Month: October 2015

October 31, 2015 on this side of the dateline

We’re anchored here on the north end of Waya Island, Fiji, and noticed something about the horns on the mountain above us. Look closely.

Scary!

Happy  Halloween!

Rich and Cyndi

October 30, 2015

What a treat! We had dinner at Navutu Stars Resort and it was great! (Click to enlarge/scroll through photos below.)

We’ve had no better dinner in Fiji, and for that matter, not all that many anywhere in the world. The food was first-rate, and the staff really make this a special place. They are welcoming, kind, friendly, and caring. Meli even asked us to radio him when we got back to our boat to make sure we got home OK. Nice!

Speaking of the dinghy ride, we weren’t really worried but it was a bit of a challenge. It’s eight-tenths of a mile from where we anchored and through some shallow water. Tide was on our side, but light wasn’t. Dinner was at 6PM, so it would be black by the time we left. So here’s what we did… Using the (terrible) Navionics app on my phone, we recorded our track on our daylight dinghy ride in to see if we could get a dinner reservation. Then, we followed the track home at night. Our dinghy really needs an autopilot, and some search lights while we’re at it, but we managed to do alright.

Back to the business at hand: Navutu Stars is a must-do! See our Long Beach Bay post for a map. -Rich

Now for Cyndi’s wisdom:

Since our anchorage nearby was definitely off the beaten path (see next post), we had no idea if the resort would be cruiser friendly.  We’d never heard of any boaters coming here, but I read such good things about it in our Lonely Planet guide that I wanted to try.  Luckily for us, they do welcome cruisers.  If you want dinner, though, you need to come in early in the day and make your selections from the menu.  (It may be possible to do this over the phone, and they monitor VHF 16.)

There are a few things that make this place special.  It’s in a very pretty setting by a nice beach, with a view across a shallow channel of water (which means beautiful blue-green colors) to the palm-lined Long Beach on the south side of Matacawalevu Island.

And then there’s the food. This resort specializes in (and is famous for) its Italian food.  It also specializes in romance so it’s more quiet, cozy, and low-key than some of the other resorts (you won’t find communal dining or loud music here!). It’s perfect for honeymooners, people looking for a romantic getaway, or for those just craving an atmosphere with a more quiet elegance.

Note:  If your partner happens to be the same gender as you, no worries.  All are very welcome here.

October 30, 2015

That’s what we’re calling it ’cause we don’t know what it’s officially called (or even what official is in charge of that kind of thing!). This is a bay near the south end of Matacawalevu Island in Fiji’s Yasawa chain of islands. Cyndi spotted it on Google Earth and she fell in love with it from afar. (Click to enlarge and scroll through gallery below.)

Now that we’ve visited, the love affair continues, but only in good weather. Yep. We’re fair-weather friends of Long Beach Bay!

The anchorage is shallow (we anchored in 20 feet of sand) and protected from a few directions (north, northeast, not directly east, southeast) but not from westerlies. That’s what we got yesterday evening. Roll, roll, roll. But safe.

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There are two attractions in the bay that we know of: Navutu Stars Resort and Long Beach (yep, it’s a long beach, alright!). There might also be some good snorkeling, but we didn’t get a chance to try it out.

There’s a very shallow area in front of Long Beach to traverse so high tide is the time to go ashore. (You can see from one of the pictures that we weren’t quite that smart.)

Here’s our post about the incredible Navutu Stars Resort: link.

Our route into the bay can be found on our Fiji Information page (Western Fiji Routes)

October 29, 2015

About two and a half miles from our anchorage at the Blue Lagoon, nearly an hour ride in our little, slow dinghy, there’s a wonderful farm that’s well worth a visit, if only for the dinghy ride into the mangroves. But besides the wonderful scenery, and the really wonderful people who run it, there’s great produce too!

It’s best to go within about an hour of high tide as the inner bay and mangroves are pretty shallow.  If the tide is too low by the time you arrive, you can pull your dinghy onto the little beach near the mangrove entrance (in front of the Bay of Plenty resort) and do a short hike from there.

Note from Cyndi:  This beautiful family comes to the anchorage regularly to sell their produce, but it’s such a pretty trip to the farm that it’s worth the effort to visit it in person.

And here’s a link to our previous post which includes maps.

Here are some pictures from our trip…

October 28, 2015

We’re back at the Blue Lagoon (as opposed to the Blue Lagoon Resort), and there are some nice changes. Their new general store will soon be open and it looks nice. Soon, there’ll be no need to go back to town. We can just live in the Yasawas!

And there are nice, new umbrellas over the patio tables so you can enjoy your meal at the Boathouse Nanuya cafe without becoming baked yourself!

Evidence suggests that there are moorings coming soon (evidence: new moorings stacked in the work shed).

And to help you pay for all this (or maybe to help them pay for all this?), the Holy Grail of the Yasawas, the first-ever (as far as we know) ATM machine (“Hole in the Wall” to you Ozzies).

Very nice changes for us boat people! Thank you Blue Lagoon! -Rich

Note from Cyndi:  With moorings going in, a nice little store, two restaurants (including an easy and casual bar cafe that has thankfully acquired umbrellas for its tables), an atm, a farm boat that makes regular visits to sell fresh fruit and veggies (or you can visit the farm yourself), and wonderful, well-protected anchorages to visit nearby (such as the Blue Lagoon Beach Resort’s anchorage or beautiful Malakati bay), this area is joining the ranks of Denerau, Vuda Marina, and Musket Cove in becoming a place where you can spend a good part of the season.