NZ Herald senior political reporter Michael Neilson and Newstalk ZB's chief political reporter Aaron Dahmen travelled with a New Zealand media contingent alongside Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern at the Pacific Islands Forum in Suva, Fiji. Here is a taste of what went on behind the headlines.
With China's increasing interest in the Pacific and the United States seeking to counter it, this year's Pacific Islands Forum was shaping up to be the most significant in years.
Pacific leaders, who thought they had just solved an attempted split by five Micronesian states, were focused on their own unity, the "Pacific family" after the pandemic interruption, and on their main security threat - climate change.
But on Sunday night, 1News revealed Kiribati was quitting, citing ongoing leadership issues, but also sparking speculation its closer relations with China could have influenced the decision.
Unity was thus thrust high on the agenda - but it was to be far from the only shockwave of the week.
Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern started the week fielding questions about whether this had thrown the forum into chaos, which she did her best to downplay.
She was on a mission to make up for the three years since the last face-to-face, with the pandemic wreaking havoc and questions about the strength of New Zealand's relations in the region.
By early afternoon she was en route to Suva aboard the RNZAF Boeing - dubbed "Old Faithful Betty" by the press pack - with Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta and her top Pacific advisers, along with a hefty New Zealand media pack more than 20-strong.
Also in tow were her 4-year-old daughter Neve and fiance Clarke Gayford. It's understood Neve had picked up some Fijian sentences from her caregiver, and spent a lot of her time practising on people she met.
With Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese not scheduled to arrive until Wednesday afternoon, all eyes were on Ardern.
Ardern's day began with a meeting where the naturally charismatic and quick-witted politician appeared to find her match in Australian Foreign Minister Penny Wong.
"Great to meet you in person," said Wong.
"Exactly," Ardern replied. "We all look so much younger in person."
Wong replied in jest: "Speak for yourself, Prime Minister."
Ardern was then off to a seed bank to announce a $10 million project - the first from the Government's $1.3 billion climate war chest, with over half going to the Pacific.
In theme with the day, it proved to be the hottest of the week.
As media gathered under the sweltering sun, bodies and phones overheating, Ardern displayed an almost superhuman-like ability to handle the heat.
As sweat poured down the faces of reporters, Ardern's make-up somehow managed to stay completely intact.
She also came to the rescue of a certain journalist whose question line trailed off under the blazing sun, refusing to make them a fool. Let's blame the heat.
And in another display of calm under pressure, Ardern also refused the not-so-innocent offer of a coconut by a journalist, replying in jest: "You will not be photographing me with one of those."
News soon emerged that the United States Vice President Kamala Harris had earned a speaking slot the following day, which experts called "unprecedented" for a non-forum member.
Dialogue partners, including China and the United States, had been excluded this year to allow the forum to focus on unity. But here was Harris due to speak at the invitation of Fiji Prime Minister and host Frank Bainimarama.
Ardern sought to play down the US involvement, referring to it in the historical context of geopolitical interest that "waxes and wanes" - a go-to line over the next few days.
But regardless, the agenda was set, once again.
That evening Ardern attended the opening ceremony with fiance Gayford, who sat in the audience next to an unsuspecting woman.
She was clearly a fan of Ardern's, yet appeared not to realise her relation to Gayford until the Prime Minister came directly over to him - her jaw-dropping expression giving the game away.
With interest building for the US address, Ardern began her Wednesday with a speech about the rights of women and girls in the Pacific, announcing just over $12m in support.
Quickly the focus shifted to Harris' virtual address, and media began packing into a conference room at the Grand Pacific Hotel, where fisheries and foreign ministers, including Nanaia Mahuta and Australia's Penny Wong, and a few leaders, including Bainimarama, were present.
Before Harris began, a minor diplomatic incident ensued, right next to these two New Zealand journalists.
A Chinese official had attempted to sit in the media area without accreditation. He was recognised by a journalist present and moved on by security, where he sat with another unaccredited Chinese official.
Rather than remove them from the room entirely, which could have caused a much more prominent diplomatic problem, they were moved to a back row, where journalists attempted unsuccessfully to garner further information. Soon reports emerged at least one was an intelligence officer.
There was clearly much interest in what Harris had to say.
Given the weight of anticipation, there was a light-hearted moment when Harris was introduced on the gigantic cinema-sized screen, only for complete silence from her end.
A woman announced it appeared the second-most powerful person in the United States was presumably running late (although a programme later released by the US indicated perhaps the Fijians were running a bit early).
After a few minutes of tense silence Harris' giant face and voice boomed onto the screen, dwarfing the politicians physically present literally and metaphorically with Big Brotheresque effect.
The room listened intently as she spoke, revealing a major power play into the region including new embassies, Pacific strategy and increased diplomatic presence.
She also revealed the US was tripling its payments for tuna fishing rights in the Pacific to US$60m over the next 10 years, amounting to about NZ$1 billion.
It is however understood the US had actually offered US$40m, but Pacific nations refused.
Ardern's next meeting was the much-anticipated first face-to-face bilateral with Solomon Islands PM Manasseh Sogavare. It was also the first chance to speak about the controversial security deal with China.
After all the build-up the opening remarks were remarkably tame, neither mentioning anything about security, rather focusing on the history of support between the two nations.
Sogavare revealed to Ardern that he had studied at the University of Waikato. "Me too!" Ardern exclaimed - it really was their first time meeting each other.
They appeared to get on well, though perhaps not quite to the extent of Sogavare and Australia's Albanese, where the Solomons leader quipped "Ahhh, I need a hug!" before embracing his counterpart.
Despite the light-hearted introduction, Ardern said afterwards while she had not seen the final security pact, Sogavare had assured her there was no intention to establish a Chinese military base in the region.
The leaders' retreat is the final meeting, where leaders or representatives of the 18 nations (bar Kiribati) gather in secret to hash out major issues.
Each has a top adviser sitting outside the room in case they are needed for a pitstop.
Ahead of the meeting was the customary photo, or what has more recently become the chance to check out the Australian Prime Minister's sneakers - a trend started by Scott Morrison but in which Albanese did not disappoint.
The last time leaders met, proceedings went eight hours over time - largely due to Morrison's intransigence about climate change and coal, which saw Pacific island leaders in tears and shouting in frustration.
Without that tension it was not likely to run as long, but with so many other issues at play the hungry media on the outside could only guess when they'd emerge.
So began the will they, won't they. A 4pm launch of the 2050 Blue Pacific Strategy - the guiding document for the forum - became a 3pm launch, with media rushing to make it in time, only for the time to be pushed back again.
To make matters even more difficult, due to Covid and more than 180 media people being present, numbers were limited, with many were turned away at the gates.
By mid-afternoon news leaked a draft communique had been agreed - almost unprecedented in its timing.
Media were patiently in the room unaware of this fact, when all of a sudden Ardern popped up next to them. By then it was clear, they were done.
Media present noted how "at ease" Ardern and other leaders looked - again in stark contrast to 2019.
As all the leaders emerged, Bainimarama could be seen walking, with Ardern and Albanese on either side, clearly engaged in some sort of humorous banter around ensuring it ended on time - potentially another dig at the former Australian PM.
Bainimarama cut a giant cake, with a giant sword, to mark the occasion.
The leaders then gathered for an official post-retreat photo.
Albanese took the opportunity to up his social media game with a selfie with all the leaders.
Not to be outdone, Ardern jumped in front of the camera yelling, "Queensland!" - a clear dig at the previous night's State of Origin game, in which Albanese's New South Wales lost the series.
This time Foreign Minister Wong was nowhere to be seen.
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