We met many interesting characters on our stay at Matamanoa! A couple of 80+ Norwegians teamed up with us. They had so much energy and joy for life. They were having a ball and had been for many years by the seems of it. Her stories of the Hopi Indians of New Mexico and snorkelling trips to the Seychelles kept us entralled. Their last day was her birthday, so we shared a bottle of Champagne and a meal with them( having already shared a premeal bottle of wine with them.) One of the staff took us up a mountain in the blistering heat- the day before we decided that we could not join a group of young people to do the journey as we would be sure to hold them up so Onis decided to take us on our own the next day. As we came down the mountain hot and exhausted he told us that not only had we done the same route as the youngsters but we had done it by the hardest route!- and by the way he never led a group that way before! Such an exciting and exhausting experience led Sandy straight for her hammock and me straight to bed- we only emerged for our evening meal.

Next day we headed for Tokariki, a neighbouring island- wade to boat, transfer in mid ocean, journey, transfer to another boat in mid ocean, wade ashore...the usual Fijian itinerary! We received a lovely welcome- seranade,garland of flowers and a cool drink. Once again we had a wonderful bure right next to the sea- the hammock was 5 steps from the bure,so not up to our previous standards! Tokariki is the destination for honeymooners( that's why we were there!)-once agin we met some great people. There was even a wedding beneath a bent coconut tree on the beach just outside our bure. The wedding began early with Sandy still swimming in the sea, so I had to smuggle her ashore discretely without disturbing the ceremony- not easy when Sandy was trying SO hard to be quiet and I had a fit of the giggles. I think that we made it successfully and we enjoyed using our cosy vantage point to observe the goings on.Some of the weddings planned to take place whilst we were there got cancelled, because the coup left it uncertain who was legally in charge of the country and therefore the legality of the ceremony was in doubt.

On Sunday we went to church - a beautiful church -the service and hymns were in Fijian,but what ever was going on seemed to be fun and they made us very welcome.

We climbed up the hill in the middle of the island and had wonderful views from the top. However, with temperatures in the high 80's and rain in the air, it was an exhausting trek.

Sandy got a private tour of the resort including a visit to the owner's house- an incredibly luxurious abode. Her guide, Jerry, turned out to be the head man of the village- he let slip that he had been over to the main island to meet the leaders of the coup, for whom he seemed to have little time. Apparently Jerry was a member of the Grand Council of Chiefs who determine who should rule the country! It is such a strange country that some of the most important members of the community can be boatmen and gardeners at tourist resorts!- the equivalent of Tony Blair serving you a coffee in Pollys( there's a thought!).

The plants at all of our resorts took our breathe away. In Tokariki,banana, grapefruit, coconut, papaya, mango,orange.... grew freely and without cultivation. They often grew like weeds!Often the staff would pop outside to get our pudding or ingredients for our meals. 

One night we had a romantic meal outside under a coconut tree looking out over the sea. All went wonderfully well until the heavens opened during dessert- we acted like true Britishers with a stiff upper lip- but once the coffee got effected and my crackers started to drip we headed for cover.

finally it was time to leave Tokariki- the staff gave us a great send off- singing us on to the boat. Not an easy place to leave! Then we waded on to boat, transferred to another craft in mid ocean... you get the picture!

 On arrival at Manon Lagoon we were greeted by a fire- 2 of the servant's bures were going up in smoke. Surrounded by an abundance of sand and water, what was every one doing?-they were standing around in a circle chatting and watching the fire! All that was missing was a couple of verses of the scout songs! The only concern was being shown by some of the youngsters who tried in vain to put out the fire with buckets of water. Thankfully no one was hurt.

Eventually we arrived back on the main land and were driven to the Sheraton Hotel for the night-if you are ever thinking of going to this luxurious hotel,don't- it is a 5 star dump! This was the only low point of the wonderful stay in Fiji.

The next day we flew out of Nadi,Fiji with no hassle, our bags left alone and headed off for Auckland.We got talking to some Americans on the plane-mum came originally from Auckland and was heading back to visit her relatives.She gave us some tips for travel in New Zealand and we advised her about Fiji.

Fiji has got into our blood- it is the most wonderful place we have ever visited and the people are so hospitable-we would love to return there some day!