Fiji Trip - Day 3: Denarau Island

Fiji Bitter, you get it in a tropical 🏝️ paradise. Matter of fact I’ve got one now. When in Rome. 

Another day in paradise. We are into a routine now; breakfast buffet by the sea, and then we take up a position on the lounge beds around the Adult’s Pool. By the time we arrive most of the positions have been taken. There seems to be a pecking order around the pool. Louise has given some of the occupant’s nicknames. There’s the ‘Psycho Granny’, a leathery woman in her sixties who unfortunately wears a pink bikini Louise had a run in with her yesterday after she moved her towel, and took her spot. She glared at us today, and Louise said, “Game on mole” under her breath. There’s ‘Jade Goody’, her granddaughter, and overweight young woman also in a bikini who bears a remarkable resemblance to the late Jade Goody. I would swear the family would be from Fountain gate, but I’ve overheard them say they are from the Gold Coast.

Around the resort the accent you hear most from the other guests is New Zealand. The lady next to us today said, “The pool’s a wee bit cold” – I last heard that “wee” word early in the year on a Christchurch trip, when it was bloody freezing - it must be like hell on earth now, so you can’t blame them for all migrating to Fiji for the winter. You don’t hear any American accents though, the countries reportedly all broke. The economy was deteriorating last year when we were there, so they are not travelling to Fiji anymore, which might explain our every second night free deal at the Radisson. Oh well, one person’s loss is another person’s gain. But perhaps I speak prematurely for Australia is not out of the woods yet in regards to the economy, I notice the banks are holding onto their cash, maybe they know something we don’t.

After an hour or so we head back to our hotel room. Louise will have an afternoon siesta, or in other words fall asleep on the lounge watching television. Lunch is some Vegemite rolls. Vegemite reminds us of home.

Fiji has some food in the shops that we havn't seen for twenty years. Remember UFO's (pictured below)

Then we stroll over to the Sheraton Hotel next door to book a table for one of their restaurants appropriately called “Feast”. We are of course hedging our bets by selecting a buffet restaurant; we are gambling that some of the dishes on display must be edible.

Sure we could lounge like lizards by the pool, and try to do nothing all day, and just relax. But no, we’re from Sydney, it’s just not in our culture. We have to do be doing something, preparing a ‘to do list’, seeing something, doing something, all the time. So, we spot the Avis desk, and see the chance for escape from our gilded cage. Our plan on Thursday is to drive along the coast to the capital, Suva.

Pumped up, we decide to walk to Port Denarau. We are not exactly sure where to go, but we head off in the direction that the “Bula Bus” went. Along the way we calculated that we have said 'Bula' 4,321 times by now. We see a lady licking a New Zealand ice cream, so we knew we must be getting close. At Port Denaru we bought a loaf of bread from the bakery for seventy cents, about forty cents Australian, we are quite pleased with our bargain, and walk back to our hotel.

In the late afternoon we, like most of the resort, enjoy a drink, and watch the spectacular Pacific sunset. Here's me enjoying the local brew, 'Fiji Bitter', a bargain at $2.80.

We hear shouts of “Bula” and know the fire lighting warrior is coming. The shouts progressively get louder.

“BULA” He shouts as he lights the torches outside our apartment.

Dinner at the "Feast" buffet restaurant at the Sheraton turned out to be a literal feast; seafood, lamb cutlets, pizza, freshly barbequed lamb cutlets, beef stroganoff, and a decent dessert selection. One of the advantages of staying on Denarau Island is having all the different hotel's restaurants to choose from - I've read nightmare reviews about being stuck on one of the outlying islands and having to dine everynight at the same poor restaurant.

We enjoy an evening stroll along the torch lit beach to The Westin Hotel, where we stopped to listen to a sensational singer with a warm velvetry voice. We had a drink and let the music wash over us.

Tonight we’ve had breakfast at the Radisson, dinner at the Sheraton, and after dinner drinks at The Westin, so there's plenty to do on Denarau Island.

Fiji Trip - Day two: Denarau Island

We awoke to one of those beautiful days that the South Pacific is justifiably famous; from our balcony, to the left, we could see the sea (pictured below)

Straight ahead we looked out over the gardens to the adult pool (pictured below)

Breakfast was a buffet by the sea.

After breakfast we strolled along the beach with the vague intention of making it to Port Denarau.

Instead we made it to the Hilton, where we paid the $5 to catch the Bula Bus to Port Denaru (pictured below).

Yees Express Supermarket at Port Denarau must be the most expensive supermarket in the world, where a 220gm jar of Vegemite sells for $8.99.

A 1 litre bottle of Jack Daniels fine Tennessee Whiskey was selling for $161 Fijian compared to the price of $50 at the duty free shop at the airport. Trip Advisor reviews had warned of the exorbitant prices for alcohol at the hotels, and advised purchasing all the alcohol for your trip from the duty free shops at the airport. I must confess I took their advice and happened to purchase a one litre bottle of Jack Daniels from the airport, that’s why I know it was $50, but only because that was the only size bottle they had – honestly it was.

At sunset there is a special event at the Raddisson Hotel. A Fijian warrior carrying a flaming torch, wearing a grass skirt, and followed by little kids dressed in grass skirts, like the Pied Piper, runs around the resort shadowed by his little cohort lighting all the bamboo torches throughout the resort.

We caught the Bula Bus to Port Denarau for dinner at one of the outdoor restaurants by the marina. Now, I must warn you that I’ve read many bad reviews about Fijian food, and I had it confirmed for sure tonight. “The worst food I’ve ever had in my life” Louise said. I have to agree- you don't go to Fiji for the food. However the weather is perfect, the temperature is just right at 29 degrees, and the people are friendly. I find myself slowing down, slowing right down to "Fiji time" - the best time.

Fiji Trip - Day One:Denarau Island

I always love going to Sydney airport, any airport really; they are an exciting point of transition – I like the idea that you can get on a plane and at the end of the flight be anywhere in the world. Airports are a means of escape from the reality of the humdrum of your normal life, and for us a means to escape winter in Sydney to the warmth of a tropical Pacific island – Fiji.

An airport has its own unique atmosphere; anxious people rushing for planes, stressed out people waiting for flights, mothers battling restless kids, people asleep at the departure lounges, people walking with those yellow duty free bags with that contented smile of having scored a bargain, the well groomed hostesses, the pilots in their smart uniforms, and the dodgy looking security guards, who you think in the back of your mind, are the ones who really need to be searched. Then there are the constant messages over the PA system. The final boarding calls, “Paging George Burns to Gate 24”, and, “the final call for Air Mexicana to Los Angeles”, which gives one a quiet satisfaction that you are not on “Air Mexicana”. Then there is the spectacle of the jumbos lined up at the departure gates, taking off, or landing. I marvel at the people taking photographs of the planes, like who cares - just look at this idiot posing in front of an Air Pacific Jumbo (pictured below)


“Bula, vinaka”, the smiling Fijian hostess said as we handed over our boarding pass, which I know means hello, and thank you, in Fijian – I had a quick language lesson from a Fijian work colleague.

At 210pm, Air Pacific Flight FJ 910 is on its way to Fiji. Fiji is made up of 322 Islands, but only 106 are inhabited. Vitu Levu is the main island where most of the people live. The capital Suva is on the eastern side of the capital. We are headed for the international airport on the western side at Nadi, where we were greeted by the blast of warm tropical air as soon as we stepped off the plane.

Stepping into a dilapidated yellow taxi that we noticed had no meter, we off into the dark night through the ram shackled town of Nadi. Then we were bouncing along the potholed roads through the countryside. Every now and then dark figures walking along the side of the road would loom into view. Twenty minutes later we were pulling up to a bridge where on the far side was what looked like a border control check point complete with a boom gate – a tropical Checkpoint Charlie.

“Security guards for the island” The taxi driver said. The van ahead was being thoroughly searched by large men with hard faces that subsequently burst in simultaneous smiles as soon as they saw we were tourists. "Bula" they all chimed together. They will certainly keep the riff raff out I thought. And they need to because on Denarau Island there some of the best resorts in Fiji, like the Westin, the Sheraton, and of course the Radisson where we were now arriving.

Then it was time for some more “bula”, and more “bula”, all said with a big friendly Fijian smile. Levi, our porter would not be out of place packing down in a scrum for the All Blacks, but then again all the male staff looked like they played rugby, after all the brochure said that Rugby is the national sport of Fiji. Levi explained all the hotel room's features; two large flat screen televisions, king size bed, huge bathroom with a deep bath, dining table, lounge, kitchen, balcony with ocean views.

Then he explained how many pools there were, "a family pool, a kids pool, an adults pool, and a teenagers pool". A bus, called you guessed it, a "Bula Bus", arrives every twenty five minutes to take you to Port Denarau where boats take you out to the outlying islands. "Twenty five minutes Fijian time - so add ten to fifteen minutes on top of that" he added with a smile.


When Levi was showing us around the bathroom he suddenly realised he was standing in a huge pool of water. Above him water was dripping from the ceiling. He didn't seem the least bit worried, "Don't worry we'll get this fixed", and then continued on with his tour without missing a beat. A short time later the maintenance man arrived, and whilst inspecting the ceiling, was suddenly drenched with a huge volume of water.

We went for a walk, and by the time we returned it was all cleaned up. Our room service took and an hour and a half, but you can't get worried about that, after all, you are "on Fiji time'.

Whilst we were about to go to sleep to the crashing of the waves against the shore, and the trickle of water from one of the waterfall from the nearby pools, Louise said "Hey, my colds completely gone now" She has had a continuous cold for two weeks.

Fiji is magic.

New Zealand Trip - Day 4: Christchurch

As fate would have it, it was a beautiful sunny day, as we drove through the leafy Christchurch suburbs in their autumn hues. I can see why they call Christchurch the Garden City.



Christchurch Airport is a beautifully designed airport, where the vast use of glass allows views of the snow covered mountains (pictured above).


We couldn't help but think of Borat when we saw this Uzbekistan Airplane (pictured above). For some reason I had images of chickens flapping around the cabin.

Whilst we were leaving the plane they had those heat seeking cameras set up that are supposed to detect whether a passenger is sick, i.e. has Swine Flu. I looked back at the staff who were watching the television monitors, and I had flash backs to the movie, Predator, and the Alien who hunts Arnold Schwarzenegger and his team. I guess Quarantine Staff are hunting, just different prey – sick people with Swine Flu.


Louise's mum kindly picked us up from the airport, and drove us back home. It seemed that we were away much longer than just four days.


I really enjoyed our trip to New Zealand, and with terrific travel deals at the moment, it's well worth the trip "across the ditch" for a short break.

New Zealand Trip - Day 3: Akaroa

Akaroa is a small harbour town situated on the Akaroa Harbour on the Banks Peninsula about an hour and a half drive from Christchurch. We were planning to drive to Lake Tekapo, however as winter has decided to come early, and its raining, we thought it would be best to avoid that long journey. The shorter drive to Akaroa looked far more inviting.


It's cold out there- look it was snowing driving over the mountain (pictured above). The temperature gauge in the car displayed 3 degrees Celsius.

Akaroa was established by French settlers, and has a distinctive French feel, where even some of the streets and buildings have French names, like the Post Office (pictured below).


Akaroa Harbour (pictured below).

The Hill Top Café is a great place to stop for lunch, which is at the top of the mountain, before you commence the steep descent to Akaroa, and provides fine views (when it's not raining) over Akaroa Harbour.

We drove back to Lincoln to find Louise’s old house.

“This is definitely the place, but this is not my house.” Louise said, looking bewildered at the front of the premises, which started me to start doubting her sanity.

“This is ridiculous. I’m knocking on the door.” Whilst I cringed, and slunk further into the driver’s seat.

Louise spoke to the nice elderly couple, who stated the house burnt down in 2003, and this new house (pictured below) was built, thus explaining Louise’s initial confusion.

The property has been renamed Menteith Country House, and functions as a Bed and Breakfast. The website is at http://www.menteith.co.nz/. The rooms are very nice, and there is an even indoor swimming pool and spa.

Tomorrow, we are flying back to Sydney, but we will be back, because so much more to see. The scenery really is spectacular, and I'm looking forward to venturing into the Southern Alps to see the famous "Lord of the Rings country".

New Zealand Trip - Day 2: Christchurch, Lyttleton & Lincoln

Louise had a good sleep. At 10pm New Zealand time last night Louise said, "Goodnight, it's really midnight back in Sydney that's why I'm so tired." I didn't have the heart to tell her it was really only 8pm Sydney time.

A sunny blue crisp day greeted us when we awoke in direct contrast to yesterday’s weather. There was a market set up in Cathedral Square, and the sound of classical music from a local orchestra could be heard as we wandered around the stalls. Louise bought some thermal gloves, and a jacket, before we visited the cathedral.

We picked up our hire car, a Toyota Corolla, from Thrifty Car Rentals, and a GPS unit, which we learnt from our United States Trip, was invaluable when driving in a foreign country.

Just outside town, towards Lyttleton is the Christchurch Gondola (pictured above), a cable car, that provides fantastic views of the surrounding area. There is a cafe where you can relax, and enjoy the view of the flat plain where Christchurch is set out, bordered by the snow capped mountains, and the sea to the right.

This is the port of Lyttleton (pictured below).

We visited the historic Mona Vale Homestead (right) surrounded by it's formal English gardens.

Then, we headed out to the small town of Lincoln, about half an hour outside Christchurch on the Canterbury Plain.

Louise visited her old school (pictured right).

Looking towards Louise's old farm (pictured below right). Louise's dad planted those trees in the distance.

We then drove back into the city, and had a quick drive around Lyttleton, before heading back to the Hotel. For dinner we walked to the Christchurch Casino, that is more like a big RSL, and actually makes Star City Casino look good.

Tomorrow, we are taking a scenic drive into the Southern Alps to see Lake Tekapo.

New Zealand Trip - Day One

Friday 8th May, 2009.

It was an early start to our trip, as we were up at 5am, to get ready for our 6am pre-booked taxi to take us to the airport. We were travelling light, well, at least by our standards - just a daypack, laptop bag, and one wheeled luggage bag, which I'm sure is mostly filled with Louise's makeup. At 6am our Silver Service Taxi arrived, and we were on our way.

After checking in, we were through customs without a hitch, a welcome relief from the constant searching during our trip to the United States last year. We ran in to Louise's niece, Paige (pictured above), and her mom, Mars, whilst we having breakfast, who were also on their way to New Zealand.

The Qantas Flight QF45 was uneventful, until we caught sight of the New Zealand Coast about three hours after leaving Sydney, and we put our watches forward two hours to New Zealand time.

Whilst collecting our baggage we saw one of those cute little Beagle's sniff out a couple of bananas hidden in a guys backpack. Surprisingly, it was right under a Quarantine Sign with a picture of a banana. The Beagle received a treat from it's handler for his good work.

Leaving the terminal we were greated by a blast of cold air, icy drops of rain, and plunged into the grey world of the long (grey) cloud.

"Coldest day of the year" our geriatric taxi driver said, who then proceeded to drive with the left hand blinker on for the remainder of the trip. We didn't have the heart to tell her.

We were soon driving through Christchurch's leafy green suburbs, past green tree filled parks, neat stone buildings, and it does remind us very much of England, although England was never this cold when we were there. We past a sign displaying the temperature - 4 degrees Celsius.

The Quest Hotel (pictured above) is just off Cathedral Square, where the tall spire of the famous Christchurch Cathedral marks the centre of the city. The receptionist used the quaint word "Wee" several times in the space of two minutes - “Wee key" and "it's a wee way" and it’s a “wee switch”. Later this continued at the Rugby, with “wee shorts”, and its a “wee cold”. If you haven’t worked it out yet, Wee, I think, means small. It’s all a “wee” bit annoying.

Later, we braved the cold, and went for a walk. This is Louise in front of Christchurch Cathedral, and you might notice she also looks a "wee cold".

Christchurch was first settled in 1850, well, by the British anyway; a Maori tribe arrived 1,000 years ago. In 1856 it became New Zealand's first city. Nothing much happened after that until, that is, the Canterbury Crusaders won five championships in the Super 14 Rugby Competition. I would submit, arguably Christchurch's most famous person is Robby Deans, who is now the coach of the Wallabies. I think I might of missed some history, but that's probably the most important thing you need to know about Christchurch, and I'm sure New Zealander's being mad rugby supporters would probably agree with me to some extent.

The Avon River (above) runs through Christchurch. We walk around the city for a short time. It's very nice, but it's very cold, so we go back indoors.

I don't know how I did it, but I managed to convince Louise to venture out to a Rugby game in this, well, appalling weather. It was only a short taxi ride to AMI stadium (pictured above), previously known as Jade Stadium, for the Canterbury Crusaders versus the Queensland Reds rugby game. Now, as stated earlier, the Canterbury Crusaders are the most successful Super 14 team with five championships, and the Reds are coming from sunny Queensland, to the Antarctic conditions of Christchurch. To make matters worse half the Queensland Reds are injured, so they could be massacred here tonight.

Just before kick off, stirring music starts up, and seven horse riders, dressed as Crusader Knights, charge onto the ground, waving their swords around to work up the crowd, who are now yelling and cheering. It's actually quite a good ground to watch rugby, because the stadium is fairly close to the side line, however no doubt, it is an intimidating atmosphere for any visiting team.

A quick summary of the game:

After 30 mins - Crusaders 15 - Reds 0

At 33 mins - One of their best players, Quade Cooper, is sent off. Its just getting worse for the Reds.

The 37th minute - Crusaders score their third try in the corner, and the score is now 20 to nil.

At half time, Louise is close to hypothermia, and I do the gentlemanly thing and take her home. We walk outside, and the streets are deserted - everybody, including the taxi drivers are watching the game. Miraculously, a lady taxi driver who, obviously, is the only person in New Zealand who doesn't watch rugby is driving past, and picks us up.

I continue to watch the game in the warmth and comfort of the hotel room.

46th minute - Crusaders have scored their fourth try, and its now 27 - 0. The massacre begins.

The Crusaders soon score again, and its 32- 0.

In the 67th minute a miracle occurs, the Reds score a try, amd its a much better sounding 32 - 7.
The Crusaders are "backing off", "taking the foot off the accelerator", or maybe "having a bit of a bludge" - the Reds score again and its now 32 -12. Full time, and the scores unchanged.

So concludes our first (cold) day in Christchurch. Tomorrow, we are off to Louise's childhood home of Lincoln, and then to the port of Lyttleton. I just hope tomorrow it gets a little warmer..... did I say it was cold today?