Page 10 - Explore Magazine Winter 2016

8

WELCOMED

AND FAREWELLED

WITH SONG

Returning after a long absence,
Tori Maxwell of helloworld Miramar falls in love with Fiji.

The last time I visited Fiji was in the late 1980s, in the family, to the family-focused Malolo Island and
time of shoulder pads and bad hairdos. I travelled to Plantation Islands resorts, happiness will definitely
Fiji for a work trip and can still remember the warmth, find you here.
the water (scuba diving) and the beautiful sunsets.
Fast-forward to recently, when I took part in a Tourism After visiting the Mamanucas we took in the Coral
Fiji-hosted visit to the Mamanuca Islands, Coral coast Coast, travelling through lush countryside with views
and Denarau, and none of that had changed. But in of local villages along the way. I really enjoyed visiting
saying that Fiji has also come a long way. this part of Fiji and am very keen to come back and
try the new self-drive option that Tourism Fiji has put
From the moment we boarded our Fiji Airways flight together.
in Auckland we were transported to “Fiji time”. We There are some fantastic resorts dotted all along the
stayed initially at The Terraces Apartment Resort in
Denarau whose very roomy one-, two- and three- Coral Coast, including the Shangri-La, which has the
most gorgeous wedding chapel. There’s also the very
bedroom apartments with full kitchens are ideal for
a self-catering stay. For dinner we checked out The iconic Warwick Fiji Resort & Spa, the Intercontinental
Fiji Golf Resort & Spa and the Outrigger Fiji Beach
Rhum Ba at the Denarau Yacht Club where I had the
best kokoda (raw fish) of my entire trip. I’ve tried to Resort, which has the most glorious spa – the Bebe
Spa Sanctuary on the hill.
recreate the dish at home but my cooking is missing
that Fiji something! One of the best tour options we took was the
Sigatoka River Safari, which our group rated as one
One of the highlights of the trip was the Flavours of Fiji
cooking school in Denarau, where we all donned our the highlights of the trip. We were taken along the
pinnies and learnt to cook both Fijian and Indo-Fijian Sigatoka River in a jet boat (with a few spins thrown in
cuisine under the expert tutelage of the ladies there. by our expert driver) and took in the passing village
From visiting the market to cooking our meals and life. Lunch at one of the villages included a traditional
then sitting down to eat and enjoy what we created, it welcome with kava-drinking and lots of singing and
made for a great day. dancing was had by all. I certainly rate this as a
must-do on the Coral Coast. Another thing I loved
From Denarau we took an easy and pleasant trip to is that the tour money goes to the villages along the
the Mamanuca Islands on the Malolo Cat, and spent a Sigatoka River.
number of days visiting resorts including Musket Cove,
Plantation Island, Lomani Resort, Tropica Resort and One lasting memory of Fiji that will stay with me is
song. It’s a nation of the most wonderful singers!
Malolo Island Resort.
Everywhere we went we were welcomed with song and
The Mamanuca Island resorts have fantastic beaches, farewelled with song, and I think we were all teary-
beautiful clear waters and a very relaxed and intimate eyed to leave. Returning after a long absence, I’ve
atmosphere. You can feel yourself unwinding and can’t fallen in love with Fiji and I’m sure you will too.
help but grin at all the wonderful smiles and cries of
bula! from the staff. I would definitely recommend
taking the time to visit these close-offshore islands
if you can. From the wonderful adults-only Tropica
Resort, which treated us like long-lost friends and

HELLOWORLD : EXPLORE : WINTER EDITION