I didn't do much the weekend in between Milford Sound and Semester break, as I was prepping for an exam in Labor Economics the following week. Once Semester Break came along (March 29th - April 7th), it was off to the races. On Friday morning, I caught a bus from Dunedin to Christchurch. Once I had gotten my seat on the bus, I remember looking down at the line of passengers waiting to get a stand-by ticket for the bus ride. I noticed a tall and hauntingly skinny older man, who kind of looked like a skeleton covered in white paper mache. He had a pony tail, wore a 'Sons of Anarchy' hat, and had skulls decorated on different articles of clothing of his. Somehow I just knew that this man, who looked like he had just been kicked out of Hell's Angels, was going to end up in the seat next to me...and he did!
This guy (I regret that I didn't catch his name over the 3 hour leg that I traveled with him)...we'll just call him Ned...actually turned out to be wonderful fellow to talk to. He had plenty of great stories of Maori and Kiwi mythology, and he had read quite a few books about Navy Seals, because he was a veteran of the New Zealand Army. It made the drive a bit easier. Also, there was a pretty funny moment that involved the bus driver...apparently the manufacturers of the bus we had been driving on didn't seal the big 2'x3' driver's window that well. The driver told us that the past two windows had completely blown off randomly during his drive down the highway, and we were able to see one of the windows still sitting in the same pasture. It was in one full piece and didn't look like it had taken the lives of any sheep when it had landed there months back. Apparently retrieving the window was out of the question (...?) but it provided for some good comic relief.
After arriving in Christchurch and buying some tremendously over-priced canned food and noodles from a dairy, I was able to be picked up by Haldis, Joe, and Dave on their way to a campground by Christchurch airport. I must say, Christchurch is still widely devastated from the earthquakes of a few years ago. There are construction projects all over the place and many abandoned lots. It is not really a place I would want to be if I were hoping to see the best of New Zealand, but a good experience nonetheless. We made it to the campsite and I slept in the car, using a few shirts and (clean) underwear tied together for a blanket. I felt as close to homeless as I could possibly be. A 5:30AM wake up time had us rockin', and I took my flight from NZ to Fiji, not sure what to expect.
Upon arrival in Fiji, there was a four part acoustic Fiji man-band playing peaceful harmonized tunes for us as we stepped off the plane and waited in customs. The customs line consisted of about 300 people waiting to get through one of four attended gates, but soon I had made it to the hotel and was ready for a nice stay in this country. I was fortunate enough to have my girlfriend, Ruth, be able to meet me for a fun adventure in a new country! We went out and took advantage of the Fijian cooking for a nice dinner and then made it to Easter Mass at 10pm. The mass was crowded (300ish) and Vigil-style, which means 7 readings and 3 times the sweat. The singing from the Fijian men's choir was incredible and made for an awesome experience. Highlights of the mass include a bat flying up into one of the ceiling fans and getting clunked right in the head. Whoever's lap the bat fell into got a wonderful Easter surprise, I'm sure.
Ruth and I enjoyed a wonderful six days in Fiji. Once we got off the mainland (even though I did enjoy the waterslide at our hotel the first night), the tropical island lifestyle was a full-go. After an hour long boat ride to get out to our island, we arrived to Octopus Resort, located on Waya Island, and were greeted by the friendly Fiji staff that were excited to have us there. We had a nice dinner with a German couple named Tobi and Inga who would become our good friends for the remainder of the time at Octopus. It was interesting to hear about their jobs and their 4-month traveling experience they were taking through parts of Asia, Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, and eventually to the USA.
On our second day, Ruth and I went on a guided morning hike into the mountains located above the local Fijian village. The village was about a fifteen minute walk from the actual resort, located just over the hill and also along the coast. Viri was the leader of the hike. We walked along the coastline, right past the village, and were able to wave hello to all kinds of children excited to see us. There were about ten others in our group. As we walked up into the mountains, we began to notice that there really wasn't much of a trail cut out for us through the rainforest. Viri had his machete out in full swing and was whacking away so that we could continue. The next couple hours were a mixture of mud, sweat, blood (mosquitos), and great views! Some of the other members of our group were rather dissatisfied with the fact that this wasn't their idea of a "hike," because of the degree of difficulty. Granted, the description did say a moderate level of fitness was required, but I was havin' a blast! I didn't join the Boy Scouts for nothin' when I was a kid. Viri was moving at full speed though, so it was certainly a challenge to keep up with the guy. I had started to use a walking stick to get up the steep inclines and he decided to make walking sticks for the rest of the group. Within twenty seconds, he could cut a branch off a tree that looked relatively straight, cut all little limbs off of this branch, and whittle the end to an extremely sharp point with his machete. Our group could certainly have passed as a pack of warriors about to conquer with the looks of our walking sticks. We enjoyed a nice swim in a natural spot on the river and made it back to the resort in one piece.
That afternoon, I got to visit the local Fijian village. The Fijian men and women held a ceremony where we drank Kava together. Kava is the popular Fijian drink that is made from the root of a pepper...and it basically takes like liquid dirt. The drink makes your tongue go slightly numb, and too much of it can make someone very lazy and actually hallucinate! The men and women performed some awesome dances, and soon we were all up and dancing a congo line. Later, the Fijian women spread out their jewelry and formed an impromptu arts market. I bought a few, nice locally-made items and Ruth and relaxed the rest of the afternoon. In the evening, the activity was a crab race. This was the Fijian style of horse racing. We paid four bucks for a crab (I think I named mine 'Musty') and had to face about 35 other crab opponents. Jimbo, the main Fijian host of the resort, collected all of the crabs into a bucket (ours had a big #7 marked on it in silver sharpie), turned the bucket upside down, and off the crabs went! The first crab to make it to the end of a circle drawn about 6' in diameter around the bucket was the winner. There were even a few holes and sand castles designed as obstacles. Our crab made it to the second round, but ended up losing. It was still a good time and I was able to get my gambling fix that I haven't had since online poker became illegal.
Over the next few days, Ruth and I enjoyed snorkeling the amazing coral reef right off-shore from the resort. The colors and patterns of the coral and surrounding tropical fish were so vivid and unlike anything I've ever seen before. Fish of all sizes were covered with bright and obscure combinations of color patterns that functioned as a survival mechanism for some. We were able to swim through a school of a couple thousand fish as well. We also enjoyed a round of sea-kayaking to different ends of the bay and enjoyed kayaking through a section of waves. I even got to practice my crisis management skills when a wave toppled Ruth's kayak and she went flying. After a good round of laughter, we made it back to a nice three course dinner and dessert. That night we participated in a trivia contest, and we were paired with a family from the UK and a family from Australia. The father of the UK family was flat out hilarious -- he sounded just like Ricky Gervais and he had a fantastic sense of British humor. I loved it. We had to perform in a talent show, for the last part of the trivia contest, and so our group threw together a 30-second rendition of the Lion King in slow-motion. We won! Our reward was breakfast on the beach the next morning with champagne. It was nice to claim that prize and get to know two friendly families in the process.
Other highlights of the trip include a handline fishing trip off of the fishing boat, about a ten minute boat ride out to sea. We took part in it with the UK family and some other nice folks. Things wee starting to look grim, as no one had caught any fish yet, until Ruth and I felt a giant yank on our line. Fish on! We reeled in the line with our hands as fast as we could and landed a nice "doom" fish (in Fijian). What a good feeling it is, to get your money's worth out of something. Anyways, the Fijian men driving the boat had landed a 6' reef shark on their handline, but didn't want to bring it aboard and kill it because they were afraid we would be too scared (lame!). So they cut the line instead, and that was that. Ruth and I enjoyed the doom fish the next day for lunch, but it tasted very fishy.
Additional highlights include getting a Fijian massage, enjoying Piña Coladas, cappuccinos, and listening to the Fijian men play music every night after dinner. The sunsets were marvelous, the weather splendid, and the experience a good one. I would love to return to the country again someday, it is the perfect location for a tropical vacation!
Anyways, I am back in the swing of things at the Uni of Otago. Dylan and I got out and enjoyed a good hike up Mt. Cargill on Saturday, which offered great views of Dunedin and the surrounding area. There is always a good feeling when you've come full circle. I say this because the views from Mt. Cargill were very similar to the views that were offered on the Otago pamphlet I got at BC a few years back. It's nice to know you are where you've wanted to be. The challenges of living abroad still remain, but the people I've met are wonderful and for that I am grateful. I have especially enjoyed Sunday dinners with Fr. Mark and the community at Holy Name Parish -- I look forward to them every week and they bring plenty of joy into a new and coming week. I will throw up another blog post soon, but until then I hope the Spring or Fall is treating you well, wherever you are. Cheers!
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Great spring break trip! Thanks for getting back to your blog- we missed it!!
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