12.31.06

Fiji – New Years Eve

Posted in General, People, Travel at 6:00 pm by Warren Williams

Recovering from burns over the body, it’s a quiet day in Fiji.

A peaceful sunrise over the calm waters.

Kirst and I took a taxi to the sister resort, the Naviti, just a few kilometres away. A quick cheap feed, and we were back, as that resort didn’t have much to offer, and all the main restaurants were closed in preparation for the big New Years eve celebrations.

Kirst overlooking the pool after another heavy rain shower.

The evening was filled of buffet dinners, music and entertainment.

Marianna and Kev with the final sun of 2006 setting behind.

And what other way to finish off 2006, with a strong rainbow, over the dramatic dusk sky.

12.30.06

Fiji – Day Two

Posted in Animals, General, Travel at 6:00 pm by Warren Williams

The goal of our second day in Fiji, was to climatise to the weather.

Firstly I set my alarm for the sunrise, however somehow slept through it, and the first thing I saw was this:

As you can see, I was well over an hour late!

The rest of the morning was spent in one of the swimming pools, before deciding to try a tandem paddle craft. Bad idea Warren. Bad idea! This resulted in Kirst and myself getting nice and burnt, basically all over.

This led to a quiet afternoon, and round 2 of the Club Room lounge bar and balcony. It was also rainy heavily at this time, and managed to take a few quick snaps of the birds overlooking the drinks and complimentary finger food from the hotel.

12.29.06

Bula Vinaka! Fiji

Posted in General, Landscape, People at 6:00 pm by Warren Williams

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.

12.16.06

Piha – Surfers and Landscapes

Posted in General, Landscape, Sport at 6:00 pm by Warren Williams

Piha, located 40min West of Auckland City is my favourite place to visit. The predominant South-Westerly has shaped Auckland’s West coast over thousands of years, into a rugged but beautiful place.

Here’s just a few from my latest visit there.

12.09.06

Auckland Zoo

Posted in Animals, General at 6:00 pm by Warren Williams

My friend, Kirst (www.iKirst.com) bought us a Friends of the Zoo pass earlier in the year, and been using it every few weeks – Highly recommended, for the cost of only 3-4 entries, and you can use it as often as you like. 🙂

Click for larger image

12.02.06

Wedding – Tom & Kristina

Posted in General, Wedding at 6:00 pm by Warren Williams

A beautiful warm day on 2nd December emerged, just in time for the marriage of Tomisi and Kristina. Wedding was in the rotunda at the Auckland Domain, with some photos at Albert Park, before the reception at Shadows Bar, Auckland University.

I was assisting my friend Dave Wheeler, from Eraser.net.nz, to give a different view, and cover the reception, cake shots and cultural celebrations.

The full gallery can be viewed here