Stanley - Moon Fiji

A$ Australian dollars

adi the female equivalent of ratu

archipelago a group of islands

ATM automated teller machine

atoll a low-lying, ring-shaped coral reef enclosing a lagoon

balabala tree fern

balawa pandanus, screw pine

balolo in Fijian, a reef worm (Eunice viridis)

bark cloth see tapa

barrier reef a coral reef separated from the adjacent shore by a lagoon

bche-de-mer sea cucumber; an edible sea slug

beka flying fox

bete a traditional priest of the old religion

bilibili a bamboo raft

bilo a kava-drinking cup made from a coconut shell

blackbirder A 19th-century European recruiter of island labor, mostly ni-Vanuatu and Solomon Islanders taken to work on plantations in Queensland and Fiji

Bose vaka-Turaga Great Council of Chiefs

Bose vaka-Yasana Provincial Council

breadfruit a large, round fruit with starchy flesh, often baked in the lovo

bula shirt a colorful Fijian aloha shirt

buli Fijian administrative officer in charge of a tikina; subordinate of the roko tui

bure a Fijian house

BYO Bring Your Own (used to refer to restaurants that allow you to bring your own alcoholic beverages)

C Celsius

caldera a wide crater formed through the collapse or explosion of a volcano

cassava manioc; the starchy edible root of the tapioca plant

CDW collision damage waiver

chain an archaic unit of length equivalent to 20 meters

ciguatera a form of fish poisoning caused by microscopic algae

codeshare a system whereby two or more airlines own seats on a single flight

coir coconut-husk sennit used to make rope, etc.

confirmation A confirmed reservation exists when a supplier acknowledges, either orally or in writing, that a booking has been accepted.

copra dried coconut meat used in the manufacturing of coconut oil, cosmetics, soap, and margarine

coral a hard, calcareous substance of various shapes, composed of the skeletons of tiny marine animals called polyps

coral bank a coral formation more than 150 meters long

coral bleaching the expulsion of symbiotic algae by corals

coral head a coral formation a few meters across

coral patch a coral formation up to 150 meters long

cyclone Also known as a hurricane (in the Caribbean) or typhoon (in Japan). A tropical storm that rotates around a center of low atmospheric pressure, it becomes a cyclone when its winds reach force 12 or 64 knots. At sea, the air will be filled with foam and driving spray, and the water surface will be completely white with 14-meter-high waves. In the Northern Hemisphere, cyclones spin counterclockwise, while south of the equator they move clockwise. The winds of cyclonic storms are deflected toward a low-pressure area at the center, although the eye of the cyclone may be calm.

dalo see taro

Degei the greatest of the pre-Christian Fijian gods

desiccated coconut the shredded meat of dehydrated fresh coconut

direct flight a through flight with one or more stops, but no change of aircraft, as opposed to a nonstop flight

drua an ancient Fijian double canoe

dugong a large plant-eating marine mammal; called a manatee in the Caribbean

EEZ Exclusive Economic Zone; a 200-nautical-mile offshore belt of an island nation or seacoast state that controls the mineral exploitation and fishing rights

endemic native to a particular area and existing only there

expatriate a person residing in a country other than his/her own; in the South Pacific, such persons are also called Europeans if their skin is white, or simply expats.

F$ Fiji dollars

FAD fish aggregation device

fissure a narrow crack or chasm of some length and depth

FIT foreign independent travel; a custom-designed, prepaid tour composed of many individualized arrangements

4WD four-wheel drive

fringing reef a reef along the shore of an island

GPS Global Positioning System, the space-age successor of the sextant

guano manure of seabirds or bats, used as a fertilizer

guyot a submerged atoll, the coral of which couldnt keep up with rising water levels

hurricane see cyclone

ika fish

ivi the Polynesian chestnut tree (Inocarpus edulis)

jug a cross between a ceramic kettle and a pitcher, used to heat water for tea or coffee in Australian-style hotels

kai freshwater mussel

kaihidi an Indo-Fijian

kaisi a commoner

kaivalagi a European

kaiviti an indigenous Fijian

kava a Polynesian word for the drink known in the Fijian language as yaqona and in English slang as grog. This traditional beverage is made by squeezing a mixture of the grated root of the pepper shrub (Piper methysticum) and cold water through a strainer of hibiscus-bark fiber.

kerekere asking or borrowing something from a member of ones own group

km kilometer

knot about three kilometers per hour

kokoda chopped raw fish and sea urchins marinated with onions and lemon

koro village

kph kilometers per hour

kumala sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas)

kumi stenciled tapa cloth

lagoon an expanse of water bounded by a reef

lali a hollow-log drum hit with a stick

lapita pottery pottery made by the ancient Polynesians from 1600500 B.C.

LDS Latter-day Saints; the Mormons

leeward downwind; the shore (or side) sheltered from the wind; as opposed to windward

liveaboard a tour boat with cabin accommodation for scuba divers

LMS London Missionary Society; a Protestant group that spread Christianity from Tahiti (1797) across the Pacific