Famouse Island Owners

Naitauba Island – Raymond Burr, Adi DaDa
Location: Northern Lau Group, Fiji Islands
Description:
Price: unknown

The late actor Raymond Burr who featured on a television series Ironside purchased Naitauba Island in 1969 for $US150, 000 in 1969. He later sold it to self-styled American Guru, Adi Da for $US3 million. This was nearly 200 times the original purchase price Burr paid for Naitaoba. Raymond Burr’s original purchase put Fiji freehold islands and lands on the radar of many international land speculators and those seeking a private getaway from their fast paced world. Adi Da used Naitaoba as his personal refuge before he died there in 2008. His followers still live on the island.

Wakaya Island – DaDavid Gilmour
Location: Lomaiviti Group
Description: World class and exclusive resort
Price: unknown (island not on market)

Wakaya is now owned by Canadian businessman and billionaire David Gilmour, the man who created the Fiji Water brand. The last time Wakaya changed hands was in the late 1960s when the Fijian Affairs Board sold the island for $FJ350,000 to the Wakaya Development Company. The FAB had bought the island for $220,000. With the Wakaya Club now an exclusive and upmarket resort, the value of the island now is significantly higher.

Mago Island – Tokyu Corporation, Mel Gibson
Location: Northern Lau Group, Fiji Islands.
Description: surrounded by powder white beaches and turquoise lagoons, has free flowing spring water and a fully functioning farm
Price: unknown

The Tokyu Corporation chairman Fujio Kochi bought Mago in November 1985 for $6.15 million. Tokyu Corporation is a Japanese railway, hotel and resort company and Kochi dreamt of creating a utopian island a la Aldous Huxley’s “The Island”. Tokyu purchased the island as a retreat, with the intention of a creating an ecologically sensitive resort development and a goal of long-term conservation and preservation, but never proceeded with their plans. No visitors were allowed onto the island and the company had always toyed with the idea of selling the island. Kochi died in 1987 without fulfilling his dream and the island was finally listed on the market in 2003 for $15 million. Hollywood actor Mel Gibson bought the island in December 2004 for F$24.5 million after visiting it in the middle of December 2004.

Beira Island – David Prentice & Dentists
Location: Off Viti Levu, Fiji Islands
Description: A 60-minute boat ride from Suva. A bore hole now feeds the island with running water and a four bedroom cabin had also been another improvement.
Price: unknown

In 1984 David Prentice a dentist in Adelaide, Australia along with five other dentists pooled funds and paid $260,000 for Beira Island.

Laucala Island Dietrich Mateschitz
Location: North of Taveuni
Description: Luxury Island
Price: unknown

Malcolm Forbes of Forbes Magazine purchased Laucala island (4.71 square miles) in 1972 for $450,000. Malcolm’s son Steve Forbes later sold the island to Dietrich Mateschitz, the owner of Red Bull for US$10million ($F17.1million). Steve reportedly sold it to fund failed bids at the US presidential primaries for the Republican Party in 1996 and 2000. Mateschitz has built a luxury and up-market resort development on the island.

Nanuku Levu Island – Thomson, Hatherly & Curly
Location: Northern Lau Group, Fiji Islands
Description: covered with coconut palms and surrounded by a coral reef. Teeming with undisturbed and virtually wild schools of tuna, giant trevally, sea salmon and reef sharks. Green sea turtles and hawksbill turtles use the island as a nesting site. 99-year lease since 2002.
Price: native land (is not available for sale)

New Zealanders Anthony Thomson and Richard Hatherly along with Adam Curly, all mutual friends entered into a partnership and took out a lease on Nanuku Levu Island. Thomson is an immunologist who works in Britain while Hatherly is an entrepreneur in Dunedin, on the South Island of New Zealand. Curly is a lawyer.

Malima Island – Thomson & Hatherly
Location: Northern Lau Group
Description: It has a similar landscape as Nanuku Levu Island and lies 45 miles south of it.
Price: native land (is not available for sale)

Thomson and Hatherly are the only ones who are leasing this island. The one-time payment for 99-year leases on both islands totalled 2 million New Zealand dollars, or $1.3 million. The men also have to make periodic payments, the amount of which they would not disclose, and are asked to provide some community aid.

Vatu Vara Island - Yamagata
Location: Lau Group, Fiji Islands
Description: The Most Beautiful & Expensive Private Island in the World
Price: $75M USD

Mr Yamagata, a multi-millionaire artist and another Japanese island owner in Fiji. He is a friend of Hollywood celebrities such as Arnold Schwarzenegger. He also owns Kanavea, Adavaci and Kaibu Island. Kaibu is run as a boutique luxury resort by an American manager. Vatu Vara is also known as Scout Hat Island because of its shape. It has been left uninhabited for years, and Yamagata plans to leave it as an untouched nature reserve. The price listed was from the time Mr Yamagata had put up the island for sale some three years ago.

Kanacea Island - Yamagata
Location: Lau Group, Fiji Islands
Description: Very large island immediately adjacent to Mel Gibson’s Mago Island
Price: $44M USD

This is another Yamagata property which he put on the market for sale a few years back but has since withdrawn the offer.

Kaimbu Island Resort - Yamagata
Location: Lau Group, Fiji Islands
Description: 5 star Private Island Resort
Price: $38M USD

The island was first bought by American couple Margie and Jay Johnson in 1969 as their getaway from life in the fast lane. The couple loved the island so much they kept it as a family secret. Margie was a clinical psychologist and the founding director of her own clinic, while Jay was a businessman. They had it for 20 years and built three luxurious guest houses in the style of Fijian bures. We do not know when Yamagata purchased the island and whether he bought it from the Johnsons but a 5 Star private island resort now sits on the island. The price quoted was the selling price when the resort was put up for sale a few years ago.

Andavaci Island - Yamagata
Location: Lau Group, Fiji Islands Lat: 17° 11’ 60 S Long: 179° 0’ 0 W
Description: Superb freehold island, just minutes from regional airport
Price: $12M USD

This island is also owned by Yamagata the multi-millionaire artist. This is one of the three islands he owns in Fiji and the price shown was when he had put the island on the market three years ago.