Reporting from Kadavu Island, Fiji — With a loud crack, Coconut Joe deftly whacked a fresh green coconut with his machete, slipped a straw in the opening and handed it to me. “Bula!” ...

On Viti Levu, which is more central, I stayed at a beachfront bure (a Fijian word for a wood-and-straw hut) overlooking a lagoon at the Fiji Marriott Resort Momi Bay. After two days I headed ...

Sibley and Nemani have propped a plywood cheat sheet up for me at the far end of the grand bure, just a few key Fijian prompts, but now as I try to coolly look past the chief’s smile and nod for ...