There are islands, villages, and fabulous resorts to visit. There is magnificent snorkeling and swimming. So on your visit to Fiji don’t miss the beautiful Mamanuca Islands – take a day trip with South Sea Cruises and enjoy” The brochure said – so we did.
Port Denarau was a hive of activity when the bus dropped us off. There were a number of coaches unloading passengers dragging suit cases. Most passengers would travel to their hotels on the islands by boat, although I believe it’s possible to fly by either sea plane or helicopter, albeit, more expensively than by boat. Our yacht would stop at each of the islands to let passengers on and off who were either staying at the resorts or just visiting for the day.
Precisely at 9am we disembarked on our South Sea Cruise. The first stop, was our stop, South Sea Island (pictured above), where we embarked on smaller boats to take us into shore (pictured below).
South Sea Island was all of about 200 metres long by 100 metres wide, perhaps less, of sand, palm trees, and a couple of huts. After a briefing about the activities you could do on the island, we were transported to on the boats we arrived in to an appropriately coloured yellow submarine (pictured below).
It's more like a glass bottom boat concept, that lets you view the underwater world. To the squeals "look at the fishes", and "Starfish" by excited kids, we were underway.
1030am - we are back on the Island. Now we are effectively marooned on this Island until 1230pm when the boat comes to take us on our cruise to the other islands. Marooned with only Diet Coke, beer, a barbeque lunch, and our only distractions are snorkeling, kayaking, sailing, diving (costs extra - $150 first hour), or of course the submarine.
Well, we had it better than other marooned people like Robinson Crusoe did or Tom Hank's character in the film castaway - he only had a volleyball he painted a face on, which he called 'Winston'.
At least the natives seem friendly. They made us a barbeque lunch, and entertained us by singing and dancing. Perhaps they were just fattening us to put us in their pot - no joke the Fijians used to be cannibals. They used to call Fiji the 'Cannibal Isles'. They will be the first people to tell you, they seem quite proud of the fact.
The boat man summonsed our group. We moved with the speed of a frightened gazelle towards the boat, and freedom, abandoning the others to their fate - probably more beer and snacks.
We were transfered to the South Sea Cruises Tiger 4 motor yacht. Next stop Bounty Island, a low lying island. (pictured above).
Five minutes later we arrive at Treasure Island another low lying island dreading Global Warming (pictured above)
Beachcomber Island (pictured above).
Mana Island (pictured above) is our next stop. Twenty five minutes away. Mana Island was strongly considered as where we were going to stay in Fiji, based on a favourable review by a work colleague. It was dismissed from our calculations because it didn't have pay television. I think if we did end up staying here I would of seen Louise swimming in the direction of the mainland with her passport clenched in her teeth.
To enter Mana Island lagoon the captain had to run a delicate path through the reef, and, this time to a pier to unload. It actually seemed to the best island we have seen so far.
This is the famous Castaway Island.
This is Malolo Island (pictured above), where we turned around for our run back to Port Denarau (pictured below).
Well, we survived being marooned on a desert Island (although only for three hours), and a cruise through the Mamanuka Islands to check out how the other poor tourists are doing. We'll leave them marooned on their little islands. Now, we are going back to our exclusive private island, separated from the mainland by only a small, but well guarded bridge, to enjoy our television, internet, and choice of restaurants.
