What time is it there?!

Apparently there are only 4 or 5 places in the world where the 180th meridian crosses land (3 of these are in Fiji), and of all these places the easiest to actually get to (so we’re told) is on Taveuni. This was the site where many photos of the first sunrise of the new millennium were taken.

Although the island seems very proud of this landmark it’s
hidden in the corner of an overgrown rugby field. It is signposted though and have about 5 minutes to take a few pictures before racing back across the field to catch the last bus back.

NOTE: Of course the International dateline doesn’t actually go through Taveuni. If you’ve ever wondered why it has a funny kink in the middle of the Pacific when you look on maps, that’s where it goes around Fiji.

This has only been the case for the past hundred years or so, and prior to that there are entertaining tales of plantation owners observing different days at each side of their land (and therefore forcing the locals to work 7 days a week), and an enterprising shop owner who got around Sunday trading laws by claiming it was Monday at the back of his shop!