Week ending Sunday 6th July 2025

Umm, yes.

Yes, we are on holidays… again 😲

I’m almost too scared to tell you. Or too embarrassed, at least.

Tuesday was my Dad’s 85th birthday. As you may know he and Pamela spend about half of the year at their home on Taveuni, Fiji’s third largest island, about an hour’s flight from Nadi. Taveuni is also only a 40-minute flight from Suva, so that’s where we decided to meet Dad to celebrate the special occasion with him and Pamela.

But first things first. I’ve actually been overseas twice!

The week actually started in New Zealand, with Victoria and my ‘pre-wedding weekend away’. She is having a hen’s party closer to the wedding date, but we decided rather than also have a girls’ weekend away, we would do something with just her and I. The wedding is still just over four months away, but the excitement is building!

We spent most of the weekend in Auckland, driving on Saturday about an hour north of the city to Muriwai to go horse-riding on the beach, then on Sunday we drove about the same distance south, to Castaways Resort where we had booked an afternoon massage/high tea package. Both activities were fabulous, but we both especially liked the horse-riding. It was a bit cold, but the rain held off for all bar the last few minutes of the ride, and we both just loved walking along the beach and through the water on our gorgeous horses.

We didn’t love the dinner we had at Lillius quite so much, which proves that no matter how much research you do to choose a restaurant, it still might not meet your expectations. There was nothing specifically wrong with it, but the great reviews and awards it had received probably promised too much, and therefore when it wasn’t amazing, I felt let down. I’ve spoken before on the blog about trying not to have too high an expectation… I may not have listened to my own advice!

My flight was delayed out of Auckland, which means I missed my connection in Brisbane, but was put on a flight an hour later, landing in Sydney at about 10:30pm on Monday. If you are wondering why I flew through Brisbane – it was so that I could get extra Qantas status credits. IYKYK.

I met Dave at Elizabeth Bay, and after an average night’s sleep and a repack, we were up and heading to the airport again by about 9am.

An overnight stay near the airport in Nadi, then another early start, this time for the quick 30-minute flight to Suva where we met Dad and Pamela for the birthday celebrations. We arrived at the lovely Grand Pacific Hotel a few hours before them (at about 9am) and were very pleased that we could check in early. This was one of the many, many examples of wonderful service that we enjoyed at the GPH. We were also thrilled that both Dad’s room and ours had been upgraded to an ocean view suite; amazed at the first-name recognition but so many of the staff; and the ‘sweet plate’ and sincere card in our room was a lovely extra touch. Dad’s room was also ready on their arrival, complete with ‘Happy Birthday Paul’ written in flowers on his bed, and a fruit platter. The manager told me Dave and I got dessert, and Dad and Pamela got fruit because “old people shouldn’t eat desserts” 😉 😉

I know I’ve already mentioned it, but the way we were looked after at the GPH was just amazing. If you’ve been to Fiji, you will know that the hospitality is second to none – being warm and friendly is just in their DNA. Respect for their elders is also their way, and with an average life expectancy of 68, I guess Dad at 85 was considered pretty old. He certainly doesn’t look or act like an old man, and as usual when I spend time with him, I am still learning from his wisdom, and of course hints on IT!

(A few other activities in Suva)

Dad and Pamela flew back to Taveuni on Friday and after a great buffet breakfast (OMG the fresh tropical fruit!) Dave and I took a taxi to pick up a hire car and then set off on the Kings Road, which stretches around the north coast of Fiji’s main island from Suva to Nadi. The north road is far less travelled than the south (Queens) road, and we had never driven along it before. Dave’s had it on his list for a while and we had planned to spend a couple of days driving the 265km from city to city, but even though the road conditions weren’t great, we ended up driving the whole way in one day. We didn’t rush things however, stopping in Raki Raki for a walk around the market and lunch, and then stopping at Ba so Dave could get a FJ$5 haircut! (A$3) at a local barbershop.

We arrived in Nadi around 6pm, just as the sun was going down. Accommodation was a bit sparse, given it was Aussie school holidays, so we had to choose between ‘Feast’ or ‘Famine’ style. Naturally we went with Feast… and had a lovely couple of nights relaxing at a beautiful resort. We are now spending our last night in Fiji at a ‘Famine’ style establishment. We are flying out at 9am, which means a 5am get up, so no point splurging tonight!

To finish, I’m loading the video (or attempting to at least) of the GPH staff singing Dad Happy Birthday – such beautiful voices and beautiful people.

Happy Birthday to the best Dad in the whole wide world. Fiji included.

(Apologies if this wont load!)