Category Archives: Locations

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Exploring Wakaya Island

Welcome back to Wakaya, a private island.  We continue our explorations of this beautiful piece of Fijian paradise.

The Wakaya Island Resort and Spa allow us to explore their island, despite it being an exclusive resort.

The Chieftain’s Leap

During 1800’s the neighboring island of Ovalu successfully attacked and conquered the island of Wakaya.  The strong warriors with “white men and guns” were no match for the three local Wakayan villages.

The warriors killed the men and kidnapped the women.  The chief, 20 warriors and a few remaining villagers fled to the hills.  With no possibility of a truce, the chief decided to leap off the cliff to avoid torture and capture.  20 of his warriors followed.

The locals now refer to the cliff as “The Chieftain’s Leap.”

We drive 20 minutes down a bumpy dirt road to the bottom of the tallest cliff.

It is a short 20 minute walk to the cliff.  The path is well marked and is mostly flat.  There are a few places you have to scurry over tree roots, rocks and boulders.

At the top of the cliff, we were rewarded with amazing views.  It was truly a spectacular experience.

Staff Village

After we visited the Chieftain’s Leap we stopped by the staff village. 

There is a multi-denominational church, nurse’s station, community center, and school (K-8).

We visited the school which was by far the highlight of my year! 

The 23 students sang “Lean on Me” which made me cry and then they sang “We are the World.”  It was so beautiful!

Wakaya Island Resort and Spa

Some more pretty photos of the resort from the anchorage.

We enjoyed a most delicious meal.

Our blog posts run 6-8 weeks behind actual live events.  We were visiting Wakaya around the end of July 2025.

Don’t miss part I of our Wakaya Stay called “Wakaya, a Private Island.”

Wakaya, a Private Island

Wakaya Island is a private Island.  Over the past 100 years it has been the location of a brutal war, sugarcane plantation, coffee plantation, and now an exclusive private resort.  

We left the island of Makogai and headed 20nm south toward Wakaya seeking protection from the wind.  

We did not think we would be able to come here as it is a private island.  However, I reached out to the general manager of the Wakaya Island Resort and Spa and she granted us permission to anchor in the bay.

Makogai and Wakaya both share the same figure 8 shape reef.  However, the only way to get from Makogai to Wakaya is to leave the reef, sail around the outside, and enter the reef again at the north pass of Wakaya lagoon.

The entire lagoon is a marine preserve.

Wakaya’s History

1937.  Over 800 warriors from neighboring Ovalu island successfully attacked Wakaya.  The men were murdered, the women enslaved, and the Chieftain leapt off the cliff to avoid torture and capture.  

1840.  The captain of Currency Lass arrived in Levuka on Ovalu and purchased Wakaya.  All of the inhabitants were removed and only a few plantation workers remained through 1971.

1860’s First site of sugar production in Fiji.  Became a financial failure as the island was too small to support a commercial sugar plantation even with a sugarcane mill.  

1940’s proposed home for the Banabans. The Fijians and the British could not agree on a price so, they bought Rabi as the relocation site. Wakaya remained as is. 

The Resort’s Creation

1973. David Gilmour purchased Wakaya for $600,000.  He developed the island, and built the resort,  Wakaya Club and Spa. 

Mr. Gilmour and partners spent over $13 million on building the resort, airport, freshwater reservoir, golf course, jetty, staff village, church, and school. 

Mr. Gilmour founded Fiji Water and was responsible for making the island a sustainable island and resort.

2016. Cyclone Winston destroyed most of the island.

In the same year, the resort was sold to the now-convicted Seagram’s heiress Clare Bronfman who owns most of the island. Cyclone Winston, one of the strongest cyclones on record, passed directly over Wakaya leaving much of the island in complete disarray.

Back to the Roots

In late 2016, Wakaya reclaimed its roots with a solemn vow to honor the original Chief’s wishes to protect the natural beauty of the island and embrace the heritage of the original islanders, ensuring their freedom and prosperity.

Today, Wakaya Island has seen many Fijian families grow and is home to one of Fiji’s most stunning examples of a luxurious retreat in the Southern Hemisphere: Wakaya Island Resort & Spa

In 2022, the American tourism marketing company, Pacific Storytelling, partnered with Wakaya Club & Spa Resort.

Wakaya Resort & Spa

The resort can host 36 people in its 10 bures and two large houses. 

However, there was only one couple staying on property during our initial visit.

The resort honored us with a tour of the grounds. What a huge privilege.  

Sonny, a staff member, greeted us with a fresh coconut and a flower. 

We walked passed the negative edge pool, marina, reception area, and pristine grounds.

Each building has incorporated Fijian culture. At every turn you will find hand-made designs from the ceilings, to the chandeliers, hand carved poles, and ancient artifacts. 

It is truly a beautiful blend of their ancestors and modern comfort.

We visit the organic garden which supplies 60% of the food to the resort. 

The other 40% of their food is shipped in from the mainland (which is shipped from other countries). 

Including apples, oranges and other things that can’t grow on island.

They have cows, pigs, chickens, and deer!  Yep, deer.  They are the only island in Fiji that has deer.

We felt so blessed to be able to see this resort. 

It was a once in a lifetime opportunity. 

We would never be able to afford to stay here. 

Rooms start at $2,500 per night and go up to $11,000 per night – that is USD!

Wakaya on No Foreign Land

Our blog posts run 6-8 weeks behind actual live events.  We were in Wakaya at the end of July 2025.

We share the success story of the island of Makogai in our last blog post.

The Successful Rebound of Makogai

Despite it’s tragic past, Makogai has rebounded and created a successful island life.  Yes, the remains of the leper colony still exist.  However, the thriving community now harvests giant clams, queen bees, and turtles to relocate throughout Fiji.

Today the Dalice Bay is a site of the Department of Fisheries clam program.  After cyclone Winston, the island and its dive sites suffered tremendous damage. 

In the bay lives a caretaker of the fisheries, some workers and settlers from the main village, in total 7 families. 

The Fijian Government has opened a Government Mariculture Center and declared the island and its surrounding reefs a marine protected area.

One of the main projects of the Mariculture Center is the culturing of giant clams (Tridacna). 

These giant clams were once in abundance throughout Fiji waters.  However, due to overharvesting their numbers are low.

The Australian Government funded project has now transplanted thousands of clams in various parts of Fiji.

Unfortunately, the tanks are old and leaking.  The locals informed us that they plan to demolish the existing tanks to make room for brand new ones.

The Maricultural Center had a surprising number of tanks onshore.  At least 20 rectangle tanks and 8-10 round tanks.

Read about more detailed blog post on harvesting clams (scroll down toward the bottom of the post).

The workers ensure the infant clams have fresh salt water each day. 

After a few years, the locals transplant the clams from the tanks to the shallow waters of Dalice Bay.

The clams are repopulated to other reefs in Fiji once they are deemed large enough to fend for themselves.

There was one giant clam in the shallows.  It was probably 4′ across and 2.5′ deep.  It is next to a very large tractor tire (not a car tire).  

And there are tons of schools of fish who tickled me as I swam through them.

A Day at Makogai

We were blessed to acquire this huge stock of bananas!  This is a huge treat for us. 

We soak the stalk in salt water for 45-60 minutes to remove all of the critters.  Next, we hang a t-shirt over the stock of bananas to slow the ripening process.

The supply ship came in (really close to Sugar Shack) and loaded up the 1 vehicle on island and supplies.

We watched locals cut up 3 medium size clams for lunch. 

Could this be why there are so few giant clams left in Fijian waters?

The locals of Makogai are also harvesting queen bees. 

There are hundreds of bees flying around this area (but they did not come out in the photos).

Beautiful Pinnacle

We snorkeled on this giant pinnacle that had loads of soft corals, fans, and colorful fish. 

In addition, it had the largest clown school we’ve ever seen.  

Of course, they were all protecting their perspective soft coral. Darting in and out and surprising us with their noses.

I could watch these little fish all day!

Our blog posts run 6-8 weeks behind actual live events. We were in Makogai in late July 2025 with our friends Chris and Sarah on sv Sea Glub.

Did you read about Makogai’s heartbreaking history in our last blog post?