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There is a strong wind blowing as Semi Murray, our kayaking instructor, lets us start practising in a choppy sea.
Backwards paddling, turning, rotating and how to rescue someone who has capsized are all covered after one experienced kayaker tipped over. Already, our tour is proving to be an adventure.
Over the next four days we will be paddling through the Yasawas, an 85-kilometre (53-mile) chain of volcanic islands and atolls in northwest Fiji.
“No worries,” Murray says. “Here on Fiji there are reefs everywhere. We will never be exposed to the waves.”
When he was a boy, kayakers would camp in the garden of his parents’ house on the island of Tavewa. Now Murray, 36, leads tourists across the waters.
The guest group is housed in spacious bell tents with solar-powered ventilators. A hammock is stretched out beneath a mango tree. Amid the flame trees, chickens are picking away for food. Coconut trees are whispering in the winds.


Over a glass of dry wine at sunset, Murray and his co-guide from Canada, Peter Wainwright, lay out their plan. The wind has died down, so we will be able to paddle along the eastern coast of the island of Nacula.
It’s a stroke of luck that only one in four groups gets to experience. We raise our glasses to cheer the news.
Early in the morning, we wake to the crowing of roosters. We have breakfast in a rustic pavilion and begin packing equipment in the two-person kayaks.
Supplies and tents for the coming days will be brought by an accompanying boat – a service we will come to appreciate when we head through the straits between the islands.
We paddle head-on into the waves, with the kayak’s bow rhythmically rising out of the water and splashing back down.
Our effort is rewarded by the view – of glittering waters sometimes turquoise, sometimes a deep blue washing onto white sand beaches beneath palm trees. Beyond them are hills covered in pale grass.

Soon the sea gets calmer and in the clear waters we see the branches and plates of the coral. Turtles surface, gasping for air, while silvery garfish are skittering across the sea.
We pass Nacula Hill, which looks like a table mountain. “There used to be a fortress on the plateau where warriors slaughtered and ate their enemies,” Murray says. “Today it’s a sacred place and off-limits to tourists.”
The kayaks glide past one picture-postcard beach after the next. At Balawi Beach, workers are clearing the jungle for a new luxury resort.
Some of the backpacker hostels from his childhood are now upscale hotels, says Murray. And most of the local inhabitants work in the resorts or sell fish, seafood, fruit and vegetables.
After about 90 minutes, the guides pull their kayaks onto a beach and give us a break. While we snorkel among colourful coral towers and fish, they prepare lunch on a camping table.

Later, back in the boats, we enter the bay of the village of Navotua. A good 100 inhabitants live in houses made of unplastered bricks, wood and corrugated iron.
Shutters and doors are open to the breeze and visitors. Children cheerfully call bula – hello.
Navota is tiny, yet it has a school and a church. We pitch our tents on the rugby field in the middle of the village, with dogs and chickens wandering about.
In the evening, the youngsters play rugby, Fiji’s national sport. Then it gets dark and we have a clear view of the star-studded night sky and the Milky Way.
A generator supplies the village with electricity, but the kava ceremony is called in the traditional way, by conch shell trumpet. We wrap sulus, or colourful skirts, around our hips and head to the meeting house, where men and women in festive costumes are waiting.
They sing in harmony to a guitar and dance, grabbing the awkward guests to join in the fun.

Meanwhile, a muscular man in a bast skirt is pounding kava roots with an iron rod. The powder is used to mix yaqona, Fiji’s national drink. A clap, a loud bula and you have a bowl of the cloudy concoction in your hand. Be sure to empty it in one go and don’t make a face.
Fijians love the bitter brew, which leaves your tongue feeling furry and your mind sleepy.
While the locals stay up, we retire to our tents. The rooster crows early and we want to be the first in Sawa-i-Lau, ahead of larger tourist groups.

The sea is glistening beneath the morning sun as we paddle to the famous islet. Rugged karst towers rise out of the jungle, colourful birds flutter between the helicopter trees and sharp-edged rocks loom above the sea.
However, visitors are mainly attracted by the caves where scenes for the classic film The Blue Lagoon were filmed.
A stairway leads down to the natural pool where Brooke Shields swam in the film. We, too, hop into the water and float in a cathedral of fluted rock walls and an open roof.
Then we squeeze through a gap into the second cave, which is completely dark. The cones of light from the waterproof lamps graze the rock outcrops and stalactites, and through the diving goggles we can see the grotto’s sculpted pool.
Later, back at the shore, we recall the description by the author of The Blue Lagoon, who said the sea was a “vast and voiceless blue”, with light that was “music to the soul”.


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Tourism

A kayak trip through Fiji’s Yasawa archipelago is a paddle around paradise

A kayaker pulled up on the beach on Nacula Island in the Yasawa archipelago, Fiji. Photo: Shutterstock

Kayaking in Fiji’s turquoise waters around the Yasawa Islands, is a relaxing way to take in the archipelago’s unbelievable beauty. Photo: Instagram/fijivacations

A tourist boat passes a beachside community in the Yasawa Islands, Fiji. Photo: Instagram/womenembraceadventure

A kayaker off Drawaqa Island in the Yasawa Islands, Fiji. Photo: Shutterstock

Yaqona is the national drink of Fiji, made from mixing the powdered root of the kava plant with water. Drinking it results in a numb feeling and a sense of relaxation. Photo: Shutterstock

A sea cave in the Yasawa Islands, Fiji. Scenes from The Blue Lagoon were filmed in the  Sawa-i-Lau caves. Photo: Instagram/womenembraceadventure

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The Philae Temple of Isis, in Egypt, is a beautiful landmark well worth including in your Nile River cruise itinerary. The nearby Unfinished Obelisk is also well worth a visit. Photo: TNS

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Cruise ships dock at the Temple of Kom Ombo on the Nile. Photo: Shutterstock

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Most Nile cruise boats park alongside each other during temple stops along the route from Luxor to Aswan. Photo: TNS

A granite statue of the falcon god Horus stands at the entrance to the Temple of Edfu. Photo: Shutterstock

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The good, bad and ugly sides to a holiday in Fiji – the hardest decision is where to go first

The cannibals may have been replaced with smiling locals in the South Pacific islands, but keep an eye on your wallet

A coral reef network and lagoon in northern Fiji. Picture: Alamy

DKAN2K Longboat (fiibreglass) full of villagers leaves the eastern anchorage, Fulaga, southern Laus, Fiji.. Image shot 2013. Exact date unknown. [01JULY2018 GBU POST MAGAZINE]

A woman from the village of Namena in Tailevu walks in front of her damaged house after Cyclone Winston swept through the area. The death toll from super-cyclone Winston jumped to 42 on February 24 as concerns grew for remote Fijian villages still waiting for help after the most powerful storm in the Pacific nation's history. AFP PHOTO / STEVEN SAPHORE / AFP PHOTO / STEVEN SAPHORE [01JULY2018 GBU POST MAGAZINE]

DB5T4H geography / travel, Fiji, agriculture, Fijian field hands on sugar plantation, Singatoka, Viti Levu Isle, 1950s, 1950s, 50s, 20 [01JULY2018 GBU POST MAGAZINE]

DJKW36 Close up of men's hands filling a bilo (coconut shell used as a drinking cup) with kava from the large tanoa (kava bowl) Fiji [01JULY2018 GBU POST MAGAZINE]

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How a two-week kayaking adventure in Thailand teaches you to slow down and enjoy the moment

Caves honeycomb the base of karst rock formations at Phang Nga Bay, and many can be explored by kayak. Photo: Ian Neubauer

Kayaking around Thailand’s Phang Nga Bay to celebrate his 50th birthday was demanding and at times painful, but it taught Ian Neubauer (above) about patience. Photo: Ian Neubauer

Detailed planning for equipment and provisions was required before the solo kayaking trip around Phang Nga Bay, in the southwest of Thailand. Photo: Ian Neubauer

People kayak near the limestone cliffs in Phang Nga Bay. Photo: Shutterstock

Packing up camp on Koh Panak on Day 2 of the solo kayaking trip. Photo: Ian Neubauer

Stopping for lunch at an unidentified beach and island near James Bond Island. Photo: Ian Neubauer

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Taking a breather at a fishing village on the north coast of Phang Nga Bay. Photo: Ian Neubauer

Caves honeycomb the base of karst rock formations in Phang Nga Bay, and many can be explored by kayak. Photo: Ian Neubauer

Kayakers are dwarfed by the limestone cliffs in Ao Nang Bay, in southern Thailand. Photo: Shutterstock

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Lifestyle

Travel & Leisure

Kayaking allows visitors to enjoy a relaxed trip through Fiji’s turquoise waters and volcanic islands and soak up the culture


Kayaking allows visitors to enjoy a relaxed trip through Fiji’s turquoise waters and volcanic islands and soak up the culture.


Travel Destinations

Pacific nations

Fiji