Garden of the Sleeping Giant

Beautiful garden of orchids

Back in Nadi

Back on the main island for a couple of days before going back to NZ... enjoying some lovely sunshine on a hammock by the beach.

Seaspray

Seaspray day sailing

I spent a wonderful day on this cool sailboat, taking in views of beautiful island after beautiful island... the crew were really friendly, sang to us all day long, cooked us a brilliant bbq lunch onboard, after we had visited a village.
The boat then took us for some snorkelling at the island where Castaway (with Tom Hanks)was filmed. It was amazing!

Bounty Island

Last resort in the islands, Bounty Island

I really loved that resort, so much so that I decided to stay an extra night. I spent one day on the fantastic Seaspray sailing boat, and another on a lounger by the pool... the island is so small I walked around it in about 15 minutes. It's very flat, all sandy, really lovely. Plenty of beautiful flowers too...

Waya Lailai

Third resort, Waya Lailai

After the village trip was cancelled, foolishly decided to attempt a walk on the mountain. It was hard for someone who was getting more comfortable with hammocks than walking shoes... I was rewarded by really great views though, worth the effort!

Manta Ray Resort

At the second resort, my favourite! This was taken just after my first dive, with the really nice, patient instructor who held my hand the whole time underwater... what a cool time! so glad I finally got around to diving. It was definitely not as scary as I thought.

Coral View Resort

First night at the first resort, a good sign of things to come... just have to love happy hour and cocktails! Little hand-made hat competition going on to entertain ourselves.

Ready for my Awesome Adventure

Third day and departure to the islands. The rainy weather is turning into sunshine progressively. The slightly overcast morning at the marina turned into a great clear sky by the time the 5hr cruise was over... just enough time for me to burn my legs badly! Will the girl ever learn??

Nadi and around

First day in Fiji, a walk in the bush with a guide from a village. The weather was not so great that day but it was still warm and beautiful.

New house

Another big thing that happened in the last 2 months... I moved house.. yes, I can hear you..again?!
yep.

Had to move of my last house (the biiiiiiig one that was awesome) because the owners wanted it back... fair enough.
I found this great house practically in the middle of town. It's got a great garden, good rooms, sun, cool housemates (hello!)... I just love living there, being able to walk everywhere. It's great not to have to just have one drink before driving back home! I have started enjoying my CC Drys a lot more lately... For the non-initiated, it's Canadian Club whisky with dry ginger ale... yum, strongly recommend it.

Can't wait for the summer to be nice and truly here, it'll be awesome to enjoy bbqs in the garden, and the trampoline!!

Fiji

I shall start with Fiji!

I had a fantastic holiday there; the people, the food, the scenery, the music... everything was wonderful. I also met lots of like-minded travellers, which made the whole thing even better.

I first spent 2 nights near Nadi, not the most interesting place, especially as it rained quite a lot in that time. I however managed to go for a walk and visit a village where I took part in a kava ceremony.

But the real holiday started when I got on the boat that takes backpackers and other tourists to the Yasawa islands. The weather definitely improved that day too, so much so that I sunburnt my legs without realising... I spent the next 10 days mostly wearing my sarong, as I was really badly burnt... I will always remember my foot swelling up, my legs bubbling after a few days... not the best. I'd like to think that this time I have learnt my lesson... it would be about time too.

I went on to spend 7 great days going from island to island, from resort to resort, getting on the Yasawa flyer like everybody else every couple of days... that is just brilliant because you end up bumping into the same people every few days, either on the boat, or when turning up at a new resort! I really enjoyed that, as it was the main reason I had chosen to go to Fiji in the first place. Last year in Tahiti, I had got a bit bored in the evenings due to the lack of travellers and entertainment. I certainly had a great deal of both in Fiji!

I got up to the usual holiday activities, although this turned out to be more of a beach holiday than I had planned. But I truly enjoyed it, it was nice for a change to relax properly, instead of going from activity to activity. This way, a couple of days were happily lost lying in a hammock, or by the pool, just reading and watching the small fijian world go by.
When I wasn't learning to be a beach bum, I would go snorkelling, swimming, walking, diving (yes! I did my first dive!!!), drinking cocktails during happy hour (and also during the happier hour when the cocktails are actually hitting the system...)...

The resorts I stayed in where all full-board, as there usually were no villages or shops anywhere. So we were cooked for 3 times a day, sometimes 4 if they were giving us an afternoon snack! The food was usually gorgeous, lovely Fijian fish with quite a lot of carbs though, but also lots of fruits. Yummy, got my fill of pineapple again! Once, there was an indo-fijian chef and we had some excellent curries and lovely things like that...

One of the activities I enjoyed the most was the day sailing trip on the Seaspray. A whole day of being taken from beautiful island to beautiful island on the Mamanuca group... visiting a village (another kava ceremony), bbq lunch on the boat (the fish was just soooo tasty), swimming and snorkelling by the island where they filmed Castaway with Tom Hanks, flirting a little with one of the crew... ;-) and then it was time to head back to my little resort on the little Bounty island (seriously small, you can walk all the way around it in 15 minutes... it's also where they filmed Celebrity Love Island). Good times.

Then it was back for 2 nights in Nadi, but in a better hotel than the first time, right by the beach. Had a nice dinner with people met on the island/the bus over... my last full day on the main island was spent doing a little shopping in Nadi (not much there), going to the Garden of the Sleeping Giant (beautiful orchid place created by Raymond Burr, the Hollywood actor) and meeting with a nice Fijian girl I had met on the sailing trip.
Unfortunately, that night, I ended up lying mostly on the bathroom floor instead of my bed... I think I must have drunk some abd tap water by mistake, and as a result, I was sick all night! not so much fun.
Travelling the next day was no picnic, not having slept, being completely dehydrated and still feeling pretty sick... but the airport staff were nice, they put me in a nice VIP lounge to wait, where it was cool and there were free drinks and snacks (could only face drinking water though...). Oh well, got back to wellington safe and sound, went straight to bed and eventually recovered... there, happily ever after!

Go Fiji, great time!

oops

I have done it again... been blog-lazy... it's starting to get repetitive, me apologising for not keeping up!

can't remember for the life of me what can possibly have happened in all that time, with the exception of truly memorable stuff, so I'll do that. It will give me less to write about anyway!
I am terrible... like it's a chore...

Stuck home...

And I thought I just had a nasty repetitive cold... turns out I have bronchitis.
I went to the doctor this morning, because my grandmother told me to on the phone last night... I wasn't sure there was a point, but truth is, I didn't feel to great this morning. I did well, as the doctor insisted I don't go to school tomorrow as I had planned, and nor on Monday! What a pain.
So it's this, on top of my achy shoulder/neck, which a t least seems to be getting better, thanks to my osteopath visit on Tuesday. Going back for another session next week, hopefully it will sot it out once and for all.
I am finding it easy to pass the time, a sure sign I am not well, as I get incredibly bored when I'm recovered! I have included some pics of my lounge and my current pastimes: TV (Da Vinci Code is on right now), internet (my saviour! endless entertainment), books, camera (sorting photos online)... plus the unavoidable medicine I now have... and I am keeping quite warm thanks to our lovely gas fire, and the sun coming through the window!
Not too bad for now then...
Being kept up-to-date on my health can't be too thrilling for you people, but humour me, that's what is keeping me occupied these days!

Countdown

Just to keep my morale up, as it helps recovery, my osteopath said... here's a happy thought:

I am going to Fiji next month, it is only 5 weeks away now!
Everything is paid for, my flights, accommodation, meals and some activities!

I am going to travel for one week with Awesome Adentures Fiji, which take travellers around the Yasawa group of islands. It is possible to only buy an island-hopping pass, or the week-long tour (or other length of time), but I went for what they call the Full Monty, the week-long tour with activities on top of accommodation and food.
it'll be nice to not have to look for a place to sleep everyday, or going to the supermarket (often there aren't any on the islands) and carrying the food around, all of which I did last year in Tahiti. Now, I loved doing that in Tahiti, it was fun to pick my own fresh fish to eat raw, or funny-looking fruit and veg, but I ma looking forward to truly relaxing, and being part of a group, which means there always be company if I want it!

At first, I wanted to go to New Caledonia, to see some friends, but it was unsure whether they were going to be there that long, and I had heard that it was very expensive (thta's french islands in the Pacific for you) and the people not always friendly... so my next thought was Samoa, but the group thing in Fiji clenched the deal!
In the end, I am very happy with my choice of Fiji. It was meant to be my stopover on my way to Europe last Christmas, but as I didn't return at all, I missed it.
I am just happy to visit another Pacific island, especially since I might be going back to Europe soon(ish), I wanted to see more. I have heard amazing stuff about it from people who have been there. Also, my travel agent was really friendly and she did a really great job of selling that to me!

Bring on Fiji!

Ohakune

Last week, I arranged to meet some friends in Chow! in town for a drink (it's a cool little place where you get 2 for 1 cocktails on Wednesday) and the conversation went on to the ski weekend some were planning. I was invited to join them and duly accepted, ads I didn't have plans for that weekend.

So 2 days later, we set off for Ohakune, a very little town on Mount Ruapehu, which has the only commercial ski pistes of the North Island.
As it was, the weather was dreadful, the slopes were closed for the 2 days and it was so windy, foggy, cloudy that I didn't see the mountain at all, even when I went on it to walk on the snow for a bit!

However, I hadn't gone there to hit the slopes (one previous exeprience, 4 years before , not fussed to try again, especially just for a weekend) so I really enjoyed bumming around the lodge, seeing a waterfall, eating lots of lovely food with lots of friends and friends' friends (there were at least 12 of us). It was lovely to get away and go to a new place. I hadn't seen Mount Ruapehu up close before (still haven't), but at least I was there!
On the sunday, a friend and I went for a massage and sauna. It was lovely at the time, but an hour after getting back from the massage, I started hurting a lot around my neck, shoulder and arm, where the guy had said he could feel some tension... he really triggered a big reaction!

But that isn't the end of it...
Yesterday, about a week later, I was resting at home, nursing my second cold in a row, when I made a wrong movement, I think, and got all blocked again!
It hurt a lot, I couldn't move properly, had horrible visions of being paralysed the next day etc!
I didn't sleep at all, what with being unable to lie comfortably, being worried and having to blow my nose every 5 seconds....
so no school for me today, nor tomorrow... a lot of people at work are under the weather at the moment. I have to say, I have rarely felt that bad for that long before! I guess being back into teaching and being around lots of germ-ridden kids doesn't help, whereas I had enjoyed a disease-free streak as a nanny! oh well.
I can't wait to be better though, it's no fun feeling weak and tired constantly.

Enough moaning, this was meant to be about my lovely weekend at the mountain! there, finishing on a positive note!

Castlepoint

I finally got to visit Castlepoint, a reputed surf spot a couple of hours away from Wellington. I didn't go for the surfing, as mine has been practically non-existent since I got here, but for the scenery which was apparently beautiful.

So off I went, one sunny Sunday 2 weeks ago, taking advantage of the fact that it hadn't been sunny for a while and that I felt like a mini-road trip.
Castlepoint is in the Wairarapa, a wilder region north of Wellington, I had visited the small inland towns and villages before, as well as the south coast, but this time, I was off to the east coast, and after 2 1/2 hrs' drive, through beautiful hills, some bush-clad, others not, often sporting some stunning mimosa trees, I got to the little village I had wanted to see for months.
I was really wowed, it was much more beautiful and interesting than I had imagined.
First I took a walk to the lighthouse; it was very windy so I had to be careful managing the walkway and the steps, But there were stunning views to be had once there.
Next, I went to the opposite side of the long beach to the surf spots. It was going off, but I didn't see many surfers. However, there was a guy on one of those motorised machine (is it called a jet-ski? I am drawing a blank here) and he was flying over the top of some waves! Pretty awesome to watch.
Finally, I went to the reef, which is quite steep and impressive, but didn't get too close to the edge... lots of warning signs there!

After lazing about in Castlepoint for a while, I drove on to Riverdale, another sea-side village further down the coast, after a long detour inland to reach it. It was quite pretty, but not as stunning as Castlepoint. Next time, I should go earlier though, it must have been better to see it in full sunlight, not at dusk.
I stopped in a little cafe on the way between the 2 villages, and got chatted to by some local ladies who were very friendly and curious to know where I was from, what I was doing in NZ etc..! it was quite lovely and I ended up buying a couple of beautiful postcards that a local must have taken the photos for. People can be so friendly in these parts.

So I went home, content to have made it there on such a beautiful day, rather than having stayed in town for another weekend.

Film festival

This year again, I went a little crazy and booked lots of tickets for all sorts of films. Here's a quick little tour:

Conversation with my Gardener - it is one of my favourites, a good French film with humour, but also sad. there is a good deal of talking, as it is French! but well worth it.

The Bothersome Man - what a bothersome film! don't bother. it's a scandinavian film supposed to reflect on the average, no-extreme ikea-like lifestyle some thrive for, and it's so successful at portraying this dullness that I was utterly bored.

Bella - another beautiful film, from America this time. very moving story, great understated (think it's the word I am looking for) acting and endearing characters.

Half-Nelson - I quite liked it, it was about a teacher who takes methamphetamine. I obviously really empathise (is that a word? gosh, my vocabulary is awful today!)... lol. seriously, it was interesting but that's it.

Four Minutes - a good German film, a very strong story. I enjoyed it.

Priceless - good entertaining French comedy, but it was quite superficial and lacked the substance of a similar film I enjoyed last year (The Valet, La Doublure in French).

La Vie en Rose - this was an Edith Piaf biopic. I really love her songs and was looking forward to finding out about her life, and I ended up feeling appalled at the series of tragedies that punctuated her life. the film was good but I can't say it made for enjoyable watching!

Vanaja- a moving Indian story full of colours.

Tekkinkonkreet - I was quite keen to see this Japanese anime, since I've enjoyed the ones I have seen before, but I ended up walking out after 40 minutes. At least I gave it a fair chance, but even after 10 minutes I knew I wouldn't enjoy it. I found it too boring and violent.

The Secret Life of Words - this one also made it to my Top 5, it was a very touching and tough story which managed some subtle humour. beautiful characters. go see it.

Manufacturing Dissent - if you have been feeling, like me, that Michael Moore was losing some credibility by looking like he was picking on Bush like mad, you might want to watch this. now don't get me wrong, I am not a Bush fan by any stretch of the imagination, but it sometimes look like a man-hunt. well, it turns out Mr Moore has been known to make stuff up when it suited him. pity, because at least he exposes some important points.

My Kid Could Paint That - a very interesting documentary about a 4 year-old who sold her paintings for huge sums, and the controversy about whether she actually painted them or not. my friend liked that it made her reflect on what's true or not, and how you can tell, whereas I enjoyed the debate about what makes something modern/abstract art and merely doodles, as it is something I have often wondered.

The Italian - is actually a Russian film. it was the last film I saw but also one of my favourite. the main character, a little orphan boy is really endearing, he is sweet and street-wise at the same time. I would really recommend it.

There, these were my 13 films for this year! I had such a good time spending 2 weeks seeing practically a film a day... it was quite different to last year, although there still was the same mixture of documentaries, dramas, comedies, animated features etc, but I liked the fact that it had a different feel to it. maybe because last year was my first ever film festival experience... so off you go, rush to the cinema!

Update

Let's hope this blog is better updated than the last one...
Where to start...

There has been little of note happening in the last few weeks, since the job is keeping me very busy. Having said that, there have been some good weekends and events.

I mentioned before that in my last holidays, I was house-sitting for some friends on the other side of the harbour, about 1/2 hr's drive from central Wellington. They have a lovely house where I enjoyed staying in because of bad weather (terrible, it was), having fires and having a friend or 2 over for a meal or a coffee. I missed all the drama of the burst pipe in my house, which, 7-odd weeks later, is still ongoing (dehumidifiers, fans, no lino, messy bathroom still there...), thankfully.

Since then, there has been the wonderful film festival, which I had also attended last year and absolutely loved. More about that in another post.

The latest news is that I am going to have to move house... I know, AGAIN!
The story this time is that because of the burst pipe drama etc, our landlords, who were in England for a while, have decided to come home early October. So we have to give the house back.
I am going to Fiji (yeah!!!!!!) in my next holiday, late September/early October, so I'd like to have moved before that holiday. We have given 3 weeks' notice already, so that those who want to leave sooner rather than later can do so.
So next weekend, the search is on again. Can't start to look already, as people don't advertise so early. Nevertheless, I have seen a couple of places already, to see what's around, but they will probably go before I am available.

I am quite disappointed to have to leave the house, as it is big, I have a lovely room and we had a double garage... if you've seen the photos, you know what I am talking about!
I will be happy though to possibly finding tidier housemates... you wouldn't believe how inconsiderate they can sometimes be. I have decided to downsize too, living with just 1 or 2 people.
it doesn't make it easy to know that I might be going back to Europe at christmas... I haven't decided yet for sure, I will see what happens with my job first, as I understand they would like to keep me on... we'll see how they organise the department before I decide.
Grrrr, this is complicated!