12.29.06
Bula Vinaka! Fiji
Bula, from Fiji.
The start of a 5 night holiday (and some work) to The Warwick resort on Fiji’s Coral Coast.
Kevin and Marianna Billington are to be wed at sunset, New Years day, 2007. I couldn’t possibly think of a better place for a wedding. I travelled with Kirst (www.ikirst.com), and the Billington family to the resort.
Our Air New Zealand flight touches down soon after 8am, and the temperature is already cracking 30°C.
Our shuttle whisked us out of the airport, and through Nadi, stopping at a few local idyllic resorts on the waters’ edge.
It was upon leaving Nadi, that the first (and only signs of the coup) was being staged by Bainimarama.
Despite the intense heat, the rolling hills and pasture are saturated in green. It’s in fact the wet season, where the most rain falls in January – something I wasn’t quite looking forward to!
We continued via the bumpy main highway South-East, where the max national limit is 80km/h. – Any faster, and the potholes would blow your tyres, and break your shocks. 😉
Two hours after leaving Nadi, we arrived at The Warwick, with only one thing on mind – going for a swim.
That idea lasted all of two minutes, before I saw my first of many sea snakes…
The kayak however, seemed a much better option.
The rest of the day, was spent in the air-conditioned rooms, and also made our way to the Club Lounge bar, where for the next 5 days, we had our fair share of free cocktails. Kirst and I also met many great guests, travelling mostly from Australia and New Zealand. (please drop a comment by, and say hello).
With lost appetites due to the heat, it was time for our first Fijian tropical sunset…it was to die for.
