Enjoying Suva

We are thoroughly enjoying the city experience of Suva - it's a really busy place and yet retains a friendly feel to it. We've completed some good re-stocking of food stores and bought some new clothes to replace our salt- and sun-damaged ones. We took a bus up to the University of the South Pacific which takes a scenic route along the waterfront past some iconic old buildings. Our timing wasn't great, though, as the bus stopped at a Catholic School en route at the end of the school day and it filled up completely! Getting off at the next stop was a challenge.

At the downtown Bus Terminal

Looks ok and fully air conditioned - and only 70c each for the journey

Colonial buildings hemmed in by modern shops and offices

The City Library

The Grand Pacific Hotel - left empty and derelict for about 20 years but just re-opened aft a multi-million dollar re-build

The bus filled to (over) capacity with school children

Yesterday we were delighted to meet up with Batai, who was the island nurse in Fulaga when we were there last year. He now works for the Corrections Department in Suva so is based in the prison just opposite the Yacht Club. He came over with a colleague, Tamara, and we had a great catch-up.

With Batai and Tamara at the Suva Yacht Club

It's pretty windy here at the moment, thanks to a very big high pressure system south of Fiji but at least we are getting some good weather. Suva is known as 'soggy Suva' due to the amount of rain and the humidity which prevail here so we are enjoying the abnormal conditions. 

We're looking at weather windows to head south to NZ and there may or may not be an option on Monday so we are keeping an eye on it. It's a challenging 8-day passage and we need to pick the right weather as boat who get it wrong have a very uncomfortable time indeed. Meanwhile there's loads to do here, both on board and ashore. Graham is very happy to have fixed the water leak in the generator pump, thanks to some excellent help from the Dive Centre who procured a new seal, and, after a delay in Customs, some spare parts for the water-maker have arrived to allow us to do a service on it. Meanwhile Saturday is Fiji Day so we are trying to find out what will be happening in town to celebrate it. No one we have talked so far to seems to know!