Samisoni Pareti
The only thing revolutionary about Uprrising Beach Resort is its locality. Smack dab right on the long and winding beach of Pacific Harbour, a 30-minute drive down the coast from the state capital, Suva, the bar at Uprising is popular.

The floor is highly polished teak and you have the choice of swinging it by the bar’s tall wooden stools or out in the open, timber deck.

On the night of my visit, Alfred Christofferson—manager of Uprising—asked me to join him with some friends on the lawn in front of the bar/restaurant verandah and beside the freshwater pool.

The night was cool, and you can spend time admiring the starry-lit sky. The beer on tap was chilled just right, a welcome relief after the short drive from Suva.

A few baby steps away is the beach, the sound of surf meeting sand a delight to the ear. And after a hard day’s work, no other sound can be as soothing.

“When the moon is out, the beach lights up and many guests can’t resist the urge to stroll to soak up the moment,” said Christofferson.

Reggae is Uprising’s national anthem and the popular voice of Bob Marley breaks through the calmness of the evening. The music choice is reflective of the bar and resort owner, Rene Mutch. Son of a shipping baron, Rene grew up in Pacific Harbour and is a rugby freak.

He loved the sports so much that he opted to pursue a sports science degree at the University of Sydney and became a video analyst for the Fiji rugby team during the 2003 World Cup in Australia.

Dinner is being served in the restaurant which shares the timber building with the bar. Featuring a tropical design, the building has a high ceiling with glass skylights up near the roof.

It is wall-less to the east of the building, acknowledging the wide Pacific Ocean and the never-ending easterlies that fan the lawn and patrons of the bar and restaurant at Uprising.

Contemporary art lovers will marvel at the giant tiled mosaic on the bar walls, depicting the name of the resort. Behind the bar is the restaurant and I particularly liked the art on the wall above the urinals in the men’s, located between the kitchen and the main entrance of the bar/restaurant.

The artist had depicted men doing their ‘business’ along the urinals including one native looking man, wearing a tapa loin cloth and labelled as Moro.

Followers of Fijian folklore will tell you that Moro is the ancient guardian angel of Beqa Island, home of the famous firewalkers, which looms large out at sea from the resort.

So with Moro near the entrance to the bar and the wide Pacific Ocean in full view, a visit to the bar at Uprising Beach Resort is not only safe but fun.