Down Under 2014 - Days 1 & 2 - Travel Day & Fiji
May 31st - June 2nd, 2014
May 31st, Saturday, we left Omaha for Nadi, Fiji. After a busy day of traveling, and a 12-hour flight we arrived in Nadi at 6:00am, on June 2nd. We went into this day with nothing
planned and no idea how we were going to spend our 15-hour layover. However, we were smart enough to at least have a car rental booked for our “day of spontaneity.” Once we picked up our car we were
on our way to find something to do for the day. We had heard from other travelers that we should look into a “Day Stay” at one of the resorts. A “Day Stay” is paying to have a guest room for
the day and all access to all activities and resort amenities. After a failed attempt at one location, we were successful and located a quaint Beachside Inn on the Southern part of Fiji. We enjoyed
the amenities of snorkeling and kayaking, as well as just laying low and relaxing. After lunch we decided to head into town to do a little shopping and then it was off to locate the airport on the
other side of the island. Here are two helpful tip for driving in Fiji: 1. Do not expect there to be any signs to help you navigate yourself to the airport, or even point you in any sort of
direction. 2. Fiji is like any other island/third world country where it is not unusual to have someone walking in the middle of the road, coming right at you in your lane. – It’s a lovely surprise
when you pop over a hill and you find someone in the middle of your lane.
First time flying Fiji Airways
Leaving LAX
Flight Pattern
"Day Stay" resort in Fiji
Resort Grounds
Kayaking fun!
Kayaking fun!
Beautiful blue starfish
Hi Zebby!
Fish with Lolo (traditional Fijian dish)
After four hours of driving, stopping for directions numerous times, we finally stumbled across the 2 gate and 5 parking spot car rental area airport in the middle of a neighborhood. Talk about trying to “hide” an airport, they did an excellent job. Upon arriving at the airport we were informed that our flight had been delayed by 3 hours and was now departing at 12:30am. To this point in the trip, we still had not had a full night sleep but were taking catnaps whenever we got the chance. We arrived in Auckland, New Zealand at 3:30am and after Customs and Immigration made it out of the airport by 4:30am.
Looking for the airport
After a couple hours we finally found the airport!
It was an extremely long first few days, but our day in Fiji was fun and entertaining, to say the least. We are very excited to be in New Zealand and are ready for our first activity tomorrow
and to explore the city.
Good Night from Auckland!
Amanda
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