Page 24 - Fiji Traveller 8

Vale ni vula

By Samantha Magick

Maria Ronna Luna Pastorizo-Sekiguchi has a big,
infectious and frequent laugh. As the founder of Greenhouse
Coworking and a respected member of Fiji’s entrepreneurial
community, she is well known as an innovator and
cheerleader for fellow start-ups. And it is this warmth,
enthusiasm and energy that makes her and her husband
Richard such excellent hosts, and ‘Vale ni Vula’, such a
sanctuary.
Located in a quiet pocket of Pacific Harbour, the property
sits at the rear of her family home.
Ronna describes Vale ni Vula as a place of connection and
separation, connected by the sense of peace and welcome
she seeks to create, and separated physically by the pool
between the homes, providing privacy when it is needed.
“We wanted to replicate what we saw our family
experiencing,” says Ronna, of the warm and welcoming
space. “We wanted it to be peaceful and a kind of retreat, a
place to think.”
Ronna says on first moving to the area, she and her
husband felt like they were taking a ‘long weekend’ on their
commute home from Suva. “It’s such a great feeling, when
you come home like that, [you] exhale at one point … that
that mental shift really does happen.”
Guests to Vale ni Vula have included overseas visitors to
Fiji, groups of friends, families visiting relatives in Suva and
Pacific Harbour, and people simply looking for a break from
the capital. Ronna has partnered with local businesses who
offer her guests discounts on a wide range of experiences
in Fiji’s adventure capital, from river tubing to Rivers Fiji’s
canoeing trips to shark dives. But she says Vale ni Vula is
not just for adventurous travellers, it also caters for those
looking for peace.
The home has a personal, welcoming feel without falling
into beach-decor cliches. There are distinctly contemporary
Fijian touches such as cushions with prints from Rise
Beyond the Reef and Penelope Casey’s playful ‘Tui’s gang’
range, masi flowers and woven mats, and a hand-painted
mandala by a local artist, alongside objects and furnishings
from further afield. There’s also lots of signage to help
guests find and operate amenities around the home.
“I’m not an interior designer, but I think as a graphic
designer I have this very particular sense that I want for this
space. I always look at it from a user experience point of
view,” Ronna says. “I’ve never liked a very sterile looking
place. That’s why there’s so much wood in there, because it
creates warmth and a sense of peace, and it makes people
feel safe.
“I want them [guests] to feel like they can let down their
hair, they can put their feet up, go to the back [patio] and
take a deep breath.”
Guests to Vale ni Vula have access to two outdoor

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