The Coral Coast

The Fijian government holds a majority stake in Fiji Airways, so to entice travelers to experience Fiji as they transit the Pacific the airline doesn’t add extra ticketing charges for stopovers. When I discovered this back in May as we were booking our travels for Christmas in Adelaide it took Lisa about 10 seconds to agree with me that we should break up our trip with some time in Fiji on our way back to California. Not wanting to miss out on the fun, Greg and Kathi joined us for a few days on the Coral Coast on their way to Australia. Never ones to miss a party! It had been 19 years since Lisa and I tied the knot in Fiji on Taveuni, time sure flies when you’re having fun…

It was about an hour-and-a-half drive from Nadi International Airport to the town of Korotoga on Viti Levu’s southern coast, we didn’t see much as we drove through the night as most of the main island’s roads are devoid of any kind of street lights. About the only thing I had to watch out for was the occasional stray dog or cow venturing onto the road! Our digs on the Coral Coast’s Outrigger Fiji Beach Resort were quite idyllic: a sprawling campus of bures (bungalows) spread out around multiple pools and a picturesque beach fringed by coconut palms. Classic South Pacific island accommodation. The resort was very targeted towards families with kids – which our two kids were 100% onboard with – but there was a beautiful adults only area in a corner of the resort where one (Lisa and I included!) could escape the mayhem of the main pool with its waterslide and in-pool volleyball court.

We don’t usually go full resort when we travel – typically opting for vacation rental houses as bases to explore new places – but given we were only in Fiji for a few days we rolled the dice on the Outrigger Fiji Beach Resort. It was a great choice. Our bure was a wonderful spot to spend a few days, the hammock on our deck received plenty of use and we loved the afternoon high teas delivered by the friendly resort staff: ice cold beers with an assortment of pastries and appetizers was a perfect way to wind up each day following afternoon happy hour at the pool. The kids had a ball roaming the property solo, making friends in the pool and coming to find Lisa and I when they needed something. Lisa was quite proud of Lilia winning the resort swimming comp and rugby throw one afternoon as the only Californian in a mix of Aussie kids!

The lagoon inside the barrier reef in front of the resort was a perfect spot to explore Fiji’s underwater world. Full of coral and an amazing assortment of small sea life, we all had a ball snorkeling in the shallows at high tide. So many amazing colors when the sun was on the water. The resort staff recommended only snorkeling the lagoon at high tide to avoid scraping on the sharp coral, so we were pretty lucky that high tide coincided with the early afternoon during our days on the island.

A visit to the South Pacific wouldn’t have been complete without a SCUBA dive or two, so Greg, Kathi and I ventured east from the resort one morning to spend some time with Diveaway Fiji on a couple of their sites near Tagaqe. I didn’t realize Kathi had 140+ dives under her belt until I saw her in the water with her SCUBA gear on, lots of fun diving with such a seasoned pro. The coral on our first dive site at The Edge was very impressive, was also fun to see a turtle following us in the deeps along the coral wall as we dove. Our second dive site at Fanny’s Hill was the standout for me, though: awesome to be a few feet away from six grey and black tip reef sharks as they were having their teeth cleaned. I think it was 2010 off Lizard Island in northern Queensland since I’d been in the water with that many sharks so close. Good times. My GoPro couldn’t handle the depth associated with our SCUBA dives so I had to leave it in the boat, but I did take Lisa and Lilia back to one of the dive sites the next day with snorkels (while poor Max was on the beach crook with food poisoning!) to show them some of the amazing coral and sea life.

On of my favorite parts of traveling to new places – especially in countries that still rely on locally grown produce for the bulk of the food economy – is visiting town markets. We ventured into nearby Sigatoka – one of the main hubs on Viti Levu’s southern coast – one lunchtime to check out the central market and find a bite. Such fun! All the fresh fruits and vegetables on offer were a sight to behold, everything from tropical fruits like magoes and pineapples and jackfruits to locally grown kava (a hallucinogenic root) and a plethora of fresh spices from the island’s Indian population. I sought out one of my favorite Fijian dishes – street roti – and had the rest of the crew gnawing on one each for lunch, such delicious flavors and hard to pass up for US$0.80 each.

A memorable few days for us on our way back to reality in California, and so stoked Greg and Kathi coordinated to meet us as they crossed the Pacific in the other direction. The Pacific islanders are such welcoming people and the Fijian’s were no exception on our second visit to the country. Fingers crossed we can coordinate another visit with a few more friends/family in tow next year to celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary!