Dakota Red Beanblossom Beebe

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New Zealand and Fiji - winter 2014

New Zealand and Fiji
January 4 thru February 11

WEEK ONE

Day 1 - 1.4.14 - Saturday
Up early to check packing and start shutdown of house. At bus for 11:45 A.M. depart and 3:00 arrival at O'hare. Flight delayed 1/2 hr and new gate requiring 2 pushes. Great carmel corn at the gate. Loaded and left 2.5 hrs late, arriving just 1/2 hr after Fiji flight departed. Did not make the flight, spent 2 hours looking for rebooking and luggage, and stayed in a HIExp for the nite, arriving at midnite. Our rebooking is for tomorrow nite directly to Auckland so all the Fiji going out reservations were cancelled. Get to stay and watch the Packer game... Yahoo! Overall frustration and thoughts to just go home.

Day 2 - 1.5.14 - Sunday thru Tuesday 12.5 flight LA to Auckland- NZ Air....
Good sleep at HI Ex and breakfast followed by exercises and short walk. Talked to Nook as she left church. Very sore in the shoulders. Waiting for the Pack game. New trip including Auckland to Nadi ... Will leave on a direct flight to Auckland, leaving at 10 pm arriving 8am and then to Nadi. Trying to find and redirect our luggage, and get rid of section to Nadi. Back to the airport after the game for dinner and administrative tasks. Took two hours to find our bags at Fiji Air and take them back to NZ airlines. We ate dinner near our gate and loaded promptly about 10 for 8am arrival. Turned on pop music and went to sleep without eating dinner .. Slept for most of the trip with short awake periods and a movie the last 2 hours. Landed, cleared, got money ($300 FJ, 249 US), and called for the car. Luckily Fiji Air changed our tickets at no charge so we will have 4 days there on the way home. Debra, the rental manager, came to pick us up, and we drove into Auckland 12 miles.  We have a 2003 Nissan, right hand drive, with 123K miles. They have few new cars here because of vat, so they import used cars from Japan. We booked an Ibis hotel nearby, had a snack at MDees, and went to our hotel for a nap....awaking at 4:30 am. Compared to the Ibis's I have stayed at in Europe this is upscale- more lite, better fixtures, more money and adequate services in the small package. Thot we needed to get organized so up at 4AM and caught up, got coffee, Internet and lite breakfast. Lost a day...

Day 3 - 1.8.14 - Wednesday.      ... leaving Auckland and the big city.....
Note we missed a day at the international date line. Lite at 6:15 and 2 hours of Internet for 7$US. Drove south from 8am about 200 miles on hwy 1 thru Hamilton to Rotorua. The terrain was hilly (they call them mtns) with huge herds of cattle and sheep in small fields. We stopped to ask a worker at a farm about the dead vegetation on the small conical hills and the huge number of fence posts 3 feet or less apart. Henry was a full blooded Maori (who had blond, blue eyed grandchildren) who was a trustee for these tribal lands-farm. 5 Maori like him oversee the 800 cow dairy for the tribe. He did not actually farm, but did a bit of work each week to provide upkeep for the land - he was string trimming the entrance area to their 1000 acre property with 65-cow milking carousel. Interestingly they dry up all the cows during gestation in the winter and have to feed hay and silage. Never learned about all the fence posts, but the vegetation on the hills was an invasive species that had been sprayed and will be ground out, as they are a root crop, so the hills can become grazing areas.  We entered the tourist area at large Rotorua lake with active thermals like Yellowstone and the home for the Maori tribe. We got a good price at Holiday Inn and made reservations for the ferry to the South Island for Saturday at the I Site, information center. We needed to make advanced reservation to get on the ferry for $300 for a 3 hr ride. Things are expensive here - Dinner at a decent place was $50 for medium quality food, hotels-motels-b&bs are about the same cost as US. The area is the home vicinity of the Maori tribe...the dance the "All Black" -national rugby team- does before it's competitions and the several demonstration villages of Maori dancing, customs and a meal cooked underground in the thermals. We drove around Rotorua Lake for 70 kilometers to see the local area. Finally, we choose a public park, rather than expensive cabarets, to view the escaping sulfur steam and thus bubbling mud. First fill up - Gas is about $6.60 per gallon, with average mileage on "Speedy" of 20 mpg. Then to the "Pig and Whistle" for dinner...poor choice of ribs, too many low grade ribs which led to gastro-distress in the nite. Great day - Nook reclaimed her violin...sweet music! Temperature in Madison Monday was -18 with a chill factor to -43, while we hummed along between 60 and 80 degrees in sandals and tee shirts.

Day 4 - Thursday - 1.9.14     ... Rotorua south and to the coast.
Did not sleep well by early am- gastric distress started the problem and then I discovered I am on some other time schedule in some other time zone - not here, not there. Full set of arm-shoulder-hip exercises. Holiday Inn was a good deal $144NZ, including breakfast costing 25$NZ each.. Drove thru area of factory forests, and kiwi and avocado orchards. We stopped at a kiwi promotions place and looked around at old and new methods of growing and harvesting kiwi. One characteristic of these orchards is very tall trees shaped/trimmed into a wall and/or tall breaks to keep the wind from ruining the fruits. These tall tree barriers are particularly attractive and massive, lining the road making an alley way. We then arrived at the beach city of Tauranga and the Pacific Ocean. It is one of the most populated areas during the holiday and no-school seasons in addition to being the busiest port in NZ. Then we drove back thru Rotorua to Taupo and Lake Taupo. On the way there we discovered a place where two streams of vent-heated water joined. People were soaking therein so we joined - very warmly relaxing. Thereafter we saw a long herd of Holstein cattle headed for a milking facility. We went to watch as 1150 head were milked on a 60 head carrousel in less than 3 hours - Amazing. A young Maori women put the milkers on as the cows automatically self-loaded, another worker took the milker off, the cows knew to retreat to a paddock where they received palm kernel feed for nutrition. Between the farm and Taupo we saw a couple of thermal powered electric plants and large insulated tubing transporting heated water/gases for use in heat and power production. We then went further south to view the active volcanoes and lake. As we drove the steam from vents was nearly always in sight. Back at Rotorua we rested and ate at the HI restaurant. The very popular buffet was $47.50 NZ so we ate al le carte and watched others over-consume. Rain today for some of our travels. 180 miles. We have seen hundreds of black swans in large bodies of water.

Day 5 - 1.10.14 - Friday...on the way to Wellington...south end of the north island..
Up late and exercised. After a good breakfast we were on the road by 9 toward Taupo where we drove yesterday. Around the huge lake with a volcano capped by snow. We went thru a major agricultural area - dairy and beef farms and several tribal agri-estates. Beyond the lake we went thru what looked like high desert scrub of non-agricultural land. When we went to the southern mountain range (Tararua Mountains) we left the highway for back roads and huge sheep farms. We stopped to talk with a lady farmer spraying thistles- 3000 very mountainous acres with 3500 Sheep in 3 varieties (meat v wool) and 300 brood cows for beef. An airplane was spreading fertilizer ($60000 worth) from a surprisingly high altitude. Some places you could not drive or walk, it was so rugged. We went on past hundreds of large sheep farms but could not find anyone to talk to even when sheep were crowded into corrals. Finally we came out of the mountains to stay in Masterton, about 2 hours from Wellington where we catch the ferry to the South Island tomorrow. Saw a Flannel Mullen on the farm. The main streets of most towns of 25K or less have stores with permanent awnings/verandas extending out over the sidewalk apparently for dry and sunless shopping, giving a nice street feeling. Most houses are one story and small- we have yet to see many houses our size or style. Minimum wage is 13.75 nz$s -Food is about twice the cost at home!  A six day week that is seven days....so it is to be published today.

Week Two - New Zealand and Fiji

Day 6 - Saturday - 1.11.14. Onto the South Island...
Masterton is a community of 23K. The housing looks very much like northern WI labor communities. We left for a country-side drive to Gladstone-Martinborough. The fields, paddocks as called here, are small and nicely trimmed by pasture rotation. For the first time we saw crops besides hay -corn and wheat.  Actually very little hay is needed in most areas due to warmer temps and constant moisture. Over winding roads of the mountains - big mountains on winding roads ON THE WRONG SIDE OF THE ROAD was nerve wracking plus we were slower than the more experienced locals. Right hand driving is going quite well for both of us, except in tight situations. Down on the plains we arrived at the harbor in Wellington. Since we had a long wait we went to MDees and to the outside courtyard where we got the Wellington public free wifi. Wifi here is generally accessible but usually quite slow. On the ferry to Picton at the north of the South Island - We lined up at 1, loaded at 2, sailed at 3 and landed at 6pm. 50% of the trip was on an inside passage in the South Island so only 1/2 on the Pacific. The mountains rose up from the sea steeply on all sides as we made our way in protected waters. Learned today that our Slovenia friends' father is having a very rough patch in his struggle with cancer and he is back in the hospital... Pray! Off the ship to our b&b (very small room with 2 singles).  Great pizza, salad and seafood chowder while trying to respond to Nook's queries.  90 miles today... 740 total

Day 7 - Sunday - 1.12.14 ..... on the South Island, destination south South...
Up for exercises and b of b&b by 7. Left town on hwy 1 bound for Christchurch. We went directly into forest hills to the coast and beautiful beaches along the Pacific thru wine country. As we got close to the ocean, we thot we would take a look and drove a road toward the water. As we transitioned to the beach material our car slowed and stopped. In trying to reverse back out we spun and dug ourselves in - hung up on the motor! Luckily a tri with a husband and wife, Win and Jeanette who were riding the beach, tried to pull us out - to no avail. Win went to get a friend with a 4 wheel drive truck and in short order we were free. From freedom we went into the mountains on very windy roads along the ocean seeing seals lounging on the rocks, but missing the whales. After the mountains we went into hilly-flat agricultural land with millions of sheep, thousands of cattle, and some goats (few people on Sunday). Most places had large wind barriers made of tall trees smoothly trimmed into wide hedge width to slow-stop-protect from the strong winds of this coastal area. Finally, we got close to Christchurch...reports at the first motel were there was no housing in the city due to the earthquake. We thot we'd drive to the Holiday Inn and thereabout....the closer we got the more the streets were dug up for infrastructure repair and when we got to the HI it was closed, boarded up, abandoned and "bombed out" appearing. We backtracked out of the city to a newer hotel.. 222 miles today. The persistent winds on this coast are strong and continuous according to a native. We saw much larger and more dramatically designed houses on what appeared to be successful sheep-beef farms, rather than the low slung square, metal roofed variety.

Day 8 - Monday - 1.13.14 ...........   Christchurch....
We had originally decided to stay at this motel for 2 days, but for several reasons we moved south of the city after our activities here. We went directly to I site and signed up for the trolley ride, a tour of the ruins of Christchurch, and a tour around/outside the city center. Christchurch central city is a disaster zone of shipping containers for supports-walls, construction equipment making repair-new construction, and abandon-rubble (no plans, no money, not something to tear down and rebuild), and orphaned homes built on unstable areas. They have had 1100 quakes since the first big ones in '10 and most of the damage resulted from after quakes in '11. It is unbelievable the amount of supports on buildings which now do not allow for refurbishing and need to be destroyed but await further fate. Many facades and walls are attached-supported by containers stacked high and bolted together. Construction companies and laborers have to be having a hay day of work-financial opportunities. Even the newest shopping center downtown was composed of shipping containers. In addition Christchurch has become one of the most touristic destinations in the world. From our hall window overlooking the nearby skyline and tops of buildings, the picture is one of a third world country. The tour outside the city was led by a goofy female Swedish transplant-"cool", "yah", etc were in the middle and end of each sentence- she did not learn the fine art of tour leading, but she was personable and showed us the sea coast, harbors, small sub-towns around, and some of the special things about reconstruction from her experience. She is clearly a product of the large hip group in the area. Tagging is encouraged here and Christchurch is the tagger capital. We learned cigarettes are $14US per pack. Car insurance is $185 NZ per year. Rent for an apartment is about $600- but she lives in a caravan in the yard of someone's house. Too tired to move on, we ended up staying downtown in the Ibis.

Day 9 - 1.14.14 - Tuesday. .... On south to....?
We felt like we have done an exceptional job of scouring Chrischurch from more than a tourist perspective. We were told to take the scenic route...except for the sheep and the 30-40 foot high sculptured wind hedges we might have been in WI -Many cattle, mostly Holstein, and periodic looks at water, maybe Lake Michigan.  No barns, only low slung sheep corals/sheds. Houses have metal or tile roofing. There are many deer farms as venison is often on the menu. All hay is wrapped as hayledge, except for an incidental square bale field and some irrigation (as the east coast of the South Island has the lowest rain fall in NZ). A lot of homes heat with wood and we saw a lot of timbering on the inland stretch of today's trip. 250 miles south to Dunedin, a university community of 125000. Dunedin has the University of Otango with 21000 students and is the oldest NZ university. The little time we spent in the center city indicated the compact area was the economic center of a large area and very vibrant.  AND THE CADBURY FACTORY/STORE IS DOWNTOWN... we know! Always "eat local"... On the way here, we missed the small blue penguins and albatross as they were out to sea, and everything takes a tour to see.  1226 miles so far. New Zealand is home to 3 million people and 60 million sheep...alot of sheep - most of which we must have seen. We are having trouble getting our housing karma worked out... B$B in Picton, terrible motel in Christchurch first nite, Ibis which we love but very expensive in the inner city, and a boutique motel with too many amenities and space... We love a cheap Ibis - just enough floor space for beds and walk to bath-toilet unit and back to crammed desk...inexpensive please...housing is beginning to run much higher than US by 50% and food is nearly 100% higher. Finished the book "Wild" by Strayer; excellent book.

Day 10 - 1.15.14 - Wednesday. thru the Catlins to Invercargill..
Left late morning after breakfast at Cadbury. Drove 150 mi very leisurely thru the Catlins area along the coast and past the most southern point of New Zealand. Initially we went thru steep hills which gradually flattened out to a plain. We stopped to talk with a retired sheep farmer who grew up cleaning the land for miles from where he lives now.  Stopped at a sheep shed where a young farmer was pretrimming Romney sheep... Getting the spoiled wool from the rear end in anticipation of the shearers coming. Romneys are long haired sheep whose wool is used in cloth. However, most of their sheep were for butchering. Wool brings about 4$ per kilo and a ewe produces 6 kilos of wool per year, being sheared 3 times in two years. They have 4300 ewes and had 148% production last year! Thus they sold about 6000 80kilo lambs at about 90 days of age. They got 120 no lambing ewes to take orphan lambs last year, but this is a waste of money as it is so labor intensive and time consuming for only 120 lambs. They do not treat for eye or foot problems and just cull the individuals which have problems we always took care of. Invercargill is an amazing community which appears to have a vibrant farm-based economy and much new (20yrs) housing development with an amazing park system in town. Great restaurant dinner instead of cheese sandwiches inhouse like last nite. B&B for the nite for 100$ in the home of retired farmers. We can not imagine the variety of vegetation found in NZ - this isolated Eco zone has developed its own flora and fauna..and we have yet to delve into the types and names....but the forests are different except for the big pines. We did identify a NZ possum which is quite different than US possums... No kiwis yet.. Except the fruit.  We got the great news of IU's win over UW...  a gift. Started Norman Gilliland's new "Ledge" book.

Day 11 - 1.16.14 - Thursday.        To the Fiordlands and Southern Alps...
Rain today...hard during the nite but sun by noon. Cattle and sheep live in the fields year around and except for sheep sheds to work the sheep there are few farm buildings. The decorative pampas grasses we use at home grow wild along the road. We are encountering little traffic in this south area, but we are also taking scenic roads. We are in tee shirts and shorts all the time, but need heat on our feet as we drive. They have few birds and none of the varieties we are familiar with.  Found sparkling Liptons ice tea..love it...formerly only found in Denmark. On a boat ride thru the huge Lake Manapouri to an underground power station. Marnie is turning the peanut and jelly jars the wrong ways "cuz we're in the Southern Hemisphere". Our toilet flushes have not been circling the other way tho..
On the boat across Lake Manapouri (90kx30k and emptying several nearby lakes) for 50 minutes as we had p&j lunch. On landing we got on a bus and proceeded into an underground shaft to 200 meters below the lake level. There we entered a viewing platform to see 7 generators powered by 3.5 meter shaft of water to produce electricity for an aluminum shelter 160 kilometers away. The GE generators are computer controlled so workers are only at this site 8 hours per day. The used water then flows 10k thru rock pipes to the Pacific. The project is 51% govt and 49% stock market owned. It has been very profitable, having been built in the '60s for $135 million. Got a motel after 3 and molted... We will take an overnite cruise to Doubtful Sound starting tomorrow at noon.




Day 12 - Friday - 1.17.14.    ....Out to Doubtful Sound in the Fiordlands....Overnite
Up late and exercises. Long breakfast-coffee and an office session at the quay side. 72 passengers loaded on the ferry at noon on Lake Manapouri for a 50 minute ride to the power plant...Loaded onto 2 buses for 23 kilometer trip over a pass in tropical forest to the trip boat - shallow draft with three sails (marginally functional). The boat is a replica of a trade boat which would have come for riches (initially fur, the oldest industry) of NZ from the old world. Arriving on Doubtful Sound we boarded and were given our room assignments.. we were in a quad with another couple from Belgium ($375/hd) in the bottom of the craft with common showers and bathroom facilities. We had 10-12 staff for 72 passengers. The big time spenders ($675/head) were 1 and 2 decks above us in doubles with bath. Our first transit was all the way out the fiord to the Tasman Sea. On the way we stopped for people to use open kayaks or go for a motorboat ride for an ecotour. The staff showed us flora and fauna, none of which I'd heard of or is found outside of Oceania. Reboarded, we had soup to warm from the cold excursions. At the entrance to the fiords we watched NZ fur seals which had calved within the last month. Our ship had a 6 ft draft so we could get very close to the rocks where the seals lounged in the sun to keep cool.  Many lobster pots. We rode a down wind section so the sails could be out, but really not sailing. Finally, we reversed course to an arm and anchored. 8:30 was a very great buffet dinner followed by a presentation about the history of Doubtful Sound. Food on the trip was first class... To bed...

WEEK THREE - NZ & Fiji

Day 13 - Saturday - 1.18.14.   Back to land and Queenstown...
... Up at 6. Pulled anchor at 6:30 and started back toward the loading area, arriving at 10. The fiords are in the Southern Alps, the sides of which arise straight out of the water up to a Kilometer. One could not walk the area because of the steepness and jungle-like forest. There is no soil due to 4 meters of rain per year so trees and scrub are tied together at the root level. When the roots can not hold the whole Mtn side vegetation slides into the sound and the shear clean granite is exposed. Some of the Mtn tops have snow on them. 4 degrees C outside so we are seated forward in the observation lounge. Just saw dolphins - the variety here is very big - up to 10 feet. Breakfast buffet.. And headed for the dock to drive over the pass to the lake boat trip to Manapouri. We then loaded up in the car and moved on to Queenstown. Queenstown was the area where the first bunny jumping took place. Also several films, including The Hobbit, were filmed in this vicinity. 1500 miles and lots of water so far. The speed limit is 100 kilometers per hour (62 mph) and strictly enforced. Roads are quite good and south south has little traffic. We found a hotel and bought Internet time. After a 2 hr nap, we went for a ride alongside a 40 mile long lake- Wakatipu Lake, and then ate in the heart of this vacation- recreational center.. Hundreds of young people, lots of vacation homes for families, and sports oriented commercial area. Got gas and to bed while pod casting Rachel Maddow.

Day 14 - Sunday - 1.19.14..Up the road between the lakes over Haaste Pass.
Up late to rain, the start of the IU game at NU Saturday 2:30 (our Sunday), and exercises. IU lost-not a good sign, no consistency. Had a task of going to Snow Farm for a friend who trained for cross country skiing in 92-93. This training area is 13 kilometers up the mountain on a gravel road to above 5000 feet. In addition to the skiing (during our summers), it is a proving ground for cold-snow driving of every major auto producer. Went onto and thru Wanaka where a "Challenge" tri was held yesterday. Outside of town we stopped to observe "Puzzling World" - a theme park similar to our friend's in Poland. Then the heavy rain started as we drove between two major lakes- Wanaka & Hawea - which are bright crystal green-blue. Beautiful country if we could have enjoyed it. Stopped for an overnite in Haast. We drove south on the coast to look for whales and penguins..to no avail. We see a lot of Toyotas. We finally found the designer housing for the wealthy. We were impressed with the beautiful designer housing in Queenstown and the vicinity since which we had not seen to date. Dinner at the Hard Antler-fish n chips ...Boo!

Day 15 - Monday - 1.20.14   ..North on the west coast of the south island..
After having come south on the east coast of the north and south islands...
Sunshine and dry. In the South Westland Heritage area. Explored this area of the coast and then headed north on Hwy 6 to the glacier area.. Fox and Franz Josef glaciers. We traveled 120 miles thru rain forest between the Tasman Sea and the Southern Alps. We stopped at a trout farm for a brief respite. If you get to the top of these mountains you will have gone thru many narrow zones, reaching Alpine veg at the top. This is particularly true in the fiords and these highest peaks in NZ. We went to a viewing area for the Fox Glacier. We found a nice motel with wifi unlimited to crash at this afternoon and for Marnie to walk. After rest and email we went to Franz Josef glacier.  Streamed the SF-Seattle game. The clouds moved in from the Tasman and Mount Cook remained unseen (maybe am). I believe the drivers are very aggressive here (maybe they are all foreigners cuz the natives stay home this time of the year) and not very understanding of us on the other side periodically. Everyone talks about how nice and kind people are here...we don't find that and they are not more cordial than Europeans. Several days ago we saw the huge hedge trimmer... An articulating and lengthening loader with a 4-6 foot saw blade to cut the sides and top of the hedges. Anything that passes under the road like culverts, cattle tubes, streams, and bridges have names. Trip up the coast has no animals and few birds. Second best meal of calamari to date.

Day 16 - Tuesday - 1.21.14
MLK DAY... We can see the top of snow-capped Mount Cook this morning.. the sky is crystal clear. The parts we have seen show good infrastructure and good maintenance. Met kids from Germany, Italy and France .. On temporary work-travel visas. As we head north and thru mtns we came to an agricultural plain with dairies and sheep. The communities were more bungalow nondescript, unlike the nice resort architecture south of here in Queenstown. We stopped in Hokitika the north end of tourist draw area. Found the greatest b&b in a designer house owned by landscape painters who man their own gallery and she is phenomenal (sews, gardens, b&bs, etc etc)...Brent and Grace Trolle (trol le). The interior is decorated in wood now illegal to harvest called Rimu - warm and attractive. Beautiful home overlooking the town area.. They went from real jobs to making a living painting landscapes and trout fishing guiding. Brent was an eradicating hunter of the over population of the deer and a park ranger and then began the independent painting practice. Three grown kids and surviving on painting and occasional guests. Been to America 16 Xs. Son is a tri coach in Colorado Springs who we skyped and got to call Nook .. Justin. One son farms nearby and another is an artist-framer in Nelson. Difficult to talk as topics change fast before one is complete.. Exciting to meet and get to know. To dinner at a French restaurant and talked all evening over dessert. Their house is on a hill so one can see the whole town thru their glass on the town side from all rooms. WE SAW A GREEN FLASH AND SUNDOWN THIS EVE.......

Day 17 - Wednesday - 1.22.14
Decided to stay here another nite- best and most interesting place we have had. Great breakfast to counter all benefits and effort of our exercises. Went to town for gas and on to Arthur's Pass in the Southern Alps on the way to Christchurch. We had a meat pie at Arthur's Pass Village and then started down to view a lake and hunt jade on the way home. We took a German and an American hitchhiker-backpacker down the mountain with us to Hokitika. We decided to buy 2 of Brent Trolle's paintings and went to buy jade articles at a manufacturer/friend's shop. Then drove to Hokitika Gorge and the beautiful copper colored water. On the way we stopped at a dairy farm in the midst of milking in a linear parlor- asking more questions. They actually do not milk in the winter and breed so cows have calves and freshen and restart milking at the end of the non-milking period. Then home exhausted where we met American Bob from Jackson Hole and NZ Nick, old fishing friends of Trolle's, who came to stay and for dinner... Beautiful lamb dinner with much wine. Intense fishing talk and friendly sharing before late bed. The VAT is 13% here and is figured into the price of the item, not added on after the item price like in WI. The receipt details how much vat you paid in the total price. Gas is about 7$/gallon here and down 1$ from the high tourist area prices. $10 price includes $.13 tax. Washed clothes and decided on framing of paintings.

Day 18 - Thursday - 1.23.14. Moving north on the west of the south...
Up for exercises...did not do all my exercises yesterday and my shoulder ached all day..today thoro exercises. Ate breakfast and prepared to leave... Changed our minds, arranged activities for the day to return for another nite, and left. Went up to an area on the sea to collect jade that has washed down from the mountains. Stopped at another jade beach but I think what Marnie collected will be rock for the walkway. On to the Pancake Rocks and blowhole. Came back for a nap. Ordered the Cod book for Brent. Their son- photographer, helicopter photo-drone, farmer, newsman of many talents- came to stay the nite so he would be near work in the early am. Fantastic fish dinner. Talk of fishing in the evening. Fireplace fire and relaxing discussion. The climatic conditions in this area are almost micro climates. This area and south 200 miles are rainforest, the most rainfall and the most moist area of NZ. 40 miles east over Arthur's Pass is grassland with no large vegetation and the driest areas of NZ. 40 miles north where we were today has significantly more palm trees. Short distances make drastic environmental differences and, of course, the reverse of our attempt to get warmer we go south. No significant pain all day. Trolle's was a lucky find! We found the one place on a long trip which makes it all worthwhile... We ordered several things on amazon to be sent to us and forwarded to Trolle's; much less expensive than amazon wants for transport to NZ.


Day 19 - Friday - 1.24.14
Finally, we leave the Trolle's.. We think. ..Not really wanting to depart but having to move on - First thing this am was a quest to see if we wanted to stay another day. LATE DAY FRUSTRATION...LOST ALL MY DATA (miles, cost and fuel) ON MY PALM - HIGHWAY MANAGER..... and pissed! 250 mile drive over the mtns to the northern coastal area ... Rain forest to dry grasslands. In the mountains were beautiful huge pine trees with many cattle and more sheep. The weather improved out of the rainforest and it warmed to the best temperature in which to motorcycle and open car windows. Got to the coast at Tasman on the Tasman Bay and went to Nelson to find housing. The season being touristic made us reverse course back up the coast and found a b&b in an olive orchard high above the bay. We were tired and stiff so we ate dinner out of our breakfast and lunch stockpiles. Will ply the coast more tomorrow. Unlike America the police do not try to trap or chase cars with traps and unmarked cars.. US has twice as many domestic enforcement personnel as any other developed nation, and they need to do something. Here we see few police on the roads.

Day 19 - Friday - 1.24.14.... We left Hokitika and the Trolle's yesterday morning and drove up here (outside of Nelson, if you have a map). Some driving around was required to find a B&B but we located a nice one on the main road not too far from Lance Trolle's. We were happy to pay the premium price for a nice bed/sitting/kitchenette facing the south in a 110 year old country home (with many beautiful rugs) with included unlimited wifi and a congenial owner, Margaret. Her husband is a physicist working Emeritis at the University of Wellington on some research I think. Thats a ferry ride/day trip away so he comes home every couple of weeks. Not what they thought their retirement would be like when they bought this place 13 years ago. She keeps the house and grounds and seems content. Very interesting 1 Hectare place up off the road, which sort of felt like a hidden treasure on Cape Cod. Olive orchard, fig orchard, vegetable garden, many flower gardens; a lot to care for. This morning she was preparing 3 25 gal. commercial containers of weed killer on a trailer behind the lawn tractor so she could spray weeds in the orchard. Today we drove way out past Abel Tasman N. P., found another old home with 2 detached units and will drive back toward Nelson tomorrow to perhaps stay with Margaret again. Following that we'll drive to Picton, a small town with an Alaskan feel, and find out how to ride on the mail boat for a day in the Sound. On the 30th we ferry across Cook Strait to the North Island and new adventures. Where in the world are Rick and Marnie?

WEEK FOUR - NZ and Fiji

Day 20 - Saturday - 1.25.14   214098/218375= 2651 miles..adjusted-$200+/day..218469= 2711miles Up late.. Upset..
In the north of the south for 4 more days. We are almost at the very northwestern top of the South Island. This area sits out here all alone, jutting out like the pointy end of a triangle, accessible by one road with some gravel roads heading off into the mountains. Its not even accessible from the other side of the triangle because of its ruggedness. Because its so beautiful there's a National Park in the area and its the most crowded one in the country. During my reading it was clear that during the summer this place is wall-to-wall vacationers so we saved it until the last days of our time on this island. School begins the end of this month or the beginning of next so summer vacation is nearly over and people are heading home. There are still a lot of people here but some Vacancy signs can be found. This town, Collingwood, is a one street berg on the water with some accommodations, a couple of cafe's, 2 small grocery stores, a "tavern" that serves dinner (better like it because its the only option) and every home is very old with a lot of history. Its the last town of "size" on the road to the end of the island/point. Hippyville, people call this whole 50 mile stretch. Drove 60 miles up the coast, over steep forested mountains on winding roads, and thru a national park to Collingwood..a small community on Tasman Bay and the Gold Coast. Took a nap and finished Norman's book. Ate at the local bar and went to bed early in preparation for beach visits tomorrow. At dinner the menu was on the wall..the least expensive item was onion rings .90... I ordered ... Got one deep fried frozen, battered onion ring...yup...one on a plate with a sliver of carrot and a sliver of lettuce...one.

Day 21 - Sunday - 1.26.14.    2711 miles + 70   2781
Rain rain rain.. Back to Margaret's in Tasman. Rain stopped, warm sun shone, and we ate at McDees. After a ride around Motueka and a stop at the grocery store we came back to our abode. Amazing number of birds, none of our species, in this area compared to the other 2700 miles. We have a ginkgo tree in front of our room and saw a butterfly bush on the Main Street.  We have seen many Flannel Mullen weeds (my favorite plant). We have been traveling thru mountains on the northern coast of the south..there is heavy timbering here and the steep mountainsides are factory forests.


Day 22 - Monday - 1.27.14. ... Back to Picton for look around.
But we stopped 35 miles short in Havelock.. Greenshell Mussel capital of the world. When we got stuck and pulled out on the beach we pulled one end of the bumper loose. We stopped at a "panel beater" (body shop) in Nelson to get it pulled back in and secured so the rental company will not charge us. Walked the simple Main Street of Havelock and drove the harbor and marinas -big water community. It is cold for summer in this town on the water.  Uncharacteristically we drove into an exclusion zone of the Sanfood Mussel factory ...they were understanding and explained the mussel industry to us. The seed muscles are started in a nursery. Then there are long ropes with moss-like growth on them attached to floats which make up a mussel farm. These rope are fed out with enclosed cotton sleeves with seed mussels in them. The ropes are looped into the water on buoys to a depth of 6-8 meters. After two years the cotton sleeves rot off and when the mussels have grown on the ropes they are hauled aboard the boat and placed in bags holding 1500 m of rope. These ropes are then taken to the factory where the mussels are taken off the rope and steamed for shipping or preserved fresh for grocery sales. The ropes are then processed for reuse. We then scoured the small town to assess the life style of the sea-dependent community. Went for dinner at the Mussel Pot for chowder (acceptable) and garlic mussels (not our favorite meal) with poor local waitressing. 214098 to 218700. 2851 miles

Day 23 - Tuesday - 1.28.14 .....on to Picton and the postal boat trip... We took the back roads along the sounds and between the factory forests. Many interesting homes overlook the water and mtns. Moved our ferry trip across Cook Strait to the north island up one day to tomorrow and moved our stay at the Picton b&b up one nite. Loaded the  mailboat at 1 for a 5 hr tour of the sound and to deliver the mail with much commentary re the history and forest life. The boat serviced permanent isolated houses and farms (10% of the isolated structures on the sound) with mail and supplies. Also it took hikers out and back for long and day trip hiking. One girl from England with whom we rode was starting a 4 month hike of the 900 k long South Island and over the Southern Alps. Back for dinner at our favorite restaurant in Picton overlooking the Sound. - the best seafood chowder on the South Island.

Day 24 - Wednesday - 1.29.14 catching the ferry to the south of the north...
218769 - 214098 = 2900 miles / about 2400 miles in the south. In line for the ferry at 7am and off at Wellington at 11am to drive northwest on the south of the north island...$250 to cross. Have not been able to determine the circulation of water going down the drain until today...counter clockwise here ... Please check in the north and see which way the water circles in your home. After Wellington we entered a long tourist and beach area which stretched up the coast 150 miles. Then we got into a volcanic area of Mt Egmont volcano on the western shore... We could see Mtn and sea in the same landscape. This area is much dryer and more grassy.. There are many sheep but many more dairy cattle, many grain crops, and hay that is being dry baled (instead of balage as in the south where they can't dry hay, equal to our haylag). The terrain as we approached the volcano became more hill-gully type land (like our farm woods). Stopped for the nite in Hawera, very tired from our 5:30 arising this am. To dinner at Old Macs for home cookin'.

Day 25 - Thursday - 1.30.14  West by north- Mt Egmont and sister volcanos..
Up late, thoro exercises and Bkfst in our room. Drove along the sea and next to the coast in a big arc around the volcano areas. The countryside and farms look very English, probably due to the early English colonization of this area. Back to the many stake fences, low hedges as field boundaries, some crops, more cattle than sheep and hamlet-like towns periodically. Yesterday Egmont was creating its own weather, but today it did not appear so. But the trees testify to the prevalence and strength of the wind..leaning away from the west and the sea. Went to the beach several times and the sand was fine and black (probably volcanic ash). This is the first day in three weeks we went short sleeve all day as we are moving into Palm trees areas closer to the equator...making a big difference. To the bustling port city of New Plymouth and onto Hamilton. The winter crop for sheep is beets and after fully grown and with diminishing grass, the sheep are moved to these paddocks. Oil and gas refining plants were numerous as this is an oil and gas area. We are getting very tired and have slowed the amount we travel and explore each day... Been a long trip. Our car is holding up well and keeping us down the road fairly well for being 10 yrs old. Most food around here is very influenced by Britain, but the fresh fruit ice cream is special. Tonite we ate local and well - salt/pepper calamari and Caesar salad.


Day 26 - Friday - 1.31.14 ....on thru Auckland to the north of the north
I checked my summer bike travel log for cost. I rode 21K miles for about $115 per day. Here average costs in us$ .. 125 housing, food 45, gas 90 or 260/day. If I reduced the gas so it matches my bike, then 45 gas and 215 per day. We left late and drove from Hamilton to Auckland where we confirmed arrangements for our motel the nite before we fly and returning our car. Then left for the north passing thru Whangarei and did not stay cuz the town was too crazy and busy...further north to Oakura but there was nowhere to stay and eat as it was a camping center on the beach.. So further north to Russell (once NZ Capitol). The area here is called "Bay of Islands" and is a great sailing area. Recently a boat and crew went missing in the area, and after the search was called off, the family continued to scourge the waters for their late teens daughter (national news). On the way we stopped at a goat feeding farm- at lead 500 white Sannon goats (like our Willie and Wee Willie) - but the staff did not have time for us. The fields are very dry here and there is little grass for cattle; we saw hay being fed in the field. As we got to the coast we were in more rain forest-like flora and fauna. We did laundry to catchup. In short sleeves all day..we've found summer.  Our motel tonight is on the Strand in Russell, a cozy vacation community more comfortable than the busy bergs we've been through. Dinner outside in the sunset. Total distance = 3551 miles to date and 250 miles today.

WEEK FOUR - New Zealand

Day 27 - Saturday - 2.1.14 ...... north of north...
Yesterday and last eve we had spectacular views of the ocean, it's bay, and accompanying little towns..really special. The clientele in Russell are far different from the young crowds, van-rv and backpacker people. They appear older, better dressed, and more old line vacationers. One factor may be cost as the strand at the bay has several high end restaurants and hotels. This is probably because of the isolation of the place and the expense to get here, saying nothing to have to cross from the main highway by ferry. We moved from our beach front lodging (there was no room for tonite) to a hillside retreat. Marnie did several long walks and I read "12 years a Slave" and found it very interesting and well written given its 1853 publication. Glorious day - both took nice naps and short walks before returning to the Strand for dinner. Ate at the Duke of Marlborough Hotel, the oldest licensed restaurant in NZ, at the harbor, having the usual Calamari and salad. Now watching the sun set over the harbor. The country of New Zealand does some things very well- great reserves and park system everywhere, a massive and well documented trail-hiking (tracks here) system, good at managing wildlife and eradication of none-indigenous species, infrastructure is good and there is much attention to maintenance and repair, roads are well marked, predominately rondos instead of stops, and of course weather. Goods and services costs match the level of accomplishment. We listen to Rachel's pod cast daily - the only US news available.

Day 28 - Sunday - 2.2.14. ... Going as far as possible, North... 357 miles
Left early with the notion of going to the north end and staying overnite..but kept driving down the west coast and ended up in downtown Auckland at the city center Ibis . Hotel was only $99 (82 US) in room 1307, a building only two rooms wide and 16 hi. But parking for 24 hours is of equal cost. So, we shall move to an Ibis with parking further out of the center. Anyway we first crossed on the ferry from
Russell. Then to Waitangi where the Maori and English signed a peace treaty and formed a country, starting colonization of NZ by wonderful England. Third, we visited the location of the first clergy invited by the chief of the Maori. Then cross country to the spit rising from the west top of the mainland, creating the "90 mile beach". After exploring the beach and some town, we headed down the west coast having to ferry to get down the road and passing huge sand dunes for sand surfing. When we hit the main rode beyond Duargaville we were swallowed by the weekenders heading home - so we joined and ended up at this Ibis in Auckland central city. The room is 12x8 feet with a double bed, and shower over the toilet unit and sink, and cooking area...and a broken tv and broken chair. The internet wifi is not extended to the room and costs in the lobby. We made arrangements to move to a better Ibis tomorrow. We were frustrated so we grabbed takeout at the next door Chinese restaurant - fried rice. The land in the north and west on the north is very dry and there is little feed in the paddocks for the animals. We crossed mtns, hills, flat lands, the largest tree in NZ (173' tallx45'around), a lot of bamboo, and several bodies of water. New Zealand is 1260 miles long, North is 638 miles, South is 563 miles long by the computer maps on roads, we know the figures don't add up. We kept seeing KUMAR for sale.. Later we learned this is a type of sweet potato.

Day 29 - Monday - 2.3.14
Up in our ghastly room on the 13th floor to the sounds of a city far below. We plugged the meter for our car, ate breakfast, and convinced the manager to not charge for the two more days we reserved at that Ibis. He agreed and we went to I Site to arrange a 1/2 day city tour tomorrow. Then to our new Ibis at the race track and Ellerslie. It is tied in with a Novotel so the surroundings are very upscale and clean.... Exercised and read until going to the bar to watch the Super Bowl .. We were the only people watching with any understanding or intent. By the end of the first half we suspected Amanda was unable to hold herself together for her joy ... And by the end was beside herself. Great game given the expectations and both team's potential. After the game we went grocery shopping, and took a ride around several neighborhoods and a huge athletic park where surprisingly nearly all competition was soccer (otherwise seldom seen here) with some coed teams. We snacked at McDees and returned to the hotel to read- finished "12 years". We observed that there are very few smokers in NZ..maybe cuz $15.40/pkg.

Day 30 - Tuesday - 2.4.14
Up late..Marnie walked and I exercised. After breakfast in our room we headed downtown for half day city tour... Parking for 3 hrs= $6.50. Explored the city high and low- Wintergardens, Mt Eden, the city layout from the harbor bridge, sky tower (highest structure in s hemisphere), 300$ mill boat, Cornwall Park, one tree hill, war memorial museum, one of NZ America cup boats, freight harbor, and most expensive housing... Yama! Revised data.. Population of Auckland 1.5 mil, NZ pop is 4.5 million, and 42 million sheep. About 2 we took a ride to the small city of Thames on Coromundal Peninsula 100 miles from Auckland - same old, same old...dry fields on rolling hills, town on a huge bay and very work oriented looking town. Off to seafood buffet for our swan song meal. We have been surprised by the amount of racing here - thoroughbreds, horse carts, and dogs- and an entire channel is dedicated to racing. Unemployment is 6%.

Day 31 - Wednesday - 2.5.14
Left late for the Kelly Tarlton aquarium. It was the first aquarium where one can walk thru the shark tank and they can swim above you. Very nicely done. Then to the airport Ibis for tonite. We have been looking at construction...the windows are all single glazed and there are no thermopanes. Tomorrow is NZs 4th of July...celebrating the treaty between English and Maori founding NZ - Waitangi Treaty.

Day 32 - Thursday - 2.6.14  to Fiji .... maybe ....
Up leisurely cuz not leaving for the airport til 10 for our 1:55 flight. Checked email and had breakfast as it was (very slim continental). Arrived at airport at 10:20 to check in....our names are NOT on the flight list. Sent to supervisor and we spent the next 2.5 hours explaining our plan or waiting on the phone for 2 hours while on hold... Then explaining again.... "When we arrived, we rescheduled leaving NZ on the 6th instead of the 10th and had the itinerary note to prove it. But someone named Monica changed our flight to Fiji to the 10th with straight thru to LA. Who Monica was we do not know and the airlines could not track down." At one point they wanted $2345 to change our flight to today. However we out waited them and were scheduled if space is available. We waited til 1:00 and got no-show seats. We were wheeled to the flight and almost immediately boarded. Now to figure out what to do on arrival in Fiji...where shall we stay? We drove 4106 miles in New Zealand with our little old car and had no problems except for the panel beater to put the bumper panel back in place.
       From the air the island was very green, lush and hilly. On arriving in Fiji airport we were faced with oppressive heat and humidity. We cleared, changed money, and went to the Fiji air offices to change our return. We are now slated to fly Monday evening 9:30pm the 6th with only a 3 hr lay over in LA, arriving in ORD at 9:30 pm at nite the same day we leave. Then we caught a taxi thru streets looking like Nepal to the Bluewater lodge where we found no reservations but an open, air conditioned room. The Bluewater is a backpacker hostel with dorms for inexpensive stays (un airconed) and a restaurant by the pool. A 1 star place with nice and informal staff. We are somewhat isolated because of our private room and have not seen much of Fijian life or environs, so we planned a Nadi city tour for tomorrow morning.
      Our arrival in Fiji dropped us into a different climate and a different economic and cultural way of life. The 90+ degree temperature and increased humidity hit us in the face when we walked out of the airplane and continued to challenge us for the remainder of the day. The economy for the 828,000 people in Fiji is far below that in NZ and a surprise to us. Our taxi driver thought the minimum wage was about $2Fj, but he seemed unsure. Judging by the people on the street, the vehicles on the roads and the quality of our hostel building, its clear that the economy here is at a far lower level than I expected. It would seem that people who work in tourism might have the best chance at having a decent income. We later confirmed that The minimum wage is 2$FJN ...about $1 US/ hour.
Our taxi and the buses were an example of the situation here. Vehicles are very old and in poor shape due to the roads, which are tarred but quite rough with patching and pot holes. Even through the city the ride was rough. The buses are very old and all the windows were open because of the heat. They must have windows because of the amount of rain they get here. However, I did notice that my taxi door had no window handle. I saw a very few newer vehicles on the road but those were small buses and vans belonging to hotels or tour operations. The main road from the airport to our turn-off went through some of the city of Nadi (though not the City Center, apparently) so we saw the quality of the buildings, businesses, signage and infrastructure. There were hundreds of small businesses along the route with no rhyme or reason, often with small indistinct signs along poorly defined walkways of dirt and perhaps cement sidewalks in places with no trees or landscaping what so ever. It was late day so people were out and about on their way home from work or University, the buses were packed, the traffic was bumper to bumper in the intense heat and humidly and people filled the walkways. We went so far, or it seemed like we did, that I was concerned that our driver had elected the long way around. We had selected the Bluewater Lodge during an online search we did together in December. The price was moderate compared to the franchise hotels and large resorts. At that time we made reservations through some sort of a booking agency, Agota, for our visit here on the way to NZ. When we missed our flight in LA we advised them of the situation and cancelled our reservation, with a $40 cancellation fee. In the last 2 weeks we worked through email with the Bluewater person to reserve a room for our new schedule, arriving today and departing the 10th. There was some communication but it was sketchy. When we arrived today (we had promised the taxi driver the lodge would pay him and if they didn't we would), the Receptionist/manager, Ako, seemed surprised of our arrival. There was a room, however, reserved or not, and its probably the best in the house/hostel. Most likely the other rooms are of a dorm nature. We settled in, took a few minutes for a deep breath which is often the case where the travel is challenging and presents a lot of surprises, and went for dinner on the deck beside the pool. In attendance were the evening mosquitos in army numbers, 2 fellows and eventually a Japanese young lady who sat with us. M had stir fried vegetables and I had two starters of calamari. To bed in air conditioning.

Day 33 - Friday - 2.7.14.......What today?
Up to learn we had a city tour this morning- so quick breakfast and our Land Cruiser arrives with driver but no guide as she was sick. Not to worry! We originally went north to Garden of the Sleeping Giant. The sleeping giant is the shape of the mountain overlooking a 50 acre orchid garden started by Raymond Burr in 1977. We saw and heard an explanation about every variety of orchid imaginable as we walked thru the jungle and thru the arranged plantings along the walk and around lily pads. Next we went on a tour of Viseisei village and got an explanation of village life: run by a chief, must remove hats when in a village, each person owns their land and house without property taxes, schools are now free as of this year, taxes are collected in a vat of 15%, etc. Then we had a special side trip into the farming-mountain lands on an ever rising gravel mountain road for a western view of  Fiji at the top. Buses here do not have windows but are open with roll down tarps, and since it started raining as we got home, the panels were down. The primary crop here was sugar cane but no marketable animals. Tho tractors are used, most of the cane is on hill sides requiring work by oxen. The houses look like those of jungle Ecuador and rural Nepal. There was no fencing and no level fields. Most of the lands were the property of native tribes and leased for 100 yrs to farm. Surprisingly, within 6 K coming down the mountain we saw two Muslin Schools, a govt school, and a Hindu temple. Five K later we stopped to see a very decorative Hindu Temple and grounds, very ornate and active. From there we went to downtown Nadi for the craft market... Their crafts were very representative of culture, but did not represent actual craft-type specialities as in ZA and were more jewelry and woodwork for tourist consumption. After a ride down the Main Street of Nadi we went to Denarau island where the harbor is located. After crossing the bridge we had culture shock- million dollar Miami Beach/West Palm Beach type houses and pristinely manicured environments with paved streets and a shopping mall fit for any highend city. We were stunned to experience the contrast of the farm areas/villages, the general Business area of Nadi and this next door high end location with yachts and tours for the foreign wealthy. We shopped for groceries and used the ATM. On the way back to Bluewater we had a flat tire and after changing it in the heat of the day, we were happy to get to our aircon room to rest. Calamari tonite..again.. And coconut chicken curry for Marnie.

WEEK SIX - FIJI

Day 34 - Saturday - 2.8.14   What tour today?
Our Lodge and room.. We are in a no star backpackers hotel in an area separated from Nadi city but in its bounds- thus can't walk to the city but minutes away by cab. Our room has air conditioning and is neat-clean. Cool if the air conditioning is working all the time. The same for the shower- no hot water! Out of the room is hot but nice in the shade. We eat and write under a tarp next to the small swimming pool surrounded by jungle vegetation. They are building a new 5star hotel just a block away so this area is developing counter to the island 5 star and expensive houses. This is the least expensive stay we have had this trip ..$50 US. Our cab is to come at 7:30 to take us to a bus which would take us to the up-scale harbor for a half day boat ride to near islands and an atoll. The boat was loaded with more than halfdayers... Each island we went to had a tourist-trap beach resort hotel. The water was very beautiful, the islands were lushly forested and the beaches inviting. We sat in the sun while new vacationers and staff were replaced by people going back to the mainland. After 3.5 hours and a dozen islands-resorts we returned to port and rebused. This tour company was a very organized and efficient organization. At the end of the bus run we negotiated with a couple of taxis for a ride to Bluewater. We relaxed the rest of the day checking email between swims and each starting another book. This downtime makes up for all the days of no rest and constant forward movement. We arranged an all day island tour for tomorrow.

Day 35 - Sunday - 2.9.14. ...... A visit to the capital - Suva ....
Up and off by 9 for a tour with driver, Rod, to the capital, Suva. Traveled 120 miles and toured the downtown, the president's residence, the capital buildings, other govt office buildings, the sea side and the rugby stadium. The All Black of NZ beat Fiji yesterday in a regional competition so all fans are depressed. Back by 6 to find our checking account overdrawn when we tried to do an ATM w/d to pay our driver. Paid in US cash and settled okay. Took a swim and transferred money once I could get into our account. Then relaxed and the owner provided a Kava tasting...anesthetic properties... Mouth-numbing root that is ground and added to water. Funny after-flavor and then numb mouth, claiming to be a good sleep aid. We travelled along the sea, over some mountains in jungle vegetation and thru commercial sugar cane in fields and hillsides. We went thru many villages of rural folk and were surprised how few roads and cars were in each of the villages. Since it was Sunday many people were sitting or walking along the roads, loafing or going to church. We were surprised at how few Americas we have encountered in both Fiji and New Zealand - we can't figure out whether it is the season or the locations. Almost all New Zealanders we talked with had been to the United States.
Marnie's daily summary is much better..so here
Last night we asked Ako if she would like to join us for the trip to Suva today because she's from there and her 2 children live there. She took us up on the offer so we were off about 9:15. We drove through and out of town first south then east through villages, past markets and schools, along the coast and through the countryside. There are many high end resorts along this road that are self contained and set along the beach. Tall walls and very nice landscaping divide the wealthy from the common man. The people behind the walls have no idea what real life is like in Fiji or ignore it. We passed through Sigatoka where Ako says the rugby teams are very good and win everything. This town looked much like Nadi in that the environs were the same with a much smaller population. We stopped here on the way back for a butt and water break. There are touristy things to do here, such as a bamboo raft ride on the river and a trip into the mountains on 4-wheel drive roads. There were no accommodations in town that I could see but some were mentioned in the guide. We continued on, forever it seemed because our guide was stuck on 60 KM/hr, through more villages, nearly each getting a comment from Ako or our guide. They know these areas and people who live here. Pacific Harbor, the next large community, had little to look at though the guide book says development started here then stalled. There are adventures to be had here including diving, shark feeding, ziplining and the usual fishing, surfing and swimming. We saw nothing enticing from the road.
At long last we approached Suva, which was entirely different than Nadi. The largest city in the South Pacific and home to half of the urban population of Fiji, this city was much more clean, neat and appealing than Nadi and clearly more prosperous. Today is Sunday so everything was shut down, but we could see the possibilities with a large variety of shopping options, extensive landscaping and government buildings (including the US Embassy) near the city center. The rugby stadium is not far away, and these all sit on the coastline at the point of the peninsula on which the city sits. The commercial port near downtown seems to have a small dock area so all the fishing boats, large in size from what one would expect though rusty and showing age, were anchored and rafted in the nearby bay. I am mindful that what we saw of the city is the center, political and business district, as our guide was careful to not show us the neighborhoods where the typical Fijians live which would have no doubt exposed us to the corrugated tin shacks with limited services, few vehicles, and a rugged way of life. We did see a bit of Ako's family's neighborhood up a hill with no road to it and cinder block houses lining a dirt path. Fiji has a military junta govt which ousted democratic govt 8 yrs ago. The people we have talked to hope the same people win the upcoming 1st time election as the junta has governed well, favoring the poor and improving life conditions. This is the seat of government for Fiji in addition to being the largest city in the SP and home to the University of the South Pacific, so government money rules the major portion of the city. There is little room for tourism and a lot of need for service personnel. We saw only one hotel, the Novitel, and it looked tired. This is definitely a city of contrasts.
Our return trip was as slow as the journey east. The 4 hours it took us to get to Suva seemed like forever, made so by the slow progress we made on the rough and busy two-lane road with express buses and rushing vehicles jockeying to get a better purchase in the line toward their destination. We lumbered on toward home late afternoon with more weaving onto the center line than made me comfortable. The beaches weren't particularly appealing as they were dark sand and rock with a very distant low tide mark. Fish, fruit and vegetable stands dotted the road-sides and a few new vegetation varieties had us asking questions. Villages generally had few if any vehicles, as people can't afford them and use the local bus and covered pick-up truck system.
We arrived back in Nadi around 6 PM and went directly to an ATM so Rick could get money to pay our guide. However, Home Savings had other ideas and declined our request. We tried another machine, which had the same message for us. Back at Bluewater Lodge Rick finally was able to get into our account on the internet and found that the latest deposit hadn't cleared yet, so we paid the guide with US dollars. We have intentionally withheld enough FJ$ to pay tomorrow's taxi and tip the wheelchair person.
We didn't eat dinner, partly because we learned the "restaurant" was closed on Sunday night. Instead we ate cheese sandwiches, which finished our cheese from NZ and the local loaf of bread. I made press coffee and we journaled while the owners partied with Kava. We got a taste and talked about the effects - immediate deadened tongue for me. He said that with enough of it a person could get drunk. I did some organizing and packing for the trip.


Day 36 - Monday - 2.10.14  ....home...?
We spent the day at Bluewater lodge, paying for another day, so we had an air conditioned room and pool available during our daylong wait. Swam 5 times, read 3/4 of a Kellerman detective book, talked with the young backpackers, and napped. At 6 we went to the not ac'd airport terminal, finding that our flight left at 10:40 instead of the printed and announced time an hour earlier...they failed to change the daylight savings time on their computers months ago...so 4+ hour wait in heat. Loaded on time for our 10.5 hr flight. Marnie slept like a rock. I watched 4 1/2 movies, overdid pain killers and slept 1/2 hr.

Day 37 - Monday - 2.10.14.  .... We got our lost day back...
Left at 10:40pm last nite and arrived at 10:40pm (17 hours on planes) the same day after crossing the international dateline. We saw few American kids backpack traveling in the South Pacific, but many Germans, English, Scandinavians, and Dutch. These kids seem to have money and time, while American kids must go to work to pay off educational loans and the school terms do not provide as much open time. Planned to catch the VanGalder bus at 11, and arrive Madison at 1:20 Tuesday. We paid extra to change to the 9:30 arrival flight. However, Fiji Air ticketed us for 3:30 - 9:30 flight then gave us boarding passes for 5:15-11:10 flight, causing us to miss the bus... Hopefully We can pay Paul to come to Ohare to pick us up...     13 below zero!...Cold as bad as the heat in Fiji... After being in the summer for 5 weeks.  

When I awoke and went to change to long pants and warmer clothes I finished the day by closing my glasses in the seat back tray.. Time to see the glasses people.!

Also I do not think we have ever had so many screwed up travel plans on any other trip... And unexpected costs... No good cost figures as my data file corrupted.

Marnie and Rick Beebe.  2.11.14.