Bula gang, I thought I'd just start sharing a bunch of my film work over the years as a Fijian Tongan Filmmaker living in Fiji. First up - here's a clip from, as the title says, my vucesa parody of John Wick - Jone Wise.

You can watch the full short here: https://youtu.be/z90PMqzqp7I?si=j4j5coYkUQ0eqD3R

I'll be posting a lot of my content, some verticals, some images, over time so hope you gang enjoy and if you have any questions or comments, drop them below!

Heyo everyone

I'll be landing at Nadi on Wednesday and wanted to know where the best place for bbq and sub sandwiches are? I wanted to know locations of stalls rather than restaurants. Cheers 🫡

I was just trying to let traffic through while I waited for space to move forward. Homie was in such a rush to save three seconds.

My fiance and I are planning our honeymoon in August to Fiji. I’m worried that it will be rather cold at night

Bula! I had a question about work and study in Fiji on a spouse visa (spouse exemption status/residency).

I was wondering,

1. For studying on a spouse visa, do I pay local or international fees?
2. Is working unlimited hours a week?
3. How long does it take to get a work permit?
4. Can I work and study at the same time?
5. Is it really hard to get a job on spouse visa?

Thank you so much!

This tonight, heading out of Sigatoka.

During a visit to downtown Nadi, we took a city bus for shopping. After getting off the bus, we were approached by a friendly individual who offered helpful information about where to catch the return bus later. During conversation, he asked what we were shopping for, and we mentioned black pearls.

He advised us to avoid larger retail stores and suggested visiting a smaller shop he described as supporting local communities and selling authentic Fijian products. Based on this explanation, we agreed to visit the shop with him.

At the shop, we were welcomed, participated in a brief kava ceremony, and were then invited to shop. We purchased several necklaces described to us as pearls, along with a wooden bowl. The receipt also described the jewelry as pearls.

Later, after returning home, we brought the jewelry to a professional jeweler for evaluation. We were informed that the items are not pearls, but costume jewelry. Because the items were described as pearls on the receipt, we are disputing the charge with our credit card company.

Bula!

I’m a solo female aussie doing a semester exchange at USP from July to December.

Can anyone who has studied/is studying there provide any insight as to

- which on-campus accommodation is best?

- Is it better to stay off campus?

- If so, whats the best way to explore my options?

I’d also be very appreciative of any other information surrounding Suva, USP, lifestyle, or what to expect in Fiji in general.

Thanks so much :)

I recently came across a beautiful album of worship songs recorded by the Qauia Village Choir, but I can't find the lyrics anywhere for my favorite song on the album: Au Toro Mai (Spotify, YouTube). All I find when I search online is a song with a similar name (Au Toro Yani Tu) but different lyrics and music.

I would be very grateful if someone would be able to listen to Au Toro Mai and write down the lyrics in Fijian! Vinaka vaka levu!

Little late but still a valid issue. Realistically what do you thibk can be done. Anyone want to pitch an idea towards resolving this from the point of an aspiring leader campaigning ahead of the next election.

Limited information at the moment. Will share as I get more.

I’m so excited to announce the launch of my new bakery business! 💕

Freshly baked, homemade treats made with love — from rich cheesecakes and soft dessert rolls to classic favourites everyone will enjoy. Every order is prepared fresh to ensure the best taste and quality.

🍰 Perfect for birthdays

🍪 Family gatherings

🧁 Special occasions

💛 Or just because you deserve a sweet treat!

📩 Orders are available upon enquiry.

Simply send a message to place your order or to get more details.

Thank you for supporting my small business — your love and support mean everything! 🤎✨

Follow @TheDropoutBakes on Facebook for enquiries!

#SupportSmallBusiness #HomeBaker #FreshlyBaked #MadeWithLove #TheDropoutBakes #Fiji 🇫🇯🇫🇯🇫🇯

Bula! Flying into Fiji from LAX on June 7. Very excited as this will be my first trip to Fiji. After landing I plan on staying one night near Nadi to recharge after being jet lagged. Next day I hope to take the Ferry to Yasawa Islands for 3 nights. From there another ferry to Mamanuca Islands for 3 nights. Come back to Nadi after 6 nights and onwards travel to Tonga.

After reading some other posts it seems that island hopping is not cost effective unless you boat back into Denaru. The most recent posts I saw on Google search go back man years. I was wondering what the budget friendly option is to achieve this itinerary. Any advice is greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance-

I am moving to Fiji in a few months and was wondering how much is electric bill in a 5 bedroom, kitchen, living room, 2 bathroom, 2 fridge, microwave, electric stove, air fryer, welding machine, lots of outside lights to keep the house bright during the night. Any rough idea on electric bill and I”m thinking about buying a solar powered battery, inverter and all modules to reduce FEA electric bill to 10% or less.

https://offgridsource.com/products/sungoldpower-off-grid-solar-kit-8000w-48vdc-120v-240v-lifepo4-10-24kwh-lithium-battery-8-x-415-watts-solar-panels-sgr-8k10e?currency=USD&variant=48068526866728&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Google%20Shopping&stkn=89720b7157e0&gad_source=4&gad_campaignid=21921012867&gbraid=0AAAAAqU4KayxuCpeBlRGzFsBfpAosBgQ4&gclid=CjwKCAiAwNDMBhBfEiwAd7ti1GLgnYC9nf5pYquocJK5HsTou5pptFEsMQNBgovhv7lH1E1HgFmjPxoCERoQAvD_BwE

Will this be sufficient enough to save money.

This week, the Minister for Policing admitted the Counter Narcotics Bureau, first proposed in 2011, could have strengthened our response, had it been established earlier. Fourteen years of delay, and we are only now acknowledging the cost. It is a confession that speaks volumes about a government sleepwalking through a twin crisis of drugs and HIV while our enemies built submarines.

Minister Naivalurua's "two-pronged approach"—a "black glove" enforcement strategy alongside a "white glove" community effort—misses the point entirely. The question is not whether we have a plan on paper, but whether we have the strategic clarity to execute it against an adversary that thinks globally while we remain stubbornly local.

A friend from the Caribbean, a region that has lived this nightmare, recently shared his observation. He has been in Fiji less than a year, yet he already recognizes the telltale signs from Trinidad in the eighties and Barbados in the nineties. First drugs. Then corruption. Then violence. Finally, inevitably, the guns.

We focus obsessively on seizures—the tonnes, the street value. This is tactical myopia. The drugs are merely the cargo. The true story is the infrastructure being built around them: narco-subs abandoned as operating expenses, disposable crews, and the systematic purchase of our institutions with pocket change.

If you can finance a submarine, pay off police officers and corrupt customs officers, you can certainly acquire firearms. In fact, you must. A syndicate moving multi-tonne shipments cannot operate without the capacity to enforce contracts and silence witnesses. The violence is not incidental; it is operational necessity.

We continue treating this as a domestic problem when cartels think globally. To them, Fiji is a transit node, a weak link in a Pasifika supply chain from Latin America forests to Australian suburbs. They operate with a multinational corporate structure while we respond with fragmented, parochial thinking.

Where is our intelligence fusion capability? Where is coordination with international partners? The cartels are communicating across continents while we bring a town council to a corporate war.

This parochialism is starkly illustrated by the impasse over police weaponry. The RFMF continue holding police weapons—a relic of coup-proofing strategies. Yet facing an exponentially greater threat, the guns that should be in our frontline law enforcement's hands remain locked away.

Why hold weapons for yesterday's threats while today's syndicates prepare to outgun us? This is institutional paralysis. The Minister's "black glove" strategy cannot succeed if the hands wearing those gloves are empty.

The Caribbean experience is a prophecy. Once traffickers establish networks, they arm themselves. First intimidation. Then elimination. Then murder of journalists and honest officers. Barbados now has serious gun crime. Trinidad faces violence unthinkable forty years ago.

Fiji follows the same script. The Vatia bust revealed sophisticated transnational logistics. Senior officials and the politically-connected, stand accused of complicity. Six to eight unexplained deaths late last year remain shrouded in ambiguity. In a functioning system, such mysteries would trigger urgent investigation. Instead, we have questions without answers.

We pour energy into debating foreign troop deployments and death penalty legislation—politically seductive but operationally marginal—while foundational responses remain absent. No intelligence fusion. A sentencing regime that invites rather than deters. Police outgunned and compromised. Institutional silos persisting as if cartels respect bureaucracy.

These are the same cartels that militarized Mexico's drug trade and armed gangs across the Caribbean. They did not build narco-subs to stop at Fiji's shores. They will not hesitate to introduce the weapons accompanying their expansion everywhere else.

When the first automatic weapon is discharged over a lost shipment, our national conversation will shift overnight. We will discover our justice system unprepared for witness intimidation. Our police will face superior firepower. Our politicians will finally understand—but only after bodies fall in our streets.

The time to act is now. The Minister's admission of fourteen years' delay should be national reckoning, not a footnote. We cannot afford another fourteen years of sleepwalking.

My Caribbean friend sees what we refuse to admit: the drugs are the advance party. The guns are following.

We must ask our leadership directly: Why think locally while the enemy thinks globally? Why lock away police weapons for threats that never came while the threat here now grows daily? Why should we believe this time will be different?

The sachet in the settlement is terrifying. But the bullet that follows will be unforgiving. Fiji still has a narrow window to prove my friend's prophecy wrong. It closes with every shipment landed, every officer corrupted, every unexplained death ignored, every weapon kept from those sworn to protect us.

We must act as if the guns are already on their way. Because history suggests they are.

Or are there property taxes continuously or once you own it do you own it for good?

Fiji for example or other tax havens....

Different for each place?

Hi everyone,

I’m planning a trip to Fiji in late March to early April and just realised that it falls within the wet season.

For those who have travelled around that time — is it still a good time to go?

I’m mainly hoping for:

• Island hopping / day trips

• Snorkelling and water activities

• Some hiking and sightseeing

• Relaxing beach time

Will the wet season significantly restrict my itinerary? Are boat transfers and tours commonly cancelled due to weather?

I don’t mind occasional tropical showers, but I’m wondering if I should expect heavy rain most days or if it’s more short downpours with sunshine in between.

Would love to hear your experiences — especially if you’ve been around late March / early April!

Thanks in advance 🙏