It’s a long way to Fiji from London. Not one, but two 11-hour flights with a stopover in LA. But perhaps for Moana fans (and there are a lot of them – it’s one of the most streamed films of the last five years), that just adds to the allure. The distance feels like we’re stepping into another realm, one only seen before on screen, and going via Disney’s Hollywood home feels apt.

It’s the icing on the cake for my 10-year-old daughter, who is joining me in Fiji and can’t wait to see Moana 2, which last month broke the Thanksgiving box office opening records.

Set in Polynesia, Moana is the daughter of a village chief who – ignoring her father’s warning – sets out across the Pacific from her fictitious home island of Motunui which has lost its sea-faring traditions to restore its good harvests.

Any of Fiji’s 333 volcanic islands could easily be its lush, forested setting. Surrounded by barrier reefs, like the one Moana is warned not to venture outside, with white beaches and clear seas, coral and coconuts litter the shores.

Moana learns to wayfind by the stars, currents and weather, stands up for herself and saves her people. Plus experiencing magic and demi-gods along the way. What child (or grown-up) wouldn’t want to emulate her?

Read more: How a floating hotel on the Great Barrier Reef is helping protect this delicate ecosystem

My daughter spends our first 30 minutes in Fiji paddling in the warm ocean shallows, examining coral and shell finds, and whispering to the water at First Landing Resort. It’s a delight to see her entranced by real life rather than a screen – and a perfect introduction to Fiji, just a 20-minute drive from Nadi International airport.

open image in gallery

We quickly adjust to the slower pace of life (“It’s called Fiji time”, a member of staff tells us with a grin) and become accustomed to living in and out of the water, steps from the beach. We set off on a sailing trip the next day onboard a drua, a traditional Fijian sailing boat, built for village chiefs – as non-sailors, the closest thing we’ll get to a Moana-style vessel. Our captain, Seta, tells us that he built the boat himself; thankfully without the human sacrifice that went along with construction (“for good fortune”, Seta says) in the past.

We lazily float out to Nadi Bay, stop for a swim in the deep blue waters and sail back, learning to direct the boat using the big steering oar on the way. I’m already proud of my daughter for hopping into the water for a swim as she’s not the most confident at new things – maybe Moana’s magic is rubbing off more quickly than I thought.

We can’t wait to examine underwater life more closely, in search of Moana’s affinity with water, so make the most of glorious snorkelling locations at our next two stops, Malolo Island Resort and Nanuku Resort.

open image in gallery

Malolo Island Resort is set on Malolo Island, an hour’s boat ride from the mainland; just feet from the beach we’re treated to the sight of blue starfish and neon-coloured fish of all sizes. My daughter is wide-eyed and grabs my arm to show me every time we see a new species.

Read more: Swap Mickey Mouse for Matisse – how to have a culture-filled family trip to Orlando beyond the theme parks

We also learn about the projects that the resort undertakes on land and sea to support the ecosystem: turtle tagging in conjunction with the government, Fiji Crested Iguana breeding programme with the US Geological Survey and San Diego Zoo are just two ways of nurturing endangered species; and visit the local village where the hotel has sponsored a village kindergarten to support the next generation.

Despite the narrow-gauge railways that run all over the mainland to transport sugar cane to ports for export, sugar is only the second largest industry to tourism in Fiji. So it’s important for tourism to be sustainable. The locations we visit wear their mission lightly. A senior staff member at Malolo tells me about the bid from a Chinese consortium that they’ve recently seen off. It had planned to build a mega hotel and casino on the quiet island, destroying diverse coral reefs and obliterating mangroves. “It was just the right thing to do”, she says.

Mangroves store four times as much carbon as rainforests, due to their speed of growth and the fast turnover of leaves and roots, supporting a carbon-rich soil. This fact blows us away when we help nurture the mangrove nursery at Nanuku Resort, back on the mainland. We collect propagules (baby mangrove trees which the parent produces instead of seeds) from the beach and help the hotel’s conservationist plant them in seedling beds to get stronger before they are planted out along the coast in the areas around the hotel, which mitigates flood risk for the villagers too.

Read more: This popular island was ravaged by fires – here’s what it’s really like to go back

At Nanuku we also learn about coral-planting to promote the growth of heat-resistant corals that can cope with climate change. On Fiji’s small islands the biodiversity is important, but so is the food security reefs offer as well as protection from extreme weather – hence the safety Moana’s tribe feel inside theirs.

open image in gallery

Small pieces of the largest corals (those that have survived the highest temperatures and bleaching cycles in the past) are harvested and attached to a substrate “biscuit” which is fastened to a reef cage and left underwater to grow. Replanting takes place once they are well-established.

If you can recreate Moana magic anywhere, it might just be Fiji. We’re greeted like long-lost relatives with cries of “bula vinaka” (welcome home!) and sung farewell songs when we leave. We’re taught passionately about Fijian conservation projects and indigenous ways of life in between. There’s something awe-inspiring about hearing history directly from the mouths of grass-skirted warriors, like touching the past or reaching into a film.

open image in gallery

At the heart of Moana is the message to nurture our natural environment, bringing fertility back to Motunui, and it feels appropriate for us to be doing the same. There’s so much more to learn about in this far part of the world – particularly obvious as we look out at the vast ocean on our last morning. My daughter puts her hand in mine and squeezes it. I’m really glad we came to scratch the surface.

Read more: The best beaches in Australia

Where to stay

First Landing Resort

Clio Wood was a guest of First Landing Resort – located on the beach that is said to be the place where the first Fijians landed, an intimate and rustic resort, expect affordable and down-to-earth service with a smile in a stunning location.

Malolo Island Resort

An hour’s ferry ride from Fiji’s main island of Viti Levu, one of Fiji’s only Fijian-owned resorts with an authentic and family vibe; get the full island experience arriving by boat.

Price: From £234, up to four sharing

Book now

Nanuku Resort

Small, luxury, perfectly formed, they’ve thought of everything, even a nanny for each child.

Price: From £383, up to four sharing a Nanuku Suite

Book now

Novotel Suva Lami Bay

Clean and ideally located for Fiji’s capital, Suva, look out the window of your ocean-view room and you’ll feel like you’re floating on the water.

Outrigger Fiji

Larger, freshly renovated resort with a plethora of activities if you’re the sort of family who can’t sit still, visit the stunning Bebe Spa on the hill.

How to get there

Fly to Fiji from the UK with Fiji Airways via Los Angeles, total flight time of around 21 hours.

For more information and inspiration on Fiji, visit Tourism Fiji fiji.com.fj; information and booking Drua Experience facebook.com/druaexperience

Read more: The best Hawaii beaches to visit for a slice of paradise

Read More