CRUISE NOW | Yasawa Islands
Adinghy emerges from around the bay and is headed towards us, to this empty beach some 87 kilometres north of Viti Levu. I'm standing knee-deep in translucent water, mottled with the dark patches of reef beneath its surface. A school of small white fish scuttles past. The boat draws my attention though: it's the first I've seen out here in three days.
A family of eight from nearby Navotua Village spill out of the dinghy and onto the sand. They settle in a shady spot and carefully place trinkets on a mat and hang (sarongs), bula shirts and traditional cloth prints in the palm trees. Known locally as , these intricately patterned tapa cloths are made exclusively by the women of this region using the bark of the paper mulberry tree and natural dyes.
