We got up at 5:30 and made up some pancakes with a fruit platter for Kaitlyn’s birthday breakfast. We all ate breakfast together and then loaded the bags into Byron’s car for our trip to the airport. Byron dropped us at the international airport and then went off to do some errands. 

We checked in printed our boarding passes and then made our way through security. Once we were inside the terminal we had some time to spare. Tine did some Duolingo Tagalog study, Kaitlyn read a book, Brandon went to find the most sugary drink that he could and I did some Duolingo French study. 

Fiji Air

The flight was smooth Tine and the kids used the inflight entertainment while I took the opportunity to read some of the book Habitos Atomicos by James Clear. This flight included an inflight meal, a chicken curry that was absolutely delicious. Tine had also packed a range of snacks that we munched our way through over the duration of the flight. 

Coastal Car Rental 

The line for immigration was long but moved quickly, it was made all the better by have a small group of Fijians playing live music to the crowed. Once we were through immigration we quickly located the coastal car rental counter. We paid cash and the bloke said to simply bring the car back in the same condition as it went out. We were driving at night which was a little sketchy as the lights on the car didn’t seem to go real far, the roads were narrow and there were a few pot holes around due to the recent rains. 

Gecko’s Resort Cuvu

We made it to the resort at about 9pm local time. They were expecting us so check in was a smooth process. Once we were all checked in we headed to the restaurant where Mary organised some meals for us. The meals were delivered to the rooms, they were healthy and delicious. We unpacked, finished our meals and then took the plates back to the kitchens. Gecko’s resort is a comfortable little resort on the south west coast about 30 minutes drive south of Natadola beach. 

Day 2 

We got up at about 7 local time which also happened to be when the kitchens opened. We made our way over to the kitchens where Mary put some breakfast together for us. We ate our breakfast and then drove up to Natadola Beach where we could hire some surfboards and do some snorkelling. 

Natadola Beach 

We arrived around mid morning and were ushered by the local vendors into a carpark under the shade of a tree. We hired surfboards from the local massage hut and headed out to catch some tiny waves breaking on an idyllic little reef just off the beach. We caught a stack of fun little lefts before coming back in to get our snorkelling gear so we could get a closer look at the reef. 

I took Kaitlyn and Tine out on the surf board to a point where the reef started and there were some spectacular coral formations with schools of colourful fish swimming around. Kaitlyn used her snorkel set while Tine and I shared one after the second set broke. Kaitlyn held on to the side of the surfboard while I paddled slowly over the top of the reef so she could check out the action taking place on the reef. 

Toba Bar and Grill

After our snorkelling we did some more surfing and then decided to go for lunch at Toba Bar and Grill in the Intercontinental, one of the many resorts dotted along Natadola Beach. This particular resort was massive with a range of pools and facilities that seemed to stretch on for ever. The food was delicious although it was a little on the pricey side. 

Kaitlyn’s birthday dinner

After lunch we made our way back to Gecko’s Resort to have a siesta. 

In the evening we wandered down to the restaurant at the resort. We ordered some meals for dinner and then for desert Tine organised with the staff to bring out a small chocolate cake with candles so we could sing happy birthday to Kaitlyn. The whole restaurant joined in for the singing.