Happy Christmas 2010 and New Year 2011

Bear helping me with the turkey! Bearfoot cooking!!!!!!

Matt joined us up here on Christmas Eve and we had a very Happy Christmas day, Matt spear fishing, caught a crab, and me catching a kahawai with my new rod. The fish had to go back for luck, we did have plenty of food, and the crab was 'hibernated' in the fridge and liberated (soul only I suspect) the next day. Played bananagram - a great game and enjoyed turkey and trimmings with cake and mince pies, just like home. Matt left for a week to go diving whilst we had a lazy time giving our backs a good rest but swimming every day. Weather not fantastic, showers and cloud but warm. Walked up Flagstaff Hill at midnight to see the New years fireworks over the bay. Started 2011 with sunshine and a swim, a really perfect day with a slight breeze to keep it cool. Matt due back to spend the rest of the week with us before he heads off to Brisbane for a month of training. Confirmation of Malcolm and Lovat's visit and a meeting with Phil and Helen - the next 8 weeks will go very quickly. Sitting on the deck in the sunshine watching a tui calling to it's mate and saw a lovely kingfisher on our way up from the beach. Have a resident weka in the garden, think we heard a kiwi in the night and have a family of californian quail coming for breakfast most days. Had local oysters for our last lunch in 2010. Vincent absorbed in his biochemistry and physiology, my ukelele playing improving and finding time hard to come by to keep up the blog - how did we ever work?

Back in Lovely New Zealand

Sunset at Tapeka on our first evening

Good flight from Nadi to Auckland, car for 3 months at 34 dollars a day, and off we go to quest on hobson. Nice room but not as near Matt as we hoped. Reunion!!! He looks so good, well and smart and taller.. may be I have just shrunk. Lovely japanese meal but our backs still playing up so benches difficult. Job sounds bizarre with the comings and goings in the office, more like a soap opera so wait till tomorrow. Book tickets for The Messiah. Mixed feelings - so happy to see Matt but really upset about Betty, such a lovely person - did not know about Matt's MA and very proud of him - emotions all over the place. Sleep well and go to a real supermarket with realistic sizes and good quality food. Shop till our backs give in then off to meet Matt for meal and concert. He is very tired, can hardly keep awake, the office sounds chaotic. Move to Quest on Cintra as too noisy on Hobson. Matt comes up for meal and more relaxed, boss was given notice to move this morning and regional manager taking over. Proper training in Brisbane next year and if it all goes belly up he is on a 2 month notice contract. Backs still bad but head for Phil and Helens on Thursday for another great reunion. Meet their Matt, a lovely young man, and all go for meal to local restuarant. Meet again for lunch Saturday with the 2 Matts and go to an indoor ski slope! Great location as weather not good but manage a wet walk on the beach after. A lovely day with lovely people! Farewell meal in apartment Sunday, tips with rain all day and Matt does not join us. Leave early Monday stopping to see Helen who is lending us some things for the house. Good drive to Wangerai, stop for lunch and a shop arrive at Russell to collect keys from Lesley about 3. Home... Tapeka! Next 3 months no packing! Sun shining and water warm. All our things left ftom last year here and a lovely sunset. Both feel good although still back twinges.

Fantastic Fiji

Inter island transfer, The Yasawa Flyer

The luggage arrives

Vincent wants one too

I want a sea plane!

Our bure on Octopus

With Karon and the bear

paradise!

Set off from Hannah and Matt’s at 5 am Monday morning for what should have been a 6 hour flight to Nadi in Fiji. Told there was a tropical storm that could turn to a hurricane. Delayed start then landing in Samoa on the way to be sure we could continue. Very bumpy flight and only breakfast provided! Ended up in the hotel 14 hours after getting up very hungry. Room at the Westin, Denarau very, very cold on arrival. Turned air con off and went for much needed meal. Returned from meal to find room awash with condensation. Had to change rooms , the last thing we felt like! Next day found our way round the resort on the bula bus and had good lunch at the marina. Walk along the beach and swim at the Sheraton we begin to feel human again. Taxi to seaplane next morning for a glorious flight over the reefs and islands to get to The Yasawas. Picked up by boat from the plane and taken ashore at Blue Lagoon Resort,  Nacula, to our bure.  Modern and clean with outdoor shower. All food included with welcome food and drink. 4 nights here with lovely coral reef off the beach. Take boat trip to deeper reefs in the lagoon and see amazing variety of coral. Meet Karon from Brisbane and enjoy chatting to her and other visitors from all over the world. Time passes very quickly and off on the Yasawa flyer for a two and a half hour boat trip to The Octopus Resort on Waya. Small boat transfer again and older, native built bure on the waterfront. Need mosquito net as not insect proof. Another fantastic welcome with many new people and some old friends arrivinf during our 5 days. Delicious food and entertainment every night. Sadly our crabs did not win the crab derby but our team came 2^nd in the Quiz night and we won a bottle of champagne. Vincent tried his best in the “clever” round but did not really get the hang of paper stone and scissors! Beach snorkeling very different as steep edge to the reef. Saw oriental sweetlips and lots of different damselfish as well as dragonfish and big puffer fish. Coral as good as the barrier reef, smaller but more variety in a small area with the advantage of shore access. Leave as weather is changing and have the resort boat to take us back to Nadi. Dreadful journey, skipper is determined to keep schedule despite heavy swell and know what the Torbay powerboat race must feel like. Bouncing down the waves every 30 seconds perched on a seat with only our backs to brace the shock and our hands gripped tight to the rail in front to stop falling off. People in the back soaked with spray and sick - at least we could keep our eyes on the horizon. One and a half hours later we arrived, so shaken we could hardly stand, the girls behind had been so sick they had to change their clothes. Back to the Westin and another change of rooms because the safe did not work! 3 nights to recover, not enough as we could hardly walk for the damage to our backs. Had some nice trips to the marina and enjoyed a lobster meal. Nadi airport a joy, smiling immigration officials, still very efficient, US customs should send people to learn good practice!