One Big Happy Family, Suva

Fiji feels like one big family where everyone knows everyone and even those that don't, act as though they do. Small children sit on strangers' laps on the bus and hostel owners will welcome in taxi drivers for dinner regardless of whether they've met previously or not. 

Of course we stick out a little from the Fijian crowds but we're nevertheless treated in much the same way. The people we've met have been so kind and a couple of the places we've stayed in now have just been family homes with an extra bedroom or two.  

We weren't sure whether this kindness would extend to Suva, Fiji's capital, because we've all witnessed multiple times the difference between cities and their suburbs. However, we hardly noticed we were in a city at all. Despite being the capital, Suva is still pretty tiny and incredibly quiet. The few shops and restaurants there all close before nightfall and the only busy parts of town seem to be the food market at the centre and the bus station as people commute in and out. 

We stayed in central Suva for one night and then made our way further inland to a little lodge which was so remote it made the first seem almost urban. This place was beautiful though, situated right beside the famous forest park which we'd heard had some amazing walks. We ate a light lunch looking out over the lily pond and then headed straight there.

The forest was enchanting and we wandered through it in awe, ducking under swooping vines and skipping over stepping stones in small streams along the way. Deep in the heart of it we found a collection of natural pools with adjoining waterfalls trickling down the shallow valleys. Children were playing in the pools at the bottom and I felt a pang of jealousy as we watched them splash around in the water without a care in the world. I know how crazy that must sound considering how much we grew up with that these kids could never dream of but nevertheless, they just looked so happy. 

Happiness is certainly a common theme around Fiji and so far we've found very little reason for it not to be. 

Who, What, Where, Wellington?

Here's a quick pop quiz for you: What's the capital city of New Zealand? 

My first guess would have been Auckland, then perhaps Queenstown or Christchurch but nowhere on my list would Wellington have appeared. I think I speak for most people when I say that it's one of those cities that's slipped our radars (Kiwis and Geographers aside.) Having now visited, I'm still not convinced it deserves capital city status but it's a wonderful place nevertheless. 

Luckily we had our very own tour guide whilst there; a boy we'd met in Thailand who was born and raised in Wellington. He took us along the sea front and on into town where we sussed out the best coffee shops and chocolate cafés. Back down by the harbour we found a number of quirky art exhibitions hosted in various sea containers. Each one was as strange as the next but helped give the area a little more character. All around the city in fact we repeatedly came across odd little art pieces. There were wire fences decorated with heart shaped tape and entire walls covered in graffitied murals. Obscure but interesting! 

Wellington was our most Southerly stop on the North Island and was where we caught our ferry from to transfer to the South Island. The boat journey itself was quite something as we sailed down the still waters of the Cook Strait with mountains either side of us, keeping an eye out for albatross and dolphins along the way. New Zealand has so far been so beautiful that we're struggling to believe what people say about the South being better but we're certainly looking forward to finding out!