Our last night in Auckland was spent in a value hotel by the airport. After spending over three weeks in a van, the room felt like a stadium. We settled in early and spent the night relaxing after treating ourselves to delivery pizza.

With a flight at 1pm we headed to the airport in mid-morning to get through the usual tasks of baggage check and security screening. Unfortunately our plane was coming from Hong Kong and was an hour late, delaying our flight by the same amount.

The plane touched down in Nadi, Fiji around 5:30pm and we were greeted with an island band in the arrivals area. We had arranged for a shuttle from the aiport to our accomodations for the night but they were not present when we arrived. After asking the airport information booth about pick-up areas, we decieded that we would have to find our own way there. As Beth went over at the bank machine, a member of the airport informtation booth came over to let me know that they had called ahead and assured me that if we took a cab over, our hotel would pay for the ride. What can I say, we were very impressed with the hospitatlily and courtesy we received from the minute we landed.

As the cab pulled up to our stop we were welcomed by friendly staff and a small Merry Chirstmas banner across the front lobby desk. Walking into the hotel we were greeted by two other couples who were hanging out poolside. I think it took us all of 4 minutes to get into our bathing suits, over to the bar to grab a drink and then into the pool. Nothing like 30 degree weather in December (and I'm talking Celcius). The hotel was equipped with a small restaurant were we enjoyed a good curry and fish and chips. I'm suprised that frog legs weren't on the menu judging by the great number of amphibians that hopped around our feet during dinner.

Our complimentary breakfast was one we enjoyed. Anytime the words, chocolate and cereal are combined, Beth always smiles. After breakfast we packed up and inquired about the best route to the northeast corner of the main island. Our destination today was a place called Betham's Cottages on Nananu-I-Ra Island. My cousin John (aka Johnny Utah) came through with the recommendation.

At twenty to twelve I waved an arm out to the road and the open air bus pulled to a stop. We tossed our bags into an open compartment on the side of the bus and down the road we bounced. Our first stop wasn't too far away, only a few kilometers but hot sun and large backpacks made the bus a wise choice.

When our second open air bus finally came to stop, we loaded up our packs and started for the bus terminal. On the way in we were greeted by a bus driver that said he was headed to the city that we wanted and would watch our bags as we grabbed some essential supplies for our week on the island, specifically groceries and rum. To our suprise, our driver had called ahead to our destination and had arranged a cab for when we arrived. Amazing hospitatliy for travellers. Our cab driver was right on que by calling ahead for our boat transfer to take us to our little cottage on the beach.

We loaded all of belongings onto a 15ft fishing boat and headed out to the island. Our packs seemded rediculously huge with all of our warm weather clothing and camping gear but the embarassment quickly faded into the cool sea breeze. After less than 20 minutes we arrrived on the sandy shores of Nananu-I-Ra.

The walk to our little cottage back to the beach takes as long as you want. We are on island time. Our first was a quick trip. Before I knew it we were sitting in the surf with a stubby beer in hand. Beth and I settled into our new home for the next week in style.

Our bedroom is one of three under one roof, with our own washroom and shower just down the hallway. Out front a large covered patio give entrance to our kitchen which carries basic cooking equipment, a small burner and fridge.

When we first arrived, we were the only guests that the owners had invited to stay. The only other guests being the 75 to 100 crabs that have built there homes in the lawn. They are pretty awesome to watch. There is no fear for us from them because anytime you even look at them too closely the whole lawn explodes in a mass movement of crabs into their individual homes. (Sprinting across the lawn and sneaking around corners to catch them by surprise have become daily rituals.)

With the crabs as our friendly day time guests, the evening is a whole different story. The whole cottage complex runs on a scheduled generator that runs most of the day and turns off at 10pm. It is that this time that the place really comes alive. The covered outdoor hallway between our bedroom and the bathroom is home to a variety of flying and crawling critters. (Mainly moths, mosquitos, other flying bugs but also lizards, spiders and cockroaches.) Beth and I feel like contestants on American Gladiators going through the guantlet every night. Despite our best efforts a few of our outdoor friends make it into room and the chase is on. After 5 nights now, I think I have chased a cockroach out every night except one. We usually leave the gecko's alone to snack on any small bugs that make it in but I did scare one the first night and when he jumped from his perch he bounced off my beard and onto the window ledge, I'm not sure if his shock was greater or mine.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

With high tide arriving daily around eleven, I wasted no time on our second day to explore the nearby bay. As Beth settled into to a shady spot down on the beach with book in hand, I was off into the water with snorkel gear on.

Swimming into the clear blue water just off the beach, I was pretty stoked. I had observed some great patches of coral on the boat ride in and was ready for underwater exploration. The bay is filled with a large variety of corals that provides homes for a large array of fish including orange clown fish, blue starfishes, and a whole pile of others that I can't name but can only describe. Altogether I observed at least 20 different species.

My routine for snorkelling is almost always the same. Load your pocket with bananas and bait the water to get the best views of the fish up close. This is a trick that I learned in the Dominican while on a spring break trip with the boys years ago and used to show Beth some fish up close on our trip to Mexico. Many of the fish that I encountered on this bay were fairly reserved and waited for the food to be dropped. On some snorkelling adventures I've had fish eat right out of my hand.

Exploring coral reefs never stops amazing me. With only a mask and a plastic tube you can transform our world into vastly different colourful space. There is something inspiring about the feeling of weightlessness combined with the new encounter around every corner. The final rush comes from that feeling of helplessness that you get when you look out past the edge of the coral into the deep unending vastness of the open water. I always try to keep to the reef just incase that void space does start to fill with something with bigger teeth than mine.

After snorkelling for a couple hours again in the afternoon, I decided that it was time to make my way back to the beach. With the tide going out, I thought I could sneak through a rocky patch along the far point in the bay. Man was I wrong. Slipping on the rocks, I cut up both my feet and my left hand. Embarrassed, I limped back to see Beth only to find out that her shade tree had not held up. My poor Beth was a brighter shade of red then I had ever seen.

With both of us in mild pain over the next few days due to our injuries we figured it was a sign to slow things down and take it easy. And as good as we are at going, we have also become experts in leisure here.

Over the next 4 days our daily schedule consisted of simple meals, afternoon beers, and short walks to the back beach, to the end of the jetty and sunset point. A good portion of the time was just spent lounging with a good book and multiple dips into the ocean to keep cool. All of this combined with a few rum and pineapple drinks in the evening nursed us right back to full health.

The weather stayed consistantly hot all week and we also enjoyed a few great rainy afternoons and nights.

On our final day on the island, I jumped back in with a snorkel mask for one more look around. Even with hours in the water, the best fish sighting was a 4 foot monster we observed off the dock around sunset. Not to sure if it was a fish or a small shark to be honest. A couple hours out in the water was the perfect way to enjoy the last day. That evening we sat around and chatted with another couple who had travelled to the island that day. They shared stories of living in both Fiji and New Zealand. I must say also that they were very generous in sharing some extra food with us when we were low on our last day.

With only one day left in Fiji, we made our way back towards our hotel near the airport. Before settling in for the night we stopped into the downtown area of Nadi to grab some local cuisine and to do a little shopping. Beth was lucky to find a couple little sundresses which she was very excited about. I must say that she has survived without little complaint with a selection of about 3 shirts over the last 3 months.

On to Australia for Christmas!