Fiji

Although the distance from Lautoka to Suva is not far, cruise ships manage to still arrive after sunrise with time to spare to get all the shore furniture ready for guests to disembark soon after breakfast. Our docking point in Suva is at a container wharf with shipping containers stacked up to 7 high. Next door is the central Suva bus station. Buses are the main public transport system for Fiji.

Suva

Suva is the capital city of Fiji, located on the southeast coast of Viti Levu, the country’s largest island.

Population: ~90,000 (about 330,000 in the greater Suva–Nausori urban area) Role: Political, administrative, and commercial centre of Fiji Climate: Tropical rainforest – warm and humid year-round, with frequent rain Port: One of the South Pacific’s most important ports

Quick facts:

What Suva is known for:

Government & diplomacy – Parliament House, embassies, regional organisations Education – University of the South Pacific (USP) main campus Shipping & trade – major container and cruise port Health services – Colonial War Memorial Hospital Urban life – markets, nightlife, museums, and a strong Indo-Fijian and Pacific cultural mix

Beside the bus station is a very active farmers market which seems to run day and night. The shopping centre is beyond the market. This enables us to walk to town or catch the free shuttle bus. All the tourist buses come onto the wharf to collect or drop off excursion passengers. The wharf precinct is very busy as you can imagine.

We took the shuttle bus to town in the morning and returned to the ship for lunch.

Negotiating a price and what was on offer can be tricky and without much knowledge of where we will visit, at the end of the negotiation process. We “did a deal” thinking we would be departing within a few minutes. Not to be. The bus was a 20 seater and each seat represented a different deal that had to be made in order for the tour of the city to start. We waited for 40 minutes for that process to be completed. (Fiji time).

Fortunately, a tour guide accompanied us as the driver’s job is to drive and grunt. We were shown most of the cities important landmarks and buildings and made it to a waterfall up some “hairy” roads; roads that I would never consider driving our motor home on.

A tradition that used to be normal for departures by cruise boats from Suva was that the Fiji Police Band would play for 30 minutes prior to the casting off; that has been deleted from the farewell procedure which used to be a highlight.

Our next destination had to be changed due damage at the tender wharf at Dravuni Island. Near to Viti Levu is the town of Savu Savu on the second largest Fijian island of Vanua Levu. Our captain decided that was a good alternative. All these little towns on the islands are very busy with what seems to be, a town where you go to if you’re not fishing or in the garden.

The shuttle tender was quite crowded and the town only required a couple of hours to explore and experience the culture of their way of life.

Or next destination was in the Kingdom of Tonga.

VANUATU –

We have been in overcast weather all the way from Honiara to Luganville Vanuatu. However, on our side has been the ocean. It’s amazing what a request to “stay calm please” does. (Nice to have an obedient ocean.)

Vanuatu became an independent country on 30 July 1980.

Before that, it was known as the New Hebrides, jointly administered by Britain and France under a unique system called a condominium. Independence in 1980 made Vanuatu a sovereign nation within the Commonwealth.

We crept into Luganville in the early misty hours. When the fog lifted, we were able to enjoy a brilliant tropical morning for breakfast on the outside deck of the ship.

In Vanuatu, blue holes are deep freshwater ponds formed where underground springs rise through limestone rock to the surface. The clear, pure water absorbs longer light wavelengths, making the holes appear vividly blue — almost unreal in colour. Many are surrounded by jungle and accessed via paddling up rivers or through forest tracks.  

Our excursion to the blue holes took us along country potholed roads for 45 minutes. The water was blue and crystal clear. We were in a group of 20 – 30, some swam and even Lyn had some time in the cooling water.

Prior to leaving Luganville, the captain advised that he had changed our itinerary due to the buildup of strong storms west of Vanuatu and we would be missing Vila and Mystery Island. It is better to be unhappy and safe than happy and go through storms in the captains view. (Good on the captain.)

This means that we will reach Lautoka earlier by a few days but will have an overnight berth at both Lautoka and Suva. Tropical storms can be devastating and turn into cyclones and “riding” through them is not anybody’s choice.

The entertainment has been varied through the cruise with a request to not film the shows. I managed to get a shot of the last scene last night (naughty naughty).

FIJI

With the adjusted schedule, our arrival through the reef was in daylight around 3pm with a “tie up” around 5:15pm. We are in Fiji now.

As we disembarked, we were welcomed with smiles and offers of massage. Which do you take? What tour excursion is available and where to. We booked a taxi to take us to Fulton University tomorrow, where Lyn’s dad was the Chairman of the Board years ago. Oh! We took a $20 leg massage be fore getting back on the ship for the night.

Fulton University is a new campus away from the coast win a beautiful setting. With over 1000 students, 300 boarders as well as many studying in their home countries around the South Pacific. The lecturers go to those countries for intensive classroom sessions during the school year.

The return trip and “look around” took about 3 hours. Tonight we cruise around the island to Suva for two days and a night.

Kiriwina

Kiriwina Island, Papua New Guinea

Located in Papua New Guinea’s Milne Bay Province, Kiriwina is the largest of the Trobriand Islands and home to the majority of their 12,000-strong indigenous population. The picturesque island is steeped in history and is famous to many as a site of U.S. occupation during World War II. In fact, various relics of the war, including the remains of an American plane, can still be seen on this the island. But Kiriwina is home to far more than history. Here, you’ll find an idyllic traditional lifestyle, incredibly friendly locals and a fascinating social structure that’s based on matrilineal clans, with unique marriage and courtship rituals. Many aspects of life revolve around the cultivation and exchange of yams.There’s also mesmerizing scenery, from crystal-clear waters to jungle-covered cliffs. Hire a dugout canoe, hike to the burial caves, peruse exquisite carvings and explore the coral-filled offshore islands. Be sure to stop and watch a game of Trobriand cricket, an innovative spin on the game. Whatever you choose to do, it’s bound to be an eye-opening experience.

Today was going to be a wet and windy day and hoping into a tender boat to get to the island wasn’t in our thoughts. A few tender loads of passenger managed to make to the island before a fierce wind squall hit us. The captain closed down the passenger transfers and eventually ordered all passengers back to the ship. Some passengers were held in the tenders for over 90 minutes until the squall subsided to a safe level to transfer back to Noordam.

From Kiriwina islands it takes a sea day to get to Honiara port in the “Hapi Isles”; Solomon Islands. The entertainment for the evening was a Spanish Guitarist from Melbourne. The rocking and rolling of the ocean didn’t affect our smooth sailing in the Solomon Sea.

Eventually, Honiara came into sight and my heart skipped a little as a reason for this cruise is to relive our days of enjoying life here in the 80s. We have managed to “find” friends on facebook and arrange to meet during the day. As we came off the ship, the traditional bamboo band was playing the sounds of the “hapi isles”.

Just nearby, Julie and her husband Kevin had been waiting to show us around our old “hometown”. We worked here for 4 and a half years 1985 to 1989, with two years at Atoifi Hospital on Malaita Island. Julie had been the head in the School of nursing at Atoifi Hospital

and is now teaching nursing in Honiara. Her sister, Encie, worked as a secretary in an office I also worked, and has recently retired from being principal of a 600 student school.

Bradley came from the western Solomons by boat to Honiara just to meetup. He had been the manager of a carvings industry at Betikama High School which was my privilege to be the CFO while also the CFO at Atoifi Hospital.

What reunion chatter the day brought as we drove around the pot holed town of Honiara. The school at Betikama High School was on vacation

While living in Honiara, Lyn worked at Guadalcanal Travel agency so we dropped by for a visit. All past employees have moved on to other ventures.

As we left Honiara, our hearts knew that they had fond memories of the beautiful people that we had both worked with and had fun together. Thank you Julie, Encie and Bradley for being such a fun ingredient to our day of nostalgia. Keep safe guys.

Our Honiara day didn’t end at the wharf, it ended when the pilot boat headed back to the town. The pilot is Encie’s son.

We have another sea day to travel to our next port Luganville, Vanuatu.

Due to an evolving tropical cyclone, our entry into Cairns was delayed until 6pm. The seas were calm but the harbour master wouldn’t allow large ships to berth until the exact direction of the cyclone was known. It made landfall about 400 km to the south of us.

We had a plan to meet up with a travel colleague but due to our change of plans Liz changed hers and wasn’t available on the Sunday. However, after a shop around the Cairns Shopping Centre (thank goodness for air conditioning), a haircut and a few needed items, we met up with Hilary and a catchup on her goings on since last year.

Of course, we managed to partake of our favorite ice cream from Bobbins Baskin. (Would you believe, for morning tea?

Our ship departed around 6:00pm through the Great Barrier Reef and into some moderate seas with a few bumps thrown in. With my walking poles, I have an ‘all clear’ passage as other folk “get out of my way”. Yes, if you see someone coming with walking aids, you make a swift move to the left or right of the walkway, especially in the lido dining room. The next day is a sea day and we find a quiet spot in the library to play 5 crowns and enjoy what the barista does for us.

During each woken moment during the night, I check Google Maps to see our location at that point. It was noticeable when we came through the reef into the lagoon near Conflict Islands; the bouncy rocking ceased. We were back in Papua New Guinea after 40 years absent. I had never been to Milne Bay Province when we lived in PNG in the early 80s, but it’s a very nice harbour and a very busy little town. Not sure why there’s no resort here but it would be a great spot.

After we disembarked for a walk around the town, we quickly found out that most of the locals speak English. I had expected to use my limited Motu language or some Tok Pisin but the two little kids that latched onto us didn’t seem to know either. So English was the way we communicated while walking around the town. Found out later that Motu is not used at all in Alotau.

The streets are typical PNG style. Lots of broken pavements and rubbish. Noticeable are the “keep Alotau Clean bins” and the list of fines for chewing or spitting betelnut.

The places for eating are not too hygienic so we made our way back to Noordam for lunch, cool downs and an afternoon nap. Our departure for Kiriwini Islands is for 5:30pm.

Alotau, Papua New Guinea

The sprawling town of Alotau, spectacularly located on Papua New Guinea’s southeastern tip, is an ideal introduction to the relaxed charms of the region. The capital of Milne Bay Province, Alotau is also the main port for the 600 islands that encompass the area.

The buzzing harbor, just a short walk from town, is a hive of activity, with ships, boats and canoes transporting passengers and plying their trades.The town was the site of the 1942 Battle of Milne Bay, resulting in Japan’s first defeat in the Pacific during World War II. Milne Bay was a major Allied base, and some of the war’s fiercest fighting took place in Papua New Guinea. Although there’s not much to see now, a fascinating Battle of Milne Bay tour combines historic war stories with locals’ tales of how modern warfare changed their world.

More broadly, Alotau is an excellent place to gain insight into Papua New Guinea’s cultures and traditions; don’t miss the Cultural Festival excursion in which you’ll see everything from warrior dances to gospel choirs to traditional drumming. For even more local flavor, wander through Alotau Market with its mounds of betel nuts, which many islanders chew.

Moreton Island (Mulgumpin) is a large sand island off the coast of Brisbane, Australia, known for its pristine beaches, towering sand dunes (including the world’s highest coastal dune, Mount Tempest), and clear lagoons, making it a popular destination for 4WD adventures, camping, and wildlife encounters like dolphin feeding at Tangalooma. 98% of the island is a national park, offering activities like snorkeling the Tangalooma Wrecks, sand tobogganing, and exploring its natural beauty, accessible by a 75-minute ferry from Brisbane.

What a calm sea we have “endured” for the last 36 hours as we head north up the coast of New South Wales towards Queensland; a bit like a glass of tonic, shaken but not stirred at all.

I looked out our deck door at 4:00am to find the pilot boat making its way to the ship to help the crew in the ship’s bridge navigate the sand bars of the Moreton Bay. We went through a period of graze-cruising in the early morning light with the sun threatening to show its light source and imply “I’m now in control” for the day. We had, before the cruise, decided, or should I say “suggested”, that if we were to enjoy the inventions of the Noordam Chefs, an early morning visit to the gym was necessary. The score is 1 out of 2.

We chose to miss the tender transfer to Moreton Island and to take another morning with ease on Noordam after breakfast. Our afternoon had us improving the tan on the stern deck.

Don’t the lounge beds look like rows of Starlink satellite receivers?

Sea days are always a good time to relax and realize that life doesn’t have to be rush, rush, rush.

On our arrival into Brisbane, we had Bob and Lyndell pick us up at the new Brisbane Terminal to spend the hours together. Bob and I started work at the same place in the 60s in Sydney. It’s always good to catch up with their lives whenever we can. Our ship departed around 4 pm and headed towards Townsville in the north.

We have a couple of clients on board with us who haven’t traveled for some time due to health complications that prevented them getting away. We are having dinner together each evening and finding some interesting menu items to choose from. They have a sense of humor too.

Our arrival into Townsville has been cancelled due to the coming cyclone, and so our itinerary may change as far as docking in Cairns for the night. Oh well, best to keep everything and all the passengers safe.