Laucala

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( Spoken lauðala, hence Lauthala ) Laucala is a small island of Fiji, Taveuni upstream east. The island is privately owned, and houses a luxury resort.

Location and landscape

The island is located - just at the dateline - with the slightly larger Qamea and the small Matagi inside the reef on the east coast of Taveuni, before Thurston Point. Laucala is the easternmost of the three islands. She has about 12 sq km, and measures 5 × 3 km.

The main part of the island is about 100 m high ridge of volcanic origin, the eastern part is hilly, and in between the extreme east extends level land. Especially friendly is the north coast. The island is consisted with tropical rainforest, in flat space settlement to about a quarter of the area with palm plantations.

History

The island was discovered by Abel Tasman in 1643 for the European geography.

The island was sold by the king of a united Fiji, Seru Cakobau Epenisa, before the connection to the United Kingdom in 1874, to Europeans. So he punished, that the inhabitants of the island had with the chief of Tonga, Enele Maafu, a pact.

British planters operated on the island copra cultivation. Later she went to the Australian Carpenter Group, then Morris Hedstorm. In 1972, she earned the American media mogul Malcolm Forbes to $ 1 million, at the time it was called Forbes Iceland. Forbes had the infrastructure for the people living and working there on his estate residents to expand and promoted their education with scholarships. 1990 Forbes opened the island, and rented some cabins to tourists. Malcolm Forbes, who died in 1990, is buried in Laucala (Forbes Monument ).

In the course of the Speight - military coup in 2000, the island was occupied and the tourism business is closed.

2003 bought Red Bull founder Dietrich Mateschitz Laucala by 10 million euros from the Forbes heirs. He had extensively expand the luxury resort - from the reopening in 2008 it became one of the most exclusive destinations in the Pacific region - and the island has to on reaching self-sufficiency and organic farming.

Settlement and infrastructure

Laucala has a population of about 300 inhabitants. They live in the village of Laucala and scattered along the coasts. They operate coconut cultivation, agriculture and fisheries in self-care and for the hospitality industry, and work in tourism.

Lacaula Village

The village has been restored in the style of the Bures ( huts of the Fijians ) ( in the Forbes times the usual local thatched roofs were replaced by brick cover ), and is one of the last traditional villages receive the archipelago.

Laucala Iceland Resort

The hotel industry has been founded by Malcolm Forbes in 1990 as Fiji Forbes, at the time. Than small resort with seven cabins, with restaurants in the Forbes'schen private villa, under the direction of the village chiefs of Laucala

2008 Laucala Iceland resort of Dietrich Mateschitz was re-established. The resort is considered one of the most exclusive area of the ocean ( it was initially specify with seven stars, which is unusual today ), and heard - the only hotel in Fiji - one of the Leading Hotels of the World.

It consists of 25 to several groups at about 4500 acres on the north coast distributed Villas, which combine a traditional style with fidjianischen contemporary hotel architecture in the sense of regionalism of modernity, and are equipped with large-scale infrastructure. The facility was designed by the architectural firm Architects Fijian Pacific. A total of 5 restaurants are available, serving regional cuisine. Large parts of the island are designed as an 18- hole golf course, the David McLay Kidd, 2010 by (DMK Golf Design) was constructed.

The villas are available for rent and also for sale.

Laucala Fiji Airport

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The island has a small private airfield, Laucala Fiji Airport ( ICAO: NFNH ). He goes back to the time of Forbes'schen property and has recently been expanded. It stands for transport to the resort 's own machine from Nadi (50 minute flight), and private approach by appointment day and night.