More from Matagi

Matagi Island photos first

Last Thurs.: The day was sunny for minutes at a time, then rainy, then cloudy, then sunny for a minute, then rainy again. We did manage to go to shore and admired the huge jungle trees that surround the bure which the resort has for couples who want to be far away from anyone; we even took showers there, after snorkeling in the rain. (Obviously no one was there this afternoon.) A couple was there for a few hours late morning, enjoying some snorkeling and relaxing while we stayed away on Sidewinder out in the bay. Lots of goats frequent the beaches in the morning at low tide, climbing down the steep slopes and foraging whatever they can find. Unfortunately we missed the performance tonight, due to wind and rain, but had a nice quiet dinner on Sidewinder, alone in this awesome bay. Thank you for luring us up here, even though the weather has been quite shitty. It is very beautiful and we are glad to know that. We plan on going back to Taveuni tomorrow, and hope to go for one of the waterfall hikes on Saturday, in the sunshine. We then plan to head back to Savusavu, perhaps stopping at Jack's for one last Rainbow Reef dive or snorkel on the way, and then begin our journey to the Yasawas.  May the sun shine soon.  Hope you are still having summer weather. Love you mucho,  S.  

Qamea photos

Friday: Boy, it's good thing we did take the pictures last Monday when the sun was shining, cause we haven't seen that much sunshine since then! The weather is supposed to be changing and mellowing out today, but you would never know it. It howled, blew up to 30+kts, and rained most of the night, and now it is doing the same thing again. Coming into this anchorage yesterday was a scene. Thank goodness for our computer program showing us where we are at all times as we slide between reefs!  We dropped anchor behind this little island in front of us, just as a major squall hit; luckily the holding is good in sand. We are not really blocked from the wind and rain here, but the reef does give us some calm. We imagined ourselves going out to dinner yesterday to celebrate the anniversary but the weather gods did not agree. It is only 9AM so there is still hope that things will change, and, at least, we will be able to manage going to shore for some fresh supplies. PHEW !!!!  We are still hoping to hike on Taveuni, but if this continues, we may try to make a run for it around the corner, back down to Viani Bay and then back to Savusavu, which is also probably raining. Aren't you glad you are not here now?!!!  Did you happen to celebrate Nancy's birthday? What are you doing for Margo's birthday?  Enjoy your weekend. Glad that Marc is doing fine and that you are still managing to hike and play in your beautiful paradise. Did I mention that we did manage to snorkel the other point of Matagi Bay yesterday morning before we left, and that, in spite of the rain and poor light, it was awesome. The reef there is vibrant and alive with so many different colors and types of hard coral; the fish were bountiful and so damn beautiful. Thank goodness we made that effort! I will try to send you some pictures in the next hour; not sure how strong this internet connection is, but at least we get to email!  Love to you   S


The first of the photos were taken last Thursday when we arrived in Matei, near the airstrip at the northern tip of Taveuni. This is what it looks like when the sun is shining and, as I recall, it did inspire me to call you and thank you for encouraging us to come this far norh. (S 16 degrees 40.92, W 179 52.45') We moved on from Taveuni to Qamea to hide from the NW winds coming and found ourselves snug in Naivini Bay. This is where we visited the chief, Moses, with our kava for the village, and he blessed and welcomed us with open arms. Ela and Jone, who live across the bay, invited us to join them on Sunday morning at their home across the bay, and then we all went to the village for the rest of the day. Ela and I went to church and we all had a traditional Fijian meal at noon in the kitchen, the picture with cook and sister, Sophi, along with mom and grandma. The view from the kitchen was stunning and just down the hillside was a covered area we all enjoyed, talking, laughing, snoozing, and relaxing with cool breezes flowing round our full contented beings. What a great day in the village it was! The next pictures are of Matagi Bay, but no picture can really show the true essence of the teal-turqoise blue water. A few pictures of the resort show the accommodations and beauty of the land around the point from the bay, and luckily we had an afternoon without rain, to explore that area.  Now we are back at the tip of Taveuni, hoping the weather will clear and give us a chance to enjoy this area before we go back to Savusavu and over to the Yasawas.

We do have a moment of sunshine right now, but it rained for an hour earlier this morning. David and I have had quite enough of this weather and each other...........like being stuck in a tent for a week in the pouring rain. YIKES.  Good thing I love him! -S