Festive in Fiji

The sail from Vanuatu to Fiji went well and luckily for me when we were in Port Vila I had found a pharmacy that stocked scopoderm which is an amazing patch you put on behind your ear, it alleviates sea sickness and lasts 3 days. I had first been introduced to it back in 2018 and had been given 1 to try and it worked wonders (for me). When we got to Australia I tried importing it however it wasn’t legal to do so as apparently it has ingredients that can be used for other purposes. I was so happy I finally found some I bought their entire stock.

This meant I was able to actually function during our passage which was a novel feeling and came at a great time as Craig was not working at 100 percent due to an infected cut on his foot that he got at Tanna. The expected winds via predict wind was 2 days of good winds, 2 days of no wind and then more good winds and that is what we got which was brilliant (well not so much the lack of wind but it’s better than blowing against us).

One of the days with no wind
Stunning sunrise during our passage

5 days after leaving Vanuatu we dropped anchor mid morning on the left side of Viti Levu just outside of Denarau but then had to wait till the next day for customs to check us in as they had decided not to come into work that day. We then spent the next two weeks on anchor while Craig waited for his infected cut to fully heal and while I recovered from a bad bug I had caught on a quick visit we did to Nadi.

Bus trip to Nadi
Main Street Nadi

Two days before christmas we pulled up anchor and motor sailed 3 hours across and into Musket Cove where we dropped anchor with around 30 other boats. Some of them were locals however more than a few of them were cruisers like us who had decided to spend the off season in Fiji. We had a fabulous get together Christmas Eve with an on shore bbq which enabled us to meet quite a few new friends and even got to see Santa arrive in a canoe.

Santa arriving island style

The following week was a mix of socialising, reading and enjoying the resorts facilities with the end of the year being seen out with a fun party on a lovely boat called Lazy Sunday.

Musket Cove
Taking a walk around one of the tracks
Musket Resort pool

While on anchor in Musket Cove we were introduced to what the rainy season in Fiji is like. For over a week we had times of torrential rain. Just when we were getting antsy for being cooped up on the boat the sun would suddenly come out for a few hours and you would see everyone out and about playing on and in the water. There were times I did feel sorry for the resort guests as some would have had rain for the majority of their stay.

Around mid January we slightly moved REAO to be closer to a large sandbank. That enabled us to just jump off the boat to snorkel, more kayaking and even got the standup board out. Being slightly further away from the resort also made it harder for us just to pop in to the shop or cafe at the resort (which was good for the budget).

Lion fish
Fun on the paddle board
Resort Island Bar

We have now been in Musket Cove for a month and while we are thoroughly enjoying ourselves it is almost time to move on. In a couple of days we will be pulling up anchor and heading towards Cuvu Harbour which is on the bottom of Viti Levu. Some of my best friends from New Zealand are coming over to celebrate a birthday and have a holiday and it is very exciting for us that we are able to be in the same country at the same time as them.

While most south pacific countries give you 3 months to explore their country Fiji initially gives you 4 months and then it is a very simple process to get a 2 month extension which means (at this stage) we will be in Fiji until the beginning of June. We are looking forward to exploring these gorgeous islands.

Fabulous way to start 2023

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