Nede's Notes

 Another week and another celebration. This time it was Fiji's turn to celebrate independence. We all headed over to the Funafuti Lagoon Hotel for dinner and the ceremonies. The evening was presided over by the MC Peteli Paulo, who welcomed us all, and the special guest, Mr Teoni Faafou Paape. There were speeches, then the traditional kava ceremony, ending with the National Anthem and eating the cake. All hands in mixing the kava The special guest drinks kava Two wonderful Fiji Day sponge cakes Cutting the cake Watch us sing Fiji's National Anthem And now the cake. Traditional kava ceremony explained View from the roof of the Bowen's bridge looking North View from the roof of the Bowen's bridge looking South Panoramic view from the roof of the Bowen's bridge looking West This week's work has mainly involved preparing for our second barge load of aggregates from Fiji. The Warringa towing the Bowen takes around 4-5 days to get here from Lautoka. It normally makes ...

As I paddled in the Pacific I reflected on my day’s journey. It started 11 hours previously with a chilly start from Stratford, New Zealand with only single digits on the temperature gauge. By the time I boarded the Auckland bound plane I was thankful I was wearing my trusty puffer jacket. The windchill made it feel like 5 degrees. This felt almost tropical to me compared to the sub-zero temperatures I had experienced for the last eight months working on the Homer Tunnel at Milford Sound. Flying in to Nadi A far cry from the caressing breeze I felt as I exited Nadi International Airport in Fiji. The staff there were really helpful with directions to the hotel shuttles, even describing it down to the green flowers on the side of van. I hadn’t organised any transport as I was advised to get a taxi but so I guessed the hotel might have a shuttle. As I waited outside a nice guy asked me why I was waiting. He told me where to wait and even pointed out the shuttle as it went past the domesti...