Fiji Frolicks

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Even getting to Fiji was full of excitement.... our plane was delayed by several hours, which led us to get chatting to a couple we had seen many times in New Zealand. They told us they had spotted Wolf from Gladiators in the airport so, to pass the delay time, we immediately set off on a wolf-hunt. Half an hour later we had searched all of Auckland airport with no success. Dismayed, we decided to have some food. However, all was not lost as out of the corner of her eye, Becky spotted a celebrity of a far higher calibre than Wolf - David Bishop from Neighbours! After ´discreetly´sitting very close to him and waiting for him to finish the chapter of his John Grisham book, Becky spoke to him and asked for a photo - he is still acting (by this he meant he has done a few commercials!) and his chin really is just as astonishing in real life. Excitement over, we finally boarded the plane and arrived later that night in the luxurious Westin Hotel on Denarau Island, Fiji.
True to its reputation, Fiji is paradise. Our first few days were spent eating, sleeping, and sunbathing - generally being thoroughly spoiled! Our new healthy-living ways started off well... until we were introduced to an all-you-can-eat American buffet breakfast. How many backpackers could refuse a feast like that? After four days of fluffy towels, power showers, luxury resorts, amazing food and drink, windsurfing and trips to our own private island, we had all but forgotten the 10 bed vomit stained dorms of the previous 3 months!
If you heard the word ´seaplane' would you know that said plane would land on water? This came as a nasty shock to the Quinns on the morning of our departure!! But the seaplane was fabulous. Becky co-piloted and Rosie shark-spotted from the air! Minutes later, we landed safely in the midst of the reef surrounding Castaway Island Resort. We were greeted by Fijian singing and dancing and a host of "Bulas". White sand, turquoise waters, all you can eat breakfast lunch and dinner (bad news for the bellies!) - heaven! We spent our days snorkelling, swimming, sunbathing, diving, kayaking, playing tennis, shark-spotting, seasnake-spotting and eating... a lot. All of our meals were accompanied by Fijian singing and kava (traditional drink that looks and tastes like muddy water but also numbs your mouth) was always on the menu. We all snorkelled with baby reef sharks, which was too much for Captain Caution Rosie. But Becky decided the sharks were no match for her and headed down to the depths of the Pacific to the "Shark Supermarket" where she risked life and limb swimming with "harmless" white tipped reef sharks. All in all, we spent 2 weeks in paradise and had a super time with Mummy Quinn who treated us like princesses!

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