Page 10 - Explore Magazine Autumn 2017

8

ADVENTURES IN

PARADISE

On a week-long holiday around the islands of Matangi, Qamea, Taveuni and Vanua Levu,
Anne-Marie Ryan of helloworld Browns Bay falls in love with Fiji all over again.

Late last year I renewed my love of Fiji with a week on
the magical Northern Islands of Taveuni and Vanua Levu.
Already in love with Fiji and what it has to offer, I wasn’t
prepared for falling in love with the country all over
again, but that is exactly what happened.
The flight by FIJI LINK (Fiji Airways) from Nadi to the
“Garden Island” of Taveuni was part of the experience:
we were treated to incredible views of gorgeous atolls
and coral reefs. Upon landing at Taveuni’s Matei Airport
I quickly realised this part of Fiji was nowhere near as
commercialised as the main island and immediately felt
relaxed and excited about what was to come. Our group
was heading first to Matangi Private Island Resort so we
boarded a waiting mini-bus for a scenic 20-minute drive
to a boat landing to meet the water taxi to the island. We
travelled along a mix of sealed and unsealed roads and
the turquoise-blue water on our left and the rainforest
on the right were pleasant distractions from the odd
bump along the way.
My first and lasting impressions of Matangi Private
Island Resort were “wow!” The greeting from the staff
singing as our boat came into the beach gave me
goosebumps and a sense of being “welcomed home”.
This adults-only slice of paradise has a gorgeous mix
of rooms to suit all budgets from bures to three unique
tree houses; I was lucky enough to be staying in one of
the latter for the night.

HELLOWORLD : EXPLORE : AUTUMN EDITION