New Zealand and Fiji: A little more of the South Pacific

Just in case you were wondering which end of the planet we’d toppled off- we’re in Fiji! And it’s my birthday! Two great things in one! And while today happens to be a rather gloomy rainy day, my spirits are way up there. I am 28-years-old today. 28 feels like such a good age to be- as if 28 years old is the perfect age to represent the amount of knowledge and experience I have gained to make me who I am. Or maybe I just like that it’s an even number. Either way, at age 28, I feel good in my own skin. And everyday I learn more about the person I am, what matters most to me, and the kind of person I aim to be. This travel thing is a great extrapolator of personal growth- I’ve worked out a few things in the last couple of months.

This last month has been truly wonderful- deeply satisfying. Right down to the core of my soul- I have never been quite as relaxed (or quite as tanned). New Zealand and Fiji have been superb.

New Zealand

We left for New Zealand after saying a sad farewell to Australia (and family- our home from home) without plans to return on this expedition. Arriving through customs is always sllllooooooowwww for foreigners and when we arrived in front the customs official started asking me difficult questions such as, ‘what are your plans in New Zealand?’ and ‘what is your name?’ In order to explain my slow responses I told him I was somewhat inebriated on red wine. Despite this, the whole exchange was very friendly and I was not barred from entering the country. 

I find a glass of red on the plane quite enjoyable. Dan and my best flight was an Emirates flight from UAE to Brisbane. It was a massive A380 and the second flight of our trip. We had 4 seats to ourselves. At some point in the flight they served an afternoon snack of mini-pizzas and a choice of beverage. We chose red wine. By the time the cart rolled up the other aisle we’d destroyed evidence of our pizza boxes and received a second helping of wine and pizza. Party in aisle 20 CDEF!

Visa on arrival issued, we entered Christchurch airport at approximately midnight. Our campervan would be ready at 8 AM the next day. Having looked into the matter before, and to spare ourselves the expense and hassle of a taxi ride, short sleep and a return taxi ride only a few hours later; we went looking for the 5 dollar room. The 5-dollar room is a stay-over room at Christchurch airport where for 5 dollars you will be given a beanbag and a blanket and a few hours to sleep before your next departure. We shared the last beanbag and got comfortable on the floor. At 5 AM we were awoken and the room was locked. HRRUMPH. We had hot showers and then passed out in the restaurant area upstairs like a couple of vagrants.

The 5-dollar room

Soon we were home- in our new campervan! Almost an exact replica of the home Jess, Uriel, Dan and I had shared down east coast Australia. We had 7 days to explore NZ’s south island. And what an incredible place it is. New Zealand is easily one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever had the fortune of experiencing. From dormant volcanoes, snow-capped mountain ranges, fjords, rivers, lakes, glaciers to an extensive range of national parks, the drive is hardly boring. New Zealand has been a true, and quite surprisingly, a highlight of our trip.

Our little home

Over the next few days we’d travel from Christchurch to ‘Scottish’ Dunedin, to Wanake and Queenstown and up the west coast back to Christchurch. From there we were to catch a flight to Auckland.  After a food shop we headed into Christchurch centre to get a feel for the place. In February 2011, Christchurch was rocked by a massive earthquake killing 185 people and destroying much of the city’s architecture. An aftershock occurred June 2011 to add to the city’s structural damage. The city is in recovery and is filled with construction sights and builders- quite an alarming number of them. People are working hard to return the city to its pretty natural self.

After an hour of driving we came across a pretty river and decided to take a detour. It turned out to be a DOC- Department of Conservation- sight. Free camping sites and DOC sights are found all over the south island. This makes exploring the south island in a campervan practical and affordable. After a look around we decided to stay! The 3 or so collective hours of sleep on the airport floor had not been particularly restful. After an afternoon nap, we went for a walk on a farm, patted some horses and cooked our first campervan dinner (after washing our hands).

First stop- love this old style campervan 

Gorgeous evening stroll after a nap

We headed to Dunedin next attracted to the sound of a city with Scottish heritage. On arrival, we treated ourselves to beer, cider and a portion of chips or, more accurately, ‘chups’. Over the next week, once a day, we ordered beer- for Dan, cider- for me, and a portion of chups as an excuse to mingle with the locals and watch them in their natural habitat. After walking around funky Dunedin- a largely university town- we headed out to our free camping spot right next to a rugby field and a beach. It’s always lovely to wake up to the sound of the sea.

Just outside of Dunedin

morning view

No shower the night before so we found a private spot and sponge-bathed with heated water - the air was chilly! Bathing with a view :)

On our way to Wanake- reflective view stop

Good picnic spot?

There is an unbelievably large number of sheep in the south island

Most delicious apples of my life!

Free apples! Just kidding :)

Next was Wanake. Wanake is the quieter neighbor of the tourist-packed and built-up Queenstown. Both are gorgeous. Wanake and Queenstown are adventure capitals with a large number of things to do in both summer and winter. We chose to visit the ski slopes known as Cardrona between the 2 towns.  It was my first time skiing, my first time seeing snow(!!), and I was excited. We bought packages that included some lessons and rental gear- Dan chose to snowboard, I chose skis- and we spent the day learning and practicing our new skills. And you know what? I had one of the most exhilarating fun days of my life.

Lake Wanake

Cardrona- waiting for a jump start early evening after our snow day

Fun on skis

Cardrona ski lift

Morning breakfast Lake Wanake

After a few nights in the area including a visit to Queenstown for some beer, cider, and chups we were on the move back to Christchurch. We drove up the West Coast- a stunning (not “OMG that’s stunning” but truly startling) stretch of national forest on either side of us, stopping at Fox Glacier. Fox Glacier is one of 2 glaciers on the West Coast and both Fox and Franz Josef glaciers are, unusually by glacier standards, easily accessible after a short hike. All I can say is ‘wow’!

Fox Glacier 

We made it!

Yes!

Drive from glacier

On our way to Queenstown- windy roads

Modern day shepherding

Last night on the South Island

I seal you!

 Go away

Before we knew it, a week was up, and we were on a plane to Auckland. Rose and Richard, family friends of Dan’s, collected us at the airport. Over the next week the Theunissens made us feel like family- I felt like I’d known them for years. We spent the week relaxing and exploring Auckland city.  

We visited the museum to view the National Geographic wildlife photograph of the year exhibit- amazing, checked out the trendy rainy streets, grabbed a coffee or two at some local eateries and whizzed through the National gallery.  One day, Matt, Dan and I took a ferry out to Rangitoto island- an island formed by volcanic eruptions approximately 600 years ago. We took the 12 PM ferry and needed to catch the 3 PM ferry back if we wanted to avoid camping overnight. Given the heavy rain we definitely wanted to avoid camping overnight. We made it to the top for a cloudy view of Auckland, visited the lava caves and made it back to the ferry with 5 minutes to spare. We rewarded ourselves with takeaway sushi and hot chocolate on the ferry ride home. Bliss.

Roof of National Art Gallery Auckland

Wintry Auckland

Top of Rangitoto

Thanks to our friends Dale and Cathrine, we experienced Auckland at night. One night we ate on Dominion Road at a restaurant that specialized in dumplings. I have never been to a restaurant that focuses its entire menu around dumplings. What an idea! Yum. Later on, at a nearby movie theatre with a bottle of wine, we watched a Kiwi movie called ‘What We Do in the Shadows’. It’s a mockumentary about vampires in Wellington and it is laugh-out-loud hilarious (4.5 stars on Rotten Tomatoes- see it!). We all met up a couple of nights later to visit an art show in a local bar on Ponsonby Road- the bohemian-cum-yuppie central area of bars and restaurants in Auckland where we ate, drank and were generally merry.

This is the sadly the best photo I have of D and C! Easting ice cream at Dessert Dojo. Squeezed into a photobooth next. Good night!

In so many ways, Auckland reminds me of Cape Town. It’s coastal, it’s culturally diverse, there’s so much to do, people drive like maniacs, and a large proportion of the population is South African. At least on the North Shore ;) 

Our last weekend in NZ, the whole family and partners: Rose, Richard, Katie, Matt, Anna, and Ben headed to the Coromandel Peninsula. We spent our time reading by the fire, fishing, kayaking, hiking, swimming, playing backgammon, watching movies, eating delicious food, and generally relaxing and having a good time. The Coromandel is breathtaking and we were blessed with sunny skies. On Saturday we headed out on a short hike to a magnificent beach called Cathedral Cove named for the cathedral-like passage that separates the two ends of the beach. Soon after arriving we all ran into the water for a refreshing and icy swim.

Coromandel- view from the balcony

Cathedral Cove

Rich

Anna and Matt

Danny's beard- love it!

Everyone runs in

Matty

Ben and Katie 

Danny going for the bogen look

We offset this soon enough with a visit to Hot Water Beach at low tide. Here, naturally hot mineral water runs beneath the sand and visitors dig themselves pools and relax in the heated water. While approaching the pools, one could be put off by what appears to be a giant mud bath. Once there, the fun begins. There’s a festive cheer and the pools are hot- sometimes steaming hot if you dig in the wrong place! We had a warm blast then headed home for a late and well-deserved lunch.

Hot Water Beach

Warm in the mud

COWS!

I went for a short run nearby where we were staying. If you've ever been running you might find yourself urgently and unexpectedly needing to go to the loo. Coming over the hill to find this was diving intervention. Relief!

Evening fishing. Matt caught some of our dinner

Katie, Richard and Rose

Sunset Coromandel

On our last night in Auckland, Dale and Cathrine treated us to a delicious home cooked meal, a lovely end to a lovely visit. Two weeks is not nearly enough to explore these 2 islands. We’ll be back.

Fiji

BULA! As they say in Fiji. Welcome. Life. This is the life!

Arriving in Fiji, we were pretty tired. Traveling constantly does that to you. Fiji, with its tropical waters and friendly, energetic people, has been the perfect space for relaxation and recovery at this mid-way point of our trip.

We arrived in Nadi on the main land- Viti Levu- after a full and short flight from NZ. We arrived at our backpackers after helping to push-start the hostel’s airport bus and were greeted with kava – a non-alcoholic drink made from kava or ‘pepper root’ that tastes like spicy tea and numbs your tongue. Kava circles are formed nightly here everywhere we’ve been and consist of a lot of guitars, lots of ‘bulas’ and lots of kava. Rules: Clap 3 times, shout ‘bula’, down your kava, clap again.

The next morning we were picked up, driven to Port Denarau and boarded a boat to Octopus Resort on Waya island of the Yasawa Island group. Wanting to completely relax we booked 11 nights in one place. It was the best decision we could have made and the longest time we’ve spent in one place in over two months.

Port Denarau

For a small fee (an arm and a leg) you can get a lift by sea plane to and from Octopus

Octopus Resort has an excellent business model- it has accommodation for all budgets and the daily meal plan is a required expense. We stayed in a dorm room and experienced all the facilities as equally as the guests in the most luxurious bungalows. This model also ensures a wonderful mixture of backpackers, families, and couples who all eat and ‘play’ together. Octopus both relies on and supports the local village of Nalauwaki which is just over the hill- the staff, most of whom are from Nalauwaki, seem genuinely happy and proud of the affiliation.

The welcome brigade

Our dorm

We spent our time going on hikes, getting up early for yoga classes, sleeping late, eating A LOT of delicious food, snorkeling, night snorkeling, kayaking, reading, playing volleyball, diving, swimming and participating in various nighttime activities. 

Night snorkel

Half-way up guided hike

The top

Rusty the dog- an excellent guide

What is this? we spotted it crawling, SLOWLY, out of a rock pool, tentacles first and into some deeper water where it hid under a rock

Hermit Carb Racing! A bucket of crabs is inverted. First crab to the outer circle wins. (Mind the mountains and the pools!)

Playing around- Kenny. Gisi's 4-year-old son

One day, Dan and I went on a walk along the coast at low tide. We arrived in the next bay and hour or so later. After a (naked) swim on the deserted beautiful beach we decided to head back by land. After a while, we found something that looked like a path and started up. Realizing we needed to make a turn to get back to our resort, we started to Bundubash. We were lost. Now, to put things in perspective, I was only 5% worried about a poor outcome and 95% concerned about missing lunch. Still, missing lunch would be a poor outcome in itself. As we were walking we spoke about how people sometimes eat each other in order to avoid starvation when lost. Dan told me he’d have to kill me if we got more permanently lost. ‘Why?’ I asked, ‘you’re a vegetarian!’ ‘Right,’ he said, ‘more vegetables for me!’ Luckily it didn’t come to that AND we made it in time for lunch.

On Wednesday night is quiz night/talent show- despite Dan dressing in drag (yes!) and my attempt to skull (new word for me: down a drink in one go) sparkling wine (most of which spilled on my chest and head), we did not win. The next week we were prepared. We had a handstand (Tom), a flutist (Mark), and a human pyramid to prove our talents. It also helped that the quiz questions where more or less the same ;).  We won ample ‘champagne’ and a champagne breakfast on the beach the next morning.  

 

Champagne breakfast with this lovely crew: Team 'Waya Think you Gotta a Chance?'

Dan and I have wanted to do our Open Water Diving Certification for ages and we knew Fiji would be a great place to do it. This certification allows you to dive with a buddy to 18 meters. We found the course really interesting and fun. Our Discover Dive that we did in Dubai with Jacks and Ollie in March counted towards our license and so we had 3 beautiful dives in Fiji, a couple of pool sessions, quizzes and an exam. Pretty excited to use this license wherever I am in the world- it’s a tranquil world down there.

The dive shop

Dan and his pet beard

Underwater world

Danny spent ages getting these amazing underwater photos

Finding Nemo?

Octopus was deeply relaxing and we met some wonderful people while there. We’re back in Nadi and will be leaving for the USA tonight. We arrive in LAX and then catch an evening connection to Denver, Colorado. The next part of our trip begins. Vinaka for reading.

Sunset Octopus