We have just returned from 7 weeks in Fulaga – possibly the most beautiful and certainly the most welcoming island that we have visited so far! Really recommended – but there’s no internet or mobile phone coverage and the shop has very little to offer so be prepared to be self-sufficient. About 60 boats made it here in 2014 and several (including us) returned in 2015)

The ‘anchoring fee’ is a donation to island funds that supports village activities (such as installing flush toilets) in all three villages and it is still $50Fj and a 250g wrap of yagona (kava root) is acceptable for the sevusevu in the main village of Muanicake. The sevusevu there covers you for visiting the other villages but presented sevusevu to the chiefs of the other villages when you visit is a nice thing to do and is very appreciated.

The locals assign a host family to each visiting yacht which works, on the whole, really well. It means you get a real welcome into the community and its activities rather than being an outsider looking in.

The big event of 2015 was the launch of the first sailing canoe to be built in about 6 years, a project which has rekindled enthusiasm for the traditional skills so there is the talk of new canoes and a revival of inter-village racing in the lagoon.