Shopping for souvenirs in Fiji

By HEATHER RAMSAY

Shopping for souvenirs is an ordeal faced by most travellers trying to find gifts for friends and family. But possibly the hardest decisions are picking items that provide your own lasting memory of the holiday.

Many people now opt to spend more but buy less - searching out pieces of art and items of furniture that are not only representative of the destination, but also complement their home.

Even unexpected places offer unique and beautiful pieces.

Throw away those thoughts of seashell necklaces and grass skirts while in Fiji and instead think of striking artwork, intricate mosaics, and stylish furniture fashioned from palmwood.

If you've stayed in a Fijian resort lately, chances are that you've enjoyed the attractive Pacific furnishings, artwork or landscaping and design. You've probably been admiring the work of local artists and designers.

American-born Maria Rova has noticed a change in perception towards local artists since she moved to the country 13 years ago with her Fijian husband.

"There's a renaissance happening," says the popular artist. " Many people are producing either traditional or contemporary art and handcrafts, and sometimes a fusion of the two."

"The work has a distinctive Fijian flavour and reflects a new pride in our identity," adds husband Ron.

"People don't usually associate Fiji with art, but with major resorts commissioning local pieces, the awareness is growing."

Rova's inspiration comes from Fiji's diversity of flora and fauna and its striking land and seascapes, especially on Taveuni Island, where her husband's extended family live a traditional lifestyle in harmony with the sea and surrounding jungle.

Much of her work is on masi, or bark-cloth, which is made by village women on the island of Vitulele, using methods that have been passed down through the generations.

Other work features vibrant tropical colours and images on silk, which contrasts well with the rough barkcloth.

Rova's work is sold under the Sigavou Studios label, based at the family home in Nadi. Here a small cottage industry employs eight people preparing and hand-painting silk and bark-cloth pieces based on stencils designed by Rova.

Tessa Miller, a full-time artist of Fijian and Samoan heritage, is another whose work is often seen at resorts.

Her mosaic art enlivens pools, bathrooms, floor panels, tables and walkways across Fiji.

Again, the inspiration is the Fijian environment, especially the marine life of the surrounding reefs. Other works depicting Pacific themes in a contemporary style include mosaic art for mirror frames, plates, planters and tile inserts.

Miller now runs a small shop called Namana, on the Coral Coast seafront next to Outrigger Resort, where works from other local arts and craftspeople are also on display.

Rova and Miller are active members of the Western Arts & Crafts Society, a Nadi-based support group that helps to promote traditional and contemporary craftspeople and artists from throughout Fiji. The society holds a quarterly art fair and market at Denarau Island, near the Sheraton, and an art gallery displays an eclectic range of work, giving an excellent overview of the diversity of the emerging Fijian art scene.

Palm trees are almost a cliche in images of the Pacific, and Fiji is covered in coconut plantations, many of which lie idle now that the demand for coconut-based products has dropped.

The Coral Coast company Pacific Green has developed a process to use the wood from older plantation trees to create a range of attractive, handmade contemporary furniture and accessories.

Several resorts use this eco-friendly furniture - the support group has enabled the company to expand and employ more than 150 people in the factory and showroom.

While the full range of goods is on display, portable items such as small coffee tables, side tables, lamps and tea-trays are proving popular with those looking for stylish pieces crafted from a Pacific icon.

Fiji is starting to provide high-end personal mementos for discerning souvenir hunters, and there are also plenty of tasteful, inexpensive items that make great gifts. Emporiums and markets are full of tapa cloth, wooden goods, items woven from pandanus or coconut leaves, as well as cosmetics based on local products.

It's not quite a shopping mecca yet, but with a bit of perseverance no one should come away disappointed.

* Heather Ramsay travelled courtesy of the Fiji Visitors Bureau and Air Pacific


Art-Sigavou

Pacific Green Fiji

Bula Fiji

Getting there

Flight Centre offers seven nights for $1789 a person share/ twin from November 1-30 this year. Add $80 a person for travel between now and June 15.

Package includes: Return economy class fares on Air Pacific from Auckland; seven days Toyota Echo (1.3-litre) car rental; three nights in superior garden bure at four-star First Landing Resort located on beach midway between Lautoka and Nadi Airport; continental breakfast daily.

Shopping

While Suva is the biggest city, Nadi is more geared to tourists. Lautoka and Sigatoka are interesting places to shop. Prices are fixed, but bargaining often works. Resorts away from the shopping centres offer day trips into towns - ask at the tour desk.

Be responsible: New Zealand has strong regulations for anything made from natural materials, so make sure purchases can be imported. If in doubt, declare them. Think carefully about buying shells, coral and so on - you could be inadvertently supporting trade in endangered species and endangering an ecosystem. Visit NZ Customs website for a list of prohibited and restricted items.

Contact

Fiji Visitors Bureau, ph (09) 376 2533; fax (09) 376 4720; email info@bulafiji.co.nz