Fabulous Fiji :-)

Well what can i say Fiji was not at all what i expected, i stuck to the islands and i imagined paradise but not a perfect paradise! I went through STA travel and chose to do the Fiji Fling. This included 4 islands and all activities.


Day 1 - I spent the night at Smugglers Cove, this was a pretty cool hostel/resort with delicious and wicked entertainment, not to mention an incredible sunset. It just happened that one of my old PRIMARY school friends just happened to be in the area, so he popped over for a few rum and cokes! It was wicked to catch up and have a good giggle! Jamie is probably now voyaging across the Pacific on his way to Tonga! Jealous much!

Day 2 - i arrived at South Sea Island, the smallest of all the resorts, you could walk around the whole island in just 3 minutes! We were welcomed by the sound of guitar, clapping, singing and smiley faces, this was to be the norm throughout my stay. The local people were extremely friendly and entertained us throughout the afternoon. There was also the free snorkeling available and kayaking. I managed to spot a small sting ray and tons of fish every colour of the rainbow, i could have stayed down their all day!  The lunch was delicious and we enjoyed an incredible dinner on the beach, under the stars and by candle light. I pinched myself. Good people, Good Food, Good drink and fabulous scenery!

Day 3 - An amazing day trip to Sea Spray, and the Castaway island. I had no idea what to expect and found myself aboard a beautiful sailing boat with a glass of champagne in my hand and fresh fruit in the other. I just happened to seat myself next to the fridge full of free alcohol which was useful! We spent the afternoon visiting a small village drinking Cava and snorkeling, i spent time with some wicked people who made the experience even better than i had expected, Thanks to Kat, Danielle and Matt! You stars!

Day 4 - We were waved off with fabulous music, clapping and singing! It actually felt really sad to leave this beautiful island! It was literally heaven! We boarded the big yellow boat and made our way to Mantaray island which was our next stop. Based in the Yasawas this island resort was much bigger, more families, but also a lot of travelers and backpackers making the most of the chilled out vibe and the numerous hammocks which were dotted around the beach front. We were told about the island and I couldn't help but stare at the incredible images of underwater life pinned to the walls of the main lounge area, where people were chilling. Images of Manta rays and beautiful tropical fish and colourful corals covered the walls. The manager told us that when we hear the drumming from the beach, that is a sign the Manta rays were traveling through the area, so we were to grab our masks and snorkels and hop on board the boats ready for a swim....All we wanted to do was get into the ocean, so that's what we did. The current was pretty strong though and snorkeling was a bit of a struggle, they had had strong winds battering the island for the last couple of days. So I decided to chill on the beach instead, but sand was being blown at us and it wasn't so comfortable. Sand blasting can be pretty painful so I moved to the hammocks and slept :-) Dinner was nice, it was a little bit like a restaurant, there was a choice, a menu, unlike other resorts I had stayed at where everyone ate the same. Sleeping was nice too, a huge dorm, sleeping about 50 people, but high up and airy with our own mosquito nets which was nice.

Day 5 - Breakfast was nice, continental, fresh fruit and yogurt etc, I had met some lovely people and we decided to head to the beach on the other side of the island. A quick 2 minute walk and worth every second. I would say it was one of the most beautiful beaches I had ever been on, and it was just us 3! It was July the 4th so we celebrated with our American friend Matt and his bottle of Gin, perfect! Then came the sound of the drums, so we headed to the other side of the beach where people were frantically boarding the boats hoping to catch a glimpse of the Manta rays as they passed by.
The experience was pretty special. Not what I had expected at all. The guides would point out the Manta rays at the surface and tell us when to jump in. "go, go go!" he shouted and we all dived, jumped or fell into the water. The visibility wasn't the best, as we had had strong winds, but my eyes were able to adjust and there it was this huge creature floating through the water below me, an underwater space ship, or sub-marine angel! We were lucky enough to see two species, the larger species, M.birostris, reaches 7 m (23 ft) in width while the smaller, M.alfredi, reaches 5.5 m (18 ft).

                                     

(pictures taken from the internet as I did not have an underwater camera)

Both species are listed as Vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Threats  include pollution, entanglement in fishing nets, and direct harvesting for their gill rakers for use in Chinese medicine. I would recommend to anyone who is visiting Fiji to definitely do so during May-October when it is Manta ray season, you will not regret it!

Day 6 - From Mantaray island i made my way to Korovou, This resort is beautiful. Golden sandy beaches as far as the eye could see and hammocks under every tree what more could you need. We settled in and were welcomed with a delicious lunch, this time everyone ate the same lunch and there was no choices, however i couldn't complain especially about the tasty watermelon. We were told to check out the beach on the other side of the island (similar to Mantaray) Honeymoon beach is situated a short 10 minute walk through a small local village and up and down a winding path through forest. I highly recommend doing this in flip flops at least as the ground is pretty rugged and i made the mistake of going barefoot! OUCH ALL THE WAY. We found some fabulous spiders along the way, they were pretty big with a yellow body and we were all shocked by their huge webs. Eventually we arrived at what i can only describe as one of the most beautiful isolated i have seen, with no buildings or sign of civilization in sight, just beautiful palms and golden sand, it was perfect. Here we swam in the clear blue sea and then passed out under the heat of the afternoon sun.

Day 7 - At the crack of dawn we headed out for our final manta ray swim. I was pretty excited as the last swim had been fabulous so i smiled to myself as our little jet boat made it's way through the sea. As the sun was rising for the day the beautiful islands created an amazing silhouette in the foreground and i couldn't believe how lucky i was. The next thing i know we are jumping into the ocean, the water fairly warm and bearable on the skin i put in my snorkel and peered beneath the surface. I love this moment where you leave the noise of the guides shouting, the engines running and below the surface you enter in to such a calm space. This morning the water visibility was much better, everything seemed more settled. It was majestic, so tranquil and peaceful like a dream. After a few moments i spotted this huge dark shadow in the distance, the shadow glided below me, their were two of them. I took a deep breath and went further down into the deep. I watched as this magical creature continued to feed along the corals.  
(Image below is from the internet)

We continued to spend time with these creatures, diving deep enough to make out their huge size. I was lucky enough to get above one about half a meter and i spread my arms out which allowed me to understand the size of this unbelievable creature. It truly was like and angel below the surface, its movements definitely suited the silence that surrounded it. As we continued the Manta ray decided to surface as it took a breath it decided to change direction and came towards us with its huge mouth wide open. I froze and had to back myself away, they are harmless to humans but this moment still put me in my place, after all i was in their world. We then followed the Manta ray through the ocean watching as it moved so gracefully through the water. Then after a few minutes it began to disappear into the depths and we waved goodbye. We surfaced and couldn't believe how close we had come. It was an amazing image, which unfortunately i don't have a photograph of, but sometimes it's better juts to store these moments forever in your memory, and to be fair any photo wouldn't do the experience any justice.
The photo below is of myself, luckily for me another person swimming had a waterproof camera and managed to get this shot! I love it.

We made our way back to the resort and spent the rest of the day around the pool and playing volleyball with the locals and the staff. I also attended a Fijian cooking lesson, to be honest there was not much use of a cooker, we mixed together finely chopped peppers, onions, chili, lime and freshly squeezed coconut milk and made a delicious salad that you could have a BBQ, keep it simple that's the way! The coconuts had been collected by the 'Gecko man' who was a member of the staff team who crawled up the tree, knocked down a few coconuts and then came back down the tree HEAD first! CRAZY BUT WONDERFUL.

Day 7 Continued - Unfortunately i had to say goodbye to the island and we boarded the yellow boat and made our way to Coral View. Again as we arrived we were greeted by the sound of a guitar, singing and clapping. This was a much bigger resort, a bit more spread out. The beach was not the greatest but was still lovely. There was a fabulous hike, taking about 30 minutes to the highest point. We timed our walk just as the sun was disappearing for the day. I stood and looked, i circled around and i have to say it was one of the most beautiful panoramic views i have ever seen consisting of ocean and islands as far as the eye could see enhanced by the pink of the disappearing light.

We spent the evening placing bets on hermit crabs! say no more :-)

Day 8 - Well what a crazy day. The morning was pretty busy with a fairly hairy journey across to the Sawa-i-Lau caves which feature in the movie 'Blue Lagoon'. The ride took a while and i swapped mid way on to about 3 different boats due to passenger loads and boat maintenance. Once we arrived the journey was well worth it. The limestone caves were simply stunning. Whomever discovered these caves for the first time must have been in awe of their enormity. We had the opportunity to go through the next cave, this involved holding our breath for a few seconds and going through to another under water corridor to the next cavern. It was pitch black as we surfaced but our eyes soon adjusted tot he light and it was awesome. Every so often you could make out streams of light glinting through in beams from the outside world. It was beautiful and a truly unforgettable landscape.

I completed my day with a Fijian back massage which was shear bliss and very relaxing.
 
(this image is taken from the internet)

Day 9 -  Today we checked out of Coral View and headed back down south towards the mainland. The boat trip home was about 5 hours and we were fairly lucky with the weather until the end when the heavens opened, which was actually quite refreshing. The journey was cool as it was a chance to catch up with friends who had traveled to different islands. We were lucky enough to also catch a sight of a pod of bottle-nosed dolphins which was a real treat as they are not always seen. When we arrived back to the mainland we all said our goodbyes and headed in our different directions, some people back to New Zealand, some staying on the mainland for a while, i boarded the bus headed for the airport along with 3 wicked guys i had met along the way and luckily we were all on the same flight to LAX. unfortunately i had not completed an Esta form, which everyone need to complete when entering the USA. I panicked as the lady told me it could take 72 hours! and i hadn't budgeted staying in Fiji fro 2 more nights. Luckily the guys helped me out and i was able to find the internet and complete the relevant forms.

Waitomo Caves

Today we made our way to Waitomo caves, it was so much fun, but very cold and very wet. I found myself hoisting up a rather tight fitting wetsuit and placing a helmet on my head and beautiful white gum boots on my feet. I felt like an action hero! we had a few practices with the rope safety etc, and away we went into the limestone caves. I found myself absailing down a 30m rock face into the depths of another world. The caves were full of water and there were tons of hidden waterfalls and pools which acted as our obstacles. We got cold and drenched but it was so worth it. The glow worms wre beautiful and the lime stone formations were a natural art form. A fabulous 3 hours spent in a magical underground world. It made me think about how many caves are yet to be discovered...

Bay of Islands, Cape Reinga and sandboarding on 90 mile beach :-)

I made my way to the north of the north island, which was well worth the visit. I ended up on a dolphin and island cruise, which was fabulous and then a visit to what i have to say is one of the most beautiful places iv been, Cape Reinga. Sandboarding was hilarious and obviously i got sand everywhere, but it was well worth it!

I also had the opportunity to visit the Waitangi treaty grounds. This was a signifucant part of New Zealands history and din 1840 the treaty was signed between the Maori and the Europeans to help disputes over land rights. The treaty grounds are mainly an area where you can go and learn about the history of New Zealand and enjoy the incredible carvings which represent different tribal groups of the country.

Tongariro Crossing

Today myself and my friend Shannon decided to sign up for the Tongariro crossing. This alpine crossing is one of New Zealands most spectacular tramping tracks. The crossing is approximately 19km from one end to the other. The walk was unbelievable, and i felt like i was on the moon. The walk takes you through some crazy volcanic terrain. We saw old lava flows, active craters and thermal steam vents. The lakes were the best part of the crossing, emerald in colour i couln't quite believe where i was. The last part of the walk takes you through beautiful native forest. When we reached the other end of the crossing after about 8.5 hours walking, we were greeted with a cold beer which was incredible. Here are a few snaps....which don't really do the place any justice...you kind of have to experience it for yourself.

Christchurch

Christchurch is the largest city in the south island of New Zealand. Between 2010 and 2012 the city has experienced some huge earthquakes. The quake which struck on the 22nd  february 2011, struck just 5km below the surface at a magnitude of 6.3. The quake struck around lunch time, and sadly 185 people lost their lives that day. Central Christchurch is currently under reconstruction and as we walked we could still see where people had been sitting eating in cafes as the event happened, their food and drink left where they had been relaxing and having lunch that day. I can't begin to imagone what that day must have been like...all around the city was evidence of the destriction caused, but there was also evidence of regeneration, hope and progress. From colourful graffitti with messages of inspiration and wishes, to the development of a re-start mall, where a new area for shopping has been established, this is a vibrant colourful place, where visitors can enjoy the sound of buskers from flute players to pianists (a 7 year old boy!) to circus and street performances from travelling artists. The shops have all been put into shipping containers which make the area very quirky. There are lots of cafes and boutique shops and also a cute little street market. I stayed in the yha hostel which was a 15 minute walk from the main shopping area. Christchurch is definately worth a visit, it is a city of contrasts and hopefully a positive future.