Namuka Bay Lagoon Sigatoka

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Bounty Island (Bounty Resort)

Bounty was the most beautiful island of the trip and we really did save the best till last. This island is the true representation of Fiji and was where 'Celebrity Love Island' was filmed. We had a Bure (straw hut) right on the beach with all the luxuries we could hope for! The sun came out for us at last and put a big smile on our faces. The food was 5* and it was a perfect end to our Fijian experience.

So, it was a bit ...

... headed off early to Wanaka, where we would proceed to spend a couple of nights. The drive to Wanaka is absolutely breathtaking, however there are only so many mountains and lakes you can see before the effect wears off slightly. This was compounded by Rob's insistence on stopping every 3 and a half minutes to take pictures.
We arrived in Wanaka safe and sound, and checked out a few hostels, before settling on the Base hostel there, as Ben had some free vouchers ...

... to sleep quite a bit, I arrived in Fiji just after 5 in the morning, that is the morning of the 10th of July as somewhere over the Pacific Ocean I missed out completely on the 9th of July - maybe someone can let me know if I missed anything important.

It then seemed to take an age for the baggage to unload and to clear customs & immigration. i was met as planned by the rep for the travel company I had used to book the accommodation and although I knew ...

... a depth of about six meters we think). It turned out to be really cool, we saw some lovely fish, like a little "Nemo" family, mum, dad and tiny little baby. There was a big chance of seeing some reef sharks, but i think i'm glad we didn't.....i think it would have definetly got me bursting to the surface! We also randomly ran into the first person from home that we've met so far, a guy called Brian Martin from Ashbourne whose ...

... to Auckland and then to Nadi (pronounced Nan-di, as Brandt learned), Fiji. We thought we would have issues with Brandt's ticket, something about paper ticket vs. electronic ticket. Luckily and thankfully, it was all good because we made it to the gate as they started to board. (Oh, FYI - If you're ever in NZ and you're flying domestically and not too far...you do not have to go through any kind of security! Ie: when we flew from Blenhim ...

... is through corporate donations, the Grand Circle Foundation being one. Forty of our group went, and we were divided into four groups of ten. Each group went to a different grade level 1 - 4. Of course, Janet chose the 4th grade class (once a 4th grade teacher, always a 4th grade teacher). The class had 15 or so kids - only for or five were girls. All of the kids had uniforms on, the girls in green dresses, the boys in green sarongs and white shirts. The teacher ...

... in Fiji - 2 tents, a bag of buns and a tray of sausages. Literally, that's it. Before Heath and I had put down our packs, John had set up 2 tents and started a massive bonfire of bamboo and driftwood. Incredible! I picture us camping in Colorado, making multiple trips to and from the cars with armloads of gear, and all the stuff and setup and the extravagant meals and cooking utensils. As the night grew ...

... through, we started following an old dirt road along a farm area, with no view of any hotel/hostel in site. As we're walking along 3 men and a woman are walking towards us. It just so happens to be the owner of Club Masa - Marcus, John who lives at and runs Club masa, Rosa - his partner and assistant, and the New Zealander i mentioned before Justin. They greeted us and asked if we were staying, and then decided who should go back and get ...

... of a bracelet made from pandana leaves don't you know!), a kava ceremony (eeuuuurrrhgghh) and lots of sunbathing. The tan is coming along nicely and I'm already onto my second bottle of suntan lotion and its only been a week! The Fijian people are so friendly and welcoming and its amazing how simple their lives are without all the trappings of material stuff that we take for granted. Food has been generous helpings and really tasty although if I eat another cassava (type of ...

... for three months, previous to that he had been in the military. Lepani has a real passion for Fiji, was willing to answer any questions about the country we had, was extremely friendly, and loved to laugh. I think he spent more time laughing than anything else. As for William, what can I say. Will was a much older tour guide and had been with the tour since the beginning three years ago. Most of the time we couldn't understand what we was saying even though he was speaking in English ...