London-based Kiwis dream of escape to Fijian paradise

Anthony Thomson plans to leave cold England behind and holiday in Fiji next month.

When Dr Anthony Thomson looks out the window of his house in Guildford, Surrey, he sees grey streets, grey hills and a grey sky.

The New Zealand immunologist, who earns £150,000 ($385,000) a year as a business strategist for one of London's top technology venture companies, dreams of two things: being alone and keeping warm.

"We only get about five hours of daylight here at this time of the year," said the 38-year-old, freezing in a 4C January blast.

"And you have to try hard to get to nature. Even when you do, there's always millions of people in your face and I'm tired of it."

So he hatched a plan with two New Zealand mates to buy a slice of South Pacific paradise as far away from London as possible.

"I don't know if I could live in Fiji. It might be a bit of a shock after London," Dr Thomson said, speculating that Auckland had its attractions when he tires of the European rat race.

The trio have splashed out on leasehold titles to two Fijian islands, each for about $1 million.

The Fijian Government's Native Lands Trust Board states that foreigners cannot buy Fijian land, but they can lease it long-term.

The 5.6ha Nanuku Levu in Fiji's Northern Lau group has lush forests, white-sand beaches fringed with coconut and papaya trees, a 5km coral reef and breeding green sea turtles.

The 10ha volcanic Malima is another utopia about 72km south of Nanuku Levu, ringed by a much larger coral reef and with towering volcanic cliffs and wide black volcanic flats at its southern end.

"No Gucci bags there," said Dr Thomson. "These islands still look like they did thousands of years ago."

Richard Hatherly, 52, a Dunedin entrepreneur, joined Dr Thomson and Adam Culy, 37, a solicitor in London, to buy Nanuku Levu.

The three met when Dr Thomson and Mr Culy were at Otago University two decades ago - Mr Hatherly was Dr Thomson's landlord.

Dr Thomson and Mr Hatherly jointly bought Malima.

Mr Hatherly already has strong links with Fiji because he recruits students from there and places them on Otago and Southland dairy farms.

Both islands have huge potential, he said, having investigated building a surfing reef at Nanuku Levu.

"We've got a wonderful swell all the way up from the Antarctic, but it's got to take a 90-degree turn to go through our channel," Mr Hatherly said.

They commissioned a study on an artificial reef from Dr Shaw Mead of Raglan-based ASR, a marine consulting and research business which has 30 projects on the go worldwide.

"Nanuku has the potential to become another surfing hotspot in Fiji," Dr Mead wrote in his feasibility report. "Currently the seabed is not conducive to providing high-quality waves. ASR have therefore produced an artificial reef design."

On Malima, the men want to develop a centre for stressed business people escaping corporate life.

Dr Thomson likes the concept of "negative luxury", such as Switzerland's new modernist white-pod tent villages springing up on its skifields.

"People could slum it in a great location," he said of Malima's potential for low-budget tourist amenities.

Slumming it in Fiji is just what Dr Thomson is dreaming of.

He plans to holiday on his two islands next month.

Bula to all that
* Three New Zealanders bought leases to two Fijian islands.

* They paid $2 million for Nanuku Levu and Malima.

* A tourism retreat and artificial surf reef are planned.

* They pay a local chief, Tui Laucala, $1000 a week.

* He keeps Nanuku Levu pristine for their holidays.