Tevelave, Les Avirons

Here are a few photos from a guided visit to Tévelave we did yesterday. Tévelave is a village located at an elevation of 900 metres in the municipality of Les Avirons on the south-west coast of Reunion. It has a population of 1500, and is about a 10-kilometre drive up from the town of Les Avirons.

meeting point with our guide

The name Tévelave comes from two Malagasy words tévy and lava meaning "big forest". It was originally a place where slaves (some of whom would have been of Malagasy origin) escaped to.

our guide had prepared a snack for us before we set off exploring 

Modern settlement of Tévelave began in the late 19th and early 20th century when smallholders settled there, cultivating subsistence crops and geranium essential oil. Our guide started the walk by showing us several endemic trees, including the critically endangered Tan rouge (Weinmania tinctoria). This tree can grow up to 18 metres high, and the bees who visit it produce a green-tinged honey called miel vert.

Weinmania tinctoria aka Tan rouge

bois rouge tree

trunk of a Calophyllum tacamahaca tree

The village has a small museum with traditional objects and utensils, including a "chabouc" which is a type of whip that was used on slaves and animals (as well as on children by some parents!). It was traditionally made of plaited agave leaves (see my reference to chabouc in my blog post about Madeleine's Children).

a chabouc suspended on some dried bamboo stalks 

this hillock overlooking the village is known as Piton Soutien Gorges,
which literally means "Bra Peak"!

an unusual house in the village called Maison Deveaux

a Yesterday, today and tomorrow bush (Brunfelsia uniflora) aka Franciscea

Tévlave village church 

Avirons means "oars" in French, and the municipality's coat of arms shows a pair of crossed oars and two Reunion ibis birds. These oars might have been stuck into the ground as some sort of sign, although it's also been suggested that "Les Avirons" is a transformation of the Malagasy word zavironne meaning "a place that can be seen from afar".  The town of Les Avirons was first settled in 1718 by coffee growers. Sugar later replaced coffee and by 1836 14,500 hectares were covered in sugar cane. By 1848 the figure was 23,000 hectares. Although it was initially part of the municipality of Saint-Louis, Les Avirons became a municipality in its own right in 1894.

Coat of arms of Les Avirons 

an azalea tree in a garden

looking across the village to the sea

overgrown shack

After the guided visit we had an excellent meal before heading back down to the coast.

If you'd like to do this visit, either on foot or by bike, (or need a professional guide for other visits to Reunion) you can contact our guide Mathieu Pitou via his website or Facebook page. He speaks fluent English and Italian.

P.S. In my post Did you know? Some facts about Reunion I mention that a raspy cricket on Reunion was found acting as a plant pollinator for the first time in the world (see here for more information about that). The plant pollinated is Angraecum cadetii, a species of orchid endemic to Reunion, and the botanical name cadetii comes from one of Tévelave's most famous former inhabitants, the botanist Theresien Cadet.

See also:

• Madeleine's Children: Family, Freedom, Secrets and Lies in France's Indian Ocean Colonies
• Maison Rouge is a former coffee plantation at Saint-Louis
• Did you know? Some facts about Reunion

Villa Rivière

For European Heritage Days 2019 one of several buildings I visited was Villa Riviere in the town centre of Saint-Paul, on Reunion's west coast. Unlike other buildings that are only open for EHD and are free, Villa Riviere is actually open at other times of the year and there is a fee to visit it, whether or not it's EHD. The entrance charge is well worth it though, as this is one of the most beautiful Creole villas I've ever seen.

front of Villa Rivière 

It was built in the late 18th century in a neoclassical style using stone (basalt) for the building itself and wood for the facade.  The two-storey villa, outbuildings, and garden have been listed as a Historic Monument since 13th March 1990, but have  always remained in private hands.  The house opened to the public for the first time in 2008.

side view of the house front (photo from website)

You are free to visit and take photos of the garden and original kitchen (which is located behind in an outbuilding), but to visit the interior you have to take a tour with a guide and cannot take photos inside the house.

swimming pool

kapok pods, from a kapok tree in the villa garden

kumquats in garden, Villa Riviere 

detail, front verandah 

top floor back verandah 

planter's chair, top floor back verandah 

The house owners are also interested in the arts, and every year since 2014 have organised the "Villa Riviere Prize" which rewards an artist whose work is directly related to the tangible or intangible heritage of Reunion Island. The artwork below is not by one of the prize winners, but simply reflects the owners' interest in contemporary art.

wall artwork, Villa Riviere 

ground floor back veranda, Villa Riviere 

wood flooring, interior (photo from website)

wall covering, interior (photo from website)

At the time of writing this blog post the Villa website is not very well translated into English, but you can nevertheless glean the essential information from it about prices, as well as opening days and times.

You might also like:

• Musée de Villèle
• Chapelle Pointue
• Cimetière Marin 
• Domaine de la Réserve & Ste Suzanne lighthouse