Our Fiji Airways flight was very comfortable, and we were surprised that a meal was included for a short flight. Once we arrived at passport control, we were welcomed by 3 men playing a guitar/ukulele; this really set the tone of what our whole experience of Fiji would be like. Immediately after leaving the airport we felt the humidity, the temperature was hot and the sky was very cloudy. We stayed at Tropic of Capricorn hostel and had dinner there, we were anxious of how successful our trip would be as it rained heavily all night.
In the morning we took the shuttle to the port, checking in to our cruise and receiving our voucher pack on the way. Once we were there we gave our baggage and eventually boarded the boat. With the different types of island packages available, it seemed as if you could either take the long cruise up to the north islands and make your way back down, or do what we chose to do and start with one of the closest islands to the dock. We had paid to do 4 islands, staying 2 nights in each. Leaving the port and about 45 minutes on the boat took us to South Sea island, probably the smallest island available. Once you reach the island your staying in, you board a water taxi along with your bags to the island. We were welcomed onto the island by a few people singing and playing instruments, ending with “bula!” (A phrase used to say hello/welcome). When I say this island was small, you could literally walk around the whole thing in less than 5 minutes. There was a few free activities to do as the island hosted a lot of people on day trips, one including a glass bottom boat which we saw a small shark and sting ray. The next day we booked to do a sailing cruise which took us to the island they filmed “Castaway”, and then we stopped at a local village and tried Kava for the first time. Kava is a drink made from water and soaking ground-up roots, a ceremony is taken place before drinking it. We had a great day on the sailing about, and I even fought off the sea sickness despite the immensely choppy waves and free drinks onboard. Our time at South Sea was better than expected, the rain did put a bit of a downer on the days, but this was made up by the activities we did and the friends we made playing Dobble; who we would later spend a lot of time with on other islands.
The next island/location on the trip was Wayalailai Eco Haven Resort. On the way to the island from the water taxi, once I took a look at where we were heading I couldn’t help but say “THIS is Fiji”. The island had a large mountain, with a white sandy beach nesting at the bottom, and tropical trees joining the two. From the moment we touched the beach we were welcomed as part of their family. The first evening was Rosie’s birthday, and the Fijians kindly made her a delicious birthday cake which I think was a mix of chocolate and ginger. We then spent the night playing hilariously stupid games “Ah, the beach!” and “Yes Harry”. In the morning we had booked to do some snorkelling with reef sharks. It was cool to see the sharks swimming near you but unfortunately for me I felt very sea sick, so I spent some of the time sitting in the boat. Later that day I played volley ball, it was funny that the game only started with 2 either side then one by one out of nowhere someone would emerge from their hut and join in, until we had 6 either side. It’s crazy how good Fijians are at volleyball! That night we learnt the “Bula dance”, which was essentially the Fijians version of the makareina. Wayalailai was hands down my favourite island out of all of them. The people there 100% made it, two young guys that lived there (Matthew & Kimi) were always singing and joking around with us, and I met many other people staying including a Michelin Star chef. The food was amazing and there was plenty to do, or you could kick back and relax on the beach.
Sadly, we said goodbye to Wayalailai and the boat took us to Korovou. Our time at Korovou was a funny one looking back… At the time we were not really enjoying it, there wasn’t much to do and the tide went out so far that you couldn’t go in the sea, the amount of fly’s was annoying, the rooms were so hot in the night and the food was quite average. However, we did have quite a few positive moments. We spent relaxed on hammocks, played a lot of volleyball, had a glimpse at some fire dancing, and the snorkelling trip we did was actually really spectacular. It took us to the Manta Ray Island (unfortunately the wrong time of year to see manta rays), our guide took us around and we saw beautiful coral and tropical fishes, and even a giant clam. So our time on Korovou wasn’t all bad, and we even met someone who lived in the next town from us!
We left for our last and final island, at the Nabua Lodge resort. Again, the tide went out pretty far so you couldn’t swim in the sea much, but the resort itself looked quite cool with all the little huts. Each day at 3pm we would walk down the beach to the little tea house, which sold homemade cakes. They only sold one type of cake each day but they were delicious both days, this was then followed up with more volleyball. The second day we were there we booked to do a cave trip. It was all quite vague, we weren’t sure if we would have a guide and we were told that I could get some goggles when I was there as mine had broke, but I never did. About a 30 minute speed boat and we were at the cave, fortunately there was groups from other islands and about 3 guides. The first cave was open-topped and the water was cold as we swam around it. We then had a choice whether we wanted to go to the second cave, which would be pitch black, and to get to it you had to dive down and swim under for about 4 seconds, where a guide would be waving a flashlight. Goggles would have really helped, but I managed (even though the guide had to pull me out the second time coming back). It was a fun experience and luckily we didn’t see any eels. That evening we had some entertainment after dinner, where I was the musical statues champion. On our last morning, just before we left, we squeezed in another snorkelling trip, this time to the blue lagoon. We were unsure whether we could be bothered to do it, and even though it wasn’t as impressive as the Manta Ray Island, it was still a good experience. On the way back our driver Ben stopped at a different island, where we bought this strange homemade popsicle, it was fluorescent pink but it was delicious. Unfortunately soon after we arrived back, we was carrying our luggage onto the ferry to embark on the 5 hour journey back to the mainland. We spent the majority of the journey on the top decks, it was a beautiful day so we were taking in every last bit of sun and watching the islands go by; before we arrived back to mainland and checked into the Smugglers Cove hostel.
Fiji was a great experience, it was a good mix of activities and relaxation all under “Fiji Time – no hurry, no worry”. The weather was much better than anticipated and we met some great people. Without a doubt I would love to visit again, preferably in their summer, although I would probably go for the higher priced packages the next time round. Amongst the flashy brochure, picturesque views, and the holiday vibe you do get a taste for how the islanders live their lives. When you explore beyond the resorts made for the tourists, it was quite a culture shock to see the village conditions. However despite the obvious lack of of resources, technology and having much to choose from, a lot of the time the Fijians gave the impression they are the happiest people on earth; as Matthew on Wayalailai would say “Happiness is Island life”! Their kindness to make you feel welcome, and the joyful attitude they bring, really did give me a reality check as to what should make you happy in life.
Lee Teivans Travel Blog 