The South Pacific Island nation closed its borders to international tourists in March 2020, and remained closed for nearly two years, reopening on 1 December 2021. During this period, all of us have had the opportunity to do some introspection. With a biblical plague at our doorstep we’ve had a chance to assess what’s really important in our lives. That’s’ where “Experience a Different Fiji”, the Savusavu Tourism Association’s new campaign, fits in.
Both Delia Rothnie Jones, who serves as Chairperson of the association, and her colleague Monica Laurence, a former Hollywood entertainment and Silicon Valley executive, reckon that it’s time to get back to basics. As Savusavu resort owners, Delia and Monica are in an ideal position to introduce visitors to the area’s natural wonders and connect them with local people.
I think they are on the right track and I believe you’ll enjoy hearing what they have to say.
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Rob: Now that tourism is opening, what protocols must be followed to get to Fiji and then, Savusavu?
Monica: Visitors over 18 must be vaccinated and test negative 3 days before flying. On arrival they must spend the first 3 days in a CFC (Care Fiji Commitment) accommodation, and have a Rapid Antigen test within 48 hours of arrival. Whilst in Fiji they are asked to download the Care Fiji app for contact tracing, and are further asked to avoid any areas that have low rates of vaccination – there are very few of these but some villages have resisted the vaccination. But generally visitors will be free to move around and enjoy the hospitality of a nation that has over 90% of the over 18 population vaccinated.
Getting to know Fiji: Bringing produce from the village to town. Bus station, downtown Savusavu
Rob: How did Savusavu businesses and restaurants weather the Covid tourism downturn? What about the vaccination process?
Delia: Fiji closed its borders to international tourists in March 2020, and remained closed for nearly 2 years, reopening this week, on 1 December 2021. With borders closed, there were two phases of Covid in Fiji. For the first year, there was no Covid in the community and Tourism Fiji was active in promoting Love Our Locals packages offering stays and activities at excellent prices. Savusavu ran a successful marketing campaign encouraging locals to “Come Overseas to Savusavu”. During this period the luxury resorts closed down, but the others stayed open with reduced staff hours, and managed to weather the downturn. The activity providers were harder hit although none of them have closed.
In the second phase the Delta strain entered Fiji via repatriation flights, and quickly spread through the community. This phase has been much tougher – inter-island travel was halted and there has been a significant downturn of business. To rebound, we focused our efforts on supporting the local health and welfare of citizens, while laying the groundwork for a global re-opening.
The Savusavu Tourism Association has been active in supporting the vaccination drive in our province. The Association teamed with local businesses to raise funds and organize transport and drivers for the hospital medical teams to get out to the remote areas.
Meeting local people is part of the Savusavu experience. Here locals get together to perform a meke, a traditional Fijian art form.
Here are some more figures behind the efforts of the last 4 months:
94 and 82.8: as of November 19, 94% of Cakaudrove’s population has received its first dose of the vaccination, and 82.8% has received its second dose. (Cakaudrove is the province in which Savusavu is located.)
20+: We have called on the services of over 20 individual drivers: Kiriata, Sarvan, Adi, Ally, Jay, Vijay, Soko, Deb, Delia, Tukai, Leanne, Suresh, Abed, Matthew, Nathan, Aundre, Paul, Ritesh, Sanjesh, Ledua….and very probably others who stood in when called upon.
15,000: One of those drivers, Kiriata, has been on full time duty throughout, and has covered over 15,000 kilometres in his vehicle.
113: The drive started on July 2 and finished last Sunday November 14: approximately 113 days (we didn’t go out on Saturdays but we did go out on many Sundays).
3,000: We used approximately 3,000 litres of fuel – the exact amount is impossible to calculate as some drivers donated their fuel, but we had roughly 2,400 from Total (paid for), a further 300 litres donated by Total, special contributions of 70 litres from Savusavu Hardware, and a fantastic weekly allowance of 200 litres from RPA.
Wasawasa Lodge, Inn, & Conference Center is a brand new property.
Rob: Anything new in town? Properties, eateries, cafes, new construction, etc.
Delia: Wasawasa Lodge and Restaurant has opened; it’s on the estate belonging to Namale but runs separately. It offers great accommodation and a restaurant with a beautiful view of the ocean, an ideal place for a meal just out of town.
Pettine Simpson at Vaga Gardens has turned her immense cooking skills to a pie business: once a week she delivers her chicken and beef pies to her customers all around Savusavu.
Ethan’s Coffee Heaven: a new coffee shop and restaurant.
Construction continues on Nawi Island; I don’t really have details but it’s all going ahead.
Rob: What’s happening with the creative/artistic community on Vanua Levu?
Monica: Only today (December 1) a pop-up market shop has opened.
A pop up art fair is now regular event in Savusavu.
The shop will be carrying items from a number of local artists: Lynne McLaren, Mayvian Popese Smith, Iretta Micskey, Asenaca Luisa, Katrina Brown, Anaseini Laweibau and Maria Simpson, and covers a range of media: acrylic paintings, fabrics, hand crafted jewellery, locally made villagers’ handicrafts, Katrina Brown’s beautiful mosaics and Lynne McLaren’s signature pieces of hand-crafted concrete.
Lynne is the driving force behind the project. “There are a number of us in Savusavu who sell our work on Saturdays, and we’ve been looking at ways to establish a more permanent display. This is a first step towards that: it’s a pop-up market for the month, using space generously provided to us by the non-profit organisation Love In Action (Fiji), and it will give us the chance to see what the market will bear in Savusavu.”
Lynne has also been travelling out to some of the farther flung villages of the district, encouraging the women to bring her their creations. “It’s not as easy as you might expect,” she says. “Many women in the villages have considerable responsibilities within the village and finding time to make mats or baskets or masi cloth for a market that is a long way from home is daunting for them. We’re trying to show them a path to economic opportunities but it will take time.”
Meanwhile, the artists of Savusavu will be bringing their items in and the shop opens on Wednesday December 1. It will be open from Tuesday to Saturdays from 9.30 – 2.30 each day, and could be the perfect place for you to find a rather special Christmas gift.
Monica: As we found ourselves without the option option to welcome international guests, wethought it the perfect time to tackle some projects and further enhance our guest experience.
Here’s what we did:
created an organic herb and veggie garden, including fresh tomatoes, green onions, mint, eggplant, cucumbers, lemongrass.
got creative in the kitchen and styled our menus, adding more dishes inspired by international chef Yotam Ottolenghi and a bit of playfulness like the morning “Pop-mosa”, a spin on the mimosa, but with an icy popsicle dunked in champagne.
upgraded our pizza oven and perfected thin crust pizzas inspired by a trip to Rome.
lovingly refinished the hardwoods and decks in the villa, stripping, sanding and returning the natural and gorgeous luster.
refurbished our fiberglass long boat, so it’s sparkling and ready for fishing and snorkeling excursions with guests.
teamed with a local conservation initiative to plant coral nurseries, making this unique underwater experience available to our guests.
explored the island of Vanua Levu, discovering new waterfalls and adventures to share with our guests.
became certified with the Care Fiji Commitment so we can welcome international guests.
Vista of Savusavu Bay from Tavola is stunning.
At the outset of the pandemic, we packed meals and delivered them to local families, along with notes of hope and encouragement. We feel most fortunate to live in our tight-knit and supportive community. This is a place of resilient and good-hearted people.
Rob: How did you end up in Savusavu and come to acquire Tavola?
Monica: I had the good fortune to be inspired and mentored by my uncle Richard Evanson. He was a maverick and eco-visionary who pioneered tourism in Fiji in 1980 and created the sustainable, 5-star, luxury private island resort Turtle Island. I spent a lot of time with my uncle, both learning and laughing, and over the years I came to think of Fiji as my soul’s home. Fiji is a natural and wild place where I feel free, creative and simply happy.
Accommodations at Tavola are both luxurious and minimalist.
I find those qualities allow me to be my best in life and in all my entrepreneurial endeavors. I wanted to share this special place with other creative visionaries, giving them a place to come home, rejuvenate and connect with what is true and meaningful in life. To power down in order to power up.
In all of Fiji, I chose the island of Vanua Levu for my quest as it is remote and still natural. Savusavu is called “the hidden paradise”, and that it truly is. We are less populated than the busy tourism destinations of Denarau, Mamanucas and Yasawas. We move with the rhythm of nature. We slow down. We chat. We laugh. We are present to the moment. So, I searched all of Vanua Levu before discovering Tavola Villa, an exquisitely designed, boutique resort stunningly situated on 8 private, waterfront acres overlooking Savusavu Bay. It felt like home, and that is exactly how I want my guests to feel.
Daku’s property is just steps away from Savusavu Bay.
Delia: We have remained open throughout the pandemic. In 2020 we welcomed many visitors from Suva, Nadi and other parts of the main island, and hosted a number of conferences with government agencies and NGOs and local groups. We are a fully CFC certified property and have now started to welcome back our first international guests.
We drew on our experience of running workshops to do a series of our own workshops and retreats. We brought over yoga teachers from the main island and held some successful 5 days retreats. Liti Miller, Fiji’s pre-eminent Zumba teacher, ran some high energy sessions which left us all breathless and happy.
We also offered a couple of wonderful one-day workshops to the local community: Angie Rakai-Niumataiwalu taught a day of fabric art, and Katrina Brown taught a mosaic workshop. Not only were these fun, and provided an income to the artists, but they also gave new skills to some of the women attending.
Shane Bower, a local sculptor, is a shining star of the Savusavu art community, which is supported by Daku.
Most did it as a hobby but a few have used it as a new source of income, and Angie in particular was so encouraged by its success that she spent the next 3 months running sold-out workshops across Fiji.
Our support for the local artists’ community has continued: last October (2020) we had an exhibition of local artists’ work which brought together a lot of the local community. Since then we’ve been involved with talking to various national arts’ bodies about an event for the North, although the clamp down on inter island travel has put that on hold.
Within the resort, we have re-furbished most of the accommodation and upgraded the central area which has the restaurant, lounge and swimming pool. We have also built a new two-bedroomed house on the estate which is for sale to anyone who falls in love with Savusavu – as so many do!
Rob: How did you end up in Savusavu and come to acquire Daku?
Yoga is a big deal at Daku.
Delia:I first came to Fiji as a tourist in 1988. I was driving across Vanua Levu with my husband in a hired car, and we came to a crossroads: straight on to Labasa or turn right to Savusavu? On little more than a whim, we turned right – and Savusavu has been part of our life ever since.
We stayed at Daku Resort which had only just opened – we were some of its first guests. In those days it was owned by the Anglican church. We loved it – and the following year we came back. It was then that the manager suggested we build a house on the property and gift it to the resort, but would have annual use of it for the rest of our lives. That house, built for US$14,000, still stands. We fell into a happy pattern of bringing the kids over for school holidays until 2004, when the property came up for sale. Concerned that we’d lose our house, we bought it! And that’s how we fell into the tourism business.
Since then, we have expanded the property, building new bures, improving the old ones, and adding villas with private pools.
Daku has a variety of accommodation including the above Beach House.
Rob: Do the two of you have anything else to add?
Delia & Monica: The Savusavu Tourism Association has been active in its marketing efforts and during 2021 has developed a campaign “Experience a Different Fiji”. As international travel resumes, we realize that many travelers will be looking for a way to enjoy nature and connect with the people of the country, seeing what makes them tick and embracing a different experience. It’s not the “Fly and flop” holiday that Fiji does so well; it’s a market seeking something more. We are ideally placed to offer that with our stunning scenery, soaring mountains, pristine reefs, vibrant village culture and inimitable friendliness. When we encourage people to experience a different Fiji, we’re encouraging them to step out of the easy packages and come to a place where they will connect with all those experiences that make it a deep, rewarding and resonating vacation that lives with you for years to come.
The Savusavu area is chock full of wonderful things to experience.
One other area worth mentioning:OceanVentures Fiji in Natewa Bay have a coral conservation project. They have established 10 rope nurseries on 5 reefs; 3 – 4,000 corals have been planted; the community engagement aspect of the project is a work in progress with varying levels of community participation.
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Delia Rothnie-Jones spent her twenties in London in advertising, her thirties and forties exploring the world with her husband (they covered over 80 countries) and bringing up her kids, and since then has tumbled into tourism. It was never a plan but has yielded fascination and fun. Daku Resorthas gone from being a tiny 8 room property to a thriving mid-range resort with 35 rooms. Delia has also developed Paradise Courses, vacations offering week-long art, writing and singing courses and yoga retreats, and occasional three week yoga teacher training courses.
Delia Rothnie-Jones
Monica Laurence is a serial entrepreneur and conscious explorer with a passion for life. After decades as a leader in global enterprises, Hollywood entertainment and Silicon Valley technology startups, Monica launched into hospitality withTavola Fiji, her luxe private villa and inspiring venue for creativity retreats. As well, Monica is the creator of Quantum Surfing, a community and creation method that teaches purpose-driven entrepreneurs to combine neuroscience, applied enlightenment and quantum mechanics to predictably create lucky outcomes and accelerate venture impact.
Monica Laurence
Getting there:Fiji Airways, the national carrier, has re-established weekly, direct service from Honolulu to Nadi.
Several times in this space, we have discussed the Governor’s emergency powers. Our laws (chapter 127A, HRS) give the Governor broad powers to deal with emergencies.
One of those powers is to: “Suspend any law that impedes or tends to impede or be detrimental to the expeditious and efficient execution of, or to conflict with, emergency functions, ….”
But a “state of emergency,” which causes the Governor’s powers to kick in, is supposed to terminate automatically after sixty days.
Our Governor has gotten around this limitation by proclaiming a continued emergency just before the sixty-day clock runs out, thereby restarting the sixty-day clock. Most of us have lost count of the number of emergency proclamations. The “Twenty-First Proclamation Related to the COVID-19 Emergency” was posted on June 7, 2021; the suspension of laws in that proclamation was continued by the “Emergency Proclamation Related to the State’s COVID-19 Delta Response,” posted on October 1, 2021. Apparently, some folks were not comfortable that the proclamation number had gotten as high as 21, so they changed the title to restart the count. But make no mistake; we have been under chained emergency proclamations since the “Proclamation Related to the COVID-19 Emergency” on March 5, 2020. It’s been an emergency for 21 months and counting.
The recent discovery of a new and dangerous Omicron variant of the virus in South Africa isn’t going to help matters. We can expect the state of emergency to continue for a while longer.
Legislators, understandably, are getting perturbed that they are being left out, and will be introducing measures to give the Legislature a veto power over all or a part of an emergency proclamation.
The Governor, on the other hand, says that Hawaii is doing better than most states because of the emergency powers he has wielded. “I would say this: Virtually every single state that tied the governor’s hands has regretted it,” Ige is quoted as saying.
State law (section 127A-27, HRS) already gives the judiciary the power to review emergency proclamations in an expedited manner. But to get the judiciary involved normally requires a person bringing the suit that has been injured in some manner by the proclamation..
Some of the earlier proclamations in the COVID series, as we have written about before, were questionable in that they suspended entire chapters of the Hawaii Revised Statutes, such as the Sunshine Law, Uniform Information Practices Act, or the Collective Bargaining Law, where the emergency only seemed to require nudging some of the laws rather than wiping them out entirely. Fortunately, many of those wholesale suspensions have been lifted. One of the suspensions simply shut off the flow of transient accommodations tax revenue to the counties altogether, and legitimately raised the question of whether the suspension was more harmful than helpful – after all, the local governments are supposed to be better poised to deliver emergency services, and they have the traditional first responders (police, fire, ambulance).
For these reasons, we welcome the efforts by the Legislature to bring some reason and sanity back into the process of governing. “No man is an island,” wrote John Donne. This includes when the man is the Governor of Hawaii.
President Barack Obama regularly referred to his home state of Hawaii as a big, harmonious community, where he was born and spent his boyhood and adolescence. In fact, his Hawaiian background is, in many ways, a key to understanding who he really is.
There are other important parts of Obama’s past that also provide insight into his values and his modus operandi, but Obama says the “aloha spirit” remains his personal and political inspiration. He stated that “I do think that the multicultural nature of Hawaii helped teach me how to appreciate and navigate different cultures out of necessity.
Obama’s friends and associates say his upbringing in Hawaii is much closer to the experience of everyday, middle-class Americans. Even though he stood out, Obama seemed to fit in happily with his peers. Teachers and friends from that era say he was affable and good-natured and never showed the inner turmoil that he wrote about in his memoir, ‘Dreams from My Father’.
He was born in Hawaii on Aug. 4, 1961, to a Kenyan father, Barack Hussein Obama, for whom he was named, and Dunham, a Caucasian woman from Kansas. They met while students at the University of Hawaii. The couple eventually divorced, and his mother remarried. The family moved to Jakarta for a while, then they moved back to Hawaii with Barack and his half-sister.
Museum Director Deloris Guttman discuss the mission of the institution to honor the birthplace of the 44th U.S. President and 200+ years of Africana history in Hawaii
IN THIS INSIDER EXCLUSIVE NETWORK TV SPECIAL, “Obama Hawaiian Africana Museum” our News team is on location in Honolulu meeting with, Deloris Guttman, the Museum Director, and her colleagues who will share its history, its purpose, and how you can help them achieve their goals.
Their mission is teaching Hawaii schoolchildren in pre-K to 12th grade about diversity and the history of people of African descent in Hawaii, and to establish a permanent home for their museum.
Deloris served on the committee that in 2014 submitted a proposal for a Barack Obama presidential library in Honolulu, and is now seeking a permanent home for her nonprofit museum, originally founded as the African American Diversity Cultural Center Hawaii in 1997. For a possible permanent site, they are looking at places where Obama lived.
Please contact Deloris Guttman, the Museum Director, at the Obama Hawaiian Africana Museum: 1-808-597-1341 https://kanuhawaii.galaxydigital.com/agency/detail/?agency_id=121273
Once upon a time there were some property developers on Oahu.
They thought that agricultural development would be a good thing. There were lots of tax incentives associated with agricultural development.
Then they got the idea that putting some solar panels on the land would be a good thing too. There were lots of tax incentives associated with renewable energy.
So, they put some solar panels on the agricultural land too.
We have agriculture. And we have renewable energy. Are these two great tastes that taste great together?
Come on. Let’s be real. We’re talking about property tax, not a peanut butter cup. It turned out to be a recipe for disaster.
Clearway Energy Group, for example, submitted testimony to the Honolulu City Council of their plight. These folks built two solar projects on agricultural land, and, they said, incorporate compatible agriculture into their ongoing operations. Solar energy generation is an allowable use on agricultural zoned land under the city’s Land Use Ordinance, they argued.
But the real property tax folks saw the situation a little differently.
To get the special ultra-low property tax rate for agricultural use, the landowner had to make a “dedication agreement” with the tax authorities. Basically, the landowner promised to use the property for agriculture for a certain period of time. The tax folks saw solar panels on the properties and said, “Uhm, that’s not agriculture.” So, they took away the ultra-low tax rate, and, while they were at it, they took away the property’s agricultural classification. It’s industrial property, they said, which happens to be taxed at a rate more than double the agricultural rate even without any dedications.
At the end of the day, Clearway had a real property tax bill of $30,154 for the 2020-21 tax year (they go with a fiscal year ending June 30), but for the 2021-22 tax year the bill jumped to an eye-popping $835,710.
Clearway’s tale of woe attracted a lot of attention, so much that the Council is now considering Bill 39, which is supposed to address this problem, and state agencies aplenty, including the Governor, the State Energy Office, and DBEDT, have weighed in.
One of the reasons behind this kerfuffle is that this is not just Clearway’s problem. Any solar project that is located on agricultural land is subject to this kind of reclassification, and the financial impact would vary depending on how much solar went on the land and how much of the land was previously subject to the ultra-low rates for land dedicated to agriculture.
And then, of course, there is the issue of who is going to pay the enhanced tax if the real property tax folks’ methodology is upheld. Clearway and the other power producers have long-term agreements with power buyers such as Hawaiian Electric. If this enhanced charge becomes Hawaiian Electric’s problem, it then becomes a problem for all of us who pay electric bills. If the enhanced charge impacts the developers, it will send shock waves through the industry of people who finance renewable energy projects because of the risk of a property developer getting overwhelmed by this tax surprise and thereby going into default on its financing.
What a mess!
Ultimately, the City might legislate itself out of this situation, making some allowances for solar and agriculture peanut butter cups. But for the rest of us the moral of the story is that two great tax-favored tastes won’t always taste great together, and one must be extremely careful when mix-matching tax incentives.
I recently had a chance to connect with my old friend Roberta Davis, who has spent the last two years at her B&B-style property called Makaira on the Garden Island of Taveuni. Located in the north of the Fiji Archipelago, it’s far from civilization and remains unspoiled. The Honolulu-born Davis and her husband, John Llanes, a Hawaii Island native, enjoy life in Fiji which they liken to Hawaii generations ago. The property consists of four bures (cottages) perched on four acres of a hillside, once the site of an ancient village. Located a few miles from an old dirt airstrip, the resort on Taveuni is a 45 minute prop flight from the international airport in Nadi. In this interview Roberta shares her experiences of the last two years and happily offers news of Fiji’s reopening in December.
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1. Now that tourism is opening up in Fiji, how do I go about visiting Makaira? What are the protocols that must be followed to get to Taveuni?
The New Normal is here. Of course regulations will change as time goes by. Right now guests must have a PCR test within 72 hours of departure to Fiji. Travel Insurance is mandatory or you can’t board your flight. Arrivals must stay for the first 3 days in an Certified Fiji Care (CFC) facility. During those initial 3 days they can go anywhere within the CFC corridor like diving, fishing, snorkeling and CFC stores.
After 48 hours they are required to take a “rapid test” at the resort. They can bring their own test or purchase one at the resort.
They must have a staff member witness or administer the test and view the results. If guests test negative they can go where they please on day 3 but will be advised to avoid low vax areas as some resorts might not let them come back in.
Roberta Davis, owner of Makaira
If a guest tests positive some of the larger hotels on Viti Levu have reserved quarantine rooms. On the outer islands, with the smaller boutique resorts, no one will want to accommodate a guest who has tested positive at another resort. (So far there are no quarantine rooms designated on Taveuni).
Those who test positive will need to quarantine in their room. Incoming guests will need to find other accommodations, hence the need for travel insurance as the quarantine is 10 days. If some members of the group or family test positive and others test negative, the negative ones have a choice to return home or spend 10 days in quarantine with the ones that tested positive and hope they don’t contract Covid during that period.
Restoration of the reefs by replanting coral is practiced at Makaira by guests and management.
During their stay the same public protocols are in place of mask wearing, social distancing and hand sanitizing and avoid low vax areas. Every conceivable precaution has been taken to insure everyone’s health and safety. There is not more that can be cone short of everyone becoming bubble people.
2. How has Taveuni handled the pandemic and the vaccination process?
Fiji should be commended on how they have handled the vaccination process. I don’t think any place in the world has done better. By December 1st 97% of the target population, 18 and over will be double vaccinated mostly with AstraZeneca. Right now 90% are double jabbed. Although we might get a handful of cases a day, there have been no deaths for a while.
The bures at Makaira are spacious and offer privacy.
They are working on teenagers right now so they can open up the secondary schools. 16-18 year old are mainly vaccinated and back in class. Now they are working on the 12-18 year olds, the policy is no jab no job, no school, no church, no travel. That just about hits everyone on one level or the other. Here are a couple of the aside funny stories. We got the first load of vax’s in April this was before the no jab no job mandate.
Some of my staff was reluctant to take it but I had to tell them as much as I care about them, “no jab no job”. This is for their own and the guests safety. So I dragged them to the hospital. Some tried to hide in the hallway but I corralled them up. My Karma was I could have written the brochure on the side effects of the shot. Luckily Rosie, who runs the restaurant, got the last dose that they had.
Views from the property are stellar.
When the death toll started to rise and we were all ahead of the vax game they were so happy to be part of the few percent that was double jabbed. One woman wanted to go to church and you have to show your vax card which she didn’t have went to the hospital and told the nurse since she needed both jabs to give her one in her right arm and one in her left. She was told it doesn’t quite work that way and everyone had a good giggle at her expense.
3.How has Taveuni weathered the economic downturn? Have businesses and restaurants survived?
Taveuni is an interesting place and everyone here is resilient. But this had to be the toughest economic time ever. We had the cyclone before Christmas so there went all the bush food and farms. Then in January was the international lock down that has been for two years. Resorts had to lay the majority of their staff, this meant the locals had no money to buy food and no foods growing in the wild. I kept all of my staff on a part-time basis so they would have enough money to buy the basics and they all live in the staff quarters.
Isoa and Rosie run Rosie’s Sea View Dining, the restaurant on the property.
Since I am on my own and have a huge area for a veggie garden, we shared out sections to each staff member and myself as a victory garden. Finding seeds was nearly impossible. Luckily I had a stash of some seeds and we have a lot of second generation veggies from the first batch. Not ideal but okay, it is something. But it was in fits and starts because we had to wait for the first harvest to start all over again for the second batch to grow.
Only in the last couple of months has the island started to get papayas and bananas and watermelon. During that lean time all we were lacking were blood sucking zombies to add to the scene to make it a trifecta. For me it has been one heck of a diet plan haha. But really not fun juggling the finances to keep everyone going and surviving. There was no way I could completely lay off my staff in good conscience their loyalty deserves my loyalty.
They don’t call it Sea View Dining for nothing.
4. Anything you’d like to share about yourself and what you may have learned during this period?
Sure. One of the nice things since we were isolated Covid never really hit Taveuni thanks to the diligence of our Health inspector who did a great job. BUT we were completely isolated and had to rely on ourselves and the island. Luckily supply ships were still allowed in without passengers. We NEVER had a toilet paper shortage, people were more worried about where their next meal was coming from rather than the luxury of stocking up on toilet paper or anything for that matter. None of us could afford it and there were no stimulus checks either. You are on your own.
The rooms are comfortable and cozy.
Citizens who live in countries of abundance have no idea how lucky they are where the government will support them and if no one got greedy they would never run out of toilet paper.
One of the things I learned while looking after the Makaira family and myself is how little anyone needs to survive. A lot of people in civilization waste a lot and some are self-entitled. What really floors me is the percentage of anti-vaxxers and how gullible they are. According to them we should have all been dead by now from having taken the vax.
Big Island native and Roberta’s significant other, the late John Llanes.
Another nice thing is we had no communicable diseases on the island like colds, flus, pink eye etc. I would guess that during this two year period our immune systems had a chance to revitalize. That is a good thing since guests bring in all kinds of little contagious bugs.
5. Anything new with Makaira?
Captain John Llanes, who runs the charters, should be starting his operation by the first of Feb. He needs to do some things to get the boat back in the water. Hopefully sometime during the first quarter or so we can finally take delivery of the 24’ center console boat for up to 2 anglers that are more budget minded.
6. Anything else you’d like to add?
We can hardly wait to welcome guests back to Makaira and Fiji. I hope they are patient because after two years we might be a bit rusty as we dust off our businesses. This is why we aren’t opening until Jan 2 so we can get everything as near perfect as possible and see how the New Normal goes, hopefully without a hitch.
For more information visit Makaira online email Roberta at makaira@connect.com.fj.
You might not know this, but our tax workers enjoy all kinds of special privileges.
Suppose, for example, a tax auditor told all your customers you were a tax cheat, rifled through your garbage, asked embarrassing questions of your friends and maybe some enemies, and even called you a “lazy Hawaiian.” Could you haul the auditor’s tushie into court to be vigorously sued?
Apparently, the answer is no. Hawaii Revised Statutes section 662‑15(2) says that state actors are immune from liability for “[a]ny claim arising in respect of the assessment or collection of any tax.”
In more recent years, the Hawaii Supreme Court has been giving the tax office even more help and protection.
In a case called Medical Underwriters of California, 115 Haw. 180, 166 P.3d 353 (2007), a taxpayer associated with an insurance company was assessed 4% general excise tax, while the taxpayer contended that it was an insurance company and should be taxed under the special 0.15% rate that applies to an insurance solicitor or agent. The taxpayer argued strenuously that it was licensed by the Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs as an insurance company, so that the Department of Taxation should not be able to classify the company as something else. Our supreme court rejected the argument, saying that the doctrine of equitable estoppel, which the taxpayer was trying to use, “may not be used in such a way as to hinder the state in the exercise of its sovereign power.” The power to tax is a sovereign power; therefore, taxpayer loses.
In the 2019 decision Priceline.com, Inc. v. Director of Taxation, the court was faced with assessments against online travel companies for allegedly underpaid general excise tax for facilitating car rentals. The companies noted that they already had endured punishing litigation over general excise tax for the same periods for facilitating hotel stays, and that litigation was resolved by final judgments already entered in the tax appeal court. The court reasoned “that the actions of a specific government official may not deprive the State of Hawai‘i of its sovereign power to collect the taxes it is legally due,” and held that the termination of the hotel stay litigation did not preclude the car rental litigation, even though it was for the same tax and the same years.
That language is broad, perhaps several degrees broader than it needs to be. It remains to be seen how far the Department of Taxation will push this get-out-of-jail-free card, and whether the courts will allow it to do so. If, for example, the Department makes a deal with a taxpayer, such as allowing the taxpayer to settle five years of back taxes by paying four of them in full and skipping the fifth, is the Department going to be able to come back a few years later and say that they didn’t like the deal and the taxpayer needs to cough up the money for the fifth year too?
We don’t think that any agency should be allowed that much latitude. There is a fundamental difference between saying that the government can be spared from acts of a well-meaning employee having unintentional or inadvertent consequences, and saying that the government can get a do-over on decisions it makes purposefully and intentionally. Yes, the government needs revenue and it relies on the Department of Taxation to collect it, but it needs to remember that the Department needs to do so fairly and not tyrannically. Government is supposed to wield only as much power as the people give to it, and needs to respect where that power came from.
Gracing hotels, resorts and high rises around Waikiki and throughout the Aloha State, there’s nothing more iconic than the coconut palm.
However, when the corona-virus pandemic forced hotels and the tourism industry to shut down, it threw into stark relief the coconut palm’s importance not as an ornament for tourists but as a source of food and sustenance for Hawai’i’s residents.
In any Polynesian diet, it’s a staple.
Thus for islanders, that swaying palm is more than just some South Seas motif. There’s a cultural and even spiritual element to this tree which for For Polynesians, is the tree of life.
This awareness is seen through the eyes of Vili Hereniko, a Pacific Islander from Rotuma, a Polynesian outlier in the Fiji Archipelago. Vili is also a Honolulu-based filmmaker and Professor at the Academy for Creative Media at the University of Hawai’i.
Given the litigious society that is America, it’s understandable that hoteliers don’t want coconuts falling on the heads of visitors. However, this is a virtually non existent problem in island cultures. People know it’s not a great idea to spend a lot of time under fully laden coconut trees. They are taught this from a young age. It’s called common sense.
Thus, one doesn’t generally see mature coconuts still on the trees.
However, Vili noted, that changed during the Covid shutdown.
Seeing them in their proper place struck a nerve with Vili who became an activist, arguing for the return of a thriving niu culture in Hawai’i.
He became involved with NIU NOW! whose goal is to reclaim the sustaining properties of NIU for Hawaii’s residents and to prepare for the future.
His little video goes a long way in understanding the Polynesian point of view when it comes to the plight of the coconut tree in Hawaii.
On November 4, the Supreme Court of Hawaii released its decision in League of Women Voters v. State. That decision involved a bill enacted by the 2018 Legislature that went through some different incarnations before finally becoming law. The bill was titled “A Bill for an Act Relating to Public Safety.” As introduced, the bill required annual reporting of recidivism statistics – those who went to jail or prison but did bad things again after being released. In its journey through the Legislature, it morphed into a bill regarding hurricane shelter space. The question was whether there was enough opportunity for lawmakers of the other house, and for the public, to give input and discuss the bill in its morphed form. The court held that there was not, and in a 3 to 2 decision voided the bill.
Government transparency advocates, including the parties to the suit, the Grassroot Institute of Hawaii, and my organization the Tax Foundation of Hawaii, hailed the decision. And justifiably so. The decision was a huge step in the right direction.
But will it get rid of all gut-and-replaces and eliminate Frankenbills (where pieces of dead bills get new life by stuffing them into tangentially related other bills with a suitable title)? Probably not. Amendments are still allowed. A person challenging a bill still needs to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the bill is unconstitutional. And remember, it took a 3-2 vote to hold that recidivism and hurricane shelters are unrelated. There is still lots of wiggle room that the courts apparently will allow lawmakers before finding that two versions of a bill are “not germane” to each other such that the second version needs to be read three times in each chamber without counting the number of times the first version was read. The standard the court seems to be adopting is “whether the amendments and the original bill constitute a unifying scheme to accomplish a single purpose.” Determining what is or is not germane is not going to be easy in most cases. Let’s take, as examples, the tax-related Rusty Scalpel Award (given to the bill in which the final version least resembles the original) winners for a few prior years.
The 2017 winner started off as a bill to amend income tax rates so that people at or below the poverty threshold would not be liable for income taxes. It passed as a $1 million appropriation for projects to address homelessness in resort areas. That bill, if considered today, would probably flunk our supreme court’s test because it changed a bill about tax into one about spending tax money.
In 2016, the award winner started off as a bill to overhaul an existing ethanol fuel production tax credit and replace it with a broader credit to produce renewable fuels. Toward the end of that bill’s legislative journey, lawmakers snuck in a tax credit for production of organic foods. That bill, if considered today, could probably pass muster because both versions are about income tax credits, even though one chamber of the legislature was seeing the organic foods credit for the first time late in the session.
In 2014, the winner began as a bill to tweak some of the earmarks on the Transient Accommodations Tax (TAT). It passed through both the House and Senate in that form. In conference committee, the bill was gutted and then transformed into one that required refinancing of the debt of the Hawaii Convention Center, raising money by selling revenue bonds tied to a new earmark on the TAT, and using $40 million of the resulting savings to pay for a new conservation easement at Turtle Bay. That bill, if considered today, would probably pass muster as well, because it would be dealing with the general subject of how to spend TAT money.
This new decision by our supreme court, at the very least, should keep lawmakers on their toes. At a minimum, those seeking to gut and replace, or considering making Frankenbills, need to be a lot more circumspect and careful on how they accomplish what they intend. We will see in the 2022 legislature, which opens in just a couple of months, how this will play out.
“Bromance” has been a staple in cinema, literature, and popular culture for a long time. Perhaps the latest incarnation of this genre is Barrack Obama and Bruce Springsteen’s “Renegade” podcast series.
Not to diss Bruce and Barrack but they have nothing on Desmond Tutu and the Dalai Lama.
Talk about occupying a rarified demographic.
It’s not an exaggeration to say that the subjects of this documentary must be the most cherished spiritual leaders of our time. Both are unflappable, “cool” and beloved. Well maybe the Dalai Lama is not so beloved by Xi Jinping, but I’d say that’s to his credit.
Mission: Joy, a new documentary by Academy Award-winning director Louie Psihoyos, which recently screened at the Hawaii International Film Festival, offers an up close and personal glimpse of Desmond Tutu and the Dalai Lama.
The theme of the documentary revolves around their friendship. Despite their very different “upbringings” (also presented in the film) we come to realize they share a visceral knowledge of tragedy—both on a personal and global scale.
The premise of the film is simple.
The Dalai Lama and “Arch”, as Tutu is known to his friends, want to spend some quality time together. Organizing this is complicated, to say the least. Both have rather busy itineraries. Arch invited His Holiness to South Africa for his birthday celebration but the mean-spirited African National Congress Party (which runs South Africa) made it impossible for Tutu’s buddy to get a visa.
Suffice it to say, Arch was not pleased. He has the patience of Job and a Christ-like disposition most of the time but the ANC (Tutu’s former political allies) were determined not to do anything that would upset the PRC. As we note in the documentary, this really pissed him off.
Although a visit by the Dalai Lama to S.A. was not in the cards, Tutu accepted an invitation to visit the Dalai Lama’s stomping grounds in Dharmsala, which was the setting for the documentary.
Once there, the two resumed their very comfortable rapport, ribbing each other like the best of friends—which, they are.
Of course, their lighthearted banter illuminates the flip side of their day jobs which are more often than not, very serious in nature.
How the two spiritual icons do what they do is an underlying theme. Dealing mindfully with some of the nastiest people on the planet is no mean feat. However that’s part of their job description.
The lessons for us are forgiveness and compassion, which they have in abundance.
Getting to the root of their personal development is a large component of this film. The documentary provides bios that illuminate the two protagonists.
Through archival footage and animation we learn about their respective struggles and growth as human beings. We see footage of Desmond Tutu at great personal risk, opposing the forces of apartheid by addressing throngs of his countrymen, giving them comfort and courage to fight on.
Likewise, we witness the Dalai Lama’s transformation from a young child, plucked from his family in Tibet emerging as the conscience of humanity. Like his good friend the archbishop, it’s the Dalai Lama’s role to take on the burdens of an entire people.
But we needn’t get too filled with angst.
Back in India, it’s a lovefest in Dharmsala, with the two men constantly cracking jokes.
However, it’s not all fun and games.
At times, in the course of hearing their personal stories we get surprisingly intimate details, particularly from Desmond Tutu who recounts the guilt he felt not being present for his father’s death. We see that this still haunts him.
During their week-long visit, the Dalai Lama introduces Arch to some of the youngest members of the Tibetan diaspora, children smuggled out of Tibet by their parents who are convinced there is no future for them at home. In fact they have become orphans–they may never see their parents again. Arch encounters these young refugees at a ceremony where he witnesses their heart-rending stories of separation and hardship.
The beauty of this film is the undiluted truth and humor that comes from these men of conscience. However dismal things appear, both find joy – both in their friendship and in their work.
So what is the takeaway from this film? There are a few but one lesson that Tutu articulates is that if you hate your enemies it will destroy your own humanity.
Towards the end of the film Tutu playfully tells the Dalai Lama that he’s heard of the scheme to decide who his next incarnation will be. In other words the Chinese Government has decided that they will pick the Dalai Lama’s successor.
“That’s pretty funny,” Tutu tells His Holiness. In a jovial manner Tutu makes it clear how outrageous and corrupt this idea is.
As Tutu says, we should thank the Communist Chinese for the presence of the Dalai Lama. “Without intending it”, he said, “the Chinese have given the world a wonderful gift.”
If you’re even remotely interested in these two iconic figures, the story of their mutual admiration society will be inspirational.
Vilsoni Hereniko, known to his friends as Vili, has come a long way from his native Rotuma, a Polynesian outlier in the far reaches of the Fiji archipelago. Inspired by the island’s folklore as told to him by his father, the Honolulu-based filmmaker and Professor at the Academy for Creative Media at the University of Hawai’i has just released his latest film, Sina ma Tinirau, (Sina and Tinirau) which is currently being screened (online only) at the Hawai’i International Film Festival.
Sina, a beautiful woman, and Tinirau a handsome man, are two mythological icons in Rotuman oral literature. Their story goes something like this:
A prince, who is cursed to become an eel, has to win the love of a beautiful woman to become human again. He gifts her with his body in the form of a coconut palm in a seductive display. The film is narrated in English with some dialogue in Rotuman, that is subtitled. This lends an authenticity to the story.
(See trailer below).
In his retelling of an ancient tale for today’s world Hereniko takes a page from Carl Jung by interpreting a legend that is as central to the Polynesian collective unconscious as the Crucifixion of Jesus would be in the West. In doing so, he makes the wisdom of traditional Polynesia accessible to the rest of us.
In the words of Selina Tusitala Marsh, New Zealand Poet Laureate Hereniko “combines sonorous storytelling with visually vibrant animation to tell a hanuju, a Rotuman mythic version of Oceania’s greatest love stories of all time.”
“Sina ma Tinirau” says Hereniko, “is an ancient, oral tale that has endured the test of time because it embodies our sensibilities, worldviews, and aesthetics as Polynesians.” It’s not a conventional romantic love story between a man and a woman.”
Rather, he explains, “it’s an unconditional, Christ-like love exemplified by forgiveness.”
“Even though Tinirau’s head was severed and Sina betrayed him, he gave the Polynesian people, personified by Sina, the tree of life. This gift enabled us to survive. It’s the most useful and most important tree to us.”
The coconut palm is the tree of life to Polynesians. In Hawai’i the tree is stripped of nuts in any public areas.
For Vili Hereniko, the coconut palm’s appeal is quite personal.
“As one of 11 kids, growing up on a remote South Pacific island,” says the filmmaker, “on several occasions that tree saved my life. We didn’t always have enough food to eat. When the weather was bad, we survived on coconut meat and water.”
Hereniko said that when he first came to Hawai’i and observed that coconuts had been removed in all the parks and public places, it upset him in a visceral way. He called the trees “eunuchs”. It also disturbed him that many people were seemingly not bothered by what he observed as a kind of cultural castration.
“It’s a matter of education, learning how to live with trees,” said Hereniko. “I mean, no one in Fiji would have a picnic under a coconut tree. They know better.” By transforming a source of food and water (at least) to become just a pretty dance tree and symbol of Paradise, local residents are denied the food and sustenance that the trees provide.
Sina lures the eel to come ashore where her brothers lay in waiting to slay the creature.
Hereniko also said his film also touches upon the “shadow” side of the Polynesians, specifically their prejudice against black skin.
“It’s something that no one talks about in public”, says Hereniko, “but it’s ubiquitous in my culture and in Polynesian society in general. The bias is there and I wanted to bring it to the surface”. (In the myth Sina is fair skinned and the eel is black. Sina rejects the eel’s advances at first because of its black skin).
A collaborative effort
Hereniko said the film was a collaborative effort between several UH faculty at the ACM and their animation students.
Sina ma Tinirau was also a recent award winner at the Los Angeles International Film Festival.
The university provided funding to make the film through the University of Hawai’i at Manoa Collaboration in Film and Animation Strategic Investment Grant. However, in order to complete the project, Hereniko had to tap the European Research Council, a European Union entity, which provided more funding.
He said he was “most grateful for the support of both these funding sources, and the support of Philipp Schorch (co-producer).
The UH Manoa faculty involved were Laura Margulies (animation producer), George Wang (editor), Brittany Biggs (Consultant), Vilsoni Hereniko (Producer, Writer, Director, and Narrator).
Animators from UH Manoa ( some of whom are now alumni) are as follows: Gavin Arucan (animation director), Alexis Nelson (sound designer and sound editor), and Sophia Whalen, Molly Tapken, Mirren Hollison, Danae Naone, Jewel Racasa, Angela Isidro, Alex Narimasu, and Samuel St. John.
Experiencing a different Fiji in Savusavu — interviews with Delia Rothnie-Jones (Daku Resort) and Monica Laurence (Tavola Fiji)
Fiji is back in the tourism business.
The South Pacific Island nation closed its borders to international tourists in March 2020, and remained closed for nearly two years, reopening on 1 December 2021. During this period, all of us have had the opportunity to do some introspection. With a biblical plague at our doorstep we’ve had a chance to assess what’s really important in our lives. That’s’ where “Experience a Different Fiji”, the Savusavu Tourism Association’s new campaign, fits in.
Both Delia Rothnie Jones, who serves as Chairperson of the association, and her colleague Monica Laurence, a former Hollywood entertainment and Silicon Valley executive, reckon that it’s time to get back to basics. As Savusavu resort owners, Delia and Monica are in an ideal position to introduce visitors to the area’s natural wonders and connect them with local people.
I think they are on the right track and I believe you’ll enjoy hearing what they have to say.
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Rob: Now that tourism is opening, what protocols must be followed to get to Fiji and then, Savusavu?
Monica: Visitors over 18 must be vaccinated and test negative 3 days before flying. On arrival they must spend the first 3 days in a CFC (Care Fiji Commitment) accommodation, and have a Rapid Antigen test within 48 hours of arrival. Whilst in Fiji they are asked to download the Care Fiji app for contact tracing, and are further asked to avoid any areas that have low rates of vaccination – there are very few of these but some villages have resisted the vaccination. But generally visitors will be free to move around and enjoy the hospitality of a nation that has over 90% of the over 18 population vaccinated.
Rob: How did Savusavu businesses and restaurants weather the Covid tourism downturn? What about the vaccination process?
Delia: Fiji closed its borders to international tourists in March 2020, and remained closed for nearly 2 years, reopening this week, on 1 December 2021. With borders closed, there were two phases of Covid in Fiji. For the first year, there was no Covid in the community and Tourism Fiji was active in promoting Love Our Locals packages offering stays and activities at excellent prices. Savusavu ran a successful marketing campaign encouraging locals to “Come Overseas to Savusavu”. During this period the luxury resorts closed down, but the others stayed open with reduced staff hours, and managed to weather the downturn. The activity providers were harder hit although none of them have closed.
In the second phase the Delta strain entered Fiji via repatriation flights, and quickly spread through the community. This phase has been much tougher – inter-island travel was halted and there has been a significant downturn of business. To rebound, we focused our efforts on supporting the local health and welfare of citizens, while laying the groundwork for a global re-opening.
The Savusavu Tourism Association has been active in supporting the vaccination drive in our province. The Association teamed with local businesses to raise funds and organize transport and drivers for the hospital medical teams to get out to the remote areas.
Here are some more figures behind the efforts of the last 4 months:
94 and 82.8: as of November 19, 94% of Cakaudrove’s population has received its first dose of the vaccination, and 82.8% has received its second dose. (Cakaudrove is the province in which Savusavu is located.)
20+: We have called on the services of over 20 individual drivers: Kiriata, Sarvan, Adi, Ally, Jay, Vijay, Soko, Deb, Delia, Tukai, Leanne, Suresh, Abed, Matthew, Nathan, Aundre, Paul, Ritesh, Sanjesh, Ledua….and very probably others who stood in when called upon.
15,000: One of those drivers, Kiriata, has been on full time duty throughout, and has covered over 15,000 kilometres in his vehicle.
113: The drive started on July 2 and finished last Sunday November 14: approximately 113 days (we didn’t go out on Saturdays but we did go out on many Sundays).
3,000: We used approximately 3,000 litres of fuel – the exact amount is impossible to calculate as some drivers donated their fuel, but we had roughly 2,400 from Total (paid for), a further 300 litres donated by Total, special contributions of 70 litres from Savusavu Hardware, and a fantastic weekly allowance of 200 litres from RPA.
Rob: Anything new in town? Properties, eateries, cafes, new construction, etc.
Delia: Wasawasa Lodge and Restaurant has opened; it’s on the estate belonging to Namale but runs separately. It offers great accommodation and a restaurant with a beautiful view of the ocean, an ideal place for a meal just out of town.
Pettine Simpson at Vaga Gardens has turned her immense cooking skills to a pie business: once a week she delivers her chicken and beef pies to her customers all around Savusavu.
Ethan’s Coffee Heaven: a new coffee shop and restaurant.
Construction continues on Nawi Island; I don’t really have details but it’s all going ahead.
Rob: What’s happening with the creative/artistic community on Vanua Levu?
Monica: Only today (December 1) a pop-up market shop has opened.
The shop will be carrying items from a number of local artists: Lynne McLaren, Mayvian Popese Smith, Iretta Micskey, Asenaca Luisa, Katrina Brown, Anaseini Laweibau and Maria Simpson, and covers a range of media: acrylic paintings, fabrics, hand crafted jewellery, locally made villagers’ handicrafts, Katrina Brown’s beautiful mosaics and Lynne McLaren’s signature pieces of hand-crafted concrete.
Lynne is the driving force behind the project. “There are a number of us in Savusavu who sell our work on Saturdays, and we’ve been looking at ways to establish a more permanent display. This is a first step towards that: it’s a pop-up market for the month, using space generously provided to us by the non-profit organisation Love In Action (Fiji), and it will give us the chance to see what the market will bear in Savusavu.”
Lynne has also been travelling out to some of the farther flung villages of the district, encouraging the women to bring her their creations. “It’s not as easy as you might expect,” she says. “Many women in the villages have considerable responsibilities within the village and finding time to make mats or baskets or masi cloth for a market that is a long way from home is daunting for them. We’re trying to show them a path to economic opportunities but it will take time.”
Meanwhile, the artists of Savusavu will be bringing their items in and the shop opens on Wednesday December 1. It will be open from Tuesday to Saturdays from 9.30 – 2.30 each day, and could be the perfect place for you to find a rather special Christmas gift.
Rob: What’s new with Tavola Fiji ?
Monica: As we found ourselves without the option option to welcome international guests, wethought it the perfect time to tackle some projects and further enhance our guest experience.
Here’s what we did:
At the outset of the pandemic, we packed meals and delivered them to local families, along with notes of hope and encouragement. We feel most fortunate to live in our tight-knit and supportive community. This is a place of resilient and good-hearted people.
Rob: How did you end up in Savusavu and come to acquire Tavola?
Monica: I had the good fortune to be inspired and mentored by my uncle Richard Evanson. He was a maverick and eco-visionary who pioneered tourism in Fiji in 1980 and created the sustainable, 5-star, luxury private island resort Turtle Island. I spent a lot of time with my uncle, both learning and laughing, and over the years I came to think of Fiji as my soul’s home. Fiji is a natural and wild place where I feel free, creative and simply happy.
I find those qualities allow me to be my best in life and in all my entrepreneurial endeavors. I wanted to share this special place with other creative visionaries, giving them a place to come home, rejuvenate and connect with what is true and meaningful in life. To power down in order to power up.
In all of Fiji, I chose the island of Vanua Levu for my quest as it is remote and still natural. Savusavu is called “the hidden paradise”, and that it truly is. We are less populated than the busy tourism destinations of Denarau, Mamanucas and Yasawas. We move with the rhythm of nature. We slow down. We chat. We laugh. We are present to the moment. So, I searched all of Vanua Levu before discovering Tavola Villa, an exquisitely designed, boutique resort stunningly situated on 8 private, waterfront acres overlooking Savusavu Bay. It felt like home, and that is exactly how I want my guests to feel.
Rob: Any new developments with Daku Resort?
Delia: We have remained open throughout the pandemic. In 2020 we welcomed many visitors from Suva, Nadi and other parts of the main island, and hosted a number of conferences with government agencies and NGOs and local groups. We are a fully CFC certified property and have now started to welcome back our first international guests.
We drew on our experience of running workshops to do a series of our own workshops and retreats. We brought over yoga teachers from the main island and held some successful 5 days retreats. Liti Miller, Fiji’s pre-eminent Zumba teacher, ran some high energy sessions which left us all breathless and happy.
We also offered a couple of wonderful one-day workshops to the local community: Angie Rakai-Niumataiwalu taught a day of fabric art, and Katrina Brown taught a mosaic workshop. Not only were these fun, and provided an income to the artists, but they also gave new skills to some of the women attending.
Most did it as a hobby but a few have used it as a new source of income, and Angie in particular was so encouraged by its success that she spent the next 3 months running sold-out workshops across Fiji.
Our support for the local artists’ community has continued: last October (2020) we had an exhibition of local artists’ work which brought together a lot of the local community. Since then we’ve been involved with talking to various national arts’ bodies about an event for the North, although the clamp down on inter island travel has put that on hold.
Within the resort, we have re-furbished most of the accommodation and upgraded the central area which has the restaurant, lounge and swimming pool. We have also built a new two-bedroomed house on the estate which is for sale to anyone who falls in love with Savusavu – as so many do!
Rob: How did you end up in Savusavu and come to acquire Daku?
Delia: I first came to Fiji as a tourist in 1988. I was driving across Vanua Levu with my husband in a hired car, and we came to a crossroads: straight on to Labasa or turn right to Savusavu? On little more than a whim, we turned right – and Savusavu has been part of our life ever since.
We stayed at Daku Resort which had only just opened – we were some of its first guests. In those days it was owned by the Anglican church. We loved it – and the following year we came back. It was then that the manager suggested we build a house on the property and gift it to the resort, but would have annual use of it for the rest of our lives. That house, built for US$14,000, still stands. We fell into a happy pattern of bringing the kids over for school holidays until 2004, when the property came up for sale. Concerned that we’d lose our house, we bought it! And that’s how we fell into the tourism business.
Since then, we have expanded the property, building new bures, improving the old ones, and adding villas with private pools.
Rob: Do the two of you have anything else to add?
Delia & Monica: The Savusavu Tourism Association has been active in its marketing efforts and during 2021 has developed a campaign “Experience a Different Fiji”. As international travel resumes, we realize that many travelers will be looking for a way to enjoy nature and connect with the people of the country, seeing what makes them tick and embracing a different experience. It’s not the “Fly and flop” holiday that Fiji does so well; it’s a market seeking something more. We are ideally placed to offer that with our stunning scenery, soaring mountains, pristine reefs, vibrant village culture and inimitable friendliness. When we encourage people to experience a different Fiji, we’re encouraging them to step out of the easy packages and come to a place where they will connect with all those experiences that make it a deep, rewarding and resonating vacation that lives with you for years to come.
One other area worth mentioning: OceanVentures Fiji in Natewa Bay have a coral conservation project. They have established 10 rope nurseries on 5 reefs; 3 – 4,000 corals have been planted; the community engagement aspect of the project is a work in progress with varying levels of community participation.
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Delia Rothnie-Jones spent her twenties in London in advertising, her thirties and forties exploring the world with her husband (they covered over 80 countries) and bringing up her kids, and since then has tumbled into tourism. It was never a plan but has yielded fascination and fun. Daku Resort has gone from being a tiny 8 room property to a thriving mid-range resort with 35 rooms. Delia has also developed Paradise Courses, vacations offering week-long art, writing and singing courses and yoga retreats, and occasional three week yoga teacher training courses.
Monica Laurence is a serial entrepreneur and conscious explorer with a passion for life. After decades as a leader in global enterprises, Hollywood entertainment and Silicon Valley technology startups, Monica launched into hospitality with Tavola Fiji, her luxe private villa and inspiring venue for creativity retreats. As well, Monica is the creator of Quantum Surfing, a community and creation method that teaches purpose-driven entrepreneurs to combine neuroscience, applied enlightenment and quantum mechanics to predictably create lucky outcomes and accelerate venture impact.
Getting there: Fiji Airways, the national carrier, has re-established weekly, direct service from Honolulu to Nadi.