It was close.... but it wasn't me..

1. view from the window in my hotel room at the Savusavu Hot Springs Hotel

2. the hot springs- the gentleman is cooking Taro root- which takes about an hour in the bubbling water

3. so is this safe?? looks like the logs are holding up the second floor!

4. from my window I can see the rain coming and going each day- pretty neat.

5. the pool I try to swim in each day- when it is not raining and there is a bit of sun

6. start of the natural rock water slide

7. middle of the natural rock water slide

8. The Garden Island Resort staff cultural show

9. The Garden Island Resort staff cultural show

10. back to traveling on small planes

11. The good bye song at Mantaray Island - the staff was amazing there- so nice.

12. Then Band Boys played each night

13. Kava- a local drink- tastes like mud and you mouth and lips go numb.. lots of fun!

14. the cross marks the spot where the last missionary was eaten by the Fijians!

15. the international dateline- one foot in today and one in tomorrow

16. basket making 101

17. my poorly made basket, that the guy literally called "crap" and made me a new one the next day!!

18. view from the top of a coconut palm - I didn't climb it though!

19. the main bure from outside- pretty stable huh!

20. the main bure where the meals were held ( and good meals they were! Only two with cilantro and I tried everything!)

21. sunrise

22. the nicest sunset ever

23. somehow the males dancer photos turned out better than the ladies!

24. dragged on to the dance floor... uggg..

25. Soso villagers doing a show

26. first sunset at Mantaray Island Resort - the Yasawa Islands

27. went on a village visit... some live better than others!

28. my double bed- finally

29. Bure #7 - 2 nights!

30. my view from the hammock at Mantaray

So I had a close call, but I am fine and after 3 days of sleep don't feel so stressed... but I'll get to that later..

So since the last posting I haven't done a whole lot. I have really gotten into the relaxing in the sun bit, so nothing too exciting to report. I headed to the Northern Islands of Fiji after the Yasawas and Mantaray Island Resort, to the Island of Taveuni and the Garden Island Resort for 6 nights. This resort was soley focused on the amazing 15-20 different dive sights in the Somosomo Straight's Rainbow Reef. So I did dive two of the sights. Amazing 60 foot coral walls full of fish and colorful coral at the White Wall and I did a drift dive at the spot they call Pot Luck. I finally think I am getting the hang of diving and appreciating what it is all about.

On the fourth day I ventured out of the hotel with one of my dorm mates and toured a catholic mission where the last act of, recorded, cannibalism occurred in Fiji, then to the international dateline that runs through the town, and to Waitovala and natural rock waterslide. That was fun!

In the afternoon Brandy and I joined 5 others for a hike to a waterfall to spend the rest of the day, but it was a slippery walk and on one path we had to climb over a sketchy spot along an embankment to see a cave, then go back over it to get to the path with the waterfall. I got over, then one of the other ladies and as I climbed the next path toward the waterfall I looked back and someone had fallen. Brandy had slipped down the 15-25 foot embankment to the rocks in the river below and was unconscious and bleeding from her head. The guide had also fallen with her and likely saved her life by keeping her upright. After what felt like forever (2+ hours, in and out of consciousness, vomiting) help arrived and they carried her out and after a bumpy ride to the hospital and another long wait she had x-rays and has a small fracture to her skull.

Luckily for her a group at the resort had become friendly with us and one of them was a doctor, who likely saved her life, by encouraging the Fijian hospital to take certain steps. Another of the group had some good insight of the steps to take and the resort manager had a lot of pull as well. She spent 24 hours in the hospital (F$150), then they got her out of there to spend her time in the much more comfortable hotel room (away from the Yellow fever outbreak at the hospital as well!). So for 3 days I spent at her side helping out as much as I could and trying to make her as comfortable as I could.

My plane was scheduled to depart of Friday, so I left her in the hands of the others and flew off to the town of Savusavu on the island of Vanua Levu. I was exhausted, so literally slept for 2 1/2 days, then ventured out to tour the hot springs (which they cook in , not swim in!) and the one main road of town, that took about an hour! Then it has been raining, so I got to sleep again. I have a few more days, so I will see what there is to do, not too much I hear, but I will see. Brandy was scheduled to arrive here as well so I think I will hunt her down tomorrow.

I hope all is well. Missing ya, but will be back soon. 6 1/2 more weeks or so..

Bula! from Fiji

Hi crew!

Just a quick note to say I made it to Fiji and started with my first week on Mantray Island (though in 6 days, never got to see any manta rays.. : ( ) When I landed it was raining and the word was that was going to continue for 5 days, but after a dreary day 2, it cleared up and the sun is hot hot hot! The Island was so beautiful with the least amount of amenities possible. An eco- resort of sorts with compost toilets and cold showers. Not much to pass the day but snorkelling in the crystal clear waters above coral reefs and laying in the sun or reading in a hammock. Though I did go for a dive in the Garden of Eden, which was good, and some kayaking.. but it was a welcomed relaxed time compared to the previous 3 1/2 months of moving every other day!

I am off to the Northern Islands of Fiji now Taveuni and Savusavu for 6 nights each, so will try to get messages out, but not too sure what they offer there!

I will try to get photos updated when I can..

Take care all.. oh and good news, the Court Workers will not be losing their positions!!! I can really relax now!!

ttfn

East Coast of the North Island

1. Mount Maunganui
2. me at the top - looking over the pacific I think
3. another view from the top.. an amazing beach
4. ahhh another thermal pool. This will be missed.
5. Craig O'Brien and Chris Hanna - my Gisborne hosts
6. Shaun, Malcolm, me, Steve, Wendy and Margaret
7. a $2500 brass fire hat.. thank god those are out of service. heavy!
8. the Whakatane training balcony
9. the AIX massage bed - imagine water shooting out of the shower heads!!
10. a wine tasting trick for clarity.
11. Chris's big pig! 250 kilos or something..
12. me on the farm, watching the eye/heading dogs work is truly amazing!
13. Gisborne's NX$1.3 million new toy
14. the Gisborne Cosmopolitan Club - New Zealand's version of the Fort Smith Legion
15. Art Deco- building art work
16. Art Deco- man hole covers
17. Art Deco- the town paper
18. Art Deco- another style
19. Art Deco- the old fire hall
20. back yard at the Napier jail - people would scale up the side wall and go out for the evening for a meal, movie, a drink or a "special meeting"
21. the hanging yard - now used for laundry, but for people back in the day
22. brick designed by a prisoner
23. brick designed by a prisoner
24. the quarry where the rocks were got to build the walls. The water fall is fake, man made

So on June 1st I flew to Napier and was transported to another time and place. Napier was rocked by an earthquake in 1931 measuring 7.9 on the Richter scale, knocking over buildings and causing the gas lines in the pharmacies to spark and eventually burn down much of the down town core. The earthquake actually raised the land 3 meters or so and created more land for Napier to expand. When they looked at rebuilding they looked at what was modern for that time and Art Deco was strong, so that is how they rebuilt much of their buildings, though there were still some other types as well. The Art deco took into account the discovery of King Tutankhamen's tomb, the Mayan world and included their styles in the art work and also included lots of styles defining speed, women in power, new beginnings and the Maori style. It was very cool there and going on a tour was a good way to get the inside scoop! They have a HUGE weekend where everyone dresses up and drives 1930-1940s styles of clothing and cars. I guess it is a huge event, so big, they will have one in the off season as well! The Hawke's Bay Museum had a decent display about the earthquake and its effect on the town and the people. NZ still experiences earth quakes everyday, just not to that scale lately.. the last big one was in the late 90's I think..

I toured the Napier Prison that was used until the late 1990's, though looks like it should have been closed down much sooner. It is a backpackers place now and the owner gives the tours, telling all the haunting stories and such on the way around. It was a decent size, but in looking at it, I am not sure how it hosted the number of people he said did time there. People we actually hung in the back court yard and they sold seats for people to watch.. reality is always better than the movies, isn't it?? As well when the prison was being built the prisoners were marched to the quarry and created the stone blocks that built the walls. Some prisoners made fancy designs on the blocks, most did not.I am currently on a hunt for a book one of the prisoners wrote with all the inside stories!

I went on a great wine tour to 4 different wineries and think I actually learned something! By the last winery I could actually taste the pepper in the red wine, though the sweet whites are still my favorite. Our guide was a great host and at one place we had an amazing feed with calamari, smoked venison and beef, fennel (tastes like black licorice), cheese and crackers and roasted garlic!! yummy!

My next journey brought me North along the coast to Gisborne and to another of Julie's brother's (and his girlfriend's) homes. The weather wasn't grand, but I did make it out to wander down to the museum and around town, to the fire hall (AMAZING) and out to the Cosmopolitan Club (much like the Legion at home with the same kind of regulars for their club nights on Tuesdays and Fridays!) The weather cleared on my last day and Craig tried his hardest to convert me to a farmer, by taking me out and having me ride along while he and the dogs did some cattle shifting. Pretty neat to see the dogs at work! On the way back to town we stopped at the longest pier in the Southern Hemisphere - 660 meters, but it is not used now and has been basically falling apart since it was built in the early 1900's! He also took me to the Maere (?sp) where they filmed Whale Rider.. so now I have to watch that!

I spent a relaxing couple of days in Whakatane, with friend's of Julie's (the Rawsons) and we had a lovely supper with Julie's daughter Shaun and other family friends, the Wilsons. I tried to get a tour to White Island a semi-active volcano, but the weather didn't cooperate. Another thing to put on the list for when I return. Malcolm is the deputy chief of the department here, so he took me for a tour of the hall.. they have a great upper training room and secured a beautiful deck by getting funding for an upper ladder rescue training situations..

I spent a night in Rotorua just to try out the AIX massage at the QEII spa (the one Dixie and had the mud baths at a month or so ago). What an experience.. a full body massage while jets of thermal water were pulsing down on me.. truly relaxing! well worth the trip.

I've made it to Tauranga for one last stay with Julie's friend Eunice and her son Lance. The weather finally cleared up and I climbed a mountain.. well what they call Mount Maunganui.. but it is only 827 feet or so high.. It was still a good walk. And after a relax in the thermal hot springs at the base was a beautiful way to finish and treat my achy knees.!!

I have three more sleep in the Land of the Long White Cloud (so called for the cloud always present above the Southern Alps), and don't know how the Internet will work (or cost) in the Islands, but I will continue to give updates as best I can, but assume there will be some sun and some sand and likely some sun burn and I also assume a few drinks.. though I need to save enough money to eat.. I will need three jobs to pay for these last two months of this journey!!