Your gorgeous photos of Abel Tasman NP bring back wonderful memories of our visit there as well. Once again, I admire you for doing the hike. By the time we reached ATNP, we were exhausted as it was the end of our 6-week trip. I initially thought we would do the cruise and a hike, but we got lazy and opted for the 4-hour cruise. I love your title "Coastal Bliss". It says it all! And we ate at the Beached Whale, too.
KarenWoo, I'm happy that my report gives you the opportunity to relive some of your happy memories. I am eager to read your report on Romania as it's on my list for the castles.
Shifting Plans
We awoke to pouring rain once more. The rain started overnight and was supposed to go for much of the day. Our plan for the day was to take a tour to Farewell Spit, at the extreme northwest of the South Island. Due to the weather, the tour was cancelled. Such is life.
We had arranged a taxi to pick us up at our apartment in Kaiteriteri to take us to Collingwood for the tour. We proceeded as planned, but directed our taxi driver to take us into Nelson instead. Nelson is named after Admiral Horatio Nelson of Battle of Trafalgar fame.
We spent the day walking around Nelson. Highlights of our time included:
And with that, our 2.5 weeks in New Zealand have come to a close. Even though we had planned to do a lot of walking and hiking, tallying up just the major hikes we've clocked in at 92 kilometers on this trip. When accounting for all the city walking, we've definitely exceeded 100 kilometers or 60 miles, the most if not among the most we've walked in one trip. But the vistas, the experiences, and the interactions we've had along the way were incredible. Even though the weather was wetter than we're accustomed to, the temperatures were largely moderate and pleasant. The people were, as expected, wonderful. We interacted with far more locals than tourists. Other than Rotorua and the thermal parks, we didn't see much of the large-group package tourists. Among hikers we've encountered, Kiwis and Australians aside, we came across the most from the United States, France, Germany, Spain, and the United Kingdom. And the food, as always, was among the best we've had in the world although in hindsight all of our meals outside of Auckland were better than those in Auckland. As with many of our trips, time flew by on this one. But as previous visits we leave with many happy memories and thoughts of returning again. But for now it's onwards to Fiji for three nights before returning home.
We awoke to pouring rain once more. The rain started overnight and was supposed to go for much of the day. Our plan for the day was to take a tour to Farewell Spit, at the extreme northwest of the South Island. Due to the weather, the tour was cancelled. Such is life.
We had arranged a taxi to pick us up at our apartment in Kaiteriteri to take us to Collingwood for the tour. We proceeded as planned, but directed our taxi driver to take us into Nelson instead. Nelson is named after Admiral Horatio Nelson of Battle of Trafalgar fame.
We spent the day walking around Nelson. Highlights of our time included:
- Christ Church Cathedral, an Anglican church with a display of 60 or so Christmas trees decorated by local businesses and organizations;
- Suter Art Gallery, offering exhibitions of local ceramic art and paintings (I really enjoyed the Impressionist works of New Zealand's beautiful landscapes by Juliana Trolove.);
- Queen's Garden, an oasis within the city, with fragrant roses, a stream running through it, ducks in the water, and a miniature Chinese-style garden (KarenWoo, thank you as we learned about this from your report); and
- Botanical Reserve. This is recognized as where the first rugby game was played in New Zealand. We climbed the hill to the top, where the Center of New Zealand monument is located, for incredible panoramic views of the city, the harbor, Abel Tasman National Park, and beautiful mountains. Even with the cloudy skies, the vistas were expansive.
And with that, our 2.5 weeks in New Zealand have come to a close. Even though we had planned to do a lot of walking and hiking, tallying up just the major hikes we've clocked in at 92 kilometers on this trip. When accounting for all the city walking, we've definitely exceeded 100 kilometers or 60 miles, the most if not among the most we've walked in one trip. But the vistas, the experiences, and the interactions we've had along the way were incredible. Even though the weather was wetter than we're accustomed to, the temperatures were largely moderate and pleasant. The people were, as expected, wonderful. We interacted with far more locals than tourists. Other than Rotorua and the thermal parks, we didn't see much of the large-group package tourists. Among hikers we've encountered, Kiwis and Australians aside, we came across the most from the United States, France, Germany, Spain, and the United Kingdom. And the food, as always, was among the best we've had in the world although in hindsight all of our meals outside of Auckland were better than those in Auckland. As with many of our trips, time flew by on this one. But as previous visits we leave with many happy memories and thoughts of returning again. But for now it's onwards to Fiji for three nights before returning home.
Following along on this wonderful trip report. We are going to New Zealand for a month in February, just the North Island as we have relatives in Auckland and friends to visit in the Napier area.
I read my husband your account of hiking the Tongariro Pass and remarked that it didn't sound like something I would be up for so was glad we were not doing that. His reply was "But we are, it's THE best hike in New Zealand!" Okaaay, maybe he is but I don't know about me! Our itinerary is just shaping up. As you know we are just back from Japan, a trip I organized. New Zealand is his job, but maybe I better get involved lol!
Glad you like Hobbittown as we have that on itinerary and we didn't know if it would be hokey or not. It sounds like it is well worth it. We're doing the glow worms cave as well.
I read my husband your account of hiking the Tongariro Pass and remarked that it didn't sound like something I would be up for so was glad we were not doing that. His reply was "But we are, it's THE best hike in New Zealand!" Okaaay, maybe he is but I don't know about me! Our itinerary is just shaping up. As you know we are just back from Japan, a trip I organized. New Zealand is his job, but maybe I better get involved lol!
Glad you like Hobbittown as we have that on itinerary and we didn't know if it would be hokey or not. It sounds like it is well worth it. We're doing the glow worms cave as well.
I really enjoyed reading about your New Zealand trip. And I am equally excited to read about Fiji, which sounds so exotic! I would love to go, but I realize that might not happen at our ages.
Great report! Enjoy Fiji, it’s a fascinating place. Fijians are lovely people.
francebound, I hope you and your husband will enjoy New Zealand as much as we do. Hobbiton is worthwhile. The glowworms are fine but I would not go out of your way.
KarenWoo, thank you. There are plenty of places that I learn from others here, including you.
jennylong5396, thank you. You're lucky to be living in such a beautiful country.
Bula
One of the downsides of travel are travel days. Today we woke up at 2:00 AM for a 3:00 AM trip to Nelson Airport, not realizing that the airport does not open until 5:00 AM. We waited outside the airport entrance for about half an hour before doors opened, and waited another half an hour for the check-in desk to open. Once up and running, things were efficient. We used the Air New Zealand lounge in Nelson while we waited for our flight. The flight from Nelson to Auckland was about 90 minutes, and then it was to our connecting flight to Fiji. Unlike airports in the United States, Europe, and parts of Asia, domestic and international terminals in New Zealand and in Australia are not colocated; in Auckland's case it was a 10-15 minute walk on airport grounds to get from one to the other. Auckland to Nadi, where the main international Airport in Fiji is located, was about 2.5 hours. We arrived around noon and were met by our driver from Xplore Travel and Tours for our day's activities followed by transfer to our hotel on the Coral Coast, located on the southern part of the main island of Viti Levu.
The Garden of the Sleeping Giant is a tropical garden lying on the base of the Sleeping Giant, a mountain laying north of Nadi of volcanic origin. We visited the beautiful gardens. The loop trail featured orchids and other tropical plants, palm trees, lily ponds, and a forest trail leading to a viewpoint offering gorgeous views of the surrounding mountains, valleys, and coast. We spent about an hour enjoying our lush surroundings, although it took us a minute to adjust from 50 degrees Fahrenheit in Nelson this morning to 95 degrees in Nadi this afternoon.
From the Garden we worked our way south and east around Viti Levu. We stopped in the center of Nadi for a look around some of the shops along Queen's Road. Nadi seemed grittier than what we had anticipated; perhaps the splashes of paradise that we associate with Fiji lay behind the gates of the resort where we will be staying, but the true Fiji felt a lot more like that what we would find in a middle to lower income country. We also visited the produce market and the main Hindu temple with its stunning carvings and paintings.
Continuing toward the Coral Coast we stopped at Momi Battery Historical Park for a look around some of the guns installed during the Second World War as a deterrent against Japanese invasion. The real draw, though, is the expansive views of the south coast of Viti Levu, the outlying Islands, and the deep blue Pacific.
From here it was straight to our home in Fiji for the next three nights, the Outrigger Fiji Beach Resort, located on the Coral Coast between Nadi and Suva, the capital city. Along the way, I noticed that the vegetation is not what I would expect for a South Pacific island. Much of the area we were driving through was covered in forest, and the type that we would see near where we live. Nowhere are the swaying palm trees that come to mind when I think about the South Pacific. It is only from the few glimpses of the ocean and /or the interactions with local people that we reminded of where we are. (Note that we are not passing judgment positively or negatively but just making an observation.) The Outrigger, on the other hand, is stereotypical "Fiji". We booked a couple of beachfront bures, or bungalows, which are very comfortable; we enjoyed our first sunset from our patio this evening.
Mountains at the Garden of the Sleeping Giant
Flowers at the Garden of the Sleeping Giant
Hindu Temple in Nadi
Momi Battery Gun
Bures at Outrigger Resort
Fijian Sunset
KarenWoo, thank you. There are plenty of places that I learn from others here, including you.
jennylong5396, thank you. You're lucky to be living in such a beautiful country.
Bula
One of the downsides of travel are travel days. Today we woke up at 2:00 AM for a 3:00 AM trip to Nelson Airport, not realizing that the airport does not open until 5:00 AM. We waited outside the airport entrance for about half an hour before doors opened, and waited another half an hour for the check-in desk to open. Once up and running, things were efficient. We used the Air New Zealand lounge in Nelson while we waited for our flight. The flight from Nelson to Auckland was about 90 minutes, and then it was to our connecting flight to Fiji. Unlike airports in the United States, Europe, and parts of Asia, domestic and international terminals in New Zealand and in Australia are not colocated; in Auckland's case it was a 10-15 minute walk on airport grounds to get from one to the other. Auckland to Nadi, where the main international Airport in Fiji is located, was about 2.5 hours. We arrived around noon and were met by our driver from Xplore Travel and Tours for our day's activities followed by transfer to our hotel on the Coral Coast, located on the southern part of the main island of Viti Levu.
The Garden of the Sleeping Giant is a tropical garden lying on the base of the Sleeping Giant, a mountain laying north of Nadi of volcanic origin. We visited the beautiful gardens. The loop trail featured orchids and other tropical plants, palm trees, lily ponds, and a forest trail leading to a viewpoint offering gorgeous views of the surrounding mountains, valleys, and coast. We spent about an hour enjoying our lush surroundings, although it took us a minute to adjust from 50 degrees Fahrenheit in Nelson this morning to 95 degrees in Nadi this afternoon.
From the Garden we worked our way south and east around Viti Levu. We stopped in the center of Nadi for a look around some of the shops along Queen's Road. Nadi seemed grittier than what we had anticipated; perhaps the splashes of paradise that we associate with Fiji lay behind the gates of the resort where we will be staying, but the true Fiji felt a lot more like that what we would find in a middle to lower income country. We also visited the produce market and the main Hindu temple with its stunning carvings and paintings.
Continuing toward the Coral Coast we stopped at Momi Battery Historical Park for a look around some of the guns installed during the Second World War as a deterrent against Japanese invasion. The real draw, though, is the expansive views of the south coast of Viti Levu, the outlying Islands, and the deep blue Pacific.
From here it was straight to our home in Fiji for the next three nights, the Outrigger Fiji Beach Resort, located on the Coral Coast between Nadi and Suva, the capital city. Along the way, I noticed that the vegetation is not what I would expect for a South Pacific island. Much of the area we were driving through was covered in forest, and the type that we would see near where we live. Nowhere are the swaying palm trees that come to mind when I think about the South Pacific. It is only from the few glimpses of the ocean and /or the interactions with local people that we reminded of where we are. (Note that we are not passing judgment positively or negatively but just making an observation.) The Outrigger, on the other hand, is stereotypical "Fiji". We booked a couple of beachfront bures, or bungalows, which are very comfortable; we enjoyed our first sunset from our patio this evening.
Mountains at the Garden of the Sleeping Giant
Flowers at the Garden of the Sleeping Giant
Hindu Temple in Nadi
Momi Battery Gun
Bures at Outrigger Resort
Fijian Sunset
Mel, the colors are spectacular as are the fine details of the carvings.
Urban Delights, Island Style
We slept very well last night as the beds were the most comfortable of the trip. We awoke to a brilliant sunny morning with the sound of waves lapping against the shore, although even at 6:00 AM, it was already hot. After breakfast at our resort, we were picked up by our driver from Xplore and off we went to Suva, the capital city of Fiji. Most of the activities in Fiji, understandably, focus on the water and water-based activities, so as non-swimmers it limits our options. Water-based activities aside, there are lots of local village tours which we opt against as it seemed too manufactured for us (although we will be going to a cultural performance tomorrow night). This is how we decided on Suva.
The drive from our hotel to Suva took about two hours. Most of the trip hugged the coastline, although views of the palm-fronted oceanfront views were minimal as most of the drive is further inland, with trees on both sides of the road; the vegetation on this part of the island though looks more tropical.
We started our exploration of Suva from the municipal market, mixing and mingling with the locals going about their daily shopping. We also walked through the local handicrafts market and a little bit of the shoreline before strolling down Victoria Parade, the city's main drag. Along the way we passed by several historic buildings from the early 20th century, stopped by the Grand Pacific Hotel for a cup of coffee, and wandered through Thurston Gardens. We also visited the Fiji Museum. The museum offered excellent displays about the history, culture, tradition, and arts of the indigenous Fijian people as well as the story of the Indian, Chinese, and other Pacific peoples in Fiji. The visit allowed us to learn more about the place we're visiting in a short amount of time. We also wandered some of the back streets of Suva and popped into a couple of churches, including the main Catholic cathedrals, enjoying some of the hymns sung in Fijian. We ate a quick lunch at one of the large shopping malls in the area and did some shopping. What stood out most from our time in Suva was the incredible warmth of the Fijian people. When walking around, almost everyone without fail greeted us, asked how we were doing, welcomed us to their country, and some struck up conversations with us; we probably exchanged "Bula" more than one hundred times with locals during our short visit. This kindness has extended to every place we've visited so far in Fiji.
For dinner tonight, we ate at The Crab Shack, down the beach from our resort. As the name implies, we ate Fijian mud crab as well as prawns, mussels, and fish and chips. The restaurant is set up on picnic tables outdoors right next to the beach. What an awesome meal it was.
Produce at Suva Municipal Market
Old Suva Town Hall
Fijian Government HQ
Fijian Drua
Sacred Heart Cathedral
Urban Delights, Island Style
We slept very well last night as the beds were the most comfortable of the trip. We awoke to a brilliant sunny morning with the sound of waves lapping against the shore, although even at 6:00 AM, it was already hot. After breakfast at our resort, we were picked up by our driver from Xplore and off we went to Suva, the capital city of Fiji. Most of the activities in Fiji, understandably, focus on the water and water-based activities, so as non-swimmers it limits our options. Water-based activities aside, there are lots of local village tours which we opt against as it seemed too manufactured for us (although we will be going to a cultural performance tomorrow night). This is how we decided on Suva.
The drive from our hotel to Suva took about two hours. Most of the trip hugged the coastline, although views of the palm-fronted oceanfront views were minimal as most of the drive is further inland, with trees on both sides of the road; the vegetation on this part of the island though looks more tropical.
We started our exploration of Suva from the municipal market, mixing and mingling with the locals going about their daily shopping. We also walked through the local handicrafts market and a little bit of the shoreline before strolling down Victoria Parade, the city's main drag. Along the way we passed by several historic buildings from the early 20th century, stopped by the Grand Pacific Hotel for a cup of coffee, and wandered through Thurston Gardens. We also visited the Fiji Museum. The museum offered excellent displays about the history, culture, tradition, and arts of the indigenous Fijian people as well as the story of the Indian, Chinese, and other Pacific peoples in Fiji. The visit allowed us to learn more about the place we're visiting in a short amount of time. We also wandered some of the back streets of Suva and popped into a couple of churches, including the main Catholic cathedrals, enjoying some of the hymns sung in Fijian. We ate a quick lunch at one of the large shopping malls in the area and did some shopping. What stood out most from our time in Suva was the incredible warmth of the Fijian people. When walking around, almost everyone without fail greeted us, asked how we were doing, welcomed us to their country, and some struck up conversations with us; we probably exchanged "Bula" more than one hundred times with locals during our short visit. This kindness has extended to every place we've visited so far in Fiji.
For dinner tonight, we ate at The Crab Shack, down the beach from our resort. As the name implies, we ate Fijian mud crab as well as prawns, mussels, and fish and chips. The restaurant is set up on picnic tables outdoors right next to the beach. What an awesome meal it was.
Produce at Suva Municipal Market
Old Suva Town Hall
Fijian Government HQ
Fijian Drua
Sacred Heart Cathedral
Dunes and Dance
We woke up to a rainy morning but it didn't deter us as we expected it to come in brief periods throughout the day today. Unfortunately, however, we made a mistake in one of our advanced bookings. Our agenda for this morning was supposed to be a modified bike-pedalling trip along abandoned railway lines on the south coast, with an outfit called Ecotrax. In the midst of sorting all of our advanced bookings, we somehow mixed up the dates for our Ecotrax excursion, thinking it was today when we had booked it for yesterday. Ecotrax did contact us when we were a no-show yesterday morning, but at that time, we were already too far away to have made our appointment. The representative at Ecotrax tried to accommodate us this morning but simply couldn't; it's a popular excursion and gets booked out months in advance.
As it was still early (7:30 AM), we decided to head to Sigatoka town not too far from our resort for a walk around the morning marker. The same produce was for sale that we saw in Nadi and in Suva, so it wasn't very interesting. After a brief stop in town, we went to Sigatoka Sand Dunes National Park, Fiji's only national park. Sigatoka Sand Dunes is the only dry sand forest is the South Pacific. There are two trails for visitors to choose: an one-hour trail or a two-hour trail. We chose 2. The trail started with an ascent through forest to a grassy plateau with views of the nearby mountains as well as the sea. From there, the trail continued until we reached the sand dunes. The climb up the dunes was simple as the sand was not very slippery and the climb up was short. At the top of the dunes, in addition to the sandy expense, we were afforded views of the Sigatoka River Valley below. The valley is known as the salad bowl of Fiji for its produce. We wandered about the dunes for a bit and walked down to the beach for a stroll along the long stretch. We didn't see anyone else on the stroll except for 3 people toward the end point. From there it was a short walk through forest again. We really enjoyed the visit.
From the sand dunes we made our way to Kula Wild Park. We chose it as there are a limited number of activities available on the island and wanted something to do rather than sit in our rooms. There is a section of the park that is more of a zoo with different types of local birds, a forest walk, zip lines, and water slides for kids. We did not partake in the latter two. We spent about an hour in the park before heading back to our resort, across the street from the park.
We ate lunch at our resort, lounged around for a bit (it was raining hard for part of the afternoon), and finished packing for the trip home tomorrow. Tonight we ended our visit to Fiji with a trip to Likuri Island, marketed as Robinson Crusoe Island, for a cultural performance and dinner. We were picked up at our hotel at 4:00 PM by a motorcoach for the one-hour trip to the jetty. There we checked in again, were given wristbands, and were placed on a not-so-comfortable, overcrowded boat sailing down a mangrove-lined river and out to sea, to Likuri Island, located off the coast of the main island Viti Levu. The ride took another hour. On the island, we witnessed a welcoming kava ceremony, an explanation of how the food was prepared in an underground earth oven called a love, and was entertained with song and dance during dinner. While a few numbers were good, much of the South Pacific variety show felt inauthentic. Instead of focusing on Fijian song and dance, the production chose to go around the islands although what was represented as Hawaii and New Zealand Maori resembled nothing like the movements we saw in either place. Even the Samoan fire dancing, while interesting in the beginning, became hokey and boring as the segment progressed. The evening concluded at 9:00 PM, followed by another 2 hours back by the same overcrowded ferry and motorcoach.
Sigatoka Sand Dunes
More Dunes
Sigatoka Beachfront
Kava Ceremony
Digging Up the Lovo
Fijian Dance
Fire Dancing
Fire Dancing
This concludes our time in Fiji. We felt that activities in Fiji are limited for people like us who are not water enthusiasts and not keen on lounging around at the beach or our resort. Other than water-based activities, the other options centered around manufactured village visits. Even with only 2.5 days on the main island, it seems we've experienced all that there is to experience. That said, Fiji was fine as a stopover for our main destination - New Zealand. We appreciated learning about a different culture. But what made Fiji most memorable is the incredible warmth of the Fijian people; we really enjoyed interacting with them and being among them.
Tomorrow we fly home via Auckland and New York. We feel incredibly fortunate to have been able to return to a place we really love and an opportunity to discover a place that is new to us. Until the next one, thank you for joining us.
We woke up to a rainy morning but it didn't deter us as we expected it to come in brief periods throughout the day today. Unfortunately, however, we made a mistake in one of our advanced bookings. Our agenda for this morning was supposed to be a modified bike-pedalling trip along abandoned railway lines on the south coast, with an outfit called Ecotrax. In the midst of sorting all of our advanced bookings, we somehow mixed up the dates for our Ecotrax excursion, thinking it was today when we had booked it for yesterday. Ecotrax did contact us when we were a no-show yesterday morning, but at that time, we were already too far away to have made our appointment. The representative at Ecotrax tried to accommodate us this morning but simply couldn't; it's a popular excursion and gets booked out months in advance.
As it was still early (7:30 AM), we decided to head to Sigatoka town not too far from our resort for a walk around the morning marker. The same produce was for sale that we saw in Nadi and in Suva, so it wasn't very interesting. After a brief stop in town, we went to Sigatoka Sand Dunes National Park, Fiji's only national park. Sigatoka Sand Dunes is the only dry sand forest is the South Pacific. There are two trails for visitors to choose: an one-hour trail or a two-hour trail. We chose 2. The trail started with an ascent through forest to a grassy plateau with views of the nearby mountains as well as the sea. From there, the trail continued until we reached the sand dunes. The climb up the dunes was simple as the sand was not very slippery and the climb up was short. At the top of the dunes, in addition to the sandy expense, we were afforded views of the Sigatoka River Valley below. The valley is known as the salad bowl of Fiji for its produce. We wandered about the dunes for a bit and walked down to the beach for a stroll along the long stretch. We didn't see anyone else on the stroll except for 3 people toward the end point. From there it was a short walk through forest again. We really enjoyed the visit.
From the sand dunes we made our way to Kula Wild Park. We chose it as there are a limited number of activities available on the island and wanted something to do rather than sit in our rooms. There is a section of the park that is more of a zoo with different types of local birds, a forest walk, zip lines, and water slides for kids. We did not partake in the latter two. We spent about an hour in the park before heading back to our resort, across the street from the park.
We ate lunch at our resort, lounged around for a bit (it was raining hard for part of the afternoon), and finished packing for the trip home tomorrow. Tonight we ended our visit to Fiji with a trip to Likuri Island, marketed as Robinson Crusoe Island, for a cultural performance and dinner. We were picked up at our hotel at 4:00 PM by a motorcoach for the one-hour trip to the jetty. There we checked in again, were given wristbands, and were placed on a not-so-comfortable, overcrowded boat sailing down a mangrove-lined river and out to sea, to Likuri Island, located off the coast of the main island Viti Levu. The ride took another hour. On the island, we witnessed a welcoming kava ceremony, an explanation of how the food was prepared in an underground earth oven called a love, and was entertained with song and dance during dinner. While a few numbers were good, much of the South Pacific variety show felt inauthentic. Instead of focusing on Fijian song and dance, the production chose to go around the islands although what was represented as Hawaii and New Zealand Maori resembled nothing like the movements we saw in either place. Even the Samoan fire dancing, while interesting in the beginning, became hokey and boring as the segment progressed. The evening concluded at 9:00 PM, followed by another 2 hours back by the same overcrowded ferry and motorcoach.
Sigatoka Sand Dunes
More Dunes
Sigatoka Beachfront
Kava Ceremony
Digging Up the Lovo
Fijian Dance
Fire Dancing
Fire Dancing
This concludes our time in Fiji. We felt that activities in Fiji are limited for people like us who are not water enthusiasts and not keen on lounging around at the beach or our resort. Other than water-based activities, the other options centered around manufactured village visits. Even with only 2.5 days on the main island, it seems we've experienced all that there is to experience. That said, Fiji was fine as a stopover for our main destination - New Zealand. We appreciated learning about a different culture. But what made Fiji most memorable is the incredible warmth of the Fijian people; we really enjoyed interacting with them and being among them.
Tomorrow we fly home via Auckland and New York. We feel incredibly fortunate to have been able to return to a place we really love and an opportunity to discover a place that is new to us. Until the next one, thank you for joining us.
Mel, you're welcome. I've learned so much from you about New Zealand over the years, and am glad to share our own love of the place with you and others.
Tripplanner001, thank you so much for taking the time to write such an interesting report and posting so many gorgeous and interesting photos. I really enjoyed reading about Fiji. And it's wonderful that you are honest about your observations, the dinner/dance show, and the village visits. You didn't glorify everything. And it's not negative or positive as you say, just your honest observations and experiences.
PJTravels, you're welcome.
KarenWoo, you're welcome. I try to offer as authentic an account as possible. As we know, not everything goes to plan in our travels. Every now and again, though, something that went wrong could lead to something else more rewarding and memorable.
KarenWoo, you're welcome. I try to offer as authentic an account as possible. As we know, not everything goes to plan in our travels. Every now and again, though, something that went wrong could lead to something else more rewarding and memorable.
Thanks so much Tripplanner! I’ve enjoyed your TR & photos enormously.
I’ve been to Fiji 5 or 6 times, repeat trips because I have friends who live there either all or part of the year.
I do drive and at one time had a good friend who was a Columban Priest in the hinterland at Ba, which gave me a view of Fiji I would never have otherwise had. Including a first hand cava sampling session with him & some of his old
Rugby mates.
I was privileged to visit a boarding school, several people’s homes and also did some diving which was fantastic.
Generally speaking I agree with you though, if you’re not into water based activities and do t have access to the “ off the beaten track” places, or know people there, I think 3-4 days would be plenty. You’re right about the warmth of the Fijian people - they are just lovely and have a way of making you feel comfortable and welcome.
thanks again for your wonderful TR - and I look forward to seeing more e of your travels.
I’ve been to Fiji 5 or 6 times, repeat trips because I have friends who live there either all or part of the year.
I do drive and at one time had a good friend who was a Columban Priest in the hinterland at Ba, which gave me a view of Fiji I would never have otherwise had. Including a first hand cava sampling session with him & some of his old
Rugby mates.
I was privileged to visit a boarding school, several people’s homes and also did some diving which was fantastic.
Generally speaking I agree with you though, if you’re not into water based activities and do t have access to the “ off the beaten track” places, or know people there, I think 3-4 days would be plenty. You’re right about the warmth of the Fijian people - they are just lovely and have a way of making you feel comfortable and welcome.
thanks again for your wonderful TR - and I look forward to seeing more e of your travels.
Bokhara2, you're welcome and glad to see you here. Hope you're doing well these days. Our first trip back to Australia was to Sydney for Australia Day this past January; it was our first time there for the occasion but we had such a good time.
January is great time to be in Sydney, Tripplanner. Festival of Sydney with so much happening, summer holidays means CBD accommodation is usually a little less expensive - and well, summer in Sydney! What's not to like? Plus for you at the moment, great FX rate advantage.
I was talking to a friend in Italy about you & your group just this week. He would like to come to Australia for a month, but thinks he would be forced into doing "big bus tours" because he doesn't drive. I sent him a link to your Trip Reports & told him about another frequent visitor from Edinburgh who posts on Trip Advisor. She doesn't have sufficient vision to drive & has visited more places in Australia than many Australians in nearly 30 trips over 20 years. I met her some years ago & we've become great friends. I join her on part of her trips and we do a "roadie", which adds a few places she'd otherwise not be able to get to with private drivers & small group tours - and adds some interesting places to my local wanderings too.
It seems to me that you and she have nailed it in terms of great forward planning, clarity about prioritising what you really want to do & see - and paying for the means to get there. Australia & New Zealand aren't cheap destinations, but as you so eloquently highlight - it's worth it and can be done if you do your homework. I was going to say you have more homework to do than those of us who just fly in, hop in a car & zoom around - but from what I've seen of AM's - that extra homework results in a much better researched trip than most, so it pays dividends. Good ROI, you might say
All the best to you & yours for the festive season & I hope 2026 brings you good health & interesting travels.
I was talking to a friend in Italy about you & your group just this week. He would like to come to Australia for a month, but thinks he would be forced into doing "big bus tours" because he doesn't drive. I sent him a link to your Trip Reports & told him about another frequent visitor from Edinburgh who posts on Trip Advisor. She doesn't have sufficient vision to drive & has visited more places in Australia than many Australians in nearly 30 trips over 20 years. I met her some years ago & we've become great friends. I join her on part of her trips and we do a "roadie", which adds a few places she'd otherwise not be able to get to with private drivers & small group tours - and adds some interesting places to my local wanderings too.
It seems to me that you and she have nailed it in terms of great forward planning, clarity about prioritising what you really want to do & see - and paying for the means to get there. Australia & New Zealand aren't cheap destinations, but as you so eloquently highlight - it's worth it and can be done if you do your homework. I was going to say you have more homework to do than those of us who just fly in, hop in a car & zoom around - but from what I've seen of AM's - that extra homework results in a much better researched trip than most, so it pays dividends. Good ROI, you might say
All the best to you & yours for the festive season & I hope 2026 brings you good health & interesting travels.
Bokhara2, thank you. Best wishes to you and yours as well. And as you said, the planning is well worth it.
New Zealand is amazing for walking and hiking. And Fiji is a nice change of pace.
