180th Meridian Marker

On the western coast of Taveuni, a simple marker indicates where the 180th meridian crosses the island. This is the line that corresponds to the International Date Line — or would, if the Date Line hadn't been bent around Fiji to keep the islands on the same calendar. Standing astride the marker, you can technically put one foot in the eastern hemisphere and one in the western.

The marker itself is modest — a concrete post with a painted line — but the concept is fun, and it makes for a memorable photograph. The site is close to the main road on the western coast and takes only a few minutes to visit. Most Taveuni resorts will include it on island tours. The nearby town of Waiyevo is where most of Taveuni's services are concentrated.

things to do sight
A story
Taveuni sits on the 180th meridian — the theoretical International Date Line — but the actual Date Line was bent westward around Fiji in 1879 so the whole country could share the same calendar day. The marker on Taveuni commemorates where the line would run if it followed the meridian strictly. In practice, Taveuni is in UTC+12, same as the rest of Fiji; the "yesterday and today" experience is a pleasant fiction.

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