NZ to Fiji Islands May 16- 26-27, 2008

NZ. TO FIJI ISLANDS  May 16-26 and 27
 We were supposed to leave NZ's airport a 7 on our way to Fiji. Unfortunately because of the fog we were delayed boarding and once on board we still waited 2 more hours before we were able to leave. We were lucky because as we were reaching Nadi on Fiji Island we found out that the airport closed after we left, so we were on time to catch our  flight from Nadi to Suva. We stayed the night in a Backpacker in Suva.
A bus picked us up at 8:;30 the next morning to take us to the peer (1.5 hours drive) where we took a boat to Naigani Island where we had reserved a cabin in the only resort on the island, the Naigani Resort. On th e island there is the resort a a very small tribal village. It started raining as we arrived i n Suva, all night and most of the following day and on to Wednesday am. It rained for the first 3 days on and off. It was very quiet on the island. We were only 6 guests, no T.V or movies etc. Gilles F. found it a bit long. But on Wednesday the sun came out and WOW what a difference. I was starting to tease the workers at the resort, Ithink there is no sun in Fiji and yet they tell us that there is. WE went out to do some snorkeling, and what a great palce to do snorkeling and apparently  the area around the Naigani Island is one of the best place to do diving also.

On Wednesday myself and two other persons we went on a tour to the next island, Ovalu Island to visit the city of Levuka which is the Old Capital of Fiji, also where Fiji was first started. So we visited the monuments, the old  historical buildings etc. They have kept the main street much as it was then, the front  of the buildings have been kept much the same so the main street looks old. Many visitors come here.
We say the sun for the last three days and we had sun the day we left.

Fiji Islands: 
Scattered across 518,000 square kometres of Pacific Ocean lie the 320 islands of Fiji. this beautiful , diverse country is world-renowed as the ultimate holiday destination, with its warm sunshine, sandy beaches and hospitable, friendly people. The people say BULA to everybody( Welcome and Hi).
The ppopulation of Fiji  is about 797.000 with indigeneous Fijians making up around half of the populatin and the Fijian Indians  theh other half. Due to this interesting ethnicmix, Fiji is a milti-religion country with the main religions being Christianity, Hindu and Islam. The main language is English, but Fijian and Hindustani are widey spoken.
Fiji is well known for its pristine beaches and blue waters, but the country is alos mountainous, with ancient craters and peaks rising to 122 metre and more, and rivers stretching for many miles.
WE visited two of the main cities on the main Island  Nadi and Suva., on Viti Levu.
NADI  :The majority of visitors to Fiji arrive at Nadi which is the main international airport.

SUVA: The harbour city of Suva sits on a hilly peninsula. this is the largest city in the south Pacific with a population of about 200,000 and a wide selection of shopping and restaurants.The city is home to many of Fiji's key Institute,including the University of the South Pacific and the Fiji Sschool of Medecine and another internation airport.

WHAT I DID WRONG:  I forgot my Ipod under my pillow the first morning in Suva at the backpackers. I reached this on the boat on my way to the Naigani Island. ONce we got to the island i phoned the Backpackers three time to finally find that theydid not find it. I did lock my room door so it must of been the cleaning person who thought that he or she needied it more then me. After 11 months I forgot it so not to bad. It wasn't working very well any way for 2 or 3 days at the time. I still have the charger so I don't know how they will charge it.

May 23  -May 26 and 27
We left the Naigani resort and the Island  bu boat, then by bus back to Suva's airport where we took the plane back to the city of Nadi. Here we stayed in a beautiful small hotel on  a beautiful beach at a reasonable cost of $45.  a day with a big breakfast. Here we relaxed and continued taking in some sun before returning to Canda for  3 days for me and 4 days for Gilles F.  On Monday night I flew back to Auckland to fly the next day to LA where I met Glles F and we took the same plane back to Calgary. I returned with airmiles so I needed to go back to NZ.