We made it, again!
We started the day off at 6:30am with getting ready for the flight and last minute packing/arranging of everything in our bags. Our taxi ride at 7:15am was free because we paid for our ride when we first arrived in Nadi, Fiji even though the cost was included in our “welcome package”. (I have included the early morning times to show that I can wake up early and be productive; I just prefer to sleep in when I can!) Once we arrived at the airport, everything was smooth sailing. Our flight was on time, boarding went quick and we took off at 10am as scheduled. We even ran into a few people we met on the Yasawa Islands at the airport. A German guy from Nurnberg area who was flying back home, a Netherlands guy who was on his way back to travel more of New Zealand and a modern day hippie from Chilliwack who signed up for the same SWAP program in NZ as we have.
The Auckland Airport was also smooth sailing, for the most part. The only slight problem we ran into was Adrian’s hiking boots being used in Canada and Fiji which turned out to be a biosecurity risk to New Zealand. After a quick inspection of his boots, we were officially in New Zealand! I was actually much more excited for our arrival in New Zealand than Fiji because I feel now the adventure has really begun! Fiji was beautiful and fun but because we bought a package, everything was laid out for us and made so easy.
We caught a bus that dropped us off right outside the hostel (Base- Auckland Central Backpackers) which we had a voucher for- a perk for registering with SWAP (www.swap.ca). We will be staying here for at least the next two days, 1. Because it has been paid for through the registration of SWAP and 2. It will give us time to get organized, receive our orientation (where we get information on how to set up a bank account, get a tax #, start searching and applying for jobs) and really get some sort of plan in place :p We got an upgrade for the first two nights because they didn’t have a dorm room with two beds available. We were prepared to lose our privacy we had for the past ten days but we weren’t going to say no for a couple more nights!
--- RECAP & HIGHLIGHTS OF YASAWA ISLANDS AND NADI, FIJI ---
- Coralview Resort, Tavewa Island – We wrote about it in the last post.
- Korovou Eco-Tour Resort, Naviti Island – There wasn’t anything too exciting about this resort. Although we will give it the benefit of the doubt that we arrived on a Sunday which Fijians take very seriously as a day of worship (50-60% of the population are Christian) and rest. Pros: nice long beach with more hammocks; more spacious huts; laid back feel. Cons: Our toilet leaked and no one fixed it and we weren’t accommodated for it at all; both water and beer were at least a couple dollars more expensive than Coralview; staff wasn’t as friendly and the resort set-up didn’t allow for much socialization.
Adrian chillin' in the hammock while I write in my journal - Waya Lailai Ecohaven Resort, Waya Lailai Island – Our agreed upon favourite resort/island! Even though we arrived on an overcast day, the island was amazing! There were so many palm trees and a long white sandy beach PLUS gorgeous green foliage and neat rock formations all over. Here we had two activities scheduled- reef snorkelling and a summit walk. The day we went snorkelling was very windy and overcast but they seemed to think it would be okay. Unfortunately by the time we got out to the reef, Adrian was quite sea sick and wasn’t up for it. It would have been nice to share the experience but I still enjoyed it. Having never gone snorkelling but assuming I would have the same reaction even if I had, it was so beautiful! So many different coloured fish, huge pieces of coral all in different colours and formations and... reef sharks! As some of you know, sharks are not my favourite animal but any stretch so I was pretty intimidated by six 1.5-2 meter reef sharks swimming around me. But once the guide started playing with them and let me pet one, I was able to relax a bit. We also had a summit walk in the late afternoon on the island. It turned out to be an exhaustive hike which took 45 minutes to reach the summit after trampling over leaves, boulders and mud but WOW the view definitely made up for it! Stay tuned for pictures ;) Mom, I’m sending you an advisory for these!
On the beach of Waya Lailai 
At the summit of Waya Lailai Island, highest peak of all the Yasawa Islands - Beachcomber Island, Mamanuca Island – This was rumoured to be the party resort/island of the Yasawas but it wasn’t too pumpin’ for us. The resort manager was a Caucasian guy and you could tell by how the resort was set up and ran. Much more commercial compared to the other resorts ran and owned by Fijians, a huge boutique, bars all over the place, even our room was designed differently. We spent the night chatting with a bunch of people we met on Waya Lailai and watched some traditional Fijian/Polynesian dancing.
Male fire dancer - Seaspray Day Sailing – Our last day out at the islands was spent on a sailing trip that was an included activity in our package. We got to do some free snorkelling (Adrian was feeling fine this time), explored the island where the movie “Castaway” was filmed, had a bbq on the boat, and visited a village where we finally got to participate in a Kava ceremony.
Kava ceremony in the Yanuya Village - Nadi Tour – Our last full day in Fiji was spent in Nadi. We slept in a bit, I got some much-needed laundry done and we booked a half day tour of Nadi. With the tour, we visited the largest Hindu temple in the Southern Hemisphere (Sri Siva Subramaniya) although we weren’t allowed in because it would cost extra (even though we thought it should have been included in the tour cost); visited a local fruit and vegetable market; went to a local souvenir shop where we participated in another kava ceremony and I got my first taste of foreign markets (ugh); guided tour of the Garden of the Sleeping Giant (founded by Raymond Burr) and ended with a visit to the village of Viseisei, the legendary landing site of the first Fijians.
We will e-mail (post) you again soon. Hope all is well back home!
The picture from on top of Waya Lailai Island is wicked!
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