Tonga or Fiji???

Greetings,

Q. Other than all the info from the forum, what are your personal experiences???
A. Personally I have been in Tonga for roughly 2-months and I could not be happier.

Q. Is power 240 Volts??? Making Oz. or Nz. the source of equipment??? 
A. 220V is the primary service here in Tonga.

Q. Is kitchen equipment ie. meat grinder, mixer, oven/stove, fryer available there???
A. Shipping the equipment would probably be your best option as there are not many choices here in Vava'u, assuming that Vava'u is where you choose to locate.

Q. How expensive is the tax for bringing a container into the country of either Fiji or Tonga???
A. Importing items is rather expensive...you could figure roughly 30% of the total value of the items + the value of the container itself.  Not sure about Fiji.

Q. What types of meat are available???  Local or import???
A. Mainly pork, however there are cattle & chicken, as well as goats.  Importing meat is an option and most folks import their meats from New Zealand.  Chicken is available at most of the markets & local store fronts.

Q. What spices available in Fiji & Tonga??? Does one have more than another???
A. From my limited experience there seems to be few spices other than the basics...however, importing is always an option.

Q. Wife & I bake & we're wondering, can you get ricotta, cream cheese, mozzarella, butter milk or do we have to make our own???
A. Cheeses are available, however the options are somewhat limited & rather pricey...importing would be your best option.

Q. Can you have a small in home business???  Want to be on the beach or in the water most of the time.
A. Better to discuss the business requirements with the local Authorities when you are in Country, that way you have the details & cost requirements addressed and answered by those who would be authorizing your Business License & Permits.

Q. With items (spices) that are not available, is it feasible to have friends ship a box of what we need periodically ???
A. Absolutely...Fedex from the USA takes roughly 10 days+/- to arrive in Vava'u.

I would be happy to assist you with meeting some of the local business owners upon your arrival...just email me at jb.barger@gmail.com

All is well that ends with a smile...
jb

Well if you haven't gone to Fiji yet I'll give you a few things I learned while visiting. One it floods a LOT! So always be prepared for it. Also always make sure tou look over every contract as I have seen where folks would rent a home and the owner didn't know and they showed back up and the person got into a lot of trouble. Also make sure the owner puts in the contract that anything broke will be fixed and any past due bills will be paid prior to move in. If not you will have to pay whatever was due before they will turn on anything for you. As in plugs some homes have them for US appliances others do not.

As for owning a business in Fiji, you must have a Fijian business partner, because only a Fijian may own a business in Fiji. As for work not really, unless you have a teaching degree in English. Math and Science. As for power most of the time it is on a generator and it can really vary day by day depending on where you live. Water is usually working, however some days it can just go off for 24 hrs. Also when it floods the main worry is water contamination. All kinds of things can happen as a result such as Typhoid, dysentery and so on.

The upside though is even their most expensive cities are cheap compared to the US. A person can really live well off of SSDI provided they do not get hit with too many floods or storms in a row. To me it was to many risk of being homeless and shipped back to the US. I had talked to many expats, but it took me a LONG time to find ones who weren't trying to sell me something. Also a lot of places will claim to be expats but do not actually live there so make sure they do. Most are realestate places. Also when you visit always talk to the locals and see how they feel. Get some insight from them as well. Nothing like the locals to tell you the truth!

I know in Tonga it may be hard, but learning Tongan isn't hard and most people there are friendly and will talk to you and tell the truth.

In Fiji most things are shipped in from NZ so the prices are very high!  If not done locally. Fresh milk is always hard to find! There is also an extra tax for noncitizens on everything and a 15% VAT tax on all shipped items. So if you can help it avoid big stores and deal locally.

I went to many different locations in Fiji and all seemed to say the same thing. When cyclone season kicks in be ready for flooding and mudslides! It is something they are used too but scares the hell out of me lol. So we are looking at going to Tonga here in a few years.

However the one thing I do know is if you go to either make sure you already have a plan in mind once you go as to whether you are going to do a business or just to live. It is hard and expensive to change once you establish one. And one last thing in Fiji if you business starts to fail they will say you got to go unless you open a different one and each time it is like a 3 thousand dollar fee. Hope that helps some.