travel Tuesday, September 15, 2020 | 13

SPONSORED CONTENT FIJI’SWOMEN KEEP NATION WARM WITH ‘BULASPIRIT’

t’snot just the tropicalwatersand year-round sunshine that makesthisbeautiful groupof islands oneofthe warmest places on earth. I Meet sixofthe nation’s most innovative women working hard to keep inspiringthat famousFijianspiritWhile crystal-clearwarm FINDING JOYTHROUGH DANCE turquoisewaters, multicoloured fish, gently SACHIKOSORO- DIRECTOROF swaying palmsand laid-back holiday vibes are VOUDANCE amongthe memoriesany luckyvisitor to Fiji takes SachikoSorofounded VouDance as aplace for home with them, it’s theirresistible friendliness of localFijianstogrow, nurtureand develop as itspeoplethatlingerslongafter the tanhas faded. contemporary artists, with thegoalofreachinga KEEPINGTHE CULTUREALIVE globalperformance stage. Before thepandemic, Thesheer joyofanexuberant“Bula”greeting, JANETLOTAWA - DIRECTOR OF RISE herteamwereperformingsold-out showsto delivereddozensoftimes aday,never failstomake BEYOND THEREEF crowds of internationalvisitors just outside yousmile,and it’s easy to see whyFijiisconsidered Combiningher love forFiji’s culture, community of Denarau.Now,theyare travellinglocallyto the happiest countryonEarth.You’d be happytoo andtraditional design techniques, JanetLotawa inspireand educateFijians on thecountry’s if youenjoyedyear-round sunshine,temperatures is behind non-profit organisation Rise Beyond culturalarts. thatrarelydropbelow 25°C, sparkling white-sand theReefwhich currentlyemploys400 women Sachiko’shiddenFiji gem: “KoroIsland beaches andlushtropical islands so beautiful that in remote villagesmakingarange of products. in Lomaiviti.Itisthe real Fiji—laid-back, youcan’t quite believe your eyes. Manyresorts,including SixSenses Fiji, work with community-focused, andeveryoneisintimately Rise Beyond theReeffor variousinteriordesign connectedtothe land andsea.” Fijians love nothingmore thansharing their home projects, which inspires many resortvisitorsto Voufiji.com andculture.But while internationaltourists supportthe organisation.The mostpopularitem have hadtostayawayoverthe past fewmonths, beingmadeatthe moment? Face masks, which are sixofFiji’smostinspiringwomen have found beingdistributedboth locallyand internationally. differentavenues to keep the Bula Spirit alive. Janet’shiddenFijigem: “Vitu Levu’slushinterior They’vefound otherwaystoshare their innovative of mountains, bush andwaterfalls. Thenatural thinking andensurehappiness remainsthe landscape provides so much inspiration.” numberone priority forthe Fijian people. Risebeyondthereef.org

NATURE BABY DAWN SIMPSON - RESORT MANAGERAT DOLPHINISLAND Long-standingresortmanagerDawnSimpson is oftenthe mostmemorable part of aguest’s visitto privateDolphin Island —caringfor othersrunsinher DNA. Dawn,who is workingwith locals in Rakiraki to make sure thenatural environment remains pristine, says sheoften receives lettersfromprevious Kiwi guests whoare missing theresort. Sheusesthe lettersasmotivation to inspire her team to makethe LOOKINGAFTER THEYASAWAS islandevenmorebeautifulfor when they canreturn. JODIEBLY - DIVE MANAGER AT Dawn’s hidden Fiji gem: “I love taking visitors to OCTOPUSRESORT theNararaWaterfall,which is hiddenwithin Rakiraki. Jodie Bly’sHills2Oceanprogramme,created It is a20-foot naturalcascadingwaterfall that has duringthe pandemic, is away forthe Octopus formed aheart-shaped rock poolyou canswimin.” Resortdivemanagertofosterher passionfor Dolphinislandfiji.com creating abrightfuturefor both thelocalpeople on Waya Island andthe naturalenvironment of theremoteYasawa Islands.Throughher CREATIVE IN THEKITCHEN programme, theisland’slocals arelearningto CAROLINEOAKLEY - HEAD CHEFAT dive,assisting with reef conservation projects KOKOMO PRIVATEISLAND andtrainingtobecomediveinstructors.They Kokomo PrivateIslandisfortunate to have a also host beachclean-ups,wherethe collected 2.2hafarmfor itsheadchefCarolineOakleyto plasticisusedtocreatecraftsthatare sold to getcreative with when she’screating her culinary raisefunds fortheir diving memberships. masterpieces —her unique menuisentirelymade Jodie’shiddenFiji gem: “The house reef at Waya usingingredientsfromthe island. Carolineis Islandisone of themostlusheco-systems in Fiji. currently driving Fiji’sDocktoDish movement —an It’s only afew steps from thesandy shores before initiative that supportslocal fishermen from the youcan explorethis colourful underwater world.” Kadavu region. Octopusresortfiji.com Caroline’shiddenFiji gem: “Kiwis need to check outthe GreatAstrolabeReef. It is full of underwater huesofpinks,oranges, yellowsand purplesand frequently visitedbyour friendly mantarays.” Kokomoislandfiji.com 12 | Tuesday, September 15, 2020 travel Dream destination » Memories of paradise

Good vibes, good memories, goodgrief, Iwanttogoback, writes Juliette Sivertsen

hen Iclose my eyes, Ican still hearthe strumofthe guitars. It’s been more than three years since Imoved back to New Zealand after astint W living in Fiji, and —upuntil this year —Iwas successfully making ayearly return. Fiji captured my soul. There’snot just one thing that definesthe islandparadise. It’s acombinationofthe vibrant tropical land- scapes, the generous Fijian hospitality, the island vibes that instantlyrelax you, the warmth of the air absorbing all of life’s stresses.Every timeIreturn, the islands replenishapart of my wellbeing. Ironically, duringayear when this is slowsand thesound of the water lapping water selfies beforehauling our sunburnt bodies needed more than any other timeofmy the hull intensifies,sodothe voices. The back to the main hut for abarbecue feast for life, I’m unable to visit. guitars. The harmonies. There’s always a lunch. Irememberone particulartrip to one of welcomingsongwhen you approachthe With full tummies, we lookedatthe activities the Mamanuca Islands with agirlfriend visit- island, Fijian men and womensinging, smil- board and asignpointing towards jet ski rides, ing from New Zealand. LivinginFiji meant I ing and concluding withagiant“Bula!” as the lookedateach other, and practically ran to the was spoilt for choicefor islandday trips, and yet men offer ahand to assist youoff the boat. booth to sign up. Ibunny-hopped along the ocean this tripalwaysstands out. Two blondebesties Thebeach at Beachcomber Louisa andIfound ahammock between two surface; Louisa was aspeed demon and Iclung with ashared desirefor agood catch up, abit Islandand Juliette Sivertsen palm trees andlaughed as we clumsily clambered to her waist as tightly as Icould, both of us of adventure and to soak up all the“vitamin sea” with friend LouisaNeike. into onetoshare, top to tail, swapping yarnsuntil laughing with equal parts fear and freedom. we could manage. Photos/Juliette Sivertsen; the netting imprinted on our skin. We ran into Three years on, both of us rememberthe trip The set-upatBeachcomber Islandismuchthe Supplied the water with snorkels andIhelpedLouisalearn fondly —even moresoknowingwe’d do nearly same as the dozens of other island day trips in to divedeeper to explore the tropicalfish darting anything to be able to get on aplanerightnow Fiji, but Inever growtired of them. As the boat around theircoral homes. We took cheesyunder- to the South Pacific. Sweetdreams aremadeofthis

Adam Jacot de Boinod Vanua Yasawa Levu shareshis memoriesofFiji’s Islands natural beauty, amazing food, and infinite luxury Fiji Suva Viti Levu

he last lines of the firstverse of PacificOcean traditional Fijian farewellsong Isa Lei perfectly sumupthe longing we Checklist Thave right now for tropical island holidays. FIJI “As the roses will miss the sunatdawn / Every moment my heart for you is yearning.” DETAILS The song is Fiji’s version of aTongan love Formore information,go song, charmingly usedbyavisiting Fijian to fiji.travel sergeantin1915 to court the then-Princesshe was guarding at the time. Ihearditevery- whereIwent on my last trip to Fiji, followed, just as ubiquitously,by“Bula”. These small but vitalconsistent andboutique is that things are small enough Pronounced “Lauthala”,ithas its own very interactions gaveareassuring familiarity to Monuriki Island wasused to be informal. special mystique. my time in Fiji and fill my memories now, as the filminglocationfor On Blue Lagoon’s private beach on Nanuya American entrepreneur and Forbes maga- combined with thoughts of thenation’s effort- TomHanks’ 2000 film Cast Island, the size of the vessel allowed us to get zinefounder Malcolm Forbes bought it origin- lessprovidence for fish,fruit and endless kava; Away. Photo /Supplied close enough to be tied up to acoconut tree. allyasahideaway but on his death, it was sold naturalbeauty, infiniteluxury and cultural The rotund, jolly captain somehow maintained to Red Bull co-founder Dietrich Mateschitz. vitality. his authority, despite joking that “themoreyou Iwas sentonmyway by ahumblingturnout On my BlueLagooncruiseIfound myself eat, the more you float”, whilejoiningina of staff to sing afinalrendition of Isa Lei. relishing the passive pleasure of viewingthe spontaneousswim ashore as we suddenly all shorelines as we passed gently by static land. feltaneed to cool down. Domoni dina na nomu yanuyanu, Iwent to the Yasawa and Mamanuca At theend of thisfour-night tour, Istayed Kena kau wale na salusalu, Islands,where Ifound green-topped on to makemoreofmyvisit to Fiji. Mocelolo, bua, na kukuwalu, mountains, crystalline watersand truly white First, at the wonderfulMatamanoa, adeluxe Lagakali, maba na rosidamu. sand. island resort perfect for honeymooners and They amount to more than 20 islands, are offering adelightful view of nearbyMonuriki Over the ocean your island home is calling volcanic in origin and accessible only by boat. Island, the settingfor Tom Hanks’ Cast Away. Happy country where roses bloom and splen- They’refamous as the location for both Happily Iskipped to the delightfulneigh- dour, versions of the BlueLagoon films (1948, star- bouringisland Taveuni, the “Garden of Fiji”, Oh if Icould but journey there beside you ringJean Simmonsand 1980, with Brooke richinwaterfalls and pineapple fieldsbefore Then forever my heart would singinrapture. Shields). atrip to Qamea —where Mel Gibson befriended The advantage of the cruise beingbespoke alocal chief—and on to Laucala resort. Ishalldream forever of returning to Fiji.