of an ancient volcanic plug, the site which the lodge stands on is known as Naulukaroa, which means the head of the clan.
This week, we highlight some of the activities offered by the resort that lives up to its reputation as an eco-friendly getaway for tourists and locals.
In and around Raintree
According to owner Tom Davies, guests have the option of a dip in the larger of two lakes, which was fed by natural springs, and having started life as a quarry, extremely deep.
“As you’ll see from our lakeside restaurant veranda, it’s also teeming with tilapia and grass carp — if fishing takes your fancy ask at reception for the loan of a handline or how about a bit of boating?
“Our hand-carved twin-hull canoe ‘Raintree Logs’ is available to house guests at no charge. So too is ‘Bottles Up’, Fiji’s first boat made from recycled plastic bottles — it’s Raintree’s own creation.
“Raintree is especially well situated for bushwalking and internationally-acclaimed birdwatching. While we strongly encourage an excursion into the local Colo-i-Suva forest park, many of the bird species, including raucous parrots and the intriguing barking pigeon, can be seen and heard within the property.
“Sit quietly almost anywhere at Raintree and you should spot honey-eaters and other small birds at quite close quarters. As well as bird life, the forest park offers waterfalls and natural swimming holes to cool off in.
“You might like to take a picnic lunch from Raintree’s kitchen and make a day of it.”
Mr Davies said the resort and its activities had received positive reviews from travel sites including Lonely Planet, which described it as Suva’s best budget accommodation on the edge of the rainforest.
History
In modern times, Mr Davies said, the site was a quarry used from the 1950s to the 1970s as a source of rock for road building.
“Quarrying operations were prematurely and permanently halted when freshwater springs were encountered, and the site quickly filled with water to a depth of 110 feet. Among equipment workers who were unable to move to safety were two trucks and a bulldozer, which remained on the lake bed to this day. Participants in a specialist Fiji Navy training exercise conducted in the lake reported all three vehicles to be in excellent condition. In 1994, the abandoned quarry was developed for use as a plant nursery and landscaping business. Then four years later, the construction of Raintree Lodge began.
“This was Fiji’s first purpose-built ecotourism resort and great care was taken to preserve the site’s natural beauty and ecosystems.”
He said careful planning meant that only one tree needed to be removed from the site during this initial stage.
“The timber buildings were carefully located so as not to disturb even large rocks and boulders and to give pleasant lake and forest views.
“Grey water from Raintree’s showers, hand basins, laundry and kitchen is recycled. The set-up is highly efficient and combines standard filtration methods with a natural process using wetland plants.”
Refreshed and re-oxygenated, he said, the water could be safely returned to the lake system and toilet wastes were treated quite separately, and after appropriate processing discharged into a regular off-site drainage system.
Recommendation
In the spirit of promoting the best of Fijian hospitality and tourism, Mr Davies said, a side-trip to Cagalai Island was an opportunity not to be missed.
“After a spell at Raintree, we truly recommend a side-trip to another very special place, different again, and somewhere few visitors to Fiji ever get to discover.
“Cagalai is a dot in the ocean, a classic little coral island getaway, run in the simplest manner by a Fijian family under the sponsorship of their church. You’ll find no frills here, just the simple joy of living and the remarkable hospitality for which Fiji is famous,” Mr Davies said.
