Hello All,
Please enjoy this story from our book "We lived among the stars"..
THE KING'S ISLAND
Mystery surrounded the day from its inception. Mist hovered over the mangrove swamps and filtered its way down the streams of muddy waters.
We waded towards the bond wood fishing boat, the incoming tide already lifting it afloat. One after another we clambered in and soon we were on our way. Bright red crabs, camouflaged among the fallen leaves, darted into their mud holes as the noise of our outboard motor passed them by.
After some time we came to a clearing where the river outlets were merging into the sea. Revving up the throttle, we headed for a tiny speck on the horizon. It was the island of Bau, the Kings' Island.
As we were approaching, two men in a high-powered runabout swerved alongside us and came to a halt about 50 meters away. They were yelling out in their native Fijian language. ‘Get your hats off’; the boat owner urgently interpreted to us. We were entering the restricted area of the Kings' Island. It was only by permission or special invitation that we could enter this area and we were glad we had obtained the necessary permit.
The sun was more intense on our bare heads as, cutting our motor, we slowly edged our way through the shallow coral waters towards an old wooden landing ramp that led up towards some thatched roofed houses. The island is small in size, about 20 acres, yet it is big in the eyes of all Fijians. On occasions I had flown over it and it looked compact and beautiful. It appeared that every inch was occupied with well-planned homes and gardens, bordered paths leading to various centers.
