Vern: We landed back in Auckland and picked up the camper-van we'd rented for the month from a company called Jucy. The 'Jucy Crib' is a 1998 minivan which has been converted. The back seats have been replaced with two benches facing each other, under each is storage, and when you slot a plank between these, voila - you have a bed. Facing the back door are a gas-stove, a fridge (think electrified cooler box) and a sink. Even a DVD player is mounted to the back co...

Andrea: The inter-island catamaran made the 5-hour journey back to the main island and dropped us off at Denerau Marina as the sun was setting. We checked into a hostel and spent a quiet evening catching up on email. The next morning the sun was beaming down and we heard a cheerful song playing from tinny speakers out in the street. Ice-cream man, right?! Right? Nope, not right. Garbage men. Well that's certainly a way to get people to bring their trash out, but ...

Vern: We woke up the next morning at Bay of Plenty to an opulent breakfast. Danny had woken up early, cut up a papaya and made fried bread and coconut cream (known as lovo) dumplings. Danny says every Fijian dish is made with lovo and "that's why Fijians are so fat." We actually didn't see many fat Fijians (maybe they hide them from tourists) but Andrea recently read that neighbouring Samoa (with a similar diet) are the fattest nation in the world. Danny said tha...

Vern: Our short time at Bay of Plenty Lodge on Matacawalevu Island was like walking into in a character-driven sitcom set on a tropical cove. A speedboat fetched the two of us and a Spanish couple from the inter-island catamaran, ferried us across a wide bay and beached on a sand bank in front of the lodge. Once again the staff were lined up in bright floral silk shirts to give us a warm Fijian welcome. All two of them. "Ladies and Gentleman, welcome to Bay of Pl...

Vern: Air New Zealand is a swanky airline: The cabin is kitted out in jet-black, you can watch movies on the entertainment system immediately as you sit down, the ice-cream served with dinner is incredible and you can order drinks using the little touch screen on the back of the chair in front of you. Which we did for the novelty aspect and to test the patience of the air-hostesses. They passed. The Health Questionnaire on Fiji's arrival form asked a strangely op...