The island nation of Fiji, in the South Pacific, has more than 300 islands - more than 100 of those are inhabited. So by visiting a handful, we only see a tiny bit of this beautiful country. But what we see makes us fall in love with the azure waters, white beaches lined with palm trees, and happy people.

For the first time in his life, Kees woke up on his birthday on an island called Viti Levu in a town called Lautoka. But the next day turned out to be even better, in fact the best day of the entire voyage so far. We spent it on Dravuni Island. This island is part of a coral atoll. If you google the name, you will see nothing but idyllic, postcard-like images of this paradise setting.

But Dravuni is more than just gorgeous. The tiny island is home to some 200 people. It has homes, churches, a school and few sandy tracks across the island. There’s basically nothing there, which makes it so lovely - a Robinson Crusoe island in the South Pacific.

We couldn’t wait for the tender to take us ashore. Our ship floated nearby all day. Whenever there is a chance of damaging coral reefs with an anchor, the ship floats nearby without dropping anchor.

We could have gone barefoot all day. We walked off the pier and the first thing Nico and his friend Jai asked was, “Can we go find a geo-cache on the other side of the island?” With strict instructions to stay together and come right back, they set off around the eastern tip of the island. When they came back they were each proudly lugging the most gigantic sea shell I had ever seen! Our first reaction was to tell them they couldn’t take these off the island. But then we noticed that all the little houses had lined their yards with shell upon shell as fencing. The entire beach was ‘littered’ with these huge wavy shells.

I sat on the white beach and a little girl plopped down next to me. She cozied right up. Then she grabbed one of the shells, poured in sand and little shells. Using a stick she stirred it and handed it to me… “You eat soup!” she told me. I loved seeing these shells used for practical purposes but also as toys!

While the local kids climbed in and out of a little wooden fishing boat, our boys buried each other to the neck in sand.

We revelled in our day on this tropical island. We swam and snorkelled all day. Then we strolled along the little houses. Some offered meals of rice and fish for sale. Most offered pineapple or coconuts as well.

We also peeked into the tiny primary school where children chanted songs, or time tables. Like most cruise ship visitors, we left books and pencilled and other supplies on this isolated island before saying a reluctant farewell.

In the town of Savusavu on an island called Vanua Levu in Fiji we were excited to experience a traditional kava ceremony.

By now you might be confused by all the names of towns, islands and countries. When I first saw our extensive itinerary, I assumed I would get to know which was which. I couldn’t even remember all the more familiar Hawaiian islands: was Kona a town or an island? What is the Big Island really called?

But then we encountered Suva, and Savusavu. Was that on Vanua Levu or Viti Levu? The names dazzled and confused me. And it never got easier so I really had a need for note taking and making sure my photos were marked with their location.

Anyway, in Savusavu we boarded a bus that took us across the island to a small village. We strolled through the village, visited the school and the meeting hall, walked the beach and saw how people lived here. Then we settled into a community hall where the kava ceremony would take place.

As soon as the bus-with-no-windows arrived, a horde of children was singing songs at the top of their lungs. It was a joyful, boisterous welcome to this village. Women in long cotton dresses hung local leis around our neck - very different from Hawaiian leis, these were made from palm string and one leaf or flower.

The kava ceremony is an interesting custom on many of the Polynesian islands. What is kava? Kava is a traditional drink made from the ground root of a black pepper plant that grows here. Its powder contains a substance that is like alcohol in that it numbs and relaxes. The ground kava is mixed with water to make a drink that is used during special events and at ceremonies.

The protocol involved is called… sevusevu (in Savusavu!). We didn’t need personal permission from the chief to attend since we had bought tickets but if you arrived on one of these shores on your own, you would need to seek permission from the chief first.

When the ceremony began, the dancers filed in wearing only grass skirts and leaves. They were warriors and hence male. The villagers sat behind them on wicker mats while children sat to the side. A few people from our tour had been invited to accept and sample the kava on behalf of all visitors. Kees and I had not been too keen to taste the substance since it numbs the lips and tastes vile. I was especially glad we wouldn’t have to drink it when I saw how the water was added…

The plant root is pounded in a burlap bag which is then held into a wooden ‘dari’, a cone shaped bowl. Tap water is poured onto the powder in the bag which is then squeezed out until all liquid is caught in the dari. This is scooped in a half coconut shell and presented to the visitor. The guest has to clap once with cupped hands, take the drink and swallow it completely. You then return the cup and clap three times. Sometimes you also say ‘Bula!’ which means hello or thank you.

It was fun to watch and be part of this time honoured tradition. Then the men danced warrior dances with long wooden spears and the women performed some of their dances before inviting all of us to take part in ‘line dances’. A fun, upbeat time. Afterwards we were served fruit and spent money buying crafts. A win-win for all.