Had a great last day, hotel gave us a 4pm checkout then we went and hung out in the adults pool for a couple of hours. They gave us a courtesy room to shower quickly, then we headed to the airport. Next stop is home. Thanks for reading and keeping up on our adventures! ♥️
last bit of relaxation before we have to leave
hiding in the covered hot tub during the rain storm
You cannot bring your Fijian war clubs on the plane, it is forbidden
playing rummy in the airport lounge waiting for the flight
Today was all about relaxing. We basically hung out in our water hut, swimming and sipping on bubbly. Oh, and watching NFL football on ESPN. Go Dolphins!! We take the red eye flight home tomorrow night, but actually get home before we left. Because of the international date line, we get to live Jan 10th twice, once in Fiji & once in Maui.
Breakfast/Brunch was included and was really good.
Plus the buffet includes mimosas
Well duh, this is a bay connected to the ocean, yes there’s marine life
Marine life is present and active. Watched these gangs of fish (about a foot long) hunt smaller fish all day n night
Nap #1
More bubbly! Well ok, twist our arms… they brought us another (surprise) bottle of bubbles because Shawn is a Marriott platinum member. We also get a 6pm checkout tomorrow
Swimming and drinking champagne today is our job, we take it seriously
Nap #2
In the afternoon the bar-boat swings by our swim platform to deliver Pina coladas.
Snacks n champagne
Birds begging us to share snacks, we obliged.
Went to a traditional kava ceremony tonight at the hotel
Listening to the history of Fijian kava
History of Fijian kava and ceremony importance
Drinking the kava from a coconut shell
The resort is so big, you just call for a golf cart to drive you around. Headed back to the room for the night.
Wacky snack of the night, and it was delicious unlike the sugar chips from a few nights before
Vinaka (mahalo) for tuning in again! ♥️
Well this wasn’t a bucket list destination, but here we are thanks to cheap air miles redemption.
Mr. Papadopolus
if you have talked to me on the phone, I have been sitting here on the stairs half in the water
coffee!
coffee!
post coffee!
wacky snack of the night, pizza to go
worst hotel ever… 😉
walk down the stairs n swim, amazing
Shawn is a platinum Marriott member, so free champagne n late checkout
cheers, mahalo for staying tuned! ♥️
Fiji has 333 islands, and after spending the morning by the pool we took a ferry today to get a look at a few of them. We hopped on one of the ferries used for commuters and tourists, and stayed on it for one loop. Kinda like riding the city bus, but this bus had amazing views and served beer.
tropical cocktails with lunch before the ferry.
We opted for the Mamanuca Island loop, dark blue route on the map
beautiful beaches everywhere
glad the rain stopped today
plotting how I can buy one of these
on some of the stops folks departed at a pier
at other stops tinders came out to deliver/take passengers to the island
more islands in the distance
rainbow!
more terrible scenery
Off the boat and grabbing more tropical drinks and dinner
sushi time!
Weird and random, Fiji has a $7 bill,and we got one for change tonight.
Tonight’s wacky snack was disgusting. They ended up being sugar coated chips, and we threw them out after one bite. 🤮 We miss Uncle Kenny, but luckily had some doritos as backup.
Yesterday was just a travel day, even though it was only a short 2.5 hour flight from Auckland to Nadi, Fiji.
Flight was delayed a bit but luckily we were able to hang out in the lounge with food and cocktails. By the time we landed, got through customs, and got to our hotel it was near sunset so we settled in with some card games and the last bag of chips with Uncle Kenny’s adventures. Stay tuned for more updates!
Auckland Airport lounge had good food n cocktails
Shawn’s shitty flight meal
some chicken dish I ate on the flight
do not bring radioactive coconuts to Fiji, it’s not allowed
even in the rain the view of the mountains is great
Uncle Kenny’s final chapter.
close game of rummy
Well it’s windy and pouring here, but can’t complain since we’ve had great weather the entire trip.
We were supposed to do a rail cruise tour yesterday, but canceled it because the weather was nasty with no visibility and sideways rain.
https://railcruising.com/the-tour/
Instead we just took our time meandering back towards Auckland for our flight out. Found a great winery to stop at and do a tasting, and stopped by some silly roadside attractions. We were going to stay in the coastal town of Thames, but the hotel “lost” our reservation, despite us having a confirmation code. No big deal since it was raining anyway, and we ended up in Pukekohe for the night. Dinner was samosas, lamb vindaloo and chicken Tika,yummy, and helped warm us back up.
This morning we’re packing n heading to the airport for our short flight to Nadi, Fiji. Stay tuned for our next post from the beach! ♥️
silly roadside attractions are the best!
borrowed pictures of the massive sheep, ram, and dog in Tirau because it was raining too hard to get decent pics on our own. They house a tourist information center, public restrooms, and some shops.
all made from corrugated metal
some of the biggest samosas I have ever eaten
needed a spicy dinner to warm up
how much trouble can this guy get into?
It was a really cold, windy, and rainy day in Rotorua but we made the best of it.
Tried doing a walk along the lake boardwalk, but it was just too nasty. Next was viewing the multiple mudpools and hotsprings that are too hot or toxic for bathing. The smell was so bad, we eventually fled to the Whakerewherewa redwood forrest for a hike to get some fresh air, and wait for our appointment time at the Polynesian Spa.
Tried to walk along the lake boardwalk but it was cold with nasty winds and rain so we gave up
I need a gas mask!
The sulfur smell of this mudpool is even worse than Shawn after eating a triple cheese pizza!
Even Shawn couldn’t handle the smell of this hot spring (212°F 🔥)
I am surprised anything is able to grow, thrive, and be green anywhere near these mud pools & springs
These are California redwoods that were imported and planted in 1901,and still thriving today.
Ahhh, no winds or stink at the redwood forrest, but the rain kept spitting down
Shawn spies a blue Pukeko bird and chases it for a picture
Picture of the Pukeko, kinda like a blue chicken
Finally time to warm up at the Polynesian Spa. Our package got us 40 mins in a private pool, then unlimited time in their multiple alkaline and acidic pools of varying temps.
Finally warming up in our private hot spring
Raining again, but don’t care anymore
Time for a hearty dinner of local beef while sitting next to a warm fireplace.
Aged ribeyes for dinner
Added some big prawns for surf & turf
Snack time! The next chapter in Uncle Kenny’s saga
Yay, we’re somewhere with good cell/wifi service again,so strap in for a long post.
Yesterday we spent the day exploring Tongariro National Park which included some more famous places from Lord of the Rings.
Gollum’s Pool with stupid tourists in the way
Gollum’s Pool without us
Ugly waterfall
More ugly waterfalls
terrible
We’re heading to Mordor!
Mt. Doom (Mt. Ngauruhoe)
glacier capped volcano Mt. Ruapehu
Shawn navigating while I drive
Some big ass railroad bridge Shawn wanted to look at
Wacky snack was no Bueno tonight.
Ronald’s mac-n-cheese bites taste like fried gruel with a hint of stale cheese, and don’t look anything like the picture
Today we headed to the Waitomo district known for its great cave systems that are full of glow worms lighting the way. Many have cool underground boats to see them, but they’re booked out far in advance. We opted for some hiking and cave exploring on our own.
Nice hike until you realize there’s nothing below the platform 😵
Shawn on another cliffside floating walkway
Shawn contemplating joining the Goonies
best view on the whole hike
Indiana Jones can’t compete
more hiking
Tunnel!
Our last stop was a bird sanctuary, especially dedicated to the preservation of the very endangered Kiwi bird. Kiwis are nocturnal, so the habitats simulate night, and no pictures can be taken. There’s other native birds there as well that are being rehabilitated or can no longer live in the wild. We only saw the Kiwis on the cameras as they slept in their burrow, but did get to see one briefly poke its head out. Forget what you think, kiwis are the size of a very large duck, and will fuck you up with their big claws (their keeper showed us some scars) More kiwi facts here.
The kiwi bird sanctuary was a bit of a disappointment 😉
big ass apple
This evening we moved to the town of Rotorua which is known for all its hot springs and thermal features. Dinner for the evening was welcomed after all the hiking today.
hot wonton soup on a cold evening
For tonight’s wacky snack, we continue the saga of Uncle Kenny and the women that keep hooking up with this mad-man.
I would love to see Uncle Kenny’s Tinder profile.
The entire town of Rotorua smells like sulfur, but I am used to it after living with Shawn for so many years. 😂 The next couple of days we’ll explore the geysers, hot springs, Maori cultural sites, and hopefully a spa as well.
Cheers and stay tuned! ♥️
Spent the day exploring Tongariro National Park, but can’t upload any pictures cause we’re now in a hotel in Otorohanga with shitty wifi and cell service.
Was just pics of ugly waterfalls and boring glacier capped volcanos. 😋
Tonight’s wacky snack was the mac-n-cheese bites from McDonald’s, and those were gross and nasty for real.
Thanks for checking in, and we’ll post more pics when we get better service. ♥️
This morning got up and headed to our tour starting in Pipiriki village on the Whanganui River. The road to Pipiriki was just like driving to Hana in Maui. Constant twists n turns through the rainforest, narrow road, one lane bridges, rock slides in the road, cows in the road, and a burnt up car or two on the side.
We first loaded up onto a jet boat that took us 33km upriver, then hiked a few miles to the Bridge to Nowhere (only accessible via boat), then the jet boat took us back down stream a bit to board our canoes. The last 12km was ours to paddle on our own, and included navigating small rapids. Unlike some of the other folks, I am a good steers woman and didn’t tip our canoe once in the rapids.
Loading up on the jet boat to head upstream
spooky cave off the river
Short video of our ride, it was really fun like an airboat.
riding the jet boat upstream
Not the bridge we’re looking for on the hike
Almost there!
Shawn on the bridge going nowhere
me on the crowded bridge
2.7km each way, plus a side trail, equals a bit over 3.5 miles
Enjoying some coffee hauled in by the guide
Can’t paddle if you’re busy taking selfies… I think I got the short end of the stick 🤣
Yo ho ho and a bottle of rum
After getting back and taking a hot shower, we ate a delicious well deserved dinner
Mary is running out of delicious little lambs
Tonight’s wacky snack as we wound down with some vino
Watch out for the flying fanged guinea pigs!
Thanks for reading! Not sure what we’re doing next, as there’s so much to see here. Stay tuned 😊