A dream birthed on the beaches of Denarau Island five years ago has come to fruition with the opening of Seventh Heaven in the Mamanuca Group last week.
It all started out of a few Fiji Gold beers shared by Eddy Rotteveel and his New Zealand buddy during one of their family holidays in Fiji and they came up with an idea to start off a five-star floating pontoon and their love for the Fijian culture and its people supported that idea.
The $4 million floating property, with two large decks of sun loungers and an international bar and restaurant has been a hit in the international market ever since it opened its doors in April this year.
“We were talking and I told John why we don’t we start something in Fiji and with that we opened another Fiji gold and picked up a beer coaster in a pen and started writing down ideas,” Mr Rotteveel shared with journalists in Mamanuca.
“And I still remember that day well, it went well into the night, the discussion about what we could do and what it would look like and by the end of the night, the whole beer coaster was full of ideas. And it was lots of empty Fiji gold bottles.
“And as we wandered back to our room, we said okay, let us do this.”
The following day, work started for the duo as they bought their first little car and hired their first staff member.
Three years after the business idea started, COVID-19 hit and as Mr Rotteveel stated, it hurt everyone.
Returning home to New Zealand with the dream half achieved, he had hoped that things would return to normal anytime soon and he would return to Fiji and complete what he had started.
As soon as borders reopened, Mr Rotteveel returned to Fiji to finish off what he and his business partner had started.
Today, this little slice of heaven is open ready to offer international visitors that Bula smile and happiness.
With seats enough to accommodate 150 people and loungers both upstairs and downstairs, Seventh Heaven offers that comfort that any visitor needs to enjoy while out on this beautiful property.
The floating platform also offers an unforgettable five-metre dive platform from its top deck, a gift shop, snorkel around the crystal clear water and a comprehensive food menu.
“The forward bookings are looking very healthy, well into 2023.
“Each month, we’ve seen growths of approximately 20 to 25 per cent in guest occupancy and the feedback so far that we’ve seen on social media has been overwhelmingly good.
“And you know, we’ve only got our Seventh Heaven Fiji family to thank for that because they’re the ones that make it all happen.”
Mr Rotteveel said Australia and New Zealand continued to be their biggest hit market so far because there had been continued restrictions from other countries.
He said the local market had been fantastic as well and had supported the investment so far as well.
The company employs 36 staff members and on a day, around 15 are on the island to give visitors their best holiday experience.
Mr Rotteveel also shared that they had teamed up with a non-profit organisation, Aquaculture Development for the Environment and together they have signed an MOU to plant 14,000 corals within the next 12 months in the surrounding area and bring the surrounding reef back to life.
“Climate change in coral bleaching has done a lot of damage over the last couple of years or last probably 10 years and we feel its part of our duty to revive the corals and put something back into tell us about the investment.”
Minister for Commerce, Trade, Tourism and Transport, Faiyaz Koya said this latest investment would add more growth to the local economy and more importantly support the livelihoods of 36 Fijians and dozens of suppliers by creating jobs.
