The Coral Coast is the name given to the stretch of southern Viti Levu between Sigatoka and Pacific Harbour, and the name is earned. A fringing reef runs along most of the shoreline, a few hundred metres out, and at low tide you can see the pale shapes of coral heads through shallow, clear water. Behind it, dark green hills rise toward the interior, covered in forest and sugar cane and cut by short streams that rush down to the sea. This is the leeward side of the island, so it gets less rain than the east, and the weather is usually kinder.
The Queens Road runs the length of it, and it is a very easy road. The surface is mostly sealed and good, the corners are lazy and rolling, and the sea glints at the edge of the view every few minutes. It is not a road for speed, and the traffic of buses, trucks and local cars moves at its own gentle pace. Every village has speed bumps, and you will pass school children in neat uniforms, men carrying machetes and women selling fruit from roadside stalls. Slow down, wave, and you will get a lot of waves and the word bula, the Fijian greeting, in return.
Life here is built around the villages and the sea. Many villages own the fishing rights to the reef in front of them, and traditions still matter. If you are invited into a village, accept with modesty. Shoulders and knees should be covered, hats are usually removed, and a gift of kava root is the traditional courtesy. Several resorts along the coast welcome day visitors for lunch and a swim, and the snorkelling over the reef is excellent. A small wildlife park near Sigatoka shows some of Fiji's native species, including native birds and the banded iguana.
There is no single stopping point on the Coral Coast, because the whole length is the experience. Fuel stations are found in Sigatoka and the larger centres, with only occasional small pumps between, so top up when you have the chance. Shops in the villages sell cold drinks and snacks, and fruit stalls offer pineapple, mango and coconut. Late afternoon, when the light turns gold and the sea flattens, is the best time to be on the road.