Not really much else to say - was fairly boring compared to the rest of the trip but was good to take a week out where we stayed in the one place for a change!
Saturday, 20 March 2010
Good Times!
We spent 8 nights here just having a lazy relaxing time. It was great! We managed to pass our time by relaxing by the pool, snorkeling in the sea and eating!
Not really much else to say - was fairly boring compared to the rest of the trip but was good to take a week out where we stayed in the one place for a change!
Not really much else to say - was fairly boring compared to the rest of the trip but was good to take a week out where we stayed in the one place for a change!
Thursday, 18 March 2010
Our Fancy Digs
Here are some photos from inside our hotel to give you an idea of the standard of the resort. It is night and day compared to most of the accomodation we have stayed in over the past 9 months!
Wednesday, 17 March 2010
Cyclone Tomas!
So here we were thinking that we would be having a week of great sunshine in Fiji when a cyclone decides to head our way! Cyclone Tomas, the biggest to hit the Fiji islands since 1972 which unfortunately killed around 180 people was about to hit Fiji. The country was better prepared this time and the whole of Fiji was under curfews which forced people to stay indoors and all roads were closed. The countries schools and international airport were also closed.
The storm was more than 300 miles in diameter and grew into a huge category 4 cyclone and hammered the northern Fiji Islands with heavy rains and winds of up to 170 mph (275 km). This forced thousands of people to flee their homes into over 100 emergency evacuation centres set up.
Where we were didn't seem too bad, there was very strong winds and some brief torrential downpours but we were still asked to stay in our rooms. We thought ok it's not too bad as we had picked this hotel based on the fact that it had Sky TV and wifi access which we could use to pass our time. This was all fine up until the power got cut off as the cyclone passed over our heads and we were left in complete darkness. The power was off for around 19 hours and with the weather being bad outside we were still supposed to stay in our rooms. However they did have a generator that ran the kitchen and dining room power so they put on a few dvd's but the wind made it hard to concentrate on the film so we went back to our rooms and read books all day!
When the lights and TV clicked back on it was a great feeling and you realise how much you rely on power. Firstly, the shower had no windows and we had to shower in complete darkness and it was also extremely boring being trapped in a dark room all day!
Luckily the storm eventually dissapeared and the skys cleared the next day and we were able to go and enjoy a little bit of sunshine!
The storm was more than 300 miles in diameter and grew into a huge category 4 cyclone and hammered the northern Fiji Islands with heavy rains and winds of up to 170 mph (275 km). This forced thousands of people to flee their homes into over 100 emergency evacuation centres set up.
Where we were didn't seem too bad, there was very strong winds and some brief torrential downpours but we were still asked to stay in our rooms. We thought ok it's not too bad as we had picked this hotel based on the fact that it had Sky TV and wifi access which we could use to pass our time. This was all fine up until the power got cut off as the cyclone passed over our heads and we were left in complete darkness. The power was off for around 19 hours and with the weather being bad outside we were still supposed to stay in our rooms. However they did have a generator that ran the kitchen and dining room power so they put on a few dvd's but the wind made it hard to concentrate on the film so we went back to our rooms and read books all day!
When the lights and TV clicked back on it was a great feeling and you realise how much you rely on power. Firstly, the shower had no windows and we had to shower in complete darkness and it was also extremely boring being trapped in a dark room all day!
Luckily the storm eventually dissapeared and the skys cleared the next day and we were able to go and enjoy a little bit of sunshine!
Bula from Fiji!!
Bula (hello) from the tropical pardise of Fiji! We arrived here on the 13th of March and are here for 8 nights.
Fiji, or the official name of the Republic of the Fiji Islands, is an island nation in the South Pacific Ocean east of Vanuatu, west of Tonga and south of Tuvalu. It is just under a 3 hour flight from Auckland. The country comprises an archipelago of about 322 islands, of which 106 are permanently inhabited, and 522 islets. The two major islands, Viti Levu and Vanua Levu, account for 87% of the population.
Fiji's main island is known as Viti Levu and it is from this that the name "Fiji" is derived, though the common English pronunciation is based on that of their island neighbors in Tonga. Its emergence was best described as follows:
"Fijians first impressed themselves on European consciousness through the writings of the members of the expeditions of Cook who met them in Tonga. They were described as formidable warriors and ferocious cannibals, builders of the finest vessels in the Pacific, but not great sailors. They inspired awe amongst the Tongans, and all their Manufactures, especially bark cloth and clubs, were highly esteemed and much in demand. They called their home Viti, but the Tongans called it Fisi, and it was by this foreign pronunciation, Fiji, first promulgated by Captain James Cook, that these islands are now known."
Pottery excavated from Fijian towns shows that Fiji was settled before or around 3500–1000 BC, although the question of Pacific migration still lingers. It is believed that the Lapita people or the ancestors of the Polynesians settled the islands first but not much is known of what became of them after the Melanesians arrived; they may have had some influence on the new culture, and archaeological evidence shows that they would have then moved on to Tonga, Samoa and Hawai'i.
The first settlements in Fiji were started by voyaging traders and settlers from the west about 3500 years ago. Lapita pottery shards have been found at numerous excavations around the country. Aspects of Fijian culture are similar to Melanesian culture to the western Pacific but have stronger connection to the older Polynesian cultures such as those of Samoa and Tonga. Trade between these three nations long before European contact is quite obvious with Canoes made from native Fijian trees found in Tonga and Tongan words being part of the language of the Lau group of islands. Pots made in Fiji have been found in Samoa and even the Marquesas Islands. Across 1000 kilometres from east to west, Fiji has been a nation of many languages. Fiji's history was one of settlement but also of mobility. Over the centuries, a unique Fijian culture developed. Constant warfare and cannibalism between warring tribes was quite rampant and very much part of everyday life. During the 19th century, Ratu Udre Udre is said to have consumed 872 people and to have made a pile of stones to record his achievement. The ferocity of the cannibal lifestyle deterred European sailors from going near Fijian waters, giving Fiji the name Cannibal Isles, in turn Fiji was unknown to the rest of the outside world.
We did a bit of research and decided to spend our whole time at a hideaway resort on the South coast of the mainland. We didn't realise just how isolated some of these small islands were and some don't even have hot water and elctricity. Others rely on a generator which is only switched on for 4 hours per day. The idea of this putting us off may seem shallow but we didn't fancy not having power and access to clean, warm water to shower in, especially as it would remind us too much of the van in Australia! As well as this we felt we deserved a nice luxurious reward for over 9 months on the road backpacking.
The area we selected was the Coral Coast, which was one of the first areas of Fiji to be developed for tourism and we are staying in our own wee villa with a front garden! The resort has a private beach and there is only one wee tiny village beside us that contains around 20 huts or so from what we can see. The nearest town is around a 45 minute drive away and the nearest hotel is about 1 hours walk so it is completly secluded. We hope to have an amazing week here relaxing and preparing ouselves for the last leg of our tour in the USA!
Fiji, or the official name of the Republic of the Fiji Islands, is an island nation in the South Pacific Ocean east of Vanuatu, west of Tonga and south of Tuvalu. It is just under a 3 hour flight from Auckland. The country comprises an archipelago of about 322 islands, of which 106 are permanently inhabited, and 522 islets. The two major islands, Viti Levu and Vanua Levu, account for 87% of the population.
Fiji's main island is known as Viti Levu and it is from this that the name "Fiji" is derived, though the common English pronunciation is based on that of their island neighbors in Tonga. Its emergence was best described as follows:
"Fijians first impressed themselves on European consciousness through the writings of the members of the expeditions of Cook who met them in Tonga. They were described as formidable warriors and ferocious cannibals, builders of the finest vessels in the Pacific, but not great sailors. They inspired awe amongst the Tongans, and all their Manufactures, especially bark cloth and clubs, were highly esteemed and much in demand. They called their home Viti, but the Tongans called it Fisi, and it was by this foreign pronunciation, Fiji, first promulgated by Captain James Cook, that these islands are now known."
Pottery excavated from Fijian towns shows that Fiji was settled before or around 3500–1000 BC, although the question of Pacific migration still lingers. It is believed that the Lapita people or the ancestors of the Polynesians settled the islands first but not much is known of what became of them after the Melanesians arrived; they may have had some influence on the new culture, and archaeological evidence shows that they would have then moved on to Tonga, Samoa and Hawai'i.
The first settlements in Fiji were started by voyaging traders and settlers from the west about 3500 years ago. Lapita pottery shards have been found at numerous excavations around the country. Aspects of Fijian culture are similar to Melanesian culture to the western Pacific but have stronger connection to the older Polynesian cultures such as those of Samoa and Tonga. Trade between these three nations long before European contact is quite obvious with Canoes made from native Fijian trees found in Tonga and Tongan words being part of the language of the Lau group of islands. Pots made in Fiji have been found in Samoa and even the Marquesas Islands. Across 1000 kilometres from east to west, Fiji has been a nation of many languages. Fiji's history was one of settlement but also of mobility. Over the centuries, a unique Fijian culture developed. Constant warfare and cannibalism between warring tribes was quite rampant and very much part of everyday life. During the 19th century, Ratu Udre Udre is said to have consumed 872 people and to have made a pile of stones to record his achievement. The ferocity of the cannibal lifestyle deterred European sailors from going near Fijian waters, giving Fiji the name Cannibal Isles, in turn Fiji was unknown to the rest of the outside world.
We did a bit of research and decided to spend our whole time at a hideaway resort on the South coast of the mainland. We didn't realise just how isolated some of these small islands were and some don't even have hot water and elctricity. Others rely on a generator which is only switched on for 4 hours per day. The idea of this putting us off may seem shallow but we didn't fancy not having power and access to clean, warm water to shower in, especially as it would remind us too much of the van in Australia! As well as this we felt we deserved a nice luxurious reward for over 9 months on the road backpacking.
The area we selected was the Coral Coast, which was one of the first areas of Fiji to be developed for tourism and we are staying in our own wee villa with a front garden! The resort has a private beach and there is only one wee tiny village beside us that contains around 20 huts or so from what we can see. The nearest town is around a 45 minute drive away and the nearest hotel is about 1 hours walk so it is completly secluded. We hope to have an amazing week here relaxing and preparing ouselves for the last leg of our tour in the USA!
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