Fiji felt very different a year ago. In the immediate aftermath of TC Winston, the resilience and humour of people that had lost so much was simply amazing.

Just before the cyclone struck Skyward Media had visited Nabalesere village in Ra to shoot footage for the Fiji Excellence in Tourism Awards, for which Talanoa Treks had been nominated in the Best Attraction and Activity category. The footage is beautiful, yet also haunting for those who saw the devastated landscape just days later.

Although the recovery efforts are still ongoing, it’s great to see houses and schools rebuilt, the landscape returning to its tropical lushness, and people’s spirit throughout unbowed and unbent.

We’d also like to congratulate all the winners and nominees at this year’s tourism awards, and wish you every success. For information on our partner communities’ recovery efforts, check out our last post: ‘Getting back on track!’.

Footage courtesy of Skyward Media. Talanoa Treks visits Nabalesere and their waterfall on the Waterfall and Cave day trip and on our 5-day Full Monty.