About Us

History of Navini

The ancestors of Navini’s current mataqali used Navini as a resting place. People who wanted to visit the chief on the nearby island of Malolo would come to Navini to wait for their calling. While waiting, their names would be noted or attached to a tree. The Fijian word vini means to be noted or attached, hence the name Navini.

In the early 1970s, Arthur and Helen Reed brought their family to the Mamanuca Islands for a holiday. Enjoying the remoteness, they found that it was the perfect place to relax and spend time together as a family. Hearing that it was possible to lease land for residential purposes, Arthur approached the mataqali. Navini was the second island that he was shown and he discovered that it was an ideal place for a holiday home, being uninhabited as well as surrounded by a sandy beach and coral reef, so it was decided to go ahead with the lease. At the request of the mataqali, just before the signing the lease was changed to tourism and the idea of the resort was born.

Being more of a home than a resort, Navini has always been kept small and personal. Arthur and Helen’s daughter, Simone now runs the resort and has called Navini home for three decades. The wonderful staff are more like family than employees, and many have been on Navini for 15 years or more… some for nearly as long as the resort has been operating!

The Navini Family

The Navini family originate from all over Fiji; as far as Lau in the south and Yasawa in the north. All have the same friendly and caring nature, quick to smile and happy to assist. Some have come straight from school to start work on Navini, while others are married or have relatives on the island. Regardless of how or why they came, there is rarely an employment opportunity on Navini because they stay! And the staff will always warmly welcome you to their island.

The Navini Logo

During the 1970s, there were hundreds of sand crabs on Navini. They would scurry about in unison over the beach, making it appear that the sand was moving. It was great fun going down the beach at night with torches! Today there is still the odd sand crab living on the beach, as well as quite a number of hermit crabs in the garden beds.