April 29

We left this morning for Taveuni.  There is a week's vacation between semesters and we decided we need a break.  The last school break we worked everyday just as if school were in session. We taught classes, visited YSA Sunday School classes, and held activities.

Taveuni is the garden island of Fiji.  Everyone who has been there says it is the place to see.  We decided to spend five days seeing Fiji, and relaxing just a little.  Scott made us reservations at the Taveuni Island Resort which is an all inclusive resort.  Hurrah!  No cooking or trying to find safe places to eat.

Elder and Sister Wells took us to the Suva Airport for our flight to Nadi.  There are only two flights a week from Suva to Taveuni and neither flight was good for us. So we are making the 20 minute flight to Nadi, waiting for 3 hours, and then taking the 90 minute flight to Taveuni.

While we were waiting in the Nadi airport I met the most wonderful Aussie lady whose son just got married in Fiji.  She lives outside of Brisbane on ten acres which she assured me was the place of her dreams in all the world.  They have wallabies and other animals on their land.  She just glowed as she spoke of her home.  I love my missionary badge!  I have so many wonderful conversations because of it.  We ate lunch which was surprisingly good at the airport .

Our plane to Taveuni

As we were taxiing, a woman in uniform came up the aisle, gave us our safety instructions (put on your seat belts, leave them on, and your life jacket is under your seat=30 seconds) and then she backed into the cockpit and sat in the co pilot's seat.  The noise from the engine was so loud I took a napkin I had saved from lunch, tore off two small pieces, and made ear plugs.  I noticed an Indian woman with her fingers in her ears, so I shared some of the napkin with her and her husband.

Co pilot giving us safety instructions.

Leaving Nadi 

Islands off the Viti Levu Coast

On the way to Taveuni

More from the Taveuni Flight

Just off the southwest side of Taveuni

What you are seeing in the last three pictures are sandbars (shoals?)  We have seen them in what we considered the middle of the ocean, but found that the water was very shallow allowing the sandbar to form.  According to what I read these sandbars are formed by waves that make trenches by picking up the sand, or coarse sediment and depositing it on the land side of the trench.  On the bottom photo you can see waves which indicates that the sand it above water level.  I wonder if these are the beginnings of new islands.  Four years at university is not enough to learn all I want to know.

This is the only terminal in Taveuni.  It is in the village of Matei (mah tie)

Matei Terminal

Obviously there is no security here.  We walked maybe 30 feet
to the terminal and then waited while the plane was unloaded. Besides our luggage, there were parcels, and big boxes in the hold.

Rick, the owner of the resort, was waiting to take us to the resort which was less than a ten minute ride.  We stayed at the Taveuni Island Resort.  It is owned by Rick and Do (we think short for Dorothy) who are native New Zealanders.  They came to Taveuni 40 years ago and stayed.  They originally earned a living here by running a diving resort, but about 15 years ago started catering to honeymooners although everyone we met at the resort were there to dive including the one couple that had just gotten married.  Rick is in the International Scuba Diving Hall of Fame for the work he has done here in Taveuni.

Our Suite
To the left around the corner are two
couches and a door into our own yard

This is what one sees when sitting
on the throne.
The bushes are our privacy fence

The shower.
There are no doors.

Our bed before the maids came in the morning.
We did use the mosquito nets every night.

                                                               

Our cottage sits on a cliff over looking the ocean and Vanua Levu in the distance.  The veranda runs along the ocean face of the bungalow. It's huge and has two deck chairs and a table and two chairs.  The entire side of our bungalow that faces the ocean is French doors.  Awesome.

Our Bungalow

Path to our Bungalow

Eating Lunch

View From the Restaurant

View from our Bungalow

We just had time before dinner to explore the grounds and take a walk.  We actually walked all the way back to the airport as Scott is fascinated by airplanes and flight.  As we walked we both commented that Taveuni looks like what we had imaged all of Fiji would look like.  Viti Levu, the island on which Suva sits, does not look anything like Taveuni--well at least the parts we have seen do not look this lush and green.

In the picture to the left I am actually looking at two islands, Kioa (or Rabi depending on to whom we spoke) and behind and to the left of Kioa, Vanua Levu.

Dinner was served between 6:00 and 8:00.  We went over at 6:00 to find everyone enjoying happy hour--always a little awkward for me, but Do introduced us to everyone and we had great conversations.  Interesting that the first people we met were Jean Michele Cousteau and his wife Nan. Yes, he is the son of Jacques Cousteau.  He is delightful.  When Scott said, "You must be the son of Jacques."  He replied, "I can't help it." He was most interesting to speak with and is genuinely interested in others.  Nan, his wife, is really funny.  It seems that the Cousteaus have been friends with the owners of the resort for many years.  The Cousteaus are here just to get a respite before they fly to Vanua Levu for Jean Michele's birthday.  He is 70+.

We did not pack correctly.  We wore our missionary clothes to fly over and then just packed casual clothes.  All the women dressed for dinner--little black dresses, or flowing pant outfits. Oops!

The food was amazing.  It is the best food we have had since leaving Utah.  Three courses and we sat at tables angles so both of us were looking our to sea as we ate.  I am going to like this place.