Blogs from Yasawa Islands, Fiji, Oceania
April 29th 2012
Villages: Bula! (Hello!) We went to several villages on the cruise. To attend church, visit a school and have a feast We were asked to respect the culture by dressing modestly, covering shoulders and legs (to below the knee). Every visit included lots of singing and dancing and usually a handicraft market- at which we bought some lovely shell and coconut gifts (Neiria bought a rather fetching ankle bracelet) then we worried about bringing then back through biological security in New Zealand (you simply declare it). Everywhere you go, even on the ship there was the traditional "Sevusevu" ceremony, where like the Maori culture you are welcomed to the village declaring you come in peace. The appointed Western chief presents the kava which is a root of the pepper tree or yaqona to the village chief ... read more
Fiji- Captain Cook Cruise Yasawa Islands
Published: April 29th 2012Oceania » Fiji » Yasawa Islands » Naviti Island
April 29th 2012
The Cruise: All cruises are famous for the food- no less this one. Glad to say we managed to eat and drink a lot in the seven days. Breakfast, lunch and dinner. The food was good. Now we're back in NZ and eating much less! Each day we had an itinerary crated by the hospitality manager, Florian. Usually a visit to the beach to swim, snorkel and laze around and some sort of cultural visit as well. At night the entertainment was always singing and sometimes the Meke, singing and dancing. The first place we went to to practice snorkelling was a cay- literally a small area of gorgeous sand temporarily out of the water for a few hours before the high tide covered it up. There was quite a swell, and, not being used to ... read more
April 21st 2012
Now this is why we came to Fiji; the weather idyllic, the ocean waters crystal clear, the palm trees posing a natural shelter as you kick back and think of sweet nothings. For those that live on the island, Tiger Woods’ exploits or the latest outbreak of George Bush meltdown matters not. The islanders bask in paradise!! South Sea Island is a coral outgrowth no bigger than a football pitch. Its amenities totalled a puddle sized swimming pool, a rickety table tennis table and a row of inviting hammocks… Now maybe I’m alone in experiencing hammocking difficulties, certainly many ‘hammockers’ appear incredibly content, nestled in their roped cocoon. But I write to you today to think long and hard the next time you wish to hammock down for some quiet time. My initial hammock mounting attempt ... read more
April 15th 2012
Naviti Island – Korovou Eco Tourist Resort Our next stop was Naviti Island at a resort called Korovou Eco Tourist Resort. So far we have really had a chilled time and the two places we have stayed have had a really chilled, laid back and enjoy the feeling of nature and what’s around you. Korovou was none of this! When we arrived the Vengaboys were pumping loud on the speakers, the pool was surrounded by 20 women sunbathing and chattering. The beach wasn’t as nice here either, rocky and shallow. Our bure was nice though. We were shown to it by Sigi, one of the staff at the resort. He was a real hoot but very different from the Fijian staff we met at the more northern resorts. While we were on Naviti Island it was ... read more
April 11th 2012
We arrived in Fiji early in the morning. We didn’t sleep too much on the flight and were wrecked by the time we arrived. When we stepped off the plane, the heat hit us right away! Great to be back in the hot weather. As soon as we stepped into the airport, a few men playing guitars and singing met us at the entrance. It was the first of many warm welcomes we received here. The next step was the slowest immigration queue I have ever encountered and this too was the first of many of the laid back procedures of the Fijians! It didn’t help that there were about 100 Filipino men arriving to work on fishing boats in the region so I suppose it was more difficult to process this paperwork over the average ... read more
Fiji - Cruising the Yasawas and Denerau
Published: April 2nd 2012Oceania » Fiji » Yasawa Islands » Naviti Island
April 1st 2012
Hi All!! It's been a while since the last blog but we're online and able to write again!!! Not long now until we're home...I'm so excited!! Anyway, we said goodbye to Uncle Geoff, Auntie Caroline and family and said our final goodbyes to Nana and left Suva. We took the bus back to Nadi but due to it being full, we were not able to sit together. My luck meant that I ended up being sat behind a woman who was travel sick and threw up quite a few times. The smell nearly made me sick!! Luckily the person next to Anton got off the bus halfway through the journey and I was then able to move away from the sick and sit next to Anton. We booked into a local hotel in Nadi for a ... read more
Captain Cook – exploring remote Fiji islands!
Published: April 1st 2012Oceania » Fiji » Yasawa Islands
March 30th 2012
We left Matamaona early in the morning and caught a speed boat transfer to Bounty Island in order to catch our sailing cruise. It was very exciting to get on the 108 feet sailboat and meet our cruise and fellow cruisers. It turned out that this is the last two night Captain Cook cruise to Barefoot Island and we only had two other people on board (the boat has capacity for 40, so 4 on board was a real treat!). It was great to have truly personal service from the crew. We shared the cruise with Daniella from Switzerland who was on a one month vacation visiting various Oceania islands and Julian from Germany, who just finished his 5 months work and travel program in New Zealand. We very much enjoyed their company throughout the whole ... read more
March 4th 2012
Happy, sad, excited, scared and tired are all the emotions we have experienced in the past 6 months! We have just spent two glorious weeks in Fiji and the emotion we are both are feeling right now is RELAXED!! We have been in paradise for the last 10 days, palm trees, white sand, clear blue waters and endless sunshine! We stayed at Octopus Resort which is based on Waya Island in the Yasawa group! We arrived there on the Yasawa flyer and saw that it was perfect from the start! We were greeted by a traditional Fijian song as our feet touched the white sand and a welcome cocktail to wash it all down with! On our first night we were welcomed in true Fijian style, drinking the muddy water that makes your Tongue numb called ... read more
So long, farewell, auf wiedersehen....pet...
Published: March 3rd 2012Oceania » Fiji » Yasawa Islands
March 3rd 2012
I can't begin to tell you how emotional the last few hours have been. From crying my eyes out to laughing so hard my sides hurt. It's a struggle from minute to minute to deal with the facts that a) Grandma, my last remaining grandparent, won't be there to listen to my travel stories when I get back and b) the overseas leg of the grown up gap year is ending prematurely. I'm flying home today. And as heartbreaking as it is, it's been made a hell of a lot easier by the lovely, amazing people I've met the last few days, as well as the management and staff of the Blue Lagoon, my home since Tuesday. Nothing has been too much trouble - from opening up the office last night to let me arrange my ... read more
March 2nd 2012
It didn't start off bad. I had a day lounging on the beach, in scorching sunshine, and to cool off, snorkelling around the crystal clear waters of the reef taking in the sights of the fish, corals and ocean bed. We even saw a seahorse. You can't ask for more than that. I took part in a coconut demonstration, learning all about how to prepare, eat, drink and even deep fry the local delicacy which I planned on teaching my Mum when I got home. I floated around in the water with a couple of my friend at the resort, talking about home, each of us recounting stories of our families, jobs and life in the real world. I talked about my Gran. Lots. How she didn't want to move into the nursing home from Burnham ... read more
