It’s a long way to Fiji from London. Not one, but two 11-hour flights with a stopover in LA. But perhaps for Moana fans (and there are a lot of them – it’s the most streamed film of the last five years), that just adds to the allure. The distance feels like we’re stepping into another realm, one only seen before on-screen, and going via Disney’s Hollywood home feels apt.
It’s the icing on the cake for my 10-year-old daughter, who is joining me in Fiji and can’t wait to see Moana 2, which last month broke the Thanksgiving box office opening records.
Set in Polynesia, Moana is the daughter of a village chief who – ignoring her father’s warning – sets out across the Pacific from her fictitious home island of Motonui that has lost its sea-faring traditions to restore its good harvests.
Any of Fiji’s 333 volcanic islands could easily be its lush, forested setting. Surrounded by barrier reefs, like the one Moana is warned not to venture outside, with white beaches and clear seas, coral and coconuts litter the shores.
Moana learns to wayfind by the stars, currents and weather, stands up for herself and saves her people. Plus experiencing magic and demi-gods along the way. What child (or grown-up) wouldn’t want to emulate her?
Read more: How a floating hotel on the Great Barrier Reef is helping protect this delicate ecosystem
My daughter spends our first 30 minutes in Fiji paddling in the warm ocean shallows, examining coral and shell finds, and whispering to the water at First Landing Resort. It’s a delight to see her entranced by 4k real life rather than a screen – and a perfect introduction to Fiji, just a 20-minute drive from Nadi International airport.
We quickly adjust to the slower pace of life (“It’s called Fiji time”, a member of staff tells us with a grin) and become accustomed to living in and out of the water, steps from the beach. We set off on a sailing trip the next day onboard a drua, a traditional Fijian sailing boat, built for village chiefs – as non-sailors, the closest thing we’ll get to a Moana-style vessel. Our captain, Seta, tells us that the boat he built himself; thankfully without the human sacrifice that went along with construction (for good fortune”,…
Click Here to Read the Full Original Article at The Independent Travel…