Sitting in the beautiful bay, commonly known as the Blue Lagoon, where this article was started, it proved more difficult to write than any of the previous ones. The primary reason was that Fiji had so much to offer and this was the first country, since commencing our circumnavigation, to which we had returned. Needless to say, there was, therefore, so much to write about. In the interest of brevity we have combined both visits.

Fiji revealed herself to us slowly. What was staggering at first was the vastness of the islands, particularly the two main islands of Vanua Levu and Viti Levu. We sailed hundreds of miles to get from the southeast corner of the one island to the southwest corner of the other. Couple that with the extensive bus journeys we made to see the more remote spots and we can say we were certainly getting a taste of Fiji, after only two weeks. This included the fact that there aren't too many island nations that produce as much as Fiji does and it wasn’t uncommon, that in one sitting, everything we ordered was locally manufactured, from the bottled water to the coffee and sugar.

It is fair to say, that although we loved Samoa and felt that we had left our hearts behind when we sailed out of Apia, Fiji and it’s welcoming, friendly, beautiful people, definitely captured what was left, to the extent that, if there was a place on earth where we both would want to live after our sailing adventures are over, it is Fiji. It is difficult to articulate all the reasons why, but the evening before we set sail for New Zealand, as our 2016 sailing season came to a close, and while standing on the beach to watch the sun set, we experienced an unexpected degree of sadness. This was the telltale signs. For us, Fiji was a lovely surprise as we had not planned on visiting here in 2016 and had, therefore, done very little research prior to our arrival. We hope that once you have read this article, we will have succeeded in giving our readers a sense of what we had experienced there.

On 18 September 2016 we weighed anchor and set sail from Tonga. Fortunately, heading a little more north again meant slightly warmer weather, which was an improvement on the dreadful weather we had experienced in Tonga. Having to break out the winter woollies while in Tonga had made it difficult to believe we were actually sailing in the Tropics.

In the early hours of Monday, 19 September 2016, we sailed into the territorial waters of Fiji via the Lakeba Passage and, with daybreak, enjoyed the sights of the Lau Group of Islands.  Since yachts are not permitted to stop at these islands en route to a Port of Entry, we had to continue on to our destination of Savusavu on the island of Vanua Levu, where we expected to arrive early the next morning.

We did, however, get to enjoy our first champagne sail in the South Pacific across the Koro Sea, in light winds, beautiful flat seas, under blue, sunny skies and gennaker flying; a well earned treat having sailed so many nautical miles! Overnight we also sailed from the Western Hemisphere to the Eastern Hemisphere, where we'll remain until our Atlantic crossing, having crossed the 180° meridian and the geographical date line. With Nina (Lynda and Steve) for company we made our way to Nakama Creek, enjoying the beautiful scenery and lovely homes along the shoreline. We also passed Cousteau Island Resort, which we had hoped to visit, but found out later it was closed to outside visitors.

Once we were informed of the correct clearing in process for yachts coming from Tonga specifically, due to the presence of chikengunya there, we anchored off and awaited the officials. After Paw Paw was fumigated, we were allowed to proceed to our allocated mooring ball just off Nawi Island, following which customs and immigration visited us to complete the rest of the process.  It was extremely efficient and professional. Before we knew it, it was time for a nap, a hot shower and a reconnaissance in quick succession. We did, however, have a somewhat surreal feeling about arriving in Fiji as it was the "end of the line", the "last stop" of our 2016 sailing season before heading to New Zealand for the cyclone season, after sailing 10,733NM,  just over a third of the way around the world. Unbelievable!  

When we returned to Fiji six months later we found this same efficient, friendly process when we cleared in at Vuda Marina on Viti Levu Island. The wonderful welcome we received from the manager, Adam and the staff at Vuda Marina, not to mention the two stiff gin and tonics that were presented to us by Adam after our passage from hell, will, forever, remain in our memories. With Elaine in floods of tears, we were truly relieved to have arrived safe and sound after our ordeal of the previous 36 hours. 

The Fijian islands, comprising a total of 332 islands and islets, of which Vanua Levu and Viti Levu are the largest, is populated with two ethnic groups, Melanesian and Indian. The latter communities dominate the big towns, and particularly those on the north coast at the centre of the sugar industry. They are all descendants from the imported labour brought in by the then British authorities to develop the sugar fields. 

The Fijian-Indians have a natural sense of business that the indigenous Fijians lack and their prosperity has precipitated tensions and unrest between the two communities over the years, erupting in coups and causing a change to their constitution, where no Fijian-Indian may hold a political position. This act, considered discriminatory, resulted in Fiji having to leave the Commonwealth.  

The outer islands where the Indian community has not penetrated are maintained on traditional cultures and customs. As such, there are strict guidelines for cruising yachts, including a rigid standard of dress and behaviour when visiting the island villages. This could include a formal ceremony called “sevusevu”, where “kava” roots are presented to the elder chief for his blessing to visit the island. It is considered taboo not to adhere, similar to pitching your tent in someone's backyard without their permission. 

English is the first language used when Fijian races first interact, reflecting Fiji's colonial history, but, at heart, Fiji is a multi-lingual society. The iTaukei are the traditional landowners or descendants of Fiji's first settlers, with three hundred different dialects. There are also many of the languages of India, albeit a local form, as well as Cantonese, Mandarin, Samoan and Tongan spoken. English, iTaukei and Hindu are compulsory languages that are taught in schools, making the majority of Fijian's partly tri-lingual.

Visitors are often confused, which included ourselves, as to why the pronunciation of some words vs. its spelling is completely different. For example, the town that we visited for Elaine's physiotherapy sessions is called Nadi, but pronounced Nandi, since a "d" in iTaukei is pronounced as "nd". Similarly, "g" is "ng", "b" is "mb" and the Mamanuca Islands, where we spent a lot of time, is pronounced Mamanutha Islands, to mention a few. That said, there are three words that one learns very soon after arriving in Fiji: "Bula" meaning "hello" being the very first word, since everyone, and we mean everyone, greets everyone else, and we mean greets everyone they encounter throughout the day or night. Then there's "vinaka" for "thank you" and "moce" for "goodbye". Add the huge smile that goes with the "bula" greeting you receive and you cannot help but feel totally welcome!

Christianity plays a very important role generally in the iTaukei communities throughout Fiji and the church plays an essential role in the installation of a "tui tavua" i.e. a king, which occurred as recently as 2015 when Ratu Jale Waisale K. Ratu passed away and responsibility passed to the next brother, Ratu Nacanieli Uqeuqe-Ratu.

Traditional iTaukei communities are built around the family. Extended family units, related through paternal ties, are known as "tokatoka". Groupings of "tokatoka" make up a "mataqali", similar to a family clan. Groupings of "mataqali" are known as "yavusa", similar to tribes, which inhabit a large geographical area, referred to as a "vanua". A "vanua" identifies the people within it as being related through common ancestry and recognises their affinity with and ownership of the land.

While different "mataqali" are responsible for different roles within the "vanua", like the warriors, the fishermen, the carpenters, etc, one "mataqali" has the "chiefly family" and is responsible for providing a person to lead and be head of the vanua, called the "tui tavua", where the "tui tavua" is identified with the prefix "ratu" before his name. 

The installation ceremony begins with a church service in the "tavualevu koro", the village church, with leaders from various denominations present, to bestow a spiritual anointment on the new "tui vanua" in order that he may act wisely and for the benefit of the "vanua". Ratu Nacanieli had resided in America for nearly twenty years, when his brother died and he was called back to Fiji to fulfil his obligations to the "vanua". Quite a culture change, no doubt!

One of the first matters we took care of when visiting Fiji for the second time, was a trip to the fresh produce market to purchase our first bundles of "kava" / “waka” in order to be prepared for our visits to the outer lying villages. “Yaqona” is made from Piper Methysyicum which is Latin for "intoxicating pepper", a crop of the western Pacific, of which the roots, known locally as “kava”, are used to produce this drink.  Although not a cheap drink, where a bundle of "kava" is the same price as a bottle of whisky, "yaqona" tastes like muddy water and has a mild numbing effect around the lips. Apparently, taking it in too large a quantity intoxicates you, while keeping your mind clear, but it can also render you paralysed until the effects wear off and it may also cause vomiting. Apparently aficionados can tell from a simple taste whether or not the "yaqona" has come from Savusavu on Vanua Levu Island or not, for instance, similar to wine tasting.

There is nothing that captures the essence of the Fijian culture than the "sevusevu", a ceremony where “yaqona” is presented. It is an ancient practice and the central component of the lifestyle rituals and social gatherings of all kinds, including weddings, installing a king, healing ceremonies, etc. It also marks the time and place for visitors to be welcomed into a Fijian village by presenting a bundle of “kava” to the chief of the village. Our research revealed that, on our arrival at a village, we were to ask for the "turaga ni koro", who is the appointed village headman. It was his duty to greet us and ascertain the intentions of our visit before presenting us to the chiefs and village elders, at which time we were to present the "kava" as our gift. Needless to say, we were both feeling a little uneasy about our participation in this aspect of the Fijian culture, but we were certainly willing to embrace it nonetheless. We did learn later, however, that presenting "kava" only needs to occur if you actually go ashore. Just anchoring off for a night or two does not require the presentation. That, fortunately, explained the reaction of the villagers of Nalauwaki Bay on Waya Island. Given the lateness of the hour and since it was low tide when we arrived, we had no way of getting ashore, so we decided to do our "kava" presentation the following  morning, in the hope that they wouldn’t be annoyed with us. We did, however, try to hail a passing boat to explain, but when Roy tried to wave them over, the father just waved back at him. When Roy continued to wave, the entire family started waving back at him and simply motored on by.  They obviously weren’t too bothered about our presence, but it was a relief though to learn we hadn't actually offended anyone. 

During a traditional "sevusevu" everyone wears the "masi", which is cloth made from the bark of the paper mulberry tree and is the material worn on most ceremonial occasions. During the formal ceremony there is complete silence and a special mix of "yaqona", known as" iSevusevu ni vanua" is prepared by members of the "vanua". Once prepared, the "iSevusevu ni vanua" is transferred to a "bilo", a half coconut shell, and served by the "tu yaqona", the cupbearer. Both in the formal and less formal ceremonies there is a specific order in which the liquid is served, starting with the guest of honour(s), then the males in order of eldest, then the woman and children, again eldest first.

We participated in a number of less formal “sevusevu” ceremonies during our time in Fiji. The first was in Port Denarau. Although our plans had changed during our first visit to Fiji, which prevented us from stopping in at Beqa Island, we missed the opportunity to see members of the Sawau tribe, famously known as the Beqa Fire Walkers, who can walk bare foot over blazing hot rocks. The legend depicts that an historic encounter with a spirit god by one of their great ancestors saw the exchange of the captured god's freedom for power over fire. As luck would have it, though, the Beqa Fire Walkers came to Port Denarau. After seeing this amazing ritual, we then got to sit down and enjoy "kava" with the priest and the other fire walkers.  This was also the same location where we watched a few traditional Fijian Dance and Fire Dance shows.

The second was at Dick's Place on Malolo Lailai Island and it was interesting to learn that the ceremony we participated in here was similar to what "native" Fijians undertake at the end of their work day, primarily as a social event, versus the more formal traditional ceremony. It was also interesting to learn that one of the Tongan kings came to Fiji, laying claim to roughly one third of the Fijian islands and bringing with him the "kava" from Tonga. As a result the "kava" from which the "yaqona" drink is made is the same species in both countries as opposed to Samoa, the Solomon Islands or Papua New Guinea, where the "kava" is much stronger. 

Our third experience didn’t involve “kava” at all, although it was a welcoming ceremony. We’d decided to attend a Sunday service at the local village church on Malolo Lailai Island. The predominant religion in Fiji is Methodist, so it was no surprise then that the denomination of this village church was indeed Methodist. Having the pastor deliver the service in her bare feet while wearing her robes, though, left us in no doubt that we were on a South Pacific island.

The Musket Cove Island Resort and Spa arranged transportation for ourselves and a host of their other guests, which took us to the south-western side of Malolo Lailai Island, where the village is located. The little church itself was on top of the hill overlooking the turquoise waters towards Momi Bay on Viti Levu Island. The original church was destroyed by one of the worst tropical cyclones to hit Fiji, Oscar, in 1983, so it was rebuilt with the interior of the roof weaved entirely from coconut palm leaves. While the building itself was very basic, the ceiling was definitely its feature. Unique and beautiful!

We also learnt that the lantern burning at the front of the church had been lit continuously for just over two years and will stay lit until 1st March 2018, as a reminder of the pledge that the villagers have made to give up "kava", alcohol and tobacco. What we found interesting about this is that, although "kava" is an integral part of the Fijian culture, this village had pledged to give it up. So, towards the end of the service we received an official welcome to the Malolo Lailai village by an elder who addressed us, but without “kava” being distributed to the congregation. 

What was more interesting to learn on this particular excursion was that many of the villages on the resort islands are actually "employee" villages, comprising Fijian's from all over Fiji who come to work in the resorts. Part of their employment conditions is that they have to reside in these villages and are then transported back to their "native" villages to spend their days off. The number of days that they get off depends on the shift they are allocated, which is also dependent on the role that they perform at the resort. For example, six days on and one day off or nine days on and three days off or twenty-one days on and five days off. Although the villagers are away from their families during their stay in the "employee" village, these are fully functioning villages, with the village church, traditional cooking, gardening etc. So, all the boats we'd seen ferrying people back and forth to the various islands every day were not, in fact, ferrying workers to and from work, but rather getting villagers to and from their "native" villages at the start and end of their days off. Although we had already thought that the Fijian people were amongst the friendliest and most welcoming we have met throughout our sailing adventures, we definitely had a higher regard for them after discovering this, considering what they give up in order to work and cater to guests in the resorts.

It wasn’t long after learning about the “employee” villages, that we got the opportunity to experience life in a traditional village. We unexpectedly ended up with two other yachts, Storm Dancer (Del and Craig) and Knockando (Claire and Darren) in an anchorage where not too many yachts visit, given the prevailing south-easterly winds. On this occasion, though, all of us were seeking shelter from the unusual north-easterly winds and found Soso Bay. We ended up meeting the cruisers off these two yachts when they all stopped by Paw Paw after their visits ashore to present their “kava” to the village chief. Once again, however, we had made the decision to do our own presentation the following morning. So, after breakfast and getting a few chores out the way, we thought we'd dinghy ashore, present our "kava", have a snoop around the village, visit the school, enjoy a walk on the beach and return to Paw Paw for a relaxing afternoon. Well, what transpired was definitely not what we expected or what the other two yachts had experienced the day before. We put it down to the rather large, expensive bundle of "kava" we presented to the chief. By the time we were ready to go ashore though, it was low tide and finding a way onto the beach looked a little precarious with all the rocks sticking out of the water, so we decided to wait.  Then we saw a few local boats arrive and make their way through a cut in the reef. With that we set off, with "kava" in hand and a few supplies for the school.

We were met on the beach by Ronnie, the "turaga ni koro" of the village, a few minutes after securing the dinghy and were informed that it was lunch time.  Apologising profusely, we offered to wait under the palm trees on the beach, but we were told that that would not be necessary and to follow him to the chief. Arriving at a newly constructed ceremonial area, we were asked to remove our shoes and enter, where the chief was waiting for us. Once directed on where to sit on the woven palm tree mats that covered the floor, which meant Roy having to help Elaine down, the ceremony began. 

It wasn’t a "sevusevu", but it involved Ronnie and another gentleman each providing a blessing and welcome in Fijian, accompanied by hand clapping at various points, which we joined. The "kava" was then presented to the chief and, at that stage of the proceedings, Roy was asked to address the chief. At first we had no clue what that meant, but soon figured out that Roy had to shuffle forward on his butt, sit in front of the chief cross-legged and shake the chief's hand, following which the conversation continued in English. Then the chief approached Elaine in a similar way, shook her hand and return to his position. With that, a rather formal conversation began. We were asked all sorts of questions regarding our adventures and given some background to the Fijian village lifestyle. Afterwards a formal goodbye was conducted and we left the building.

Our next stop was the local church, with its beautiful wood carvings. We were informed that the denomination was Methodist, that services take place every Monday, Saturday and Sunday and that the minister, who resides in the village, is replaced every five years. After leaving the church we received a tour around the village and gardens, receiving explanations of what fruit trees grow on the island, what vegetables are grown and the use of various plants for various purposes, including medicinal. In particular, a tree where the bark sells for $3000FJD per kilogram once it reaches 20 years old, with the price increasing with age.  Apparently the bark is a sought after ingredient in perfumes. By now we were thinking that our tour was over, we'd visit the school and then be left to our own devices, but that was not the case!

After following Ronnie along the pathways that meandered between the village homes, we stopped outside one home, which Ronnie proclaimed to be his. He asked us to remove our shoes again and to enter. Once inside, we were introduced to his wife, Mary informed that we had been invited to lunch and per the "Fijian Way" we were to sit and rest. Fortunately, this time, in a very comfortable and brightly coloured lounge suite, while lunch was prepared. 

During this time we learnt all sorts of facts about village life; the communal village meetings take place on a Monday evening, all the homes are solar powered supplied with an inverter and batteries, fresh water is obtained from a borehole and supplemented with rainwater, the children that don't attend school are looked after by the grandparents while their parents work and live away at the resorts, returning to the village on their days off. We leant that they had four grown children and ten grandchildren, of which we met the two sons, home from the resort, four granddaughters and one grandson.  We learnt that Ronnie was 63 years old and he felt that the village life was a good, healthy one, consisting of a stable diet of fish and whatever fruit and vegetables grew on the island, eaten once a day as the main meal. Fruits are consumed for the other meals.

By then lunch was ready and we were escorted into the dining area. Again we sat on woven palm mats on the floor at a low table.  It was at this point that Roy thought Elaine was going to "park her groceries all over the table" at the sight of the whole boiled fish chopped up; head, tail, fins, skin, eyes, the lot, accompanied by tapioca, which is the root of the cassava tree. Lemon and limes are then squeezed over the meal before consumption. Regardless of the presentation, Elaine was determined to savour the experience of being invited to eat with a native Fijian family, and, savour she did! However, she came close to losing it at one point, when, after taking a mouthful of what she thought was water, discovered it was lukewarm fish stock in wish the fish had been prepared! Swallowing that versus spewing it up everywhere was definitely a major feat. Roy later admitted that Elaine’s suggestion of sharing the tail of the fish with her rather than having to eat the head he was originally presented with, prevented him from throwing up everywhere too.

When lunch was completed a bowl of water was passed around for all of us to wash our hands and we then returned to the living area to rest, again. It was during this time that we were both presented with a gift. Roy received a shark's tooth on a necklace and Elaine received a necklace with a matching bracelet. By this stage we were simply in awe of the experience we were having and invited Ronnie back to Paw Paw so that we could return the generosity in some small way; a Paw Paw polo shirt for Ronnie and a perfumed Body Soap and Lotion set for Mary; gifts that seemed so inadequate, but it was all we had on board.

Then it was time to visit the local school.  Escorted by Ronnie, we were introduced to the principal who gave us a little background on the school and to whom we handed over our gift of school supplies. We learnt that the school catered for 84 children, from kindergarten to 8th Grade, following which the children attend boarding school, all of which was compulsory in Fiji.

With that, our visit to a native Fijian village came to a close and it truly was a memorable and humbling experience.  We haven't experienced hospitality like that since our visit to Nuiatoputapu in Tonga and it will be fondly remembered in the same way, especially all the youngsters who helped us get our dinghy back in the water as we returned to Paw Paw. Our day was still not over though.  En route back to Paw Paw we were invited to go aboard Storm Dancer to enjoy sundowners with them and their visitors from Germany and, so, new friends were made! A more diverse day we could not have imagined!

While visiting the Nanuya Island Resort in the Blue Lagoon, we had the opportunity to enjoy a different type of cultural dining experience; a buffet style dinner and a "meke", where everything presented on the buffet’s menu consisted of locally grown ingredients. Pounding on the "lali", a hollowed out hardwood gong, signified the start of the meal. Dishes like "kokoda", a local fish cured in lemon juice and vinegar before it is rinsed and combined with coconut cream, as well as curried cassava, a dish similar to a potato salad,  tampura vegetables and Spanish mackerel, just to mention a few, were amongst the favourites.

Over desserts, we enjoyed the "meke", performed by the villagers from Metacawa Levu Island. While music is an integral part of the Fijian culture, the "meke" embraces traditional song and dance to conjure up legends, love stories, spirits and history through symbolic movements. There are two distinct groups of performers, where the first are the "vakatara", the singers / orchestra and are seated on the ground on a woven mat, while the second group are the "mata ni meke" or "matana", the dancers. Traditional instruments are all percussion with the "lali" being the tempo regulator and the "derua", a bamboo tube, the rhythm instrument, which produces a hollow tone to complement the Fijian style of singing. In traditional dress, the woman wore "salusalu", garlands of flowers, which were also presented to all of us attending the "meke", while the men wore full warrior dress. A wonderful evening was topped off with a "shell market" and the performers singing "Isa Lei", a beautiful song that signifies a goodbye blessing, a bon voyage and a wish for all who hear it to never forget the precious moments experienced in Fiji, with the hope that they will, some day, return!

Towards the end of our stay in Fiji, we were lucky enough to stumble upon one indigenous Fijian cultural activity we had not seen; a "lovo", where various foods are prepared and then cooked in an above ground, open hot rock oven, covered in palm leaves, hessian and soil, then left for a few hours. Unfortunately, on this occasion, we didn't get to sample the results, but our experience of the Fijian culture did not end there.

One of the delights of using the local transportation systems on the various South Pacific islands, besides being a very reasonable means of getting around, you do get a glimpse into local life and, on the mainland of Viti Levu, we got a slightly different glimpse into local life during our many early morning bus rides into Nadi for Elaine’s physiotherapy appointments. We got to see Fijians starting their day, much like anywhere else on the planet; folks travelling to work, children of all ages, dressed in a myriad of traditional uniforms going to school, rush hour traffic, and shops opening for business. The obvious difference was that everyone greeted each other with a cheery "bula" and a smile. Just a great way to start one's day!

We thought, since we loved Fiji so much, we would try to take something of the culture with us and, for that, we learnt how to prepare some of the traditional dishes, by taking advantage of the Fijian cooking classes offered by Musket Cove Island Resort and Spa. Fortunately for Elaine, none of the lessons involve heat of any description. One of the lessons involved the making of a traditional Fijian salad called "Ota" which is only served at special Fijian ceremonies like a wedding and cannot be ordered in a restaurant. The basis of the salad is wild fern that grows everywhere in Fiji. The fern is chopped and blanched, then diced tomatoes, onions, red peppers, cilantro and chillies are added, following which a dressing of fresh coconut cream and freshly squeezed lemon juice is added. Spinach or bokchoi can be used as an alternative, but the wild fern definitely gave it a unique flavour. On another occasion we learnt to make "kakoda", pronounced "kakonda". It can be made with any fresh white fleshy fish like mahi mahi or wahoo, but we used fillets of freshly caught red snapper, which was cured in fresh lemon juice, following which the lemon juice was removed and added to bowl of fresh coconut milk (which we made from the coconut flesh). Then fresh cilantro and finely chopped red peppers, green peppers, white onions and tomatoes were added to the mixture with some coarse salt and ground pepper to taste. Both dishes were absolutely delicious! An interesting titbit that popped up during conversation with the young chef, Suli, who directed us, was that he was from the village where the famous Fiji Artisan bottled water is sourced. A fact he was very proud of and with just cause.

Similar to many of the South Pacific cultures, the legends and stories passed down through the generations add a richness to the customs we enjoyed, in particular, the secrets of Sawa-i-Lau. The Sawa-i-Lau limestone grottos, owned by the people of Tokatoka Koro, were carved by the surrounding ocean, leaving sheer rock walls, beautiful turquoise waters and a foundation in ancient Fijian history. An initial series of steps provide access to the first open dome cave, followed by another series of steps that lead down to the water’s edge, where you take the plunge into the freezing waters. Not only the size of the cave, but the walls towering above us, were breathtaking. With the assistance of the guides, Roy was brave enough to dive “under the curtain” in order to reach the second, smaller and enclosed cave, reportedly the resting place of "Ulutini", the ancient ten-headed Fijian god. Other legends tell the story of a young chief and his lover taking refuge in the limestone atrium after the woman's family promised her to a rival chief.  With his beloved safely hidden behind the rocky curtain, the young chief would swim in and out of the cave with food and water for her until they were able to escape and settle on another island, together forever. The caves are not only a tourist attraction, but a jewel close to the hearts of many Fijians. We were very grateful indeed that the people of the Yassawas allowed us a glimpse into the resting place of their "mana"; their "magic".

Of course, in Fiji, there is also the Fijian-Indian culture and we thoroughly enjoyed our opportunity to embrace this aspect as well. Our first experience was in Savusavu, following our arrival in Fiji on our first visit and actually discovering that there was, in fact, an Indian culture present. Our initial reconnaissance of the town was rather surprising in that the streets teamed with Fijian-Indians, many in traditional Indian dress; there was an abundance of Indian restaurants, as well as a well stocked fresh produce market full of traditional Indian herbs and spices, the aroma of which was intoxicating. In addition, there were well stocked supermarkets, a "butchery" and a bakery, as well as a lovely café, good clothing stores and, most importantly, excellent internet / data services, all very reasonably priced, including Fiji Artisan bottled water for the bargain basement price of 50c per bottle.

It was also wonderful to be back in civilization for one reason only; the descent internet! Elaine spent that entire morning catching up with family, who could actually hear her on the phone for the first time in months, while Roy did software updates to every electronic device he could find on Paw Paw. It was so refreshing not having to repeat: "are you there; can you hear me" a million times and actually having a descent conversation. Being able to Facetime and see our grandchildren was so special too, although upsetting in some ways, as William's little face had changed so much that Elaine didn't even recognise him.

Our second exposure to the Fijian-Indian culture was in Nadi, where our day started with a visit to the exquisite Sri Siva Subramaniya Temple, a unique Hindu temple and the largest in the southern hemisphere. The temple houses sacred statues designed by craftsmen who were brought specifically over from India. The architecture, statues and paintings were amazing and learning a little about the religion was fascinating. From there we visited the onsite Indian restaurant and savoured a light morning snack accompanied by masala tea before taking a slow walk back to town. By then it was lunch time and the Curry House in downtown Nadi did not disappoint us. By the time we got back to Port Denarau, though, we were in desperate need of something cold and non-spicy; a plain old ice-cream did just the trick!  We also took the opportunity on a separate occasion to enjoy a very inexpensive, but delicious meal at Tata's Restaurant just opposite the Zens Medical Centre, recommended to us by Elaine’s physiotherapist. Two lamb curries, with all the trimmings and a drink each for the equivalent of $7USD. You can't beat that!

Given that we had not planned on visiting Fiji during our 2016 sailing season, our arrival necessitated a day where we buried ourselves in paper charts, electronic charts and cruising guides in order to work out a detailed itinerary for both visits, since we knew we would be returning to Fiji after the cyclone season in New Zealand.  Given the number of islands, but more importantly, the number of reefs and coral heads, we decided the best course of actions so late in our cruising season, was to stick to the deeper water and navigate clockwise around the main island chain, but not before we enjoyed the delights of Savusavu and the surrounding area. We soon learnt though, that getting around Fiji by yacht did, however, have its challenges. Navigating the Mamanuca and Yassawa Island chain, in particular, was an interesting experience and we came to a few conclusions after nearly four months of doing so.

For starters, we'd never had to consult so many different sources of information, all of which had conflicting, missing and inaccurate navigational information and, never before, had we had so many devices at the helm station in order to navigate safely.  Besides our usual paper charts, our Navionics charts and our usual cruising guides, of which we had four that covered the various areas, we also had to consult Sasplanet, Google Earth, Fiji's Atlas for Mariners, our sonar charts, the Sail Fiji Guide and a Yachtsman's Fiji Guide. And, after all that, we still came across two huge reefs that were unchartered or not mentioned.  In fact, on one occasion, we watched a yacht in front of us make a sharp turn to starboard to avoid one of the reefs.

The other odd aspect was that all of these sources directed sailors through the myriad of reefs when there was perfectly safe, deep water on either side of the island chain. Couple that with the relatively few good, protected anchorages and the rest marginal, where you had to deal with swell or exposure to winds and / or seas and sailing can become precarious indeed; even the simple task of leaving an anchorage had one yacht hit a reef right in front of our eyes. Fortunately, the handful of good anchorages was spread around, providing at least one in any given area, which is where we found most of the yachts congregated.

 Our arrival in Fiji on our first visit had an added bonus; it signified the major reunion of all the WARC dropouts, as we came to be known, as well as reunions with a number of our cruising friends whom we hadn’t seen since our first hurricane season in the Caribbean in 2014. Although we had reunited with Nina in Tonga and briefly saw Kiwi Beanz (Sara and Gavin) there too, it was in Savusavu where the encounters began. 

While we enjoyed sundowners and some live music in the garden of the Copra Shed with Nina on our first evening, it was while enjoying sundowners on Nina the second evening, before making our way to the Captain's Table Restaurant for dinner, that we had a lovely surprise; Do Over (Paula and Dan) returned to Savusavu unexpectedly and received a resounding cheer from all of us as they motored passed to their mooring ball. Needless to say, less than an hour later, the WARC dropouts reunion was in full swing, having not been together since our beach barbecue in Huahine, French Polynesia a few months earlier.  What a wonderful start to our time in Fiji! The following night we wasted no time at all in continuing our celebrations with another fun-filled evening and delicious dinner at the Clear the Deck Restaurant.  

On the 24^th September 2016, while still in Savusavu and while Elaine enjoyed a quiet morning aboard, Roy popped into town for some fresh bread.  Unbeknownst to her, he had also gone in search of a bunch of flowers for our 33rd Wedding Anniversary.  The closest item he could find, though, was a large Fijian pineapple. For Elaine it was the thought that counted! By then it was time to get all dressed up in our "Sunday Best" and to meet everyone off Nina for our taxi ride to the Koro Sun Resort and Spa, where we had booked for their Saturday Lunch Buffet to celebrate. After enjoying the beautiful scenery along the coast, we arrived at what looked like a very nice resort.  Unfortunately the "wheels fell off" soon thereafter. They had no record of our booking, even though three separate phone calls had been made by Elaine and Lynda to, firstly, make the reservation and then to follow up. Fortunately Lynda remembered the name of the lady who had taken our booking, when prompted.  That, however, turned out to be of no consequence as they proceeded to inform us that there was no Saturday buffet, but only a set lunch menu where everyone should have pre-ordered. We then discovered that the only menu item was basically a bowl of pasta. So, Plan B. Enjoy a drink while we wait for the taxi to return and take us somewhere else.  

Well, nearly two hours and one too many drinks later, the taxi eventually returned. We were then told that, being a Saturday afternoon by now, everywhere in town was closed. So, Plan C. Return to the marina and eat whatever we can get.  That ended up being pizza for the men and fish and chips for the ladies, with drinks salvaged from Nina and Paw Paw, as the marina café did not serve alcohol. Let’s just say, it was the strangest anniversary ever and one not to be forgotten in a hurry. Thanks to Nina for the very thoughtful gift and sharing the day with us, albeit under the most bizarre circumstances. 

The next day we were up early to enjoy a walk on the beach, followed by a dinghy ride down the Nakama Creek and around Nawi Island.  This walk was a little different though.  Firstly the sand was very hot under our shoes, secondly, boiling water was bubbling through the sand before running into the ocean and thirdly, we stood in plumes of steam while we soaked our feet. Fiji has many hot springs, but enjoying one on a beach was a very unusual experience indeed.  

Before arriving in Savusavu, Elaine had read that a "must do" activity was to take a local bus to Labasa on the northern side of Vanua Levu Island for the sole purpose of seeing the scenery along the way. Well, this was definitely a road trip about the journey and not the destination.  Labasa was a dry, dusty, hot, noisy town, bustling with activity and a world away from the tourist trap. By the time we found refuge for a morning tea in the Grand Eastern Hotel we were convinced that we had somehow been transported to India.

We were definitely not disappointed by the journey though. We have never encountered so many changing and diverse landscapes as we made our way along the windy mountainous road. The vegetation was not as lush as we thought it might be or very tropical, but rather an amalgamation of something that reminded us of so many countries which we have lived in or visited. There were sections that reminded us of the White Mountains in Arizona and the Plateau of Nuku Hiva in the Marquesas with all the pine trees. There was a section that reminded us of Ireland with its green rolling hills. Another was a reminder of Kwa-Zulu Natal in South Africa, with the endless fields of sugar cane, the only difference being the interspersed fields of pineapples. Then there was the dry bush grass as we headed further north that was so much like the Bushveld, coupled with some very precarious bridges that reminded us of Costa Rica. Throw in a variety of lilac, yellow, orange, red and white wild flowers, coconut groves, cycads, ferns, crystal blue ocean that one can see from the mountain tops, soil the colour of bright orange, little villages off the beaten track, a glimpse into local life and you have something incredible. Something well worth the effort of getting up at dawn to catch the early morning bus for the 5 hour round-trip! 

After leaving Savusavu for our overnight sail to Suva, we had expected to motor as the forecast had indicated flat seas and no wind.  Well, fortunately we didn’t have to motor all the way, but we did encounter all sorts of weather. We had flat seas and no wind, flat seas and wind, confused seas and no wind, confused seas and plenty of wind, sunshine and rain. Then, we had a pitch black, moonless night with not a star to be seen as it was completely overcast. In fact, it was so dark; we couldn't even see our hand in front of our nose, if not for the red night lights onboard. We did, however, have two separate pods of dolphins to brighten our day. It was lovely to see them again, having not seen any since leaving Surwarrow in the Cook Islands.  

We arrived on the outskirts of Suva just after daybreak and found a large number of ships awaiting authorisation to enter the harbour from the Port Authorities. When our turn arrived, we were informed to enter ahead of the ship, Isle De Re. With both engines full-steam ahead, we commenced our entry.  However, simultaneously, Isle De Re, with the pilot now boarded, had increased her speed as well.  With the situation looking very dubious indeed, a second call to Port Authority cleared the miscommunication; we were now to follow the ship in. Either way, that was going to happen regardless or we were going to end up toothpicks. As the saying goes: "Might has right"! 

When we entered the harbour, the only word to describe our feelings was "dismay" as we tried to find the Royal Suva Yacht Club amongst the huge number of cargo ships, derelict Chinese fishing vessels and wrecks scattered around the bay. Per the various cruising guides we had read and photographs we had seen before making our decision to come to Suva, as well as cruise Beqa and the southern side of Viti Levu Island, known as the Coral Coast, we had expected to find a beautiful anchorage off the capital and a lovely yacht club, in existence since 1932, requiring its Royal Charter in 1950. Quoted as: "One of the most active and lively clubs in the area, with an excellent bar, a restaurant, a full social programme and all the facilities required by the yachting fraternity. You will be made most welcome and after a few days will know why so many find it difficult to leave". The perfect place to hang out while getting our sail repaired, right? Words escape us. Let’s just say, the Royal Suva Yacht Club was no longer very "royal" and had certainly had a "fall from grace". Needless to say, we were unable to get our sail repaired here, we were interrogated on arrival regarding our clearance into Fiji; so much for a warm welcome, we were not permitted to use their wifi and the place was deserted. The majority of vessels in the little marina were fishing boats, with a handful of yachts that didn’t seem to have sailed in recent memory. We did manage to enjoy a lunch in the little restaurant though. 

In summary, had we not been so tired after our overnight sail, we would have simply turned around and continued on. We decided, however, that the more prudent option was to hightail it out of Suva first thing the following morning and do another overnight sail to the vicinity of Lautoka, referred to as the Nadi Waters and known to be the more touristy part of Fiji, thereby skipping the Coral Coast altogether. We did, however, have the opportunity to tour this coastline by land on our second visit to Fiji, so all was not lost. After a good night's rest and a lazy morning, we set sail once again; this time to get through the Beqa Passage by sunset and then onward to reach the Navula Passage by daybreak, following which we would enter the Nadi Waters and the staging area for many yachts awaiting a weather window to sail to New Zealand.

We enjoyed a fabulous sail up to the Beqa Passage and couldn't help but notice that Beqa Island from a distance looked just like Camelback Mountain in Phoenix.  We arrived at the Navula Passage just before daybreak and after manoeuvring out of the way of a few large cargo vessels, we entered the passage. We had no sooner got Paw Paw lined up with the lights of the range markers and checked our leadline on our Navionics charts, when the lights went out. With the glare of the sunrise directly ahead, coupled with the flat seas, we were unable to see the range markers or any breaking waves that would indicate the reef. Not the kind of excitement we were looking for after a very long, drawn-out out sail from Savusavu. We did, however, get through safely and opted to anchor in Momi Bay for the night versus heading further up the west coast. However, after a morning nap and waking feeling refreshed and full of the joys of life, we decided to take advantage of the wind that had come up and enjoyed a fabulous sail to Denarau Island. Being a Friday night when we arrived and curiosity getting the better of us, we decided to go ashore.  If dismay was what we felt about Suva, then astonishment is what we felt about seeing Port Denarau. 

We had never seen anything like it. Besides the marina, there were restaurants and bars everywhere, supermarkets, chandleries, laundry, fuel dock, banks, a very efficient bus service to the international airport and major towns, ferry services, excursion yachts of all descriptions. The list of facilities and activities were endless, not to mention the size of the development.  Simply mind boggling! Basically a one-stop holiday destination for any kind of tourist, be they landlubber or sailor; a tourist trap deluxe! It was such a stark contrast to Savusavu and indeed Suva, we were dumbfounded to say the least.  

We also had the opportunity during our second visit to Fiji, while visiting the outer islands, to see the other side of the logistics operation out of Port Denarau, where daily ferries transport tourists, workers, luggage, food, laundry, etc to and from the resorts. They float a little offshore, since it's too shallow to get closer inland and there aren't docks big enough to accommodate the ferries. From there the smaller resort boats meet the ferries to transport people and goods arriving or leaving the islands. Quite the operation indeed, but definitely added to the adventure of a holiday in Fiji.

Our explorations around Denarau Island the next morning on the local dollar bus revealed a number of huge resorts, an 18-hole golf course, a water park, tenpin bowling, diving, parasailing, jet-skiing, and dinghy sailing. Proceeding on to Nadi Town, where we enjoyed a morning coffee with local cake, we also found a post office and a number of well stocked supermarkets.  The highlight, however, were the fresh produce market and the barber shop. After Roy got his hair cut, we spent some time chatting to the barber who was a delightful gentleman and completely fascinated by the fact that we had sailed to Fiji from the Caribbean, on our own yacht, with just the two of us onboard. He had all sorts of questions and enjoyed the photographs we were able to show him of Paw Paw. He did conclude, though, that he'll stick to flying, as the idea of what we're doing caused him far too much anxiety. 

Having surveyed Denarau Island by bus, we decided to repeat the exercise a few days later on foot. Once we'd left the marina complex, our walk took us along a meandering concrete pathway under shady trees and through beautifully maintained gardens, passing various gated communities that sported very fancy homes and apartments, before we spotted the Sofitel Resort and Spa, where we made our way through their reception, patio and pool areas and onto the beach. We followed the beach and purpose built pathways along the entire western side of the island, passing through the various resorts lining the shoreline, including the Westin, Sheraton and Radisson, where we stopped for morning coffee and enjoyed the views of the Mamanuca Islands.  If we didn't know better, though, we could have been in Maui, Hawai'i or Arizona. The whole layout reminded us of so many of the Adult Communities in Arizona, including the golf course and tennis courts, with one major exception.  The price to play a round of golf was at least five times more expensive than what we paid in Arizona and, for that matter, in Samoa and it wasn’t even a champion course. Tennis was reasonably priced though. Our walk in the opposite direction to the Hilton Fiji Resort and Spa revealed a resort that soon became a favourite on subsequent visits for morning coffee and French pastries. Of course, we also had to squeeze in a game of mini-golf, followed by a very tasty lunch at the Creperie Café. 

With our minds at rest that we could acquire everything we needed in Port Denarau, we returned to Paw Paw to get ready for our night out; reservations at the Rhum-Ba Restaurant at the Port Denarau Yacht Club. We are happy to report that the “take two” on our 33rd Wedding Anniversary dinner was a wonderful evening in a lovely setting, accompanied by a delicious meal; a lobster feast for Elaine, bone-in rib eye with a rum and peppercorns sauce for Roy. It was definitely worth the wait! By this point, it is fair to say that Roy had found his "happy place" in Port Denarau, to the point that he even looked at lots of land and had worked out what kind of dock he would build to accommodate Paw Paw. With a good mix of the very modern upmarket touristy places to the easily accessible local towns and markets, he was sold! After a week in the hubbub of Port Denarau, however, we decided to head for Malolo Lailai Island for some peace and quiet and to enjoy the final days of our first visit to Fiji. 

Malolo Lailai was an uninhabited island that was sold by a chief of Nadroga, Ratu Kini, in 1872 to John Thomson. It was supposed to be turned into a cotton plantation, but after a number of owners, nothing happened on the island until the late 60s, at which time it was sold to Richard Smith, Regge Raffe and Sir Ian MacFarlene, with each man deciding to develop a different section of the island. It was Richard (Dick) who started building Musket Cove, which was casually referred to as "Dick's Place" until 1976 when the Musket Cove Island Resort and Spa was born, with 400 acres used as an organic farm and coconut plantation to supply the resort. Today, as Fiji's oldest resort, it remains privately owned and has been extended over the years, with the marina being the newest addition. At last we felt we had arrived somewhere in Fiji that reflected everything we had read about. It was, however, our wonderful bike ride around Malolo Lailai Island, enhanced by the glorious day, where the views were absolutely spectacular and, in fact, the most beautiful we had seen in the South Pacific, convincing Elaine, that while Roy had found his "happy place" on Denarau Island, Elaine had found her place on Malolo Lailai Island.

After a lunch of tropical fruit to celebrate our little spot of tropical paradise,  we headed ashore to become members of one of the most exclusive yacht clubs in the world,  the Musket Cove Yacht Club; exclusive because one can only become a member if you have sailed from or are sailing to a foreign port. With our membership cards in hand and having snooped around the facilities, we were heading back to Paw Paw, when we encountered another surprise; first, Do Over, on the dinghy dock, then a visit from another WARC yacht, Blue Summit (Kate and Steve), whom we hadn’t seen since Tahiti. Needless to say, this called for another WARC dropouts get-together. All that was missing was Nina and Kiwi Beanz, who were in Vuda Point and Denarau marinas respectively. Our hope, however, was that, at some point, before we all scattered to the wind, we would still be able to get everyone together for a Bon Voyage party!

After a WARC dropouts get-together with Blue Summit, we also enjoyed a tasty dinner with Paula and Dan at Dick’s Place while the children enjoyed a movie. Then, just when we thought we might be a little short of company after waving goodbye to Do Over and Blue Summit as they made their way to Port Denarau,  Kiwi Beanz and Nina arrived in Musket Cove and, of course, we wasted no time arranging additional get-togethers. The first, with Nina for sundowners, followed by a Pig Roast buffet dinner at Dick's Place, accompanied by Fijian dancing and singing on the beach, which definitely had a very African influence. The second, with Nina and Kiwi Beanz for sundowners and a beach barbecue, Musket Cove Yacht Club Island style; "bring you own food and we'll supply the barbecue, cutlery, crockery and drinks from the bar".  So, no clean up, just great fun!

In-between all this merriment and, although we could hardly move after our bicycle ride around Malolo Lailai Island, the days were, nonetheless, packed with activities galore; early morning walks on the beach and breakfast at Trader’s Café, where we whiled away a good part of a morning, lounging around in the comfy chairs on the colonial style veranda, enjoying the scenery and people-watching.  Other activities included snorkelling off Musket Cove Island in their marine reserve, canoe rides around the bay, a round of golf and the obligatory game of Mexican train dominoes with Nina at the Musket Cove Yacht Club Island Bar accompanied by a light dinner.  Our first attempt at paddle-boarding, although postponed initially due to the premature arrival of strong winds, was undertaken in perfect conditions; flat seas and calm winds.  There was just one exception; it poured with rain the whole time.  It was a load of fun, though, and Elaine could safely say that all items on her bucket list, with regard to sporting activities, were officially completed. On another occasion, and to coincide with low tide, a dinghy convoy from Paw Paw, Nina and Kiwi Beanz set off to the sandbar for a morning of snorkelling, followed by beachcombing on the sandbar itself and where the boys from Kiwi Beanz thoroughly enjoyed themselves by building a "starfish farm" for all the baby starfish they found. This second visit to the sandbar for us proved very worthwhile as the water was even clearer than the day before, revealing the beautiful coral and a greater variety of fish. By then, we’d all worked up a thirst, so it was back to the Musket Cove Yacht Club Island Bar for drinks, followed by lunch at Trader's Café, where Blue Summit arrived back unexpectedly.  With that we nearly had the whole dropouts fleet back together. Unfortunately we were still missing Do Over. Never mind. Close, but no cigar!

By the time we returned to Port Denarau our wish had been granted; a Bon Voyage party by way of an impromptu get-together with Nina, Do Over, Kiwi Beanz and Blue Summit at the Port Denarau Yacht Club. This was followed by a delicious dinner with Steve and Lynda at the Rhum-Ba Restaurant; New Zealand lamb for the ladies and seared tuna for the men, completed with chocolate truffles for dessert. It was a fitting celebration of a wonderful 2016 South Pacific sailing season that was coming to a close and one that was made extra special in the company of the WARC dropouts. Special thanks to them all for the wonderful memories!  With that, our time had drawn to a close for our first visit to Fiji and our return to Port Denarau had signified the beginning of all our passage preparations while awaiting a weather window to sail to New Zealand, which would follow a short trip across the bay to clear out from Vuda Marina. It also signified the time to say our goodbyes to our WARC dropout friends with the hopes of seeing each other again in New Zealand. Fate had other ideas, though, and our goodbyes to Do Over and Kiwi Beanz, on the dock of the Port Denarau Marina, was, in fact, the last time we saw them. Our goodbyes to Nina at Vuda Marina took a similar turn for Elaine at least. Fortunately Roy got to enjoy a lunch with Lynda and Steve in New Zealand before they headed home to England. But, when one door closes, another one opens and we had the pleasure of Blue Summit’s company both on our sail to New Zealand, while in New Zealand and on a number of occasions during our 2017 sailing season, as their itinerary was similar to ours. We also had the wonderful surprise of reconnecting with Tallulah Ruby III (Andy and Paul), whom we haven't seen since Curacao two years prior. It was wonderful to catch up with them and to learn that they too were sailing to New Zealand with us, along with a host of other yachts who were clearing out at the same time as us. 

Unfortunately our return passage from New Zealand to Fiji became the passage from hell, but, it was a godsend to know that we had at least four months to enjoy the delights of Fiji again and that we would both had another opportunity to return to our “happy places”. We had also made the decision to explore the other Mamanuca Islands and the Yassawa Islands on this second visit. That, however, had to be put on hold since we had to spend a few weeks in Port Denarau in order to “put Paw Paw back together again” and to recover from our ordeal.

Our arrival also brought with it the sad news that one of Elaine's dear friends in South Africa, Daryl, had passed away while we were en route from New Zealand to Fiji. Elaine has no doubt that Daryl would definitely have had a word with the powers that be and organised all our guardian angels to ensure our safe arrival in Fiji. After the initial tearful reaction to the news, it was the fond memories that sprung to mind. Memories of having one too many drinks together on a Friday night at the Sunnyside Hotel and then deciding it was a good idea to play golf on their lawns, as well as remembering the evening she gave Elaine a gift for our son, Keenan, just after he was born; a beautiful little teddy bear, which we decided to call Miller, after another one of our favourite pubs and who now belongs to our grandson, William. While it was a difficult day coming to terms with her death, on the heels of a terrible passage, it was a privilege to have known such a remarkable woman, a woman whose legacy will live on through her sons, Sean and Rian. Rest in peace dear friend. You will be missed.

With repair activities moving along nicely we had decided to mix up our second visit to Fiji, by, not only exploring the outer islands, but to enjoy some land-based activities on Viti Levu Island as well. This also allowed us to coordinate our time between Port Denarau and visits to the outer islands for Elaine’s physiotherapy appointments. We decided our excursions of Viti Levu Island were best undertaken by car, so once, that was arranged and collected we set off. First stop was a drive to Lautoka, where we stocked up on fresh meat at Fiji Meats, who then vacuum packed everything and placed it all in their freezer overnight for us. We also took the opportunity to get some of the heavier provisions at one of the supermarkets while we had the car. Lautoka was a pleasant surprise with its neat, tidy surroundings and beautiful trees lining the streets. On the way home we stopped in at Vuda Marina briefly and then explored the Wailoaloa Bay area and were surprised to find all sorts of bars, restaurants, resorts, shops, etc tucked away in this well hidden area of Fiji between Denarau Island and Nadi, as well as a number of yachts anchored in the bay.

The following day, with a packed picnic lunch, our road trip started with a visit to the Garden of the Sleeping Giant. Nestled in its own shady valley of the Sabeto Mountains and the Nausori Highlands, the mountain range is named because of the outline resembling that of a giant sleeping. The gardens have 2000 different species of orchids and a large variety of Fiji's interior indigenous tropical plants. Founded in 1977 by the late actor, Raymond Burr, to house his own orchid collection, it now displays one of the world's largest collections of orchids. Our tour was wrapped up with a refreshing tamarind juice, enjoyed on the large terrace overlooking part of the garden. From there we took the short trip to enjoy an all natural spa treatment and one of nature's treasures, the Sabeto Mud Pool and Hot Springs.

The main spring is 72C, which is used to fill the other thermal pools after the water has been cooled to approximately 36C via underground piping. Our experience started with our tour guide providing an explanation of the facilities and the process, following which we had to rub mud all over our bodies from buckets provided, including our faces, having changed into our swimsuits beforehand, thankfully. Since the mud contains a very fine sand, your skin gets exfoliated during this rubbing process. Once the mud had dried, we then waded into the mud pool to wash off, leaving our skin smooth and soft. Being shin-deep in the soft mud at the bottom of the mud pool was definitely a very strange feeling, feeling almost like grass rather than mud between our toes. From there we took the plunge into one of the thermal pools and then Elaine enjoyed a massage, while Roy treated himself to one of the other, warmer thermal pools.

While the massage experience didn't compete with the "Fofo" massage Elaine had in Samoa, it was nonetheless, surreal in many ways. Lying on a massage bed in a room with ten other individuals, listening to roosters crowing outside while a Fijian lady rubbed coconut oil all over her body, whispering quietly to the other Fijian ladies in their native language and having Dolly Parton singing 9 to 5 in the background, followed by a broadcast of the local news detailing the shenanigans of a pastor who was on trial for allegedly raping members of his congregation, and it takes a moment to focus on where in the world you actually are.  Both feeling very relaxed and having enjoyed this most unusual outing, we headed back to Lautoka to collect our meat before returning to Port Denarau, where Roy enjoyed a sundowner and Elaine enjoyed a cappuccino and a huge slice of delicious chocolate cake.

Day three of our road trip was the main reason we hired a car. We had to return to Fiji's capital, Suva, which was approximately a 4-hour drive, one way, in order to visit the US Embassy to get a Special Power of Attorney notarised. That meant a very early start in order to reach Suva in time for our appointment. Although the journey was roughly a 12-hour round trip in total along the Coral Coast, which we had sailed along on our previous visit to Fiji, the road was in a fairly good condition, surprisingly, but returning in the dark became a very treacherous ordeal indeed, as there were little to no road markings, no lights, no cat's eyes, not to mention, complete maniacs driving. Fortunately we were within an hour of Port Denarau by the time the sun set. 

We were, however, reminded a lot of Samoa, with the numerous colourful villages along the way, the dense, tropical landscape and the beautiful flowers and gardens bordering the road on either side. What we weren't expecting to see were the numerous pine and fir trees, which seemed misplaced amongst all the tropical vegetation, as well as the number of mosques, which almost outnumbered the Hindu temples and churches we saw. One church in particular was definitely a blast from the past for Elaine and a reminder of her days in Witbank, South Africa; the Saint Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church and Primary School. It was also lovely to receive so many waves and smiles as we passed through the villages. We broke up the journey by stopping in at the very fancy private resort, the Nanuku Auberge, where we received a warm welcome, used the bathrooms and enjoyed a cappuccino, while overlooking the turquoise waters and the island of Beqa. We knew we were approaching Suva when the skies clouded over and it started to rain. Suva receives an exponentially higher amount of rainfall than the rest of the country due to its location on the south-eastern corner of Viti Levu Island and the high mountain range that surrounds it. It was our experience, however, at the US Embassy that provided us with a momentary return to the Parallel Universe.

We arrived earlier than our appointment time, but the guards would not notify the notary services of our arrival because we didn't have a contact name. So, we called the services to obtain a name and were informed that it was lunch time and to return closer to our appointment time, by which time the services will have contacted the guards. With that we decided to grab a quick bite to eat at the Royal Suva Yacht Club and had hoped to catch up with Time Bandit (Ann and Stuart) during this very short interlude, but to no avail. By then it was roughly 1345, so we made our way back to the Embassy, parked in exactly the same parking spot as before and prepared to walk to the entrance again. This time, however, we had a guard approach us and inform us that we needed to move the car to another parking area. Once we reached this alternative parking area, we realised it was too far for Elaine to walk back to the Embassy entrance, not to mention the fact that it was pouring with rain by now. Having followed up with the guard at this alternative parking facility on whether or not there was perhaps a shorter walkway, the decision was taken by this guard that we should drive back to the original parking area, drop Elaine off and then have Roy return to the alternative parking area with the car and walk the distance back to the entrance, in the rain, of course. Sounded like a plan. So, we followed those instructions only to be told by the guard at the original parking area, that since it wasn't exactly 1400 and, therefore, still lunch time, we had to return to the alternative parking area and wait there until precisely 1400 before coming back, dropping Elaine off and returning the car to the alternative parking area. Why don't you all guess what time it was by then; yep; 1355. So, we returned to the alternative parking area, waited one minute and repeated the process. By now we were both ready to do someone bodily harm and, of course, late for our appointment by the time we progressed through the myriad of security checkpoints within the building. To add insult to injury, we were then kept waiting nearly half an hour before anyone approached us from the notary services, following which we had the pleasure of dealing with three different individuals who took nearly an hour to complete a five minute task and, with each passing minute, we knew we'd be on the road back to Port Denarau in the dark, the exact situation we had tried to avoid by requesting the very first appointment after lunch. So, eleven guards, three office staff and $150USD later, we emerged with our notarised document, having to hightail it back to Paw Paw. 

It's fair to say that we spent the vast majority of our return trip shaking our heads in dismay at what we had just experienced! You couldn't make this shit up if you tried! The corker, however, came a few days later when we woke to the news that the Power of Attorney was actually invalid, since the notary had made a mistake on it. Fortunately an addendum was provided, completed and notarised by the US Embassy via email and mailed without incident. The Embassy had the audacity, though, to courier the envelope reverse-charge back to us, even though we had incurred all the expense the first time around and, needing an addendum, was due to their mistake in the first place. Things must be bad if the US government can't even afford a postage stamp costing the equivalent of $1USD!  Once we had a valid Power of Attorney, two different local buses took us to Nadi International Airport, where we were able to FedEx it. This entire experience, however, was brightened by our return trip and a heap of fun on a "bula" bus, with no windows and music pumping, which certainly brought back fond memories of our time in the Samoan Islands.

Our first stop after leaving Port Denarau, one this second visit to Fiji, was to head to Elaine’s “happy place”, Malolo Lailai Island, which commenced with a lovely surprise when Talulah Ruby III came charging past Paw Paw's bow in their dinghy. Then, realising it was us, they made a sharp detour to help us with our lines. Needless to say, some cheerful banter followed and arrangements were made to meet later. Once we were settled on the mooring ball and checked in at the Musket Cove Yacht Club, it was time for our first swim in more than six months and what a delight it was. It didn’t take long to crack out one of the paddleboards either, which we had purchased in New Zealand as birthday presents and for Roy to get to work on mastering his skills.  

As with our previous visit, days were spent in the very comfy seats on the large, breezy veranda of the Musket Cove Island Resort and Spa, enjoying a morning coffee and a light lunch from Trader's Café. Afternoons were spent at the swimming pool or the beach while sitting under gently swaying palms, beachcombing at low tide, taking long walks as far as the Plantation Resort and the north-western beach of the island to enjoy the spectacular views or waiting on a low tide so we could enjoy the delights of snorkelling the sandbar again, where we had the opportunity to see the fascinating royal blue starfish, as well as brightly coloured orange coral heads that we had not seen before. We also took the opportunity to explore areas of the island we hadn’t seen, including the organic farm and the little wedding chapel on the hillside. Many an evening was also spent at the Musket Cove Yacht Club Island Bar, either just enjoying a few cocktails or having a barbecue and we enjoyed a repeat of Roy’s favourite meal; the Pig Roast at Dick’s Place. While he looked forward to his meal for almost a week, he wasn’t disappointed. In fact, he even went back for a second serving! It was also on Malolo Lailai Island where we bumped into Georgia (Chris and Paul), whom we hadn’t seen since leaving New Zealand, when they stopped by to invite us ashore for drinks at the Musket Cove Yacht Club Island Bar. Needless to say, we didn't have to be asked twice and enjoyed another round of sundowners as the sun dropped below the horizon.

Malolo Lailai was the perfect little island to recuperate and rejuvenate. It seemed as if all the work that had to be done on Paw Paw over the cyclone season, all the travelling we did to see loved ones in various parts of the world over the Christmas season, the frustrating meander through the New Zealand medical system, as well as the ordeal of our passage from New Zealand, had taken more of a toll than we had realised, but we were, at least, starting to feel like ourselves again by this point! On leaving Musket Cove, our adventures took us in various directions for various timeframes. One trip had us worming our way through all the reefs and sandbars, passing Qalito Island and Waidigi Island en route, to arrive in Likuliku Lagoon on Malolo Island, where the adult only, luxury Likuliku Lagoon Resort is located and where a night in one of their "burus", a traditionally built bungalow, with a private plunge pool, will set you back $2800 FJD / $1400 USD per night. Unfortunately this resort was not "yacht friendly" and we were, therefore, not welcome to stop by for a coffee, a sundowner or a meal. The irony, however, is that we observed more than one person standing on their balcony with binoculars looking at Paw Paw. We did get to enjoy a fabulous lunch at the very "yacht friendly" Malolo Resort in the next bay over though. In fact they were so accommodating that they allowed Roy to tie up the dinghy on one of their mooring balls, since it was low tide, after he'd dropped Elaine off at the dock, and then ferried him ashore using one of their own boats. It was a perfect setting, overlooking the beach and turquoise waters, to enjoy our cocktails, calamari salad and homemade honeycomb ice-cream. 

A highlight of this particular outing was dinghing the 1.2NM over to Honeymoon Bay, where we enjoyed a fantastic snorkel. One of the cruising guides had indicated that this site was one of the best in the Mamanuca Islands and it was right. While there weren't too many large fish, with the exception of the golden rays, there was a huge variety of smaller reef fish and the coral gardens were simply spectacular; the best we've seen since Bonaire and Rangiroa in the Tuamotos, with very healthy and varied corals, many of which we had not seen before. It was definitely worth the visit and somewhere we had hoped to return to; armed with our camera, but to no avail, unfortunately! Can you believe we didn't take the camera!

On another trip, we had an early start out of Port Denarau and had planned to anchor outside Vuda Marina to enjoy a lazy Sunday afternoon, in the shade of the trees, while listening to their featured band. However, given the serious chop that developed from the brisk southerly winds, we decided on Saweni Bay instead. A very peaceful bay just south of Latouka and very protected. Once the weather settled, we had a great sail over to Mana Island. Getting into the lagoon through the reef at low tide was a tad precarious, though, given that the actual route didn't even remotely resemble what was in the guide. It was, nonetheless, a very picturesque anchorage and seemed worth the effort. So, after lunch it was time to explore. There was just one problem; there were no docks that we were allowed to use and nowhere to beach the dinghy due to the coral reef running along the entire shoreline, or, so we thought. Although we understood that the docks belonged to the “yacht-friendly” Mana Resort, we were turned away by security guards and informed that they were private. Then a very friendly local came to our rescue and showed us the way to the beach through an opening in the coral reef. After exploring the two "cheap and cheerful" backpacker hotels and enjoying a lovely walk along the beach, where we encountered yet another security guard, we discovered the reason for all the restrictions and this rather bizarre situation; the Mana Resort was, in fact, occupied by everyone involved in the filming of the latest Australian Survivor TV show. We'd no sooner returned to Paw Paw to get ready for our evening when mayhem broke loose; aeroplanes landing across our bow and taking off within 10 metres of our stern, speed boats flying through the anchorage ferrying people back to the resort, various rather large props being towed through the anchorage and narrowly passing either side of Paw Paw, a huge barge carry trucks loaded with large rocks narrowly passing our port side, all of which started early evening and continued well into the night. By now we were in agreement that the entire situation was far too precarious, so we had Paw Paw lit up like a cruise ship to make sure they could see us, given that we were one of only two yachts in the anchorage. Picturesque or not, nothing was worth all of this, so we high tailed it out of there first thing the following morning. 

We split our adventures to the Yassawa Islands, doing the southern part of the chain first and then the central and northern islands on a separate journey. Our initial sail was supposed to be a five hour trip, but turned into a very long day of sailing, motor-sailing and motoring. Having made our way through the pass between Kuata Island and Wayasewa Island, where we saw the most unusual rock formations on Kuata Island, we were looking forward to dropping the hook in Yalobi Bay, on the southern side of Waya Island. We had, however, no sooner cleared the pass when the wind shifted to the south-southwest and created a nasty chop that was going straight into the anchorage. So, Plan B; head to the northern side of the island along the western route. After attempting to follow previous tracks of other yachts through the reefs and bouncing around in the strong winds and chop, we decided on Plan C instead; go back through the pass and around the eastern side of the island. A much better idea! With a clear, deep, reef free route, we arrived in Nalauwaki Bay late afternoon, plus we got to enjoy some amazing scenery that reminded us somewhat of Moorea Island and Boro Boro Island in French Polynesia. The vegetation was also very unusual, in that it looked like grass growing on the mountain side, but it was, in fact, very dense forest.

After a very rolly night in Nalauwaki Bay, we dragged ourselves out of bed the next morning, had breakfast and headed ashore to delivery our "kava". There was just one small problem; we couldn't actually get ashore, even at high tide, due to the reefs running along the entire beach, as well as a swell dumping waves on the beach. Far too precarious to land a dinghy and, although we saw a few villagers roaming around, they didn't seem particularly interested in us. Of course, we later found out why. So, it was back to Paw Paw, with "kava" in hand, to weigh anchor and head for Naviti Island. En route we passed Narara Island before taking the Mocelutu Passage between Naukasevu and Nanuya Balavu Islands, where we passed two very nice resorts on either side of the passage and then decided to anchor just off Drawaqa Island which is slightly south of Naviti Island. Once we were settled, it was time to explore in the dinghy. First stop was meant to be the Barefoot Resort, but with rather sketchy directions we weren't sure where exactly we could beach the dinghy, so we decided to head for the Manta Ray Resort instead. Getting ashore was tricky here as well, again due to the surrounding reefs, but being on solid ground after bouncing around for 24 hours made it worthwhile. Once ashore, what we found was a very rustic, but welcoming resort in a very picturesque setting, where we enjoyed a few drinks while lounging in beanbags, overlooking a white sandy beach, trimmed with turquoise waters. We also got to see the holiday-makers feeding the fish as a resort activity and enjoyed the beautiful harmonic singing of the resort staff bidding some of their guests farewell.

Unfortunately this outing was short-lived. With the weather forecast to turn nasty again and, since we couldn’t secure a mooring ball in Port Denarau, we made the decision to motor-sail / motor the 36NM in very lumpy seas back to Malolo Lailai Island, arriving just before sun set, which made for another very long day of bouncing around. Of course, it didn't help matters that the stronger winds forecasted for the following day, actually arrived sooner and, for the most part, were right on the nose. We did, however, get to enjoy the scenery and a much closer look at many of the northern Mamanuca Islands, including the numerous resorts tucked away in the palm trees fringing the white sandy beaches of most of the islands. 

Our outing to the central and northern areas of the Yassawa Islands started from Port Denarau rather than Saweni Bay and if there is one thing sailing in the South Pacific has taught us, it is that, as far as the weather is concerned, it is always "feast or famine". The previous night our anchorage in Port Denarau was the quietest we had ever seen it, with absolutely no wind and a sea as smooth as glass. It was still like that when we made our early morning departure. We left under motor, but it wasn't long before the wind filled our single-reefed main and we were pulling out the head sail. We couldn't remember the last time we enjoyed a fabulous beam to close reach sail at 8.5 to 9.0 Kts, in beautiful flat seas, with winds out of the north. Of course, it didn't take long for the winds to steadily strengthen beyond what was forecast and for the seas to kick up. But, although we were down to double reefs in both sails, we were still romping along nicely. Having to turn northwards, however, put the wind on the nose, so it was a beat for the last hour or so, before we arrived at our chosen anchorage for the night, Soso Bay on Naviti Island, which was definitely anything but mediocre or "so so". It was home to the largest village in the Yassawas, bordering a long sandy beach trimmed with palm trees and it was also in this village where we had the wonderful and unexpected pleasure of being hosted by them for the day. That night though, we experienced one of the most peaceful anchorages, without any light pollution, under a spectacular starry sky, with no moon and the Southern Cross hanging above us. It was a sight to behold!

Our next destination was the bay at the centre of the Metacawa Levu, Nanuya-Sewa, Nanuya-Levu and Tavewa islands, commonly referred to as the Blue Lagoon, made famous by Brooke Shields in the 1980s movie of the same name and the one destination Roy wanted to visit in Fiji. At the tender age of fourteen, Brooke Shields also became the youngest fashion model to appear on the cover of vogue and modelled in the controversial print and TV advertisement for Kelvin Klein that same year, which is believed to have rocketed Klein's career to super-designer status. For us, however, it was time to simply enjoy the fabulous scenery along with a few other yachts in the anchorage; beautiful white sandy beaches, turquoise waters, blue sunny skies and the Nanuya Island Resort, whose staff came out to greet us as we were anchoring and provided us with the dinner menu for that evening. It didn’t take long for  the Blue Lagoon to become Roy's new "happy place"! Getting ashore was a little more precarious than we had expected, though, since, strangely enough, there was no dinghy dock, although the Nanuya Island Resort was considered to be "yacht friendly". With no other alternative, we beached the dinghy and commenced our explorations of the resort and amenities, enjoyed a morning coffee and a lovely long walk along the white sandy beach on Nanuya-Sewa island.

Other activities during our stay included taking the dinghy to Savuti Point to do some snorkelling, where we encountered a rather unusual experience in that many of the fish were amongst the sea grass, but the ones at the coral reef were certainly different. Some looked like a cross between a Parrotfish and a Sergeant Major and, although there wasn't a large variety of reef fish, the size of the fish we saw was certainly larger than what we'd seen at other snorkelling locations around Fiji. Our hike to Lo's Tea Room, was a definite highlight of our stay; a walk over the top off Nanuya-Sewa Island from the northwest corner to the southeast corner. Stopping along the way to enjoy the fabulous views, on arrival we were greeted with a great big "bula" from Lo, who was in the midst of serving a few other sailors who had arrived ahead of us. Over a cup of coffee and a few home-baked goods, including doughnuts and banana bread covered in chocolate sauce, we enjoyed a chat before heading back and were fortunate enough to hitch a ride from a passing golf cart, owned by the Nanuya Island Resort, whose staff were returning to the resort. Another highlight was our visit from a native Fijian family in a little sailing yacht selling fresh fruit and vegetables. Although we didn't need anything, we couldn't help but admire the entrepreneurial spirit of this little family, so we purchased some bokchoi, the sweetest tomatoes we'd ever tasted and some brinjal, all for $5FJD, about $2.50USD and freshly picked; simply amazing!

A number of evenings were spent ashore enjoying sundowners at the Boathouse, and on one such occasion, we happened to bump into Knockando, whom we had met briefly while in Soso Bay. It turned into a very enjoyable evening over dinner at the resort; lobster tails for Elaine, braised beef ribs for Roy and grilled walu, a local white fleshy fish, for Claire and Darren, while being serenaded by a Fijian choir. Unfortunately we had such a good evening that, by the time we left the restaurant or, more aptly, got "kicked out", it was low tide and our dinghies were miles from the water's edge. Fortunately Roy and Darren were able to get them back in the water, but making our way through the reef in the dark at low tide was certainly an adventure. Of course it didn't help matters that we were all slightly intoxicated, but no harm, no foul!

It was in the Blue Lagoon where we managed to catch up with Raya (Roz and Rick) over a very pleasant "happy hour" and whom we hadn’t seen since leaving New Zealand as well. Unfortunately all attempts to reconnect with Blue Summit had failed to this point. We had hoped to see them in Somosomo Bay, but, with more bad weather forecast, we decided to stay in the Blue Lagoon and they decided to stay anchored off Waya Island.

Of course, time was waiting for no man and we soon had to start making our way back to Port Denarau to start the preparations for our departure to Vanuatu. We were heading west again, at last! However, as in most destinations, there is always that one sailing day that sticks in ones memory. For us, it was the morning we left Yalobi Bay and said our goodbyes to the Yassawa Islands. As the spectacular scenery of Waya Island faded in the distance, we enjoyed a fabulous sail under full main and genoa, cruising at 7.5 Kts in light winds and flat seas. In fact, we couldn't remember when last we were able to enjoy a set table for breakfast while underway and had to admit, naively, that this was the kind of sailing we thought we would be enjoying around the South Pacific. Unfortunately, by mid-morning the wind came forward of the beam and lightened, which meant we had to motor-sail the rest of the way, but the enjoyment continued; a pod of dolphins frolicking in Paw Paw's bows. It had been a while since we'd enjoyed this spectacle, but on this occasion it was a rather fascinating display. At first we thought we were looking at the fin of a shark, but then we realised it was a dolphin on its side, slapping its fin on the water. Soon thereafter a huge pod of dolphins appeared and after entertaining us for a while, they all set off together in the opposite direction. Definitely behaviour neither of us had seen before.

Having explored Wailoaloa Bay by car, we had originally decided to spend the night in this anchorage, but we then discovered that getting ashore in the dinghy was untenable; firstly because the jetty that was supposed to be present, was, in fact, absent and then the there was a delightful onshore swell. With that, we did a u-turn and headed for Port Denarau. The upside is that, by this time, we had eventually made firm arrangements to reconnect with Kate and Steve.  After drinks onboard Blue Summit, we enjoyed a delicious Indian dinner at the Indigo Indian Restaurant. The night seemed to pass by so quickly with all the catching up we had to do, but it was lovely to see them in any event.

Our time in Port Denarau, over the various visits, comprised mainly of topping up with provisions in Nadi and visiting the physiotherapist, following which we would enjoy a coffee at the Coffee Museum or a light lunch at one of the Indian restaurants. Alternatively, we simply enjoyed the amenities on offer in Port Denarau itself. These included daily walks, stopping at Café O or La Parisienne Café in the Sofitel Fiji Resort and Spa to enjoy a coffee with freshly bake French pastries; not that our waistlines could afford anymore freshly baked delights! Lunches were a simply affair of baked pies from the Bread Kitchen or a short bus ride, if we were feeling lazy for lunch or dinner at either the Hilton Fiji Beach Resort and Spa, the Westin Resort and Spa or in the marina complex at Cardo’s or Lulu’s Bar and Restaurant. Elaine also took the opportunity to finish sorting out our latest photographs for the website Gallery over a cappuccino and a decadent hot chocolate brownie, smothered in hot chocolate sauce and accompanied by fresh cherries, honeycomb and ice-cream at one of her favourite restaurants, Rhum-Ba, at the Port Denarau Yacht Club. On other occasions we simply stayed on board to enjoy a barbecue and then settle on the trampoline under a full moon to enjoy the cool breeze and music from one of the live bands ashore. A highlight was also going ashore to enjoy the nightlife of Port Denarau, which usually included an ice-cream while dancing under the stars to one of the excellent bands. Elaine definitely missed her partner-in-crime, Justine, as a band, on one occasion, belted out some favourite songs like "Living on a Prayer" by Bon Jovi and "Summer of 69" by Bryan Adams. 

We also had a number of very early rises while in Port Denarau and being up before the birds to head ashore to the Port Denarau Yacht Club, where the America's Cup was being televised. Since Fiji is the winter "playground" for many New Zealanders, the club was packed with supporters cheering for Team New Zealand. During the last cup final we had also supported Team New Zealand, primarily because the race felt like a "David versus Goliath" scenario. On this occasion, it felt more like Team USA were "lambs to the slaughter". It didn’t take long for Team New Zealand to wrap up the series and it was game over. The better team had definitely won the cup and we were able to enjoy a sleep in again. 

With all these experiences, it was the beauty of Fiji that sealed the deal for us in topping the list as our favourite destination. Waking to the most spectacular sunrises or observing the beautiful sunsets, nothing compared to seeing the silhouette of gently swaying palm trees against the coloured morning sky and then observing a turtle popping up to greet the day and spend some time swimming lazily past our cabin porthole. Similarly, there was nothing like a light onshore breeze keeping us cool under sunny, clear blue skies; above, hearing the rustling of swaying palms; at our feet, hearing the gentle lapping of the warm, turquoise waters; birds chirping merrily, while we lay comfortably on our loungers enjoying yet another fabulous beach day! Or, under a beautiful full moon, reflecting of the glass-like water, with singing from a local choir ashore drifting across the air; when a wonderful peacefulness settled across the anchorage and all seemed right with the world or, at least, in our floating village.

There were a few downsides to Fiji, but we were hard pressed to find them. Roy encountered the first one which gave him a rather unpleasant fright; his close encounter with a sea snake lurking under Paw Paw when he went to clean the one keel. After surfacing in a bit of a flurry, Elaine was able to determine that it was indeed the venomous Fiji Sea Snake which comes to shore to rest.  While these are twenty times more venomous than any dangerous land snake, they seldom attack, unless severely provoked and, fortunately, are thought to be unable to do any harm, as their mouths are tiny and usually cannot open wider than a small finger. If they do happen to get a nibble though, one is in serious trouble. Roy did say it scurried off as soon as it saw him, but it certainly deterred Elaine from thinking about going for a swim in the vicinity of Port Denarau. The second was encountered by Elaine after a late afternoon swim in the Blue Lagoon. She had no sooner got out of the water and dried off, when she spotted another one of the venomous black and white Fijian water snakes swimming along the surface at Paw Paw's starboard hull. The third occurred after buying a half a hand of bananas from one of the delivery boats in Manta Ray Bay and we ended up with an enormous spider on deck for company. What made that saga a little worse was that, after Roy thought he'd got rid of it overboard, Elaine nearly stood on it a few minutes later. It's fair to say the entire anchorage heard her reaction. Then, just when we thought it was safe to get in the water and enjoy a swim, guess what? No, not sharks, but huge jellyfish. Bang went that idea! 

Another drawback was Paw Paw’s topsides remaining constantly filthy from all the thick black soot that fell out of the sky like rain, caused by the numerous fires that burnt day and night in the sugar fields. At times, a huge sugarcane fire combined with a strong southerly wind would create so much soot, it even floated on the water in the marina and port area. Of course, Murphy's Law, it occurred when we had no sooner spent hours cleaning everything. Grrrrr! Fortunately, we were always able to get all the hatches closed in time to, at least, keep the interior somewhat clean. Oh, the joys of living on the leeward side of islands, where the wind carries all the dust and pollution towards you! It is really surprising just how much air pollution lands on a yacht. We had red Sahara sand in Bonaire, phosphate in Curacao, cement dust in Puerto Rico, coal dust in Colombia, diesel soot in Samoa and a white powdery substance in New Zealand, just to name a few. Usually a good rain storm washes it all away, but being the dry season in Fiji, there was no hope of that happening. The vacuum cleaner had to suffice!

To add to these minor disadvantages, we would add, that having spent two years in the Caribbean as full-time cruisers, we were never disappointed when a French flagged yacht entered the anchorage and anchored on top of us. Elaine was constantly out on deck using her "teapot" stance and waving a figure to indicate "I don't think so", following which they would inevitably lift their anchor and move. We had one Frenchman who thought, since he was only going to be away from his yacht for an hour or two, that staying on top of us was completely acceptable. Needless to say, he grossly underestimated the first mate he was dealing with and promptly moved. This phenomenon became a bit of a joke amongst sailors of other nations and, if someone did complain, one always received the response: "Must have been French".

Well, sailing in the South Pacific had a few different nationalities who we all had to deal with and, to be honest, they were worse than the French, as they would attempt to completely ignore us while continuing to anchor, even though they were short scoping so as not to end up hitting our bow; a definite "no no", given the strong winds in this part of the world. In a huff and a puff they would eventually move, once confronted or when the camera was hauled out to have photographs as evidence in the event of an accident. For this reason, we spent one too many days having to stay on board Paw Paw in Fiji, as yacht after yacht arrived in Musket Cove ahead of strong winds predicted or as various rallies congregated. Although we had anchored at the front of the anchorage on the edge of the channel and adjacent to the mooring field, which was completely full as well, we still had a few bright sparks who thought they could squeeze in on our bow. So, our apologies to the French; it seems there is just a specific elk of sailor who will attempt to chance their luck at the expense of their fellow sailors, regardless of the consequence.

As the days wore on and with the start of various rallies, we ended up on "numpty parade" over and over and, at times, enduring the rudeness of the culprits involved. In one particular incident, with the winds picking up, we had a yacht to our port side that that was already too close to begin with and then dragged towards us. When Elaine went on deck to ascertain the situation, the cruiser wanted to know if there was a problem.  After indicating that, given how close the yacht was to Paw Paw, there was indeed a problem, this was simply ignored. Then they dragged again, this time to within a boat length of us and just ignored it, again. That's when Roy went out and asked the cruiser whether or not he was simply planning on staying where he was or going to move. After a lot of grumbling and seeing Elaine taking a few photographs, they eventually moved. We also had another cruiser grumble and past a few sarcastic remarks about the amount of chain we had out, only to drag himself a short while later after short scoping. Of course, in lifting his anchor, he was now precariously close to our chain, but, fortunately, didn't trip us in the process. As if that wasn't enough, we ended up with a yacht that was so close we swung past his bow with less than half a boat length between us. This bright spark had decided to anchor on top of us, resulting in their anchor chain running directly under Paw Paw when the wind shifted, so they couldn’t even move if they wanted to. By this point, Elaine was reaching the end if her tether, but the mayhem that followed the departure of the ICA rally, as yachts at anchor raced each other to the vacant mooring balls in Musket Cove, was the most ridiculous and blatant disregard for fellow sailors we have ever seen. It was shocking!

The final downside of Fiji was the weather at times, especially towards the end of the sailing season during our first visit to Fiji. On one occasion, we had just finished an early dinner when all hell broke loose. Within minutes we had sustained winds of 40 Kts, gusting to near 48 Kts, accompanied by torrential rain. If we thought the storm in Boro Boro was the worst we had ever been in, well, this one most certainly took the cake! Although we were in a secluded anchorage, the waves coming across the reefs had all the yachts bouncing around like corks. Fortunately we were on one of the Musket Cove's hurricane mooring balls along with Do Over and Blue Summit and they held. What caused havoc in the middle of the storm, however, was a huge yacht that was anchored next to the mooring field which broke loose. At first he passed the front of Paw Paw and we thought he was heading into the marina, although that seemed ludicrous in nearly 50 Kts of wind.  Then at the last minute he turned. At that point we honestly thought he was going to end up on the rocks.  The engine was bellowing plumes of black smoke as it struggled against the wind and waves to make the turn.  But then the wind caught him and he careened towards the yacht next to us and the one just behind us.  Barely missing them, he raced towards Do Over, where he managed to make another turn without hitting them, but, alas, at this point, he was heading straight for us.  While we risked being blown off the deck in the high winds, with fenders to the ready, our screams went unheard.  Our prayers were answered instead. His little engine kept on going. How he missed all of us before heading out of harm’s way to re-anchor is a miracle and for that we were truly thankful.  So much for spring time in paradise!

A short while later, it was “take two” on the storms. Fortunately the winds were "lighter" than the previous day; sustained 28 to 30 Kts, gusting to just under 33 Kts.  This second storm, however, had more rain associated with it. It was incredulous though  that all of the major forecasting models were depicting winds under 10 Kts, with the exception of Fiji Meteorological Office and a single streamlined synoptic chart from NOAA.  In fact, the latter showed three storms in our vicinity, which proved to be more accurate. So, it was another day onboard in bad weather, but this time we both retired to our cabins and caught up on some reading, since we didn't have to contend with any idiots ploughing through the mooring field. 

We did, however, get the scoop on the yacht that had broken off its mooring.  Apparently the couple owned one of the well known businesses in Fiji, Cloud 9, and used the yacht like a "floating apartment" which hadn't moved in nearly two years.  When their mooring broke free, they couldn't anchor because their chain was all rusted and the black plumes of smoke were a result of the engine, not only being at full power to try and control the yacht, but had not been used during the same period.  One of the megayachts that was anchored at Musket Cove managed to get an anchor and rode to them so that they could anchor safely. Such irresponsibility towards maintaining a vessel and its mooring was not only outrageous, but could have proven dangerous. "The mind she boggles"!

When we awoke after the third storm, it was still raining and the marine forecast out of New Zealand on the SSB/HF Radio provided the "cherry on the cake" with regard to the weather in the South Pacific for the 2016 sailing season. Not only did they rattle off information on all the cold fronts and various oceanic warnings, but they also indicated that mariners were advised to watch out for falling space debris that was expected to land in the South Pacific. The two of us just looked at each other, thinking what next, and then burst out laughing. We actually couldn't believe our ears!

A huge plus for Fiji, however, was the range of amenities that were available to us. On arrival and after clearing in, our first port of call on both occasions was the Port Denarau Marina office. It has to be said that this was the most welcoming and helpful marina office staff we had ever encountered.  Not only did they point us in the right direction to where we could find everything we needed, they also informed us that, although we are anchored out, all the facilities of the marina were open to us, and the corker, for free; showers, garbage disposal, dinghy dock usage, use of their laundry. Just staggering! We were also able to find a sailmaker to repair our Chicken Chute, a chandlery to replace the broken shackle off our bauberhauler, a supplier to purchase some much needed cleaning products, specifically for rust and grease removal, and, the rarest of products, saildrive oil to do the necessary services. We were able to drop off our dive tanks to be serviced and refilled and get petrol, diesel and propane. Other amenities included being able to purchase a new “communications device" for Elaine, getting our passport photographs taken and posting our passports for renewal, getting a Power of Attorney, although that was a painful exercise, finding a watch repair shop, where we emerged ten minutes and $10USD later with a new strap and battery for Elaine's waterproof watch. Definitely difficult to beat that kind of efficiency and value, then finding a material shop to purchase mosquito netting, in order to enclose the entire cockpit area. The latter was in preparation for our time in Vanuatu which, unfortunately, is a malaria area. Although it was the dry season when we arrived in Vanuatu and we had planned on only visiting the southern islands, where malaria is less prevalent and, therefore, a lower risk, we decided to rather be safe than sorry. Finally, a major benefit was the availability of prompt and effective healthcare compared to New Zealand and for half the price. So much for first world versus third world country classifications!

Getting provisioning done was easy as well as inexpensive by visiting the local butcher, the South Pacific Butchering Company, or the fresh produce market, which was definitely the best we'd seen since starting our sailing adventure. There was an amazing variety of locally grown fruits and vegetables from grapes to fresh coriander and everything else in-between. There were also numerous, well stocked supermarkets, including the Fresh Choice supermarket on Denarau Island. This was definitely one of Port Denarau's best kept secrets which Roy uncovered quite by accident when purchasing our new house batteries. For months we'd been taking the bus into Nadi to do our provisioning, then hauling the shopping all the way back on the bus or getting a taxi, when all we had to do was visit this very large, well stocked supermarket.  Lessons learnt hey!

There wasn't one thing we couldn't get done or couldn't do. Activities abound. No matter what sport or activity one can think of, Fiji had it on offer. From sky-diving to zip-lining; diving, snorkelling, sailing, yacht racing regattas, deep sea and reef fishing, jet-skiing, canoeing, paddle-boarding, swimming in mud baths and hot springs, hiking including the hash, triathlons, golfing, touring, dining, live entertainment, getting married and enjoying a myriad of customs and traditional activities related to both the indigenous Fijian and the Indian-Fijian cultures or, simply, finding a shady spot on a white sandy beach to take nap or read a book.

While in Fiji, we had a number of personal matters to deal with, which caused far too many frustrating days. It seemed every day, the minute we turned on our wifi connection, we were dealing with the complications of landlubber life, but it was the celebrations that definitely negated these; celebrating our little man, William's, 2nd birthday with him on Facetime and having him actually call Elaine "grandma" for the first time. Needless to say, her heart simply melted! Numerous attempts to get him to say "grandpa" failed, however, since he kept repeating a very enthusiastic "hi" to Roy instead. It took a while, but he eventually settled on calling Roy "papa". A short time thereafter we woke to the news that Keenan had passed his written test at Delta Airlines and we celebrated 500 days since leaving St Lucia and starting our circumnavigation. In many ways it felt like years ago, given how far we had sailed and how many different destinations we have had the pleasure of visiting. A light dinner at Cardo's celebrated the news we received on the birth of Elaine's great niece, Emmie, weighing in at 8 lbs 10 oz, with both mom and baby doing well.  

However, speaking to Keenan, just after he had completed his first flight as a fully fledged First Officer for a major airline, was a very special and surreal moment for all of us. It seemed like yesterday that he told us he wanted to be a pilot soon after we had moved to England in 1994, then his discovery flight at the age of thirteen, his first solo flight at sixteen and then waiting patiently for his seventeenth birthday so that he could take his final flight for his private pilot licence. All the flights to Sedona or Ryan Field for breakfast as a Mother's Day gift, all his flights to Las Vegas, Sedona and Payson with Roy to make up his flight time, all the hard work at university doing a double major while flying as an instructor for KLS, the training flight program for KLM at CAE Global Academy, all the sorrow of loosing friends to air accidents, as well as moving to Puerto Rico to fly for Seaborne Airlines around the Caribbean and finally his regional time at Mesa Airlines, all culminated in this one event. All the money, all the tears, all the tenacity, all the guidance, all the encouragement and all the dreams came to fruition. It truly was a wonderful day for our family!

We were also still in Fiji when the 2017 / 2018 World ARC rally arrived in Musket Cove for their rendezvous. It was interesting talking to them and discovering that many of the challenges we had faced the previous year were still prevalent and that many of the yachts had decided to leave the rally sooner than they had originally planned. It was also surprising to learn that the event manager from the previous year was still with the rally. What struck us though, when seeing all the yachts arriving, given that it was the beginning of July, was the realisation that had we not made the decision to leave the rally in Tahiti, we would have missed out on so much. We would not have had the time to explore Tahiti with Olga and Denis, we would not have enjoyed a great time in Moorea with Nina, Do Over and Cattiva, especially our dinghy adventure to swim with and feed the sting rays or our beach barbecues with Nina and Do Over in Huahine or our tour around Tahaa with Nina or swimming with the manta rays in Boro Boro, as well as enjoying the Heiva while we were there. We would not have seen American Samoa or one of our favourite destinations, Samoa, as well as had the opportunity to return to Fiji. We may not have had the achievement of finishing our circumnavigation in the 15 months with the World ARC per our original plan, but we had gained so much more, with plenty of great adventures that were still to come! 

Bumping into Take Off (Louise and Jordan) from the 2016 / 2017 World ARC in the Port Denarau marina office and then catching up with Ain't Fancy (Betina and Dirk) in Musket Cove, who, like Take Off, were rejoining the rally, was a lovely surprise as well. It was a little disappointing, although not expected, when we never received a single invite from the organisers to attend one of the World ARC functions while in Musket Cove. Given that we were the only other World ARC yacht in the anchorage from a past rally and the fact that we had paid for all the events from Tahiti to Australia which we never used in 2016, a gesture of goodwill would have been very much appreciated. Regardless, it was lovely to learn that so many of the yachts were following our blog and indeed praised it.

With all the wonderful experiences we had in Fiji, the time seemed to pass by far too quickly and, although, we didn’t seem ready to leave, we nonetheless, commenced a series of goodbyes during our final fortnight. Watching a beautiful sunset, accompanied by a brilliant "green flash", our time in the Blue Lagoon had come to an end. The next morning, a long walk on the beach, passing the Fiji Princess "cruise ship" and through the coconut grove, followed by a mid-morning coffee was the precursor to saying our goodbyes to the manager, Tim, at Nanuya Island Resort. Unfortunately many of the staff, who had made us feel so welcome, were off duty, so we asked Tim to please extend our thanks to them. It was lovely to be set up with a "virtual room" at this resort, which allowed us to be "guests" and it certainly simplified the financial aspect for our dinners, tours, happy hours etc, where everything was simply charged to our "room" and then settled on our departure, as if we were checking out. Couple that convenience with being addressed by our names whenever we interacted with the staff and, it was, not only hard to beat that kind of service, but it definitely added a very personal touch to our "stay"!

Before leaving the Blue Lagoon though, Roy, found an interesting jar of what's called "honeyjam". Curious as to what it was, he had asked the shop attendant whether it was a type of honey or a type of jam before he purchased it.  The attendant must have thought he was slightly nuts when she replied: "It is honeyjam". Still clueless, he purchased a jar anyway. Turns out, it is, in fact, a mixture of honey and pineapple jam, hence the name. We both had a good giggle about that over a breakfast of toast and honeyjam as we sailed out of the anchorage.

In Musket Cove, we said our goodbyes to Blue Summit, since they were leaving for Vanuatu a few weeks ahead of us and, with that, a definite feeling of sadness descended on Paw Paw in having to say goodbye to the last of the WARC dropouts and since we weren’t altogether sure whether or not we would see them in Vanuatu or New Caledonia before they headed back to New Zealand and we headed to Australia. A downside of sailing that still takes a little getting used to, even after all these years!

Thereafter, we had planned on staying in Musket Cove a little longer, allowing Elaine to savour a few more days in her "happy place", as well as allow an impending storm to pass. We couldn’t help, but realise, though, that we may have spent too much time in Musket Cove when the staff at Trader's Café, while placing our order, all we had to do was nod to the question: "Same again, one cappuccino, one long black and a freshly baked doughnut to share?". Clever Captain Roy knew, though, that if he didn't "rip off the plaster", he was in for a struggle to get Elaine to leave Malolo Lailai Island, so the next morning she woke to the news that we were leave that day. With that, we weighed anchor and set off for Port Denarau. Our thanks go to all the staff at Musket Cove Island Resort and Spa and the Musket Cove Yacht Club for all the wonderful memories and making us feel so welcome during both our visits to Fiji. Who knows, maybe one day, we'll be back to live on that lot of land we've had our eye on since first arriving on the beautiful island of Malolo Lailai.

We spent the next few days getting through the last of our preparations for our passage to Vanuatu, including completing all the research needed for our stays in Vanuatu, New Caledonia and Australia, particularly all the navigational and clearance information, as well as completing the necessary clearance forms for both Fiji and Vanuatu. Trying to obtain some VATUs (aka Vanuatu dollars) turned into a last minute fiasco as Roy ran into the most incredulous “brick wall”. Although he had gone to Nadi prepared with all the yacht documentation as previously instructed, he was told that he couldn't purchase any VATUs without an air ticket; yep; you read correctly; he had to have an air ticket. It didn't matter how many different ways he tried to enlighten the various individuals with the fact that he was actually on a yacht, they repeatedly told him the same thing; no air ticket,  no money, unless he went to the money exchange at the airport. Completely exasperated, Roy returned to Port Denarau where he decided to try one last time.  His tenacity paid off. A very delightful individual at the Port Denarau money exchange booth processed the transaction without any fuss.

Aside from Niuatoputapu in Tonga, Fiji was the only other destination where we had so many people to say our goodbyes to, as well as drop off a few gifts as a small token of our appreciation for all the help we'd received during our stay. Particularly, our thanks go out to Maria, the physiotherapists at Zens Medical Centre in Nadi, who worked a miracle for Elaine and to all the ladies of Port Denarau marina office, who were so patient with all our requests and changes for a mooring ball. With that, we eventually said goodbye to Roy's second "happy place", Port Denarau.  We had planned on sailing to Saweni Bay for an overnight stop and to make water before clearing out, but ended up making a u-turn after Roy noticed the water was clearer outside Vuda Marina. After a pit stop there, making the water we needed, heading ashore to confirm our clearing out arrangements and returning to a one metre swell careering through the anchorage, we decided our first choice was definitely the better option. So, that night, in calm waters, we enjoyed our last barbecue aboard Paw Paw in Fiji.

Before we left Fiji though, we had the opportunity to give something back. The occasion occurred when Roy randomly met a native Fijian man from a village on one of the outer Mamanuca islands on the dock in Port Denarau, while trying to dispose of our old house batteries. The delight on the faces of the three villagers who stopped by Paw Paw in their outboard powered skiff late that afternoon, on route back to their village, after completing their day of shopping on the mainland, was priceless. They were just so gracious and grateful. While these batteries were no longer able to support the myriad of systems on Paw Paw without us having to frequently run the generator to top up their charge and could not be used as a starter battery, they most certainly could be used in a village home to power their lights, cell phone chargers, etc. Having extra batteries is an absolute luxury for them.  It's definitely a true saying: "One man's junk is another man's treasure".

As the Mamanuca Islands faded into the distance the following day, our hearts sank a little lower. We were saying goodbye to Fiji and her beautiful people, but we were stating to work our way to Australia and taking ourselves closer to seeing our loved ones again. Nowhere during this sailing adventure have we encountered such warm, welcoming and friendly people, always accompanied with a "bula" and a smile. It is clear to see the appeal of cruisers getting stuck in this part of the South Pacific, returning year after year, having spent the cyclone season in New Zealand. We loved Samoa, but Fiji surpassed all of our expectations, in every way. Truly our "happy place"! Having a large turtle surface right next to Paw Paw while we were underway sealed our experience of Fiji. Under sunny blue skies, light winds and calm seas, it was westward and onward to enjoy all the new experiences that awaited us!