Day 6- Monday 10th March & Day 5- 9th March

Day 6- Thanks for all the comments everyone- love to get them so keep it up!!

We got up and had the usual lovely breakfast in the restaurant- the chef makes you omelets with any fillings you like. They are delicous with ham, cheese, mushrooms and tomato.

Then we and John and Sherlie from Morrinsville caught a bus into town - my goodness the humidity was off the rictor scale after the rain & sun earlier! Our clothes were absolutely soaking wet within 30mins but you just have to keep going. However, you can give us the hot dry air off the sahara desert anyday over the hot, humid and sticky air in alot of the pacific.

We tramped from store to store down the little main street, bought a few things and found that the duty free shops here are heaps cheaper than all the other duty free's we have ever seen, for cigarettes and alcohol.

Graeme bought some wooden statues he really liked about 4 ft high, thought the price was for one, but it was for all three. They are carved statues of safari styled men with plith hats on. Pretty cool but will no doubt be a pain to carry through customs! We have a fumigation certificate with them, so all good (I hope!)
We attracted some attention carrying them all wrapped up, up the road back to the bus.

Went back to the resort and promptly fell into the lagoon to cool down a bit. The current was really strong so we walked along the bank then just drifted down snorkelling to look at all the zillions of cream and red/black starfish.

Had a very enjoyable afternoon with John and Sherlie, sitting on the balcony having a few drinks and talking.

We tried out the wild ginger restaurant at the resort tonight- a more up market a la carte and teppenyaki restaurant- was lovely cuisine and a perfect setting, sitting up the top of the resort, outside under the stars looking out over the lagoon and other islands across the water- Very nice.


Day 5 -

Woke after another good sleep- seem to be sleepig an awful lot ! A quiet day today, we went on a small cruise around the lagoon up to Le Meridien resort and in the other direction to Breaka's resort. The guide took us right down to the end of the huge lagoon and showed us some beautiful homes on the waterway. He said it was where the 'rich people live!

One even had a huge out door day bed with a woven roof - could get used to lying out there, but we notice here that due to it all being in a protected lagoon, there is hardly ever a breeze, so it is very hot and still everywhere.

On the way back the skies opened and we had the most amzing tropical downpour- it was hilarious as everyone ended up standing in the middle as it was an open sided reef boat and the driver had to steer with his head out over the roof to see !!

Came back, dried off, had some ales (rude not too!) when it dried off, over on Erakor island. Have got in the habit of having 'toberlrone' cocktail over there in the afternoons and shared lunch with the Reids, looking out back towards our reasort across the bay, the catching the ferry back across.

Had a most enjoyable couple of hours yarning away about life in NZ! We will miss John and Sherlie when they leave in a few days!

Came back and watched 'T'he Mummy' movie on the laptop. Getting used to being 2 hours behind now, so can manage to stay up till 10.30pm or so like at home.