Well we arrived in Fiji (via Los Angeles - the airport as full of transsexuals) after 2 flights and 25 hours after leaving Heathrow. First stop was a local hotel to have some breakfast and then onto Port Denerau to catch the Tiger IV and then our shuttle to Tokoriki.....

Arriving on Tokoriki was superb, the boat backs up the beach, shoes off and onto the island to a Fijian welcome with loads of singing and guitar playing (this was to become a theme).

Tokoriki is a small resort island in the Mamanuca island chain North West of the main island of Viti Levu. The resort is quite small with only around 30 Bures so it was never too crowded ! One of the main reasons for going was the diving and the resort had a PADI 5* dive school (Tokoriki Diving) where I did my Advanced Open Water Course. 

As you can see from the photos the weather was great (even in Winter) and it didn't take me long to fall asleep in the sun when I was supposed to be reading the dive course manual. however the occasional seaplane would wake me up to make sure I passed !!

in the evening there was always time for a quiet Fiji Bitter and to watch the sunset...just before going to watch the World Cup with the staff before dinner.... 

Julie took even less time to settle in seeing as how she had been in Fiji for 4 months (hence the suntan). However she never seemed to get bored of taking photos of sunsets.

A couple of times a week was Kava night..... Kava is a traditional Fijian drink made from roots. It has a mild anesthetic effect and after a couple of bowls you can feel your tongue and lips going numb. It isn't the best tasting of drinks (a bit like pepper flavoured dishwater) but after a few bowls (well loads) you sleep really, really well !!!

After our 8 nights it was time to head back to Viti Levu as we had an early flight to Brisbane. So it was back on the Tiger IV, but we did pass Castaway Island on the way back so I got to see where Julie had been working, I think it looks quite nice !! 

watch this space for the next leg of the journey - Cairns and Sydney

This page was last updated on 25 April 2005