Tuesday 8 Oct – Sabre Day

Tuesday started off bright and early as we headed to Port Denarau to catch our ride for the day—the bright yellow catamaran, Sabre, run by South Sea Sailing. Fi had let us know about this as one of her go-to day trips when hosting guests, so I reached out to the Sales Manager (who some of us had met at a recent Trade Show) and got us booked in.

After a quick check-in, we rushed to get the girls some badly needed new rashies —sunburn from their first snorkelling day had them looking a little too crispy. So, off we dashed to grab those, and squeezed in a super-quick smoothie for Jessie J (because who can say no to smoothies?).

Once aboard Sabre, we were welcomed with drinks—virgin sunsets for the girls, and we settled into our reserved private booth, complete with a bottle of bubbles. After a safety spiel, we were off! Morning tea came out, and the girls, sipping their drinks, were feeling like absolute royalty lounging in the sun.

Sabre sailed us through the stunning Mamanuca Islands, and after lunch (plus two hours of free-flowing beers and wine), we anchored near a dreamy sandbar off Malololailai. The options: swim, snorkel, or hop on a tender to the sandbar or nearby reef. We decided to ease Jessie into things by heading to the sandbar—snorkeling with no flippers and a life jacket made things interesting! She braved the slide off the boat (take one didn’t go so smoothly due to an oversized life jacket, but after a quick switch, she gave it another go!).

Jessie had a blast playing on the sandbar, so we decided to swim out to the reef—well, Craig swam while Jessie hitched a ride on his back, clinging to his snorkel for dear life (which made for quite a lot of water intake on his part)! She got an amazing view of the colorful fish and a coral farm, while Craig did his best to survive her grip. Eventually, the crew called us back to the sandbar, where a chilly bin of drinks was waiting—bliss in a bottle, sipping a Fiji Bitter with toes in the sand.

After snapping a few photos (I couldn’t resist grabbing my phone and heading back to the sandbar), the girls found a starfish, and Craig came over with some other treasures he found while snorkeling. When it was time to return, the tender driver gave Jessie a thrill with a speedy ride around the area—she was absolutely loving it.

As we made our way back to the marina, we wrapped up the day listening to the cheerful (as always) crew entertain us, then finished off with a delicious Fijian dinner at Nadina’s. What a day! I highly recommend!

Thursday 10 Oct – Fiji Day

It just so happened that our stay lined up with Fiji Day (Independence Day!), which meant tons of festive activities at the resort. The team headed down for the opening ceremony, featuring the flag raising—though initially it was raised upside down (oops!), quickly fixed though—and, of course, a giant Fijian flag cake! Sadly, I was feeling under the weather and missed that part.

I slowly made my way down to join the others, who were all geared up for the next activity: isu (flax) basket making. But as soon as I arrived, I knew I needed a doctor. So, we left the girls with Mark and grabbed the “Mighty Picnic” (the car), and Fi drove Craig and me to Lautoka. Fun fact: you can get antibiotics over the counter in Fiji—almost instant relief, hugely because I was dreading called my insurance and trying to find a doctor!

Lautoka is about half an hour west of Vuda Point and is Fiji’s third-largest city. We found a chemist pretty quickly on the main street. Fi parked opposite Churchill Park (where the Drua play their home matches!), and inside the chemist, I met the loveliest pharmacist. She had clearly worked hard to open her own shop, and had the article and photo with her family displayed on the counter —an impressive achievement—and she sorted out the antibiotics I needed. The best part? She was one of the first people ever to spell Jenkinson right on the first try!

With my meds in hand, we had a quick wander around the few stores open (due to the holiday). Fi picked up some “Under Armour” running tops for Mark, and we popped into a couple of supermarkets to search for palusami (taro leaves in coconut cream) for Fi to take home, and I hunted for a snack to take with my pills. We walked away with croissants, but no palusami.

Back at the resort, I took a well-needed rest while Fi found the girls and whisked them off to their hair braiding session. After my nap, I joined them—both girls looking happy with their freshly braided hair (mostly… I think there may have been a few tears due to the tightness of them)—and we made our way to the volleyball competition. Luckily, there was a tent for shade (my antibiotics had ruled out alcohol and too much sun for me). We watched the staff game (First Landing vs Vuda Marina) before Mark, Gracie and Craig jumped in to play. They gave it a really good shot, though we’re not sure who actually won!

After the game, we headed back to freshen up before the dinner celebrations, which featured hermit crab racing (Gracie’s crab won), a traditional lovo feast and some brilliant performances, followed by fireworks to cap off the Fiji Day celebrations. I still have Bula Maleya (the welcome song you will usually see at the airport, and the start of any cultural performance – my favourite Fijian song) stuck in my head. Fun fact – Fijian and Malaysian troops wrote Bula Maleya to mark their friendship and cooperation during WW2 when they were both fighting as members of the British Commonwealth against Japan – Malaysia was know as Maleya at the time. Here is an interesting video with Elvis singing the English version first in 1966 Elvis Island Drums

Friday 11 October – Craig’s Running Adventure

So, Craig decided to go for a run most mornings. I know, right? Who in their right mind would willingly run in that kind of heat? Craig, apparently. On our final day, he took it up a notch with his longest Fiji run yet—just over 7km. And with those 7km came a mini adventure!

First up, Craig found some goats. One of them was stuck in a fence, so kindly, Craig paused his run to free the poor thing. From there, he continued along the tiny train tracks that look like they are meant for miniature trains but are actually used to transport sugarcane.

Next, he ran into a group of dogs who have been ready to give him a hard time daily. Lucky for him, a couple of policewomen were nearby, and they not only helped him navigate the doggy gauntlet but also pointed him in the direction of a beach he could continue running to.

On his way to the beach, Craig spotted two men chilling under a tree with a big bot of Fiji Bitter. “BULA!” they yelled. Craig asked how their Fiji Day had been, to which they replied they were still celebrating. Naturally, they invited him to join. Craig politely declined, letting them know he was sweating out his own Fiji Day celebrations. They gave him a “good on you” and off he went.

Now, on his way back from the beach, Craig bumped into the same policewomen again. They asked if he’d run into two men drinking, and he confirmed he had, mentioning their generous offer. A while later, he noticed a boat being towed away by a tractor from the area where the men had been… Maybe their celebrations had gotten a little too spirited? Who knows!

As Craig headed back, the once quiet dogs decided they weren’t done with him. Clearly, they respect the badge but not the runner! All in all, a pretty eventful run for Craig.

Saturday 12 October – Home Time

For the first time ever, it wasn’t hard getting up at 5.30 for our flight – the combination of still being somewhat on NZ time (an hour ahead), the early light, and the singing birds. Fi kindly drove us to the airport (her flight wasn’t due to depart until 10), we said our goodbyes and headed into the Fiji Airlines Lounge for some brekkie. The last time I’d been in a lounge in Fiji it left a lot to be desired. I can’t remember which lounge it was, maybe it was an old or temporary one, but the Fiji Airlines Lounge of today was an excellent! Great food selection, nice seating, and lovely staff. It was great to get some fresh fruit and pastries in before facing the packet eggs on the plane (I’m a love of plane food, but usually not the breakfasts). One World Lounges usually offer access for a fee, if you don’t have a status or fare type that allows access.

As we arrived over the shores of New Zealand, Jessie informed me that it couldn’t be New Zealand because New Zealand doesn’t have a hook. Fair comment J-Bear.

We arrived home to 19 degrees and sun… perfect way to ease back in. Bags unpacked, lawns mown and dinner cooked by Craig’s mum, plus Sunday to get ready for the week. Perfect. Thank you Fi for a lovely week! Until next time, Fiji! Moce 🩷