THE APPRECIATION OF EXCELLENCE

AUSTRALIA & NEW ZEALAND

HOvV 1OSPECYOURJET I GRE GNA1ALE I HE ALTH&,VELLNESS

H EIRS TYL E: NI C OLAS BIJA N I GEORGE BAMFORD, MOD GOD

LAUCALA ISLAND I WATCHClllCTII 22-PAGE S ECT JON

Fiji I

C""""'1111 harles's flippers are growing

smaller and smaller as he descends deeper and deeper into the Pacific Ocean - and I'm floating on the surface

-,,,,,,A of the water. "Wait here;' he had said with a wink, before taking a deep breath and free-diving into the sparkling blue. So I wait, counting the seconds he's under. Bobbing like a buoy, peering down through my goggles, I watch him - now some 10 metres below, gripping his long spear gun at his side - disappear beneath an overhang of ashy coral reef. Suddenly I'm all alone out here in the open water. The nearest landmass is miles away.

Without warning, a snap ricochets through the water, and a cloud of tiny bubbles scuttles up from the reef Then, through the fizz, Charles emerges victorious, gun in one hand, giant leopard coral trout in the other, and a streak of red trailing behind.

"Easy, right?" he says at the surface, holding up his brilliant orange catch. Easy for Charles, anyway. The native Fijian has spearing in his blood: he's been doing it for decades, since he was barely old enough to walk. Whereas he once collected as many as 50 catches a day to bring back to his village, he now shares his aquatic prowess with the guests at Wakaya Club & Spa, a private-island resort east of the Fijian mainland.

It wasn't long ago that spearfishing simply wasn't something you did at Wa.kaya. Like most other resorts in Fiji, the island was the kind of place where guests were expected to do a whole lot of nothing. Holding hands, lying on hammocks and dining over candlelit tables in the sand were considered worthy pastimes. Holding your breath as long as you can while you lie in wait to spear your next dinner was not.

But then something happened: a new generation of resorts began to arrive, and with their shining suites and unspoiled beaches they brought to this land of leisure a fresh thirst for adventure. First came Laucalalsland, Red Bull CEO Dietrich Mateschitz's private-isle wonderland where guests can explore the depths of the ocean aboard a DeepFlight submersible (see our feature on page 132). Then it was N anuku, whose menu of activities ranges from shark diving to rugby lessons. Vatuvara Private Islands came next; the passion project of Oakley sunglasses founder Jim Jannard has fast become a mecca for anglers in search of Fiji's famed dogtooth tuna.

It's a bit of a wonder that, until recently, the Fiji experience was so largely devoid of, well, Fiji. Since the first luxury resorts opened in the '70s, outsiders had been

160 Robb Report Australia & New Zealand I Autumn 2019

Laucala Island takes undersea

exploration to the next level with a DeepFlight submersible (above) that can travel to depths of 100 metres

scooping up the nation's tiny islands and turning them into exclusive hideaways where the biggest attraction was that there was absolutely nothing at all to do.

Save for the occasional sip of kava and the traditional tapa textiles in the rooms, little truly represented the spirit of this country.

But this new school of resorts has lured guests out of their languid holiday daze,

offering a connection to Fiji's customs and culture like never before.

Wakaya might not have been among the new breed were it not for a disaster. First opened in 1990, the resort - owned by Canadian billionaire David Gilmour,

who made one of his many fortunes as the founder of Fiji Water, which he reportedly sold for US$50 million ($70

million) in 2004 - was one of Fiji's most famously isolated retreats and a chosen escape for privacy-seeking celebrities and

CEOs. But in 2016, Cyclone Winston, the

most intense tropical storm ever to hit the Southern Hemisphere, tore through

Fiji and damaged most of the nation's 333 islands, Wakaya included. Facing

the prospect of a costly rebuild, Gilmour sold the resort to a group of investors that has spent the past two years restoring

the island - and improving it with more ecologically sound practices (including

a vital coral-protection program) and culturally rooted experiences (such as Charles's speai-fishing adventures).

Winston served as a wake-up call for others, too. As more properties rebuild and new ones put on the polishing

touches, the local experience continues to emerge front and centre. Six Senses Fiji, which debuted in April last year with one

of the islands' most sophisticated green programs, is sending its guests out into the water with seasoned surfers in search of

epic waves like the legendary Cloudbreak. And Nanuku has expanded its native excursions to address the Melanesian nation's fragile ecosystem. In addition to dives with the resort's resident marine

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Kokomo's proximity

to the Kadavu island group's epic reef breaks (left) makes the resort a surfer's paradise

finally, patience and luck align. The silver biddy weighs no more than 4.5 kilos, and it's rather ugly - but it's mine. And an hour later, when I stroll through Kokomo's lobby, dripping wet, barefoot, and gripping my slippery catch by its jaw, I feel like a Fijian warrior. I slap my prize down on the counter of the open-air kitchen for the cheftoinspect.

"It's just barely big enough for dinner," he says with a smile. But what a sweet meal it makes when it's presented at my candlelit table in the sand. l!IBl

Where to stay

Laucala Island

lauca/a.com $6700-$63,000

Kokomo Private Island Fiji

kokomoislandliji.com $2780-$17,950

Nanuku, Auberge Resorts Collection

aubergeresorts.com $970-$9950

Six Senses Fiji

sixsenses.com $1030-$5370

Vatuvara Private Islands vatuvara.com $5960-$8040

Wakaya Club & Spa

wakayaresort.com $2500-$13,860

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