Adventure, Recreation, Fieldwork

Text / Monideepa Banerjee Photos/Taitung County, Lyudao Township Office; Whyatt Lavigne; Derek Lavigne

CHAORIH HOT SPRINGS AT THE SOUTHERN TIP OF GREEN ISLAND INVITE YOU TO A RELAXING SOAK IN HOT SALTWATER (PHOTO BY SONG JHIH-SYONG).

On June 8th, an eclectic mix of seventeen international students from thirteen different countries boarded a Taitungbound night train at Taipei Main Railway Station, ultimately headed for Green Island off the southeast coast. Writer Monideepa Banerjee accompanied the group to document its numerous activities and achievements on this excursion.

"Taiwan has so much to offer in terms of fascinating landscape and diverse recreational pursuits, but staying confined in the city we tend to overlook that,"says Diane Schultz, the Coordinator for International Awards at Taipei European School. “Green Island (綠島), located 33 kilometers off the coast of Taitung (台東) in the far south of eastern Taiwan, is one such treasure trove of recreational delights – hiking, snorkeling, surfing, swimming, scuba diving, camping. The variety seems endless and too enticing to give it a miss, even though it can induce a healthy sweat and a deep tan,” she adds, smiling.

Awards Program

The awards program was introduced in the U.K. in 1956 to motivate young people to achieve balanced personal growth while improving self-reliance, perseverance, and responsibility. The program includes expeditions like the one to Green Island just mentioned, where the students participate in challenging activities, and do an in-depth study of local conditions to gain knowledge, understanding, and awareness on matters regarding protection of ecology and environment.

Peter Greener, the head of the European School's Geography Department, feels that Green Island has the ideal environment for a geography fieldtrip as students can study diverse coastal landforms, unique flora and fauna, varied soil and water conditions, the history of settlement and culture, and the development of tourism. A number of activities during the recent trip were part of the school's International Baccalaureate (IB) Program, a two-year diploma program that prepares students for university study.

The well-developed infrastructure and facilities, on a par with other better-known scuba-diving and snorkeling destinations in Asia, have contributed to Green Island being a safe environment where young people can travel around freely without much supervision needed.

Origin and History

Green Island is an island of volcanic origin that surged above the water's surface after millions of years of volcanic activity. There are rugged hills that were shaped by spouting volcanoes, giant boulders of exposed andesite, and expansive grassy meadows on sites that were once terraces under the sea. Weathering and wave erosion over countlessyears has resulted in a curving and complex coastline where nature has sculpted many interesting and imposing geological formations, which are among the main tourist attractions of the island.

Prehistoric relics excavated here have revealed that Green Island was first settled about 4,000 years ago. Han Chinese immigrants arrived some 200 years ago and named the place Huoshao (Fire) Island (火燒島) for the black rock that looks as though it has been torched. Some say the name was given to the island because the people used to set up fires on the shore at night to direct their fishermen home. The island was renamed Green Island (綠島) in 1949.

For many years in Taiwan's modern, post-WW II era Green Island, because of its relative isolation, served as a detention center for political prisoners. Its tourism potential was only realized in the 1980s, and the government then began developing the local infrastructure. The island became part of the East Coast National Scenic Area (東部海岸國家風景區) in 1990 and since then services and facilities have steadily improved.

Tourist Attractions

The island consists of a landmass of 16.2 square kilometers and a population of 2,000. Most residents are involved in the fishing and tourism industries. Green Island has a multitude of attractions that make it a coveted destination: the silverywhite beach of Dabaisha (大白沙), the beautiful underwater world of coral reefs, tall rocky outcrops of fascinating shape, and lush hills for hiking. Most places of interest, such as the many oddly shaped rocks along the coast or the beautiful Guanyin Cave (觀音洞), can be easily reached by following the 18km round-the-island road.

The only major town on Green Island, Jhongliao (中寮), and the small airport, are located in the western part of the island. There is not much commercial activity in other parts, allowing visitors to take in unobstructed views of pristine nature. Along the coast, the thunderous wave-action of the mighty Pacific Ocean has sculpted a wide variety of craggy rocks with bizarre shapes and peculiar names, such as 'Pekinese Dog Rock' (哈巴狗岩). On the eastern side of the island, close to the Fanchuanbi Campground (帆船鼻露營區), are the Jhaori Hot Springs (朝日溫泉) – only one of three saltwater hot springs in the world – with facilities that were upgraded recently.

Scuba Diving and Snorkeling

GREEN ISLAND LIGHTHOUSE

During our fieldtrip, four students in each group took turns diving at various places along the coast, supervised by diving instructor Scott Stevens, who has been certified by the Professional Association of Diving Instructors (PADI). After diving lessons the students went snorkeling and diving at Chaikou (柴口) on the northern side near Green Island Lighthouse (綠島燈塔), at Shihlang (石郎) near the fishing harbor on the west side, and at Dabaisha near the southern tip of the island. All these spots are easily accessible by vehicle. We stayed in a hotel near the harbor that was within walking distance of Shihlang village.

The warm, shallow, clear sea water provides an excellent marine environment that supports countless beautiful coral formations and diverse aquatic life. There are over 150 types of hard coral and nearly 50 species of soft coral found around Green Island, some of them rare and quite exotic. Diane Schultz, who herself is an accomplished diver, comments that she has seen many varieties of ocean life here that she has not seen elsewhere in Asia.

The water temperature is comfortable year-round and visibility is usually very good, comparable to any good diving location around the world, says Scott. But sometimes strong winds and water currents do affect the visibility. 'You can't avoid the chance factor in life,' said Sala stoically during the trip. One of the students reported that her group did not have good visibility. But fellow adventurers Kevin, Naohiro, Deep, and Luke said they felt that diving in Green Island is fantastic. They went down quite deep, the visibility was superb, and they even spotted a sea snake, a rare sight according to Scott, who comes to Green Island regularly.

Hiking, Walking, and Working on the Beach

The students alternated between diving and hiking on the first day. They hiked the 281m-high Mt. Huoshao (Fireburned Mountain; 火燒山), its peak the highest point on the island, starting near Nanliao (南寮). They walked almost six hours and covered a distance of about 14 kilometers. The abundance of birdlife and its sweet symphony added thatmuch more to a pleasant yet strenuous experience, agreed the hikers unanimously. They spotted quite a few interesting varieties of lizard as well. 

THIS TRAIL TO OBSERVATION PAVILIONS ON TOP OF THE HILL IS KNOWN AS THE 'LITTLE GREAT WALL'.

For most of the second day, the geography students worked on the coast collecting sand samples, measuring water and wind currents, and studying gradient levels, while the rest were involved in gathering information for a tourismimpact study. Scot also worked with two diving groups. The day was hot and sunny; some of the students got badly sunburned, but their spirits continued to soar high.

The third day was reserved for walks at various spots around the island, and for photo-documenting the settlement patterns of the island and the changes taking place. We visited the Human Rights Memorial Park (人權紀念公園) by the sea, where a somber monument commemorates the martyrs of the global community's human-rights struggle. The rest of the day was spent swimming and browsing through shops.

In the end the tour was an exhausting but enriching experience and after our 4-day, 3-night sojourn we felt sad when departing the island, carrying home memories of azure-blue skies, emerald mountains, turquoise blue waters, golden sand, and phantasmagorical coral reefs.

Helpful Hints:

Daily Air (德安航空) flies from Taitung to Green Island three times a day. There is frequent ferry service from Fugang (富岡) with the trip lasting about an hour. The ride is often bumpy so take precautions against sea sickness.

Accommodations are plentiful. There are many homestays or private guesthouses (民宿; a list of legal guesthouses can be found on the Chinese pages of the Tourism Bureau website at http://taiwan.net.tw), which are clean and comfortable and usually cheaper than hotels. The cost of renting snorkeling gear is about NT$400 per day while scuba-diving gear can be hired for NT$1,500~2,000 per day. Rates are flexible and many tour packages include a free snorkeling session. There are many restaurants and small eateries that serve good quality food at reasonable prices. To roam around the island, one can rent a scooter at NT$400 a day.