New Year in New Zealand

Karl jumps for joy on New Year's Eve, Lake Wanaka

It's been a while since this blog was up to date. I need quite a few more rainy days (rainy days= laundry, internet and shopping)  to blog about our tramping and kayaking over the last couple of months here in New Zealand's South Island, and just when I think we'll be van-bound by the weather, the sun comes out! So I'll start with the festive season, and hopefully be able to fill in the gaps and write some more about what we've been doing in time, weather dependent.. 

Summer Christmas parade

Christmas was about as unchristmassy as we expected. The Kiwis do try, with 'I'm dreaming of a white Christmas' (keep dreaming!) playing in the shops, Christmas pudding and mince pies for sale alongside barbecues and paddling pools, and supermarket cashiers handing out candy canes, smiling from underneath their santa hats. But Christmas and summer just don't go together! We picnicked by the river watching an advent parade in Nelson, girls dancing in summer 'Miss Santa' dresses and a band playing, but really we were fantasising about snow, mulled wine, roast potatoes, brandy butter and all the rest! Sadly our little camping stove was not going to be up to a roast dinner.

Camping on Mount Fox with a view of the southern alps

For us, this unusual Christmas began up a mountain, and ended on the beach. We climbed Mount Fox in Westland and camped at the summit, waking up for sunrise from the ridge on Christmas eve, with views right over the Fox glacier rising to the high and impressive Mount Cook and Mount Tasman, while the other way farmed flats far below led to the long grey beaches and breakers of the west coast. There were 4 of us wild camping up there on the mountain top- Karl and me, and a couple we met and shared a beautiful summit sunset with- Ian and Tess. It turned out to be one of those remarkable 'small world' things that happen when you're travelling- half way through the evening we found out that Ian and Tess were UK vets, having graduated the same year as me but from Glasgow, and sharing many mutual friends. They're working out here, and we'll hopefully meet up again.

Christmas on the beach

For Christmas day itself we wanted to relax and headed to the small coastal settlement of Okarito, where the community run a little campsite tucked behind the dunes. It was a very nice spot and we didn't move for a full 2 nights. Starting with a champagne breakfast, we made it as far as the beach for a lunch time picnic and spent the afternoon playing monopoly just as everyone does on Christmas day. Finally, cheese and crackers and Christmas cake were eaten around the fire, under the stars and after the sandflies had gone to bed. It was a very relaxing day, although Karl couldn't resist the temptation to go for a little surf...

Karl's perfect Christmas!

Christmas Day breakfast

Cold dip in the Young river

On Boxing Day we left the west coast and travelled to Mount Aspiring National Park in the southern alps, an area so rich in amazing mountain scenery that we're still exploring it  now. We began with a 2 day tramp, the Gillespie Pass circuit, walking up a river as turquoise as the shallows of Fiji to a fantastic camp spot high in the valley. There were views of waterfalls plunging down the cliffs that rose above a forest of mountain beech, and a warm wind blew through the long grass. We'd not met another tramper all day, although the scenery and walking was stunning. If it wasn't for the sandflies swarming around us and flying into our faces, it would have been absolutely perfect. The next day we climbed to a pass below the inappropriately named Mount Awful and it's steep snow covered face. The head of the valley was beautiful, with the winding river framed by the rocky cliffs of a cirque. The crystal clear water was irresistable and we had to swim in it, but wow, was it cold!

A good river crossing....

...and like drowned rats at the same river 2 days later

The next day our time in the water was not so voluntary. As with many tramps in New Zealand, the route crossed a wide river without a bridge. We knew this one could be a tricky crossing, but hadn't counted on the river being quite so swollen after just a day of light rain. The warden we met in a hut up the valley said she doubted we'd be able to get across, and advised we organised a speed boat to ferry us back instead, at a cost of £90. To avoid spending that kind of money we were prepared to build a raft, swim or even get washed down the river all the way to the sea! The crossing turned out not to be too bad at all- fast and waist deep, but we shuffled our way slowly through it, hardly even noticing the cold as we grasped onto each other and used our poles for balance. We were totally soaked now of course, so the last few hours of torrential rain didn't make much difference as we squelched along in our boots, shivering in wet waterproofs and being stared at by the sheep. Tramping in New Zealand has lows as well as highs.

Lovely Lake Wanaka

After getting such a thorough drenching, we turned up in lake side Wanaka ready for some town time. It was very much high season in one of the most touristy towns in New Zealand, but that didn't detract from the beauty of Wanaka's setting. The shingle beach and willow trees on the shore of the town's lake were backed by views of green hills leading to spiky ridges and snow capped mountains. It was the first place in New Zealand we experienced a traffic jam, the streets were packed with holiday makers, and there were noisy jet skis on the lake, but despite all of this we found ourselves loving it. Wanaka is actually the first town in this country where we could really see ourselves living. There was a cool vibe and a very active, outdoorsy population, from trendy mountain bikers to the middle aged ladies of the lake swimming club. 

Outdoor concert for New Year's Eve

New Year's Eve was spent here at Wanaka's street party, where a stage had been rigged for bands to play on the lake shore. We were well above the average age, with half of New Zealand's population of school leavers having made their way to Wanaka for post-exam partying. The campsite felt like a school summer camp, with bathrooms full of teenage girls sharing make up and discussing outfit choices. They all went out in tiny dresses despite the weather, which wasn't very summery with gale force winds and rain forecast. Karl and I got into the town's party spirit and danced the new year in on the street, albeit wearing waterproofs. The rain started just a few minutes after midnight, perfectly timed for the end of the firework display, and carried on pretty much non stop for the first 2 days of the year.

Warming up with port after New Year's Day swim

We had promised ourselves, when the weather had been better, that we would see in New Year in the UK (at 1 pm on New Year's Day for us) with a swim in the lake. It was windy, rainy and freezing in the water, but we saw it through- counting down to the new year in the waves before running back up the shore to the warming mugs of port we had waiting at the van.

Monopoly in the van

After that, there was just one thing to do in the rain in Wanaka. The cinema here was incredibly cool and couldn't be missed, an art house spot filled with sofas and retro cars. The film had an introduction by the enthusiastic staff and an intermission for them to serve cookies still warm from the oven and home made ice cream in flavours like 'cointreau and date'. Watching the film from our own comfy sofa as we munched on cookies was the perfect way to spend a rainy New Year's Day.

After another rainy day and a couple more games of monopoly (I'm still unbeaten in 2013...) we woke up to blue skies and snow on the hills! Very unusual for this time of year, the ridge we'd climbed up in sunshine just a few days ago was plastered, while the hillsides around the lake all had an icing sugar dusting. 

The lake shore, Wanaka

View from our tent on French Ridge

We rented ice axes from an outdoor store, and headed up a valley to start the climb to Mount French in the Mount Aspiring group. Sadly the weather didn't hold and we ended the day in a horizontal hail storm. I was soaked through, my fingers weren't working and my feet were painfully cold (after another river crossing) as we desperately looked for somewhere to pitch our tent on the ridge's rocky, boggy and tussocky ground. We settled for a rocky, boggy and tussocky bit of ground and crawled into the tent. Possibly the worst conditions I've ever camped in, and another of those tramping lows.

French Ridge hut....

....and it's toilet with a view!

The next day more than made up for it. French Ridge was beautiful, and we climbed up in suberb high mountain scenery to reach the red metal bunker of the mountain hut. The hut was perched on the ridge just below the snowline, where ribbon waterfalls fell over huge granite cliffs and with views up to the crevasses and seracs of the glacier that led to Mount Aspiring itself. We pitched our tent on the only flat spot, a room with a view; right on top of a cliff that dropped far into the valley below. That afternoon we began our explorations above the snow line. The view was incredible and just got better and better as we climbed loose rock and snow slopes towards the Quarterdeck glacier. A cornice teetered precariously, beautifully curved into a smooth, overhanging wave of snow along the ridge. We watched small avalanches fall from the 'breakaway' glacier as clouds came in and out, one minute billowing over the peaks, the next below us and then suddenly obscuring the view in a white out before it all re-emerged, sparkling in the sunlight. We kicked steps up the snow, sinking into the slush or crunching across icy patches. It was an amazing place to be, surrounded by so much alpine splendour. The Quarterdeck rose as a ramp of snow and ice to the summit of Mount French a few hundred metres above. It didn't look difficult, but there were enough crevasses to make it foolish to continue any further up onto the glacier without a rope (we can rent ice axes and crampons here, but nowhere will rent out a rope), so we reluctantly turned our backs on the summit to return to the hut. There was a really nice bunch of trampers and climbers staying there with us that night- representing England, Scotland and Ireland, and even a few from New Zealand! We spent a lovely evening chatting and cooking, and yet another of the party turned out to be a vet, working in Glasgow and keen to help me out with contacts for the impending return to work!

Above the snowline on French Ridge

Cooking by the river

We walked out from French Ridge with a very warm summer wind blowing down the valley and the snow all disappeared from the hillsides. It sometimes seems to be a different season every day here (I'm writing this in torrential rain!). We swam in the river with new friends Suzanna and Johnny and set up camp on the soft, dry, and flat grass beside the shore. Cooking on the beach of the river, we watched saucer shaped clouds, tinted pink in the dusk, race across the mountain tops, and life felt very good.

2012 is going to be a very hard year to beat, but the first week of 2013 is doing a pretty good job!

We hope you've enjoyed reading our blog this last year, and wish everyone a very happy, healthy and fun-filled New Year.

Harriet

One long weekend

Watch out for the Kiwis!

New Zealand was always going to be the final destination of our world trip. After just about a year of travelling, and quite a few diversions along the way, we made it! It's somewhere that we both always knew we would enjoy and wanted to give a lot of time to. In fact, our original plan was to come and live and work here for a few years. When commitments back home shortened our planned trip (yeah, yeah- 18 months is still a long time!) we decided to drop the work part (d'oh!) and just come and enjoy as much time as we could here- about 4 months, conveniently timed over the southern hemisphere summer. We wanted to end our travels with time devoted to everything we love to do at the weekend back home- camping, hiking, kayaking, surfing, and spending as much time outdoors as possible. Basically, one long weekend!

Our home

First of all we needed to get kitted out, starting with a van that we could call home for the summer. It took 3 days, mostly spent trawling the internet in Christchurch library, to source 'Van Helsing', which we bought on Halloween from some French snowboarders. We had debated getting a car, and got as far as viewing a couple,but are so glad we went for a van and the relative luxury that goes with it. Van is perhaps a generous term for a converted Nissan Serena '93 people carrier, but we can sleep in it, sit in it, store our growing amount of stuff,and cook just outside it. With any luck, we'll also get most of our money back when we sell it.

Karl modifying the van

Like all good weekends, our time in New Zealand started with some DIY. The van had been converted, but we had lots of ideas for improvements to make our life that bit more comfortable. It's a little odd to arrive in a new country and spend the whole first week in garages, DIY stores and home improvement warehouses, but it was well worth it as we are now able to sit inside with a hurricane lantern glowing on a little table, freshly painted wooden benches, everything packed away in crates and lockers, bright and comfortable bedding and even a drinks cabinet! We really love the independence our own vehicle has brought us, and without spending too much money we have everything we need to enjoy life here. It's a completely different way to see a country, and we haven't had to get public transport or pay to stay in a hostel since those first few days in Christchurch.

Doing a spot of paintwork

Apart from out of town DIY stores, there isn't currently a lot to see in Christchurch. We knew about the devastating earthquake here in February 2011, but had naively though that would be all sorted by now. It is really sad and humbling to see what the people of Christchurch have had to deal with day in day out since that fateful morning. Forget about rebuilding the city, it's still in the process of being demolished. Over 70% of the CBD was destroyed and the entire city centre is still cordoned off, not to mention the damage to the suburbs. 

Piles of rubble and empty lots are everywhere, disconcerting search and rescue spray paint present on windows that were broken by the quake or in the search for survivors. 190 people were killed here, and when you see the level of destruction it's amazing more people didn't lose     their lives. 

Christchurch city centre

We took the time to go on a 'Red Zone' tour, a bus that travels behind the cordon into what used to be the city centre. With aftershocks and unstable buildings tottering throughout the city the risks of the tour are taken seriously and a disconcerting video is played just before the bus departs with a dead-pan voice warning that 'You may not survive this journey. If you wish to disembark please do so now.' It seemed a bit over the top until you see how bad things really still are, hear stories from the disaster, and see the harrowed faces of locals who have summoned the courage to take the bus tour and see what remains of their city for the first time. You could tell from their disbelief that the place really is unrecognisable. 

Shipping container shopping centre

On the positive side, there are some really cool projects going on to try and rejuvenate this fallen city. Called 'gap fillers', they have sprung up in the many empty lots and include a dance floor with disco ball, a little football pitch, a bar in an old bus, cafes made out of wooden pallets, and lots of vibrant artwork. A beautifully designed shopping centre called Re:start provides the only fully functioning area of the city centre, created entirely from shipping containers and full of quirky independent stores. It's going to take a lot of time to rebuild this city, but the opportunity for a fresh, sustainable (and hopefully more earthquake resilient) start seems to being seized, and I'm sure the future Christchurch will be an exciting and original place.

Coastal scenery on Banks Peninsula

Just as we were deciding where to travel first a Kiwi couple in our campsite, Niara and Nigel, sat us down in their caravan with a cup of tea and a sprawling collection of yellowed maps to help us with tips for our time here. They had travelled in NZ extensively over the years and were keen to share some of their favourite spots. We left with our arms full of maps, and brimming with ideas of where we might go. Leaving the distorted and cracked roads of the city, we first took our new van to the Banks Peninsula, an old volcano jutting out on the east coast. This was our first sight of the NZ countryside, and it had a striking resemblance to Wales. Rocky streams cut deep into green fields full of sheep and bordered with gorse, before a bright blue sea. We could so easily have been in Pembrokeshire, and felt right at home!

Relaxing in the van

There's certainly no culture shock in New Zealand, and it would be very easy to live here. Judging from the number of British accents, a lot of people have already had that idea. About half the residents we've met seem to have been Brits! The shops and services and a lot of the scenery are all similar, but it is noticeably less crowded. We haven't seen what peak season is like yet, or the more populated North Island, but most places we've visited have been so quiet we've been left wondering where everybody is. Even in towns, traffic jams seem non-existent, and in the countryside you have whole stretches of road to yourself, making driving very pleasant. The country is as expensive as the UK, sometimes more, but with the van almost eliminating accommodation costs, and being able to shop in supermarkets and entirely cook for ourselves,we can live here cheaply. Travelling independently and without ever needing to go on a guided tour, we seem to be able to stick to the same £20 a day budget that we had in Asia.

On snowy Mount Bealey, Arthurs Pass

Arthurs Pass was our first mountain area, and we travelled there through scenery reminiscent of the Cairngorms before we reached the high and snowy mountains. There was plenty of adventure to be had here, starting with a very steep climb up Mount Bealey. The summit was snow covered,with an impressive cornice, and the views of black and white snow and rock ridges were magnificent. That muffled, snowy silence you get on still days was only interrupted by the call of a Kea, a mountain parrot endemic to NZ. This was the first one we met, but we quickly found out how intelligent and mischievous they are. 

Karl has a conversation with a kea

One will distract you while another steals your lunch, or they'll jump up and down on the top of the van through the night and stop you sleeping. They're incorrigible and nothing is safe if left unsupervised for a moment. They're protected by law, endearingly cute, and I think they know it!

River crossing on our first tramp

Ready to enter Cave Steam

The scenery of the Arthurs Pass area was just as we'd hoped and we enjoyed a fairly tough 2 day introduction to New Zealand tramping with plenty of river crossings, fallen trees to clamber over, and sandflies (basically massive midges). There was still plenty of snow high up, but that didn't affect our next adventure; a trip up cave stream, and the best hour I've ever spent underground! The stream disappears into a cave and travels underground for about 1 km, and it's possible to follow it for the whole length. It's fast flowing and on occasion chest deep, with a series of small waterfalls to scramble up, and all done in the pitch black, soaking wet and freezing cold. Brilliant fun, if you like that sort of thing.

Ruth and me - the old Wildbore Vets dream team!

We briefly returned to Christchurch to meet a friend from home, Ruth, and her boyfriend Graham, on a fortnight's holiday here. It was great to catch up; Ruth and I used to work together and hearing all the latest news from the vets only made me very glad to be here, not there! It also made us appreciate being lucky enough to have so much time to explore the country with no deadline to return home yet, meaning we can travel spontaneously and without any plans- just the way we like.

On the beach at Kaikoura

Moving up the coast from Christchurch we came to Kaikoura, a nice little surf town to hang out for a few days. We'd been recommended a great spot to camp by the beach at the surf break 'Meatworks'. From the van you could look out over the waves, while just behind rose high snowy mountains. As well as surfing, it's a marine life hotspot, with loads of seals and seabirds to watch. We walked around the peninsula and along the beaches, inadvertently stumbling upon and being barked at by big fur seals. A little way along the coast and up a stream was a waterfall and it's plunge pool, which is used as a nursery for seal pups. You can watch them playing in the water, chasing each other in the spray of the waterfall while others sit on the rocks and stare at you with doeful black eyes. But our best seal encounter was underwater. 

Geared up for a spot of seal snorkelling

Having seen expensive trips to swim with the seals advertised all over town, we decided to try our own, home made version. We donned our snorkels, masks and new wetsuits and swam off the rocks, amongst huge strands of kelp that swayed in the current, little brown speckled fish darting in between. It was the coldest water I've snorkelled in (ice cream headaches and face-freeze) but before long we were rewarded by one of the best wildlife encounters I've had. We had spotted a seal at the surface and were watching her, keeping a respectful distance. Suddenly she swam straight towards us, diving down at the last minute to glide slowly underneath us just feet away, on her back and staring straight up at us. She looked completely different underwater, bubbles of air trapped beneath her slicked down silver fur and huge, bright and alert eyes watching us. It was just like footage from a wildlife documentary, and after she left we stared at each other in disbelief. Very cool, and completely free!

Karl models his tube

Our next cheap-skate entertainment was to buy a couple of truck inner tubes from an obliging garage. A 'poor man's kayak', they would at least enable us to get out on the water. We headed inland through farmland and forest to the Waiau river to try them out. The rivers in New Zealand are often wide and shallow, braided over a large pebbly riverbed. There are quite a few rapids, and I was a bit wary about white water tubing in unknown waters. Setting out tentatively from the bank, it was fun being pushed along by the current, alongside a rocky cliff and under a bridge, so we got a little braver. But our second set of rapids had us both tip over, swimming frantically for the river bank before we got swept into another run of white water. My tube got a puncture as well, so that was the end of our tubing for a little while. Maybe a kayak would be better. After getting cold and wet in the river, the hot springs at Hamner were perfect. We spent a luxurious evening trying out all the different outdoor thermal pools, and it was even better when it started to rain. We stayed until it closed, wrinkled from hours in the water but very relaxed.

The Waiau River

Our first few weeks in New Zealand gave us a taster of what we came here for. We'd been to the mountains, rivers and coast, had some great day walks and a multi-night tramp. We were loving the van life, having no plans, sleeping in the middle of nowhere, and moving from place to place when we felt like it. Leaving one 2 day adventure to head to another feels like a weird hybrid of a sunday night and a friday night back at home, as we head from one area to another, and simultaneously pack and unpack our kit. It really is just like a very long weekend, and we're in no hurry for it to end!

 Harriet

Fiji time

Sometimes that stereotypical image is true!

When we first told people we were spending a month in Fiji, the usual response was 'A MONTH?! What are you going to do for that long??!' We'd even started to wonder ourselves whether there would be enough to occupy us. After all, the standard image of Fiji is a  resort on a white sand beach, backed with palm trees. Nice for a few days, but not very interesting for longer.

It must be due to the weird distortion of time, well recognised by both locals and tourists and known as Fiji time, that our month went by so fast. The country showed itself to be much more than the cocktails on the sand, honeymoon destination cliche. We honestly hardly had time to lounge on the beach, and there's more to see than we had ever expected. It's an incredibly easy and enjoyable country in which to travel independently. Totally hassle-free, and with the luxury of practically the whole population speaking perfect English.

Walking in rural Fiji

Our first day was spent at some mud pools and hot springs in the rural Sabeto valley- a very authentic natural spa experience involving coating ourselves in gloopy mud and wallowing in a warm, dirty brown pond- all very good for the skin we hear. Walking back to our accommodation alongside sugar cane fields and past small farmsteads, we had a friendly 'Bula!' greeting from everyone we met, shaking hands with a couple who welcomed us to their country with broad and very genuine smiles. It was a great start and a sign of the happy, laid-back and welcoming people we would come to meet.

Kayaking on my birthday

We decided to initially travel around the 'mainland' of Viti Levu by bus. On that first journey, upbeat pop music booming from speakers and with our rucksacks crammed in next to us, Karl and I smiled at each other.  After a 3 month break in the USA, it felt great to be backpacking again, and on a local bus! Our first stop was a small island called Nanuna-i-ra, famed for windsurfing in the reliable trade winds that buffet this coast. This was where I spent my birthday, staying in a quaint little cottage at a low key, locally run resort. We took out kayaks to explore the nearby bays and snorkel on offshore reefs, finding our own deserted beach under dazzlingly blue skies. It was a perfect day in a lovely setting.

Levuka's church

The beach weather I enjoyed on my birthday soon proved to be atypical. Our next destination, the old colonial capital of Levuka, was drenched in a constant and very English drizzle. The hotel provided umbrellas to rent, which says something about the usual conditions here. Levuka was nevertheless very interesting, and with very few tourists this far from the beach. There was the one 'main street' of ramshackle timber shops, stacked to the ceiling with cans of tuna from the local cannery, which gives the whole town a distinctively fishy smell. The central church was painted clapboard but with a big English style tower, and the schools dated from the early days of British rule. We stayed in the oldest hotel in Fiji, slowly falling apart but full of character, with creaking floorboards, cane furniture and a billiard table overlooking the cricket ground. All we needed were scones and jam, and even these were available in the enticing hot bread shop. The availability of scones and the fish and chips might have been a throwback to British times, but Levuka was still very much Fiji. Here, the church clock strikes twice each hour- once on the hour, and again 5 minutes later for those operating on 'Fiji time'!

Rain, rain and more rain in Levuka

Bili bili racing on Fiji Day

We were back on the mainland in time for 'Fiji Day', the annual celebration of independence from Britain. The festivities in the town of Sigatoka were typically Fijian, with a lot of laughter. There was a carnival atmosphere on the riverside at the Bili Bili races, where rafts made from bundles of long bamboo poles were manned by teams from local hotels. The aim seemed to be to complete the race without sinking, and some barely managed this. The Fijians don't take life too seriously, and other events included coconut relays and balancing a tray of drinks around a course, and men pom-pom dancing in drag.

Our next journey was an 18 hour ferry from the Indian flavoured capital city of Suva to Taveuni, one of the northern islands and, like so much of Fiji, blessedly undeveloped. We ate in a local 'wine and dine' restaurant with reggaeton playing, and stayed in some intimate little guesthouses that were more like homestays. On a Sunday we attended mass at the Wairiki Catholic Mission, a beautifully situated church on grassy slopes above the shore. The Fijians were mostly dressed in white, sitting cross legged on the church floor, and the first hymn, Amazing Grace- in Fijian and with everyone singing at the top of their voice- was really very moving. That afternoon we headed along an inland track to the village water slide in the forest- a narrow chute of rock the river is forced through on its journey between waterfalls. There were some locals there to show us where to start, and we could watch their technique before launching ourselves over the first waterfall to be propelled along the slide, the water pushing us high onto the smooth rock sides and depositing us in a pool at the bottom. It was brilliant!

Waterfall near Lavena

A highlight of our time in Taveuni were the days we spent at the small coastal village of Lavena. The forward thinking villagers here rejected lucrative offers from logging companies back in the 80s and instead chose to preserve their rainforest as a national heritage area. It remains completely unspoilt, and the tiny little village run lodge is eco-tourism as it should be, with every dollar staying in the community and helping to conserve the environment. The villagers take it in turns to staff the lodge and cook meals for guests, with the village chief calling in one day and teaching us how to weave palm leaves into a basket. We walked along the coast to some beautiful waterfalls to swim and beach-combed on the wild, white sand beach under dark clouds that emptied themselves onto us. Unfortunately, as for much of our time in Fiji, it rained. But here it rained a LOT! We couldn't believe there could be so much water in the sky as one day it hammered down, tropical rainstorm style, for over 10 hours. Half the road was washed out, mudslides covering the other half, and the bus stopped running.

Surf at Qamea

After a day stranded by the weather, we managed to get a lift along what remained of the road, followed by a boat transfer out to a small backpackers' surf camp on an offshore island called Qamea. This was a cool little spot, with a social atmosphere and generous portions at the nightly kava ceremony. Kava is the traditional narcotic drink made by pounding roots and mixing the resulting powder with water in a big wooden bowl. It resembles dirty dish water, and is drunk from a coconut shell in a nightly session involving a lot of clapping. It doesn't taste too bad (certainly not as unpleasant as it looks) but the only notable effect for me is to create a numb mouth. The best places we stayed in Fiji would have everyone sit around in a circle for the kava, encouraging people to introduce themselves and get talking. On Qamea we bunked in a safari style tent-dorm just above the beach, overlooking the offshore reef where Karl was keen to surf. He was rewarded with some classic waves the first day, but the surf was as fickle as ever, and one day's fun was all it gave during our stay.

Dramatic skies at Qamea

It sounds ridiculous to say we felt rushed, but a choice had to be made- wait for the surf to pick up, or head to the Somosomo strait to go diving. Diving in Fiji couldn't be missed, and the Rainbow Reef of Taveuni was a great taster- rightly famed for the beautiful soft corals in every shade of purple, swaying in the current, and surrounded by reef fish and the odd shark or tuna cruising by. We were the only divers that day which made it a very personal trip, with a lesson on reef marine biology thrown in. We also seemed to be the only guests at Bibi's hideaway, our lodge of wooden cottages scattered amongst a big garden of tropical fruit trees. It was all very quiet here on Taveuni, and we understood why our American dive master and her family had left the traffic of California for a simpler life here. As she said, 'life's too short, don't work it all away' (she was preaching to the converted!).

The Yasawa islands

Having spent 3 weeks fairly off the beaten track, we decided to treat ourselves to some beach time and finish our travels with a taste of the side of the country most people imagine when they hear the name Fiji. The place for this is a chain of islands called the Yasawas. This is where Castaway and  the Blue Lagoon (and, less notably, Survivor Fiji and Celebrity Love Island) were filmed. It's all got pretty developed as a result, with a fast catamaran, the Yasawa Flyer, serving the dozens of resorts on a twice daily schedule that is far removed from the 'Fiji time' we'd become accustomed to. You can get off an international flight and be transferred to the resort of your choice (choosing 1 coconut to 3 coconut standard in the colourful brochure) within just a few hours.

Walking in the Yasawas

The 'Awesome Adventures Tropical Awegasm' package is not really the way we prefer to travel, but the monopoly the company has here makes independent travel impossible without your own boat- we were envious of the yachts heading off to secret anchorages. But the Flyer has its advantages when you want a few days of tropical island hopping, and there's a great view from the deck as it whizzes between islands. The Yasawa island chain is surprisingly rugged and very beautiful, changing character along it's length from black rocky spines of jungle covered islands to dryer, grass covered islets that seem to float on the turquoise waters of shallow lagoons.

Blue lagoon's rather lovely beach

The resorts are all thatched and very low key and there were luckily no jet-skis or multi storey hotels in sight. So we saw how the other half see Fiji and it wasn't at all bad- staying in a very smart dorm at an award winning beach resort and eating restaurant quality food. The beach was gorgeous, there were nightly activities in the bar and it was understandably popular, but just a short walk away you could have complete seclusion and we enjoyed climbing to the high point of the island for a birds eye view of the village, bays, lagoons, and offshore islets. After a couple of nights of relative luxury we island hopped down the chain to a quiet, more rustic spot, appropriately called Barefoot, on a peninsula with 3 stunning beaches and beautiful coral structures to snorkel around. These Yasawa days were very much a holiday, and we were glad to get a bit of beach time, enjoy sunsets in the warm evening breeze and do some great snorkelling to finish off our travels in the tropics.

The staff getting involved with evening activities at Barefoot lodge

We pulled ourselves out of the water and back onto the Flyer on the typically hot and sunny day on which we were due to leave, and after one last kava session at a backpackers hostel in Nadi, it was time to go to New Zealand. We weren't ready to leave! Excited as we were about our next destination, it's hard to say goodbye to the barefoot freedom of island life.

Blogging from Fiji

Harriet