Port Denarau, Fiji, Cruise Port of Call

Port Denarau, Fiji, seen from the cruise ship

Our first stop in Fiji on this cruise was at Port Denarau. As you can see from the photo, the weather was against us. It made the tender ride ashore to the Denarau Marina even longer than usual; 45 minutes of rocking and rolling, bucking and twisting on a little boat. Seasick-inducing! We decided not to go ashore.
   Port Denarau is a large area of reclaimed land. Six huge resorts, a golf course and a shopping complex have been built there. A shuttle bus goes between the resorts.
  A couple from our dinner table took a shore tour to the Shangri-La Resort and Spa. A Fijian cultural show and traditional lovo, meal cooked in the ground, were the drawcards for them. Because it was Sunday, the advertised fire-walking ceremony did not go ahead for religious reasons. Instead, a thrilling performance of war dances and fire dances was held. Men holding long batons, flaming at each end, danced and did acrobatics while twirling the fiery poles. The authentic, pounding rhythms of the drums added to the spectacle.
  Once all passengers were safely back on board, 'Sea Princess' headed towards Suva, the capital of Fiji. More on that next time!

Vibrant Port Vila

The handicraft market at Port Vila, Vanuatu

After the peace of Lifou, it was a bit of a shock to encounter a traffic jam on a Pacific island. Lini Highway, the main road of Port Vila, was chock a block with cars, utes and minivans. But there was no road rage. Everyone seemed to be good natured and smiling, courteously stopping to let bewildered cruise ship passengers cross the road.

  You can walk the main street of Port Vila in about 5 minutes, but why would you want to? Take your time to stroll - there is so much to observe in this colourful town.
   According to the tourist brochures, the people of Vanuatu are among the friendliest in the world. I enjoyed chatting to the stallholders at the markets, the shop assistants in the duty-free stores went out of their ways to be helpful and the staff at the cafe we went to were very friendly.

  After the hustle and bustle of the main street, we walked along the waterfront and browsed around the market there in the thatched roof huts. If you like colourful beachwear, sarongs, and bags, this is the place to get them. 

   It was a little cooler and quieter on the shore of the harbour. The water was calm and there was a faint breeze that was pleasant. In the distance we could see our ship at dock, a sightseeing helicopter was taking off and landing from a pontoon, and a little ferryboat was transporting people to the resort island of Iririki that lies just offshore.

  



Fruit Carving - Fantastic!

Carved fruit with a Japanese theme

I love this! It is the most exquisite example of fruit carving I've seen. One lunchtime on 'Sea Princess' there was a Japanese themed meal. This carving graced the sushi display. Fantastic!

More on the Lifou Shore Tour: How to Cook Bounga

Drinking coconuts on Lifou

While in the village of Hnathalo on Lifou we were given refreshments by several young women who cut the tops off small coconuts and handed us each one. The coconut milk was a cool, refreshing drink.
  

Cooking bounga under hot stones

Then we were treated to a cooking lesson in how to cook bounga, a Melanesian meal. Older women prepared the food while our guide explained the method to us. Small yams, taro, chicken pieces, and slices of papaya were doused in coconut milk and wrapped in banana leaves. This bundle was then tied with a fiber string, made from the leaves of a nearby tree.

Wet leaves piled on top to cook bounga

   They put the bounga 'parcel' in the pit, an area of cleared ground where a fire had been burning. The women used bent lengths of sticks as tongs to pile hot stones on top. Then they covered it with wet green leaves, and a sack. One lucky lady had the hardest task - shovelling dirt over this pile so it was completely covered and no smoke could escape. The bounga  would take one hour to cook.
   Meanwhile, they had pre-cooked another meal and handed round plates of the chicken and vegetables for us to try. It tasted slightly smoky, like food cooked in a Maori hangi, but with a coconut flavoured twist.

A Shore Tour on Lifou

Sea Princess at Lifou 

I'm not a great fan of organised excursions but felt I wanted to see more of Lifou than I did last time we were here. So I decided to take the cruise ship's shore tour called a 'Melanesian Experience'.
  It was a beautifully sunny, very hot day and the water in the Bay of Santal where the 'Sea Princess' moored was those glorious turquoise and blue shades like you see on a tourism poster. A five minute tender ride took us to shore, then we boarded a bus for our two hour tour.
  According to the brochure we would 'view traditional houses and cheerful gardens' in two 'enchanting' villages. This, to me, implied a visit but no, we kept right on driving along. The only viewing was done from the bus windows and as there was no commentary, we didn't know where we were or which villages we passed through.

St John the Baptist on Lifou

 Eventually we arrived at an historic church, built by missionaries in 1883. This was the church of St John the Baptist, a tall, solid building with towers and turrets, its ochre coloured plaster contrasting with the bright blue skies. It was so unlike the Melanesian houses we had seen on the drive. These were small structures of corrugated iron or local limestone with no window glass and wooden shutters, or circular thatched 'beehive' houses with conical roofs in the traditional style of Lifou.

Chief's case on Lifou

  Our guide bustled us off the bus and into the church then bustled us straight out again. From there we walked a short distance to the village of Hnathalo. Young girls gave each of us a plaited flax headband, adorned with flowers to wear - a charming touch! After taking off our shoes we went into the chief's 'parliament' house - a circular thatched building supported by enormous mahogany posts. It was dark inside and hot but impressive for its size and height. This photo doesn't do it justice - apparently it is the largest 'case' on the whole of Lifou. Our guide told us some interesting facts about Melanesian society.
  I'll write more about the visit in my next post - including how to cook a meal Lifou-style.

Cruising out of Sydney, Australia

Cruising under the Sydney Harbour Bridge

'Sea Princess' was docked at Barangaroo Wharf, near Darling Harbour. This was new to us, as other times we've cruised in and out of Sydney the ships have tied up by Circular Quay opposite the Opera House.
 From the forward deck I could see down to the National Maritime Museum wharf. Moored there was the 'James Craig', the restored 19th century sailing ship that was once part of my family's fleet of ships. The Craig Line traded between New Zealand and Australia for many years in the late 1800s and early 1900s.
   Sail Away for us was at 4 p.m. It seemed to take ages for the ship to reverse a long way from its berth until it could turn and head off, right under the Sydney Harbour Bridge.
   I was fascinated by that. Getting closer and closer to the bridge; seeing the steel construction up close; passing underneath with what seemed like only a few metres to spare; waving to the people who were waving to us from their walk on top of the bridge. I took minute-by-minute photos of our progress!
  Then we passed the Opera House and cruised up the length of the harbour, disembarking the pilot at the Heads. We were on our way!

Back From our Sea Princess Cruise

Pacific Island Cruise Itinerary

It's always a bit of a 'back to reality' shock after finishing a cruise. Today I was at the supermarket wishing I was still on board the lovely 'Sea Princess', being treated like a princess! We have just had 14 days of calm seas and mostly blue skies on a Pacific Island cruise which we thoroughly enjoyed.
   Our itinerary began at Sydney then headed northeast across the Coral Sea to Lifou in the Loyalty Islands, part of New Caledonia. Last time we were at Lifou it was cloudy and windy. This time the weather was great so the place looked like a beautiful photo in a tourist brochure.
   Port Vila, Vanuatu was next, then four ports of call in Fiji: Port Denerau on the west coast near Nadi; Suva, the capital; Savusavu on the other big island, Vanua Levu; and the tiny island of Dravuni, south of Suva. Noumea was our last port before returning to Sydney.
   One of the reasons we liked this cruise itinerary was that it had 6 sea days. I really enjoy days at sea - the chance to chill out on a steamer deck chair on the Promenade deck and watch the waves or wander inside to a craft class, cooking demonstration or an interesting lecture. No pressure, no queues. That's when cruising is really relaxing.
   I'll write more about the ports and the 'Sea Princess' over my next few blog posts. So keep cruising along with me!