tomarkot

We're leaving on Feb. 8 for AUS and NZ, and are due to fly from Christchurch to Nadi on March 3. . .staying until.March 8. We've been reading about all the rain. . .the flooding. . .airport sometimes closed. . .roads impassable. . .resorts affected. Can anyone give us an update on the situation? Does anyone know if the Outrigger on the Lagoon has property damage. We're wondering about paying the penalties and changing our destination. Any help would be appreciated.

OldKiwiGal

You arrive in Fiji four weeks after the Floods - they will have set up alternative routes by then. No mention of any bridge troubles. They've lost people and their crops; this is serious for the struggling locals. No one has talked of flooding in Sigatoka. The flooding is up north, near Nadi.
During a previous major flood they lost a small bridge - this was serious but very quickly another track was created and used for a very long time.

eliztravels

I would encourage you to stick with your plans if at all possible. The damage to the tourism industry can be much worse than the physical damage.

tomarkot

Thanks for your response, OldKiwiGal. Your comment about the alternative routes that, hopefully, will have been set up by the time we arrive in March are encouraging. It does give us pause, that when we're thinking about our R & R vacation, the Fijians have loss of life and flooding of their precious farm fields to deal with. That does put things in perspective.

We hope to receive more updated iknformation as our flight into Nadi nears. . .March 3rd.

OldKiwiGal

TIPS...On arrival at Nadi Airport you'll instantly feel the heat and see the dusty environment. You walk on an outside bridgeway from the plane. Entry is simple, but very hot waiting in line under the fans. There is just one thing to remember - carefully SAVE the TINY little bit of paper they give to you. You MUST PRESENT THIS as you depart Fiji.

TIP.. As you walk pass anyone, they'll greet you by saying or shouting "BULLA" (silent M = MBulla). You reply "Bula". BUL-LA and I think it means Hello.

TIP... to say thank you, say "Vinaka"

TIP... before you pass through Customs, go to Duty-Free and buy large bottles of water, beer or whatever you'll drink in your room and on the beach. This is a money saver. But Fiji is not expensive. A Fiji Bitter Beer costs about the same as a NZ beer. Aussies will probably buy three Fiji Beers to their one Aussie Beer! The exchange rate is good.

TIP.. FOOD. Most Resorts have a variety of Restaurants to suit diferent levels or styles of food. They also have meal plans. Even though you freak out at paying in advance it can work out well. I often pre-order Breakfasts and Dinners and for lunch have french fries poolside - or my own crackers and tinned fish (don't take chicken) in my room. I've also taken tortillas and tinned beans for these lunches. I declare everything at Customs and let them take away the prohibited items. Also take several tins of Pringles Potatoe Chips - they're great to eat on the beach but expensive to buy in Fiji.


TIPS - Shopping. Town shops are for locals. Ex-Pats know where to shop, but it means nothing to the tourist. All the Resorts have shop areas and often have the main tourist oulets. 'Jacks' is everywhere, been round forever and trustworthy. Its the warehouse for tourist gifts. T-Shirts, keyrings, postcards, shell and pearl necklaces, and coconut soap products. I struggle to find anything to buy. With 6 days of pre-purchased meals, then a week in Denarau we spent F$250 over thirteen days.
You can often walk to neigbouring Resorts and look a their shops and eat at their restaurants.

TIP...Food outlets. All the tourist resturants in towns appear to have gone. At Denarau Shopping Centre they have a Supermarket, Pizza, Bakery, Hard Rock Cafe, Chinese, Indian, Fijian, Seafood and so forth. All a good costs, and sitting on the dock watching drinking a cocktails at sunset is special. The Fijians really know their Cocktails - yummy!

TIPs..
Wash hands and drink only bottle water. Evade having ICE in your drinks.


It's a great place for a Holiday; uncrowded and with its own special Magic. I don't know another place on earth like it, however I once meet someone in the pool who said the Caribbean is better for beauty.

tomarkot

Thank you so very much, OldKiwiGal. We intend to print your helpful tips and take them along on our trip. It was so nice of you to take time to share so much valuable information. We're hoping that, for the sake of the Fijians, as well as us tourists, that they get no more severe weather and can get their island back to its former condition. Since we won't be there until early March, we're positive.

It seems that our hotel is fairly far from Denarau, so we wonder if there are stores & restaurants accessible from the Outrigger. We'll just have to play it by ear. Your suggestions for things to carry in are really helpful.

Thanks again for your valuable input!

Kiwi_acct

Hi Tomarkot

I replied to your earlier questions on Outrigger on your other post, but here are a couple of other bits as well.

There is a general store (Very limited stocks but enough for snacks) on the beach next to Outrigger. You can get a beer there as well. The strip the general store is on is the one with a few other smaller hotels/Inns and has a couple of eateries on it.


The tip about picking up supplies at the duty free at the airport is a really good one. In fact all those tips were good, especially the one about the ice.

We do the duty free thing when we go there and will be again next month when we head back to Fiji. (To an outer island not the mainland).

Outrigger is a fair drive from Denarau so I would check the local options first.

Remember Fiji is third world and a bit rough round the edges, the people however are very nice.