Blogs from Nananu I Ra, Fiji, Oceania

Arrived in Fiji after a ten and half hour flight from LA. Was so glad to leave LA all the hustle and bustle, traffic and noise. Once i had collected my baggage was we left there was a Fijian band singing on our arrival at 5.30am that's dedication for you. The bus ride to Rakiraki took three long hours, it was boling hot very humid and the bus was full. I then had to take a taxi to Ellingham wharf where the boat came across to meet me. so a further twenty minutes on a boat. It took longer because we had to get a wardrobe on a a very small boat and the wardrobe didn't quite fit so we had to put it in at a bit of an angle. So when we eventually arrived ... read more

So we spent our first night at the Uprising Beach Resort. It was fine, we had to have all the windows and curtains open so we could get the slightest, lightest breeze into our hut. We both slept pretty well though (Chester sleeps because of Ambien, thank goodness) and woke up at 7. The outdoor shower was actually pretty cool and reminded us of an awesome camp site in Namibia that had very cool outdoor showers. After a breakfast of cornflakes in warm milk and some toast we headed to the lobby to get picked up for our 8:15 shark dive. The driver arrived and quickly told us we were on a different dive trip so we waited for another 30 minutes. Then Sammy, the driver, came back for us and said we were on this ... read more

Through the heart of Viti Levu to Rakiraki Monday 3rd November 2008 The alarm went off at 4.15 a.m. and we groped around in the semi-dark dressing and getting our gear together (by torchlight) because one of the guys from Rukuruku village was picking us up at 4.45 a.m. to take us down to the ferry in his truck; somewhat early because it is only a twenty minute ride and the ferry wasn’t due to leave until six but he had to get back by 5.30. The ferry didn’t get away until nearly seven and the bus that was supposed to be waiting the other side on the mainland wasn’t there and arrived forty minutes late so we didn’t get to Korovou until about 8.30 a.m. which didn’t matter because it was a beautiful morning and ... read more

Bula! We are safe and sound and loving it in Fiji. Not sure we have ever been so hot in our lives, nor so mosquito-bite ridden! Last count over 100- each. Have spent the majority of our time on Nananu-I-Ra, a true tropical paradise, complete with white beaches, and beautiful diving right on our doorstep. We are now SSI qualified divers. We saw so much underwater, ranging from spectacular soft coral, to a white-tip reef shark. I was in marine geography heaven!!! We have met so many fantastic people- like 'the beach', only better. The resort is closing down today, to be taken over by the Hilton who will ruin the island. So we were the last divers to qualify, and the last to have a birthday. And in true British style it rained for Alex's ... read more

We landed in Fji on the morning of Tuesday 7th November. The heat hit us as we stepped off the plane - it was a lot warmer than New Zealand! We got the free shuttle bus from the airport to our hotel. Our hotel was really nice and we had booked to stay for 3 nights. Basically, we didn't want to tour the different islands in Fiji for the simple reason that we wanted to do as little as possible. So, we had had a certain island and resort recommended to us (by a guy we met in New Zealand) but it was fully booked for our first few nights in Fiji. Therefore, we were staying at the hotel in Nadi for 3 nights and then moved to the island. We did very little in Fji, ... read more