Fiji - Heaven on Earth

The following photo essay presents our travel through Fji

SavuSavu Harbor
SavuSavu Harbor Entrance
SavuSavu Marina in Distance
SavuSavu Marina from the Ridge
Beautiful young girl
Ambrosia a real cruising kid
Youn Fijian Girl
Ashley, working on her Math with Wendy
SavuSavu Girl driving the dinghy
Ashley worked hard wanting a dinghy trip
Male cruiser in Fiji
A cruising curmudgeon, and a friend
Tourist and taxi driver
Mahendra and Dave
Tired of sewing on the boat
Dave tired of working on our new crew covers.
SavuSavu yacht attached to a mooring
On a mooring at Savusavu Marina
SavuSavu yacht attached to a mooring
Mooring at SavuSavu Marina
SavuSavu Sunset
A sunset view to the SavuSavu Harbor Entrance
An unoccupied retreat overlooking Hanaiapa Bay
An annual event in SavuSavu
4 expats and a tour guide in SavuSavu
A womens day writing group
Road sign showing a bump ahead
Cath ejoying the thrill of having worked hard.
SavuSavu School Girl
Cath, the math wiz Dave mentored
SavuSavu Sunset
Sunset viewed from SavuSavu toward the bay
Clothing drying on line
SavuSavu Marina natural clothes dryer
Man and two kittens
Dave getting in some kitten time
Wendy trying yoga
A fiesty male marina kitten
Women at a local market
Wendy checking out the fresh produce at the market
Indian women watching parade
Parades bring out the people
Planters Club sign and building in SavuSavu
Planters Club provided a space for weekly Yoga
male executing savasana yaga pose
Daves favorite Yoga pose
tropical bushwacking
The ridge trek is not manicured trail
Two people walking a roughed in road
We talked another cruiser into a walk
4 adults in Sealovers Wine store
SeaLovers Wine is a great place in SavuSavu
Sunset SavuSavu
Sunset at harbor entrance, SavuSavu
A fish dinner
Surf n Turf, a wonderful patio dining experience
Tiki in the Marquesas
Surf n Turf, the Best Kakoda in Fiji
A western and Fijian Women
The best massge therapist in Fiji, U
The stream we hiked along
This stream kept us company the entire hike
Yacht at dock
Copra Shed Docks
Yacht at anchor
Wonderful stopping place between the islands
Damage from Winston
Cyclone Winston damage a year later
Daniels Bay Falls
Trail village to anchorage cyclone damage
Makogi Village tents
Makogi villige still in tents almost a year later
Makogi school construction
School construction on Makogi
Cyclone damage to vegetation
Vegetation damage from Cyclone Winston
Fresh Prawns from Daniels Bay
A freshly caught Mahi-Mahi
HF station onwer and Wendy
A nice Mahi-Mahi catch
Competing padleboarder
World Paddleboarding Championship
Dessert Dish Fiji
Life is short, eat dessert first
Dinghy on side of boat
We hip tie our dinghy at night
Fiji Sunset
Late anchorage arrival
Yacht sail a colorful drifter
Elysiums drifter, a light air sail
Fiji Beach
Beach out near Cousteau resort
Fiji Flower
Lush flowers are everywhere in Fiji
Palm tress with blue sky
Blues skies often adorn Fiji
Fiji Flower
Fiji flowers always full of color
Fiji Indian Festival designs
Indian Festival designs
egg in the center of the Pizza
Kakoda everywhere in Fiji is GOOD!>
Lambassa Hindu Temple
Lambassa Hindu Temple
Woman at market
Wendy checking out the fresh produce
Satellite view of Musket Cove
Satellite view of Musket Cove
Kakoda
I tried Kakoda every place I ate!
Viti Levu from the North Side
Looking towards Viti Levu from Musket
Laundry hanging on yacht
Laundry day at Musket Cove Mooring Field
Runway warning sign
Prepare to duck or run
Skydiver preparing to land
Skydiving a tourist activity
View of Musket resort
A view from the ridge at Musket
Women taking photo in Fiji
Wendy the photographer
Tree hugger made from branches
Tree hugger at Sand Dunes National Park
Mini tour sports car fun
Some Yachts didn't survive Cyclone Winston
three women enjoying ice cream
Cyclone Winston flipped this catamaran
group walk
A beauty contest at the Pearl
Yacht at anchor
Peters yacht at a quiet am anchorage.
Riatea Marina
Projects don't end because we're out cruising. New Crew Covers
Yacht port repair
Repairing a leaky port
bloody ear
Wendy was struck by the windlass handle
Women cutting fabric
A large stack pac project
Port Denerau Moorings
Port Denerau Moorings
Man with two jeans filled with plants
Love the creative advertising
Women eating three ice cream scoops
Wendy can't get too much ice cream
Sigatoka Valley
The bread basket of Fiji, Sigatoka valley
Tourist in Fiji
Our group of cruising tourists from Vuda Marina
Sunset in Fiji
Sunsets are Fiji's bookend
Princess Civa devil ship
This ship ran into us
Chart track attempting to recover our anchor and chain
Track looking for our cast off anchor and chain
Damage from ship hitting us in Suva, Fiji
Damage created by ship dragging into us
Two women and the Fiji palace guard
Presidents palace guard with Wendy and Nancy
Fiji pier
Pier at park on Queens Highway
Tour group on bus
Tour of Taveuni
Two people on different sides of the date line
Sometimes Wendy and I are a day apart
Taveuni Party group
Party on Taveuni at Paradise resort
Cane train in front of resort
Cane train hauling stalks to Latoka mill
Women on cane train tracks
Walking the cane tracks
Sunset from Vuda Marina
Vuda Marina cafe sunset
group walk
In the cyclone marina; Vuda
Yacht in travel lift Vuda Marina
Hauling out Elysium
Lunch at Vuda Marina
Lunch at Vuda Marina
Yacht going in a cyclone pit
Elysium being secured in a cyclone pit
Cyclone pit dug in the ground
First generation cyclone pit
Cyclone Pit Vuda Marina
Newer lower maintance cyclone pit
Women on sailboat deck
Wendy prepping the deck for launching
Women and large sandwich
Wendy all smiles with the size of this sandwich
Sawa i Lau cave entrance
Wendy at the Sawa I Lau cave entrance
Ya Sawas burning jungle for planting
Yasawas burn clearing for crop
Vuda Marina staff wishing a good voyage
Vuda Marina staff wishing Elysium a good voyage

Fiji Heart of the Pacific

We spent a lot of our crushing time in Fiji. We love the country, the islands and the people. The bureaucracy not so much and their capitol city - harbor less.

We sailed from Tonga to SavuSavu and there met up with friends from the Caribbean. Before long we headed to Vuda Point Marina to leave the boat in a Cyclone Pit while we headed back to the US.

We were glad we did as that year cyclone Winston made a real mess of Fiji.

Upon our return we headed to the Yasawas and then shot off to NZ hiding from any new cyclones.

We didn't plan on returning to Fiji but the winds highlighted a path there. While the time was expected to be brief, getting hit by a ship in Suva caused us some delays. Repairs were made in Vuda and then off to a party in Taveuni celebrating our friend's relationship.

By now the cruising season was slipping away and it was time to decide. We took a small chance on the following cyclone season and picked a cyclone mooring at SavuSavu Marina.

There we had a great time. Yoga, yacht projects, and sharing stories and food with the staff and characters of the marina. A year later we left on our westward adventure. Fiji and the friends we made and love is missed everyday.