Introducing Fiji....... 

The story of 2 contrasting Islands...... out of 330

We arrived in Fiji after a 2 hour delay to our flight. The flight was ok, a laid back approach to flying with no entertainment (broken) and the crew wearing VERY VERY colourful clothing. Sarah made Neil watch his favourite Marvel Comics movie (The Punisher) for the majority of the flight which he took in good spirits and did as told like a good husband should.  Upon arrival, the ground staff were very friendly and we were greeted by people expecting us and ready to provide us with refreshments and onto our hotel. When we stepped outside........ Wow..... The heat really hits you. Had rained in the evening so very humid but had been scorching hot all day before apparently.  

Due to arriving in the evening, it was not possible for us to transfer by boat out to our secluded island so as planned we had 1 night on the main island and in particular in Denerau, a man-made island built for Tourism and for those from overseas as a millionaires playground. We drove past the tiny houses and local villages and into our hotel (the Sofitel) which is 1 of 7 in Denerau. All the big players are here.... Hilton, Radisson, Novotel, etc....... LOTS and LOTS of spoilt teenagers with mummy and daddy's credit card coming and going between hotels. Not really for us this place. 

Saying that, the hotel was lovely, greeted by friendly faces and handed a fruit juice and cooling wipe before being shown to our room. By this time was late evening so enough time to nip out for dinner at the hotel (Sarah chose fresh tuna steak which Neil was very jealous of) and an intimate swim in the pool with night lights and torches aflame surrounding us. Then time for bed..... Another early start planned to transfer to Matamanoa. 

We awoke and were happy to leave the hotel after a lovely buffet breakfast knowing we were moving on to something more intimate. Breakfast reaffirmed our dislike for the location.  The food, the hotel and the staff were wonderful but just too many loud and uncaring people about. Americans!!!! Quite a shock to the system following 2 weeks of only each other in NZ. We found ourselves in a strange place of missing NZ enormously and fearing that our next location may be somewhat similar to Denerau in being over commercialised and over crowded. 

Fortunately, it is not. Matamanoa is exactly what we had wanted when we booked. Our own freedom, our own section of beach, our own stunning view, our own piece of paradise. We have our own bure on the beachfront with a 10 second walk to the beach. Just wait till we show you the photo's of this place!! We were shown to our room where we had a note congratulating us on our marriage and wishing us all the happiness in life with a Fijian proverb. We also were provided with a complimentary bottle of champagne and a fruit platter (combining Sarah and Neil's loves) which were both gratefully received and have since been gratefully demolished. 

We have since spent the day walking hand in hand on the beach, swimming in the crystal clear sea and just relaxing in our hammock or on sunbeds around the pool. Relaxing has been somewhat of a strange sensation for us after a very busy last couple of weeks. Not needing to get up and go anywhere drive a few hundred kilometres is a strange feeling. Rather surprisingly Neil (who can never normally sit down) has adjusted easier than Sarah who is on the point of stealing a boat and plotting a course back to Christchurch determined to help them rebuild after the earthquake!!

Time to make our way for dinner now so our love and goodbyes until we speak again. (Kind of.... I'm sure Sarah's words here would have been 'until Neil bores you all with War and Peace again!!)

Xx