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Hands on Journeys treated us to a day in Fijian paradise

This is a guest post by one of our travellers on our Fiji tour in April 2018

Our Tivua Island adventure began on a day promising the first rays of sunshine after Fiji farewelled Cyclone Josie.

A short coach ride delivered us to The Marina Port where we laid eyes on the tall ship Ra Marama which was to sail us to Tivua Island. Immediately we were warmly welcomed by the Captain Cook crew and introduced to each crew member upon boarding the historic boat, a gift from the Philippine government 38 years ago.

Fiji Island Tour

A few of us stayed up on the bow of the boat whilst many seated themselves on the undercover main deck. The ocean and Fiji island mountain views were stunning.

Clouds were still heavy, threatening rain, yet the sun was breaking through in patches of blue sky. We were getting excited about the possibility of this being our Bright Sunshiny Day!

Once we were safely underway the cheerful and friendly crew showed us their musical skills and hospitality by enthusiastically serenading us all and offering an array of fresh fruits and light snacks.

We had our hopes up for a sunny day, but the rain was not quite finished with us just yet. A brief but very exciting squall had everyone dashing around. The sails were quickly lowered by the efficient crew and passengers were heading for cover. Now accustomed to getting wet, some of us sat back and enjoyed the spectacle of many of the passengers scrambling to get their ponchos on whilst dealing with sideways wind and rain. I will admit a few of us were killing ourselves laughing at the amusing sight.

During all the running around the band played on, reminiscent of the movie The Titanic although with a much happier ending. Again, like something in a movie, possibly Pirates of the Caribbean, we exited the squall only to find ourselves aiming at the only visible patch of blue sky… and there it was sunny Tivua Island.

We all eagerly lined up getting ready to dash for a cabana with prime viewing. After the general instructions the Captain reminded us of his earlier offer to carry us back on board (four at a time if need be) should we enjoy the beer and wine a tad too much. He then sent us on our way.

Fiji Tour

As we crossed the wharf onto the island, snapping the most beautiful holiday shots as we walked, we were greeted with the sight of a man holding a huge fish, just caught … to be enjoyed later at lunchtime.

We need not have worried about snaring the prime spot as there were many idyllic spots with numerous shade shelters, hammocks and beach bean bags to chose from. We could relax anywhere, in style, with breathtaking views and our sunny outlook.

It felt like we had the entire island to ourselves.

What to do, what to do? So many tough decisions to make …. scuba diving lessons, snorkelling, stand up paddle boards, kayaking, swimming, massages, sunning in a hammock, walking around the island, drinking and relaxing.

After numerous photos were taken, soon to become profile pictures and screen savers, we split off into groups to choose our desired activities.

Fiji Island Tour

The next few hours were filled with various water activities, laughing and relaxing, sharing our stories of sightings of tropical fish, starfish, baby sharks, coral, various funny stories about our ability or inability to kayak and paddle board, all over a delicious lunch with limitless beer/wine/soft drink and water.

After what seemed like a very full day we reluctantly said goodbye to this little piece of paradise and headed back to the boat. Many more songs from the wonderful crew and stories were shared on the return trip with the only regrets being that the day had to come to an end and why on earth didn’t we apply more sunscreen?

Let’s do it again sometime.

Want to join us in Fiji? Find out more about our 5-day Fiji tour from Nadi here.

Fiji Island Tour