In mid-late September 2003 we visited Fiji. We were going to be in New Zealand for several weeks, and thought that a ‘holiday-break’ to Fiji would be nice. I spoke with some locals and winter-breaks were either Fiji, the Cook Islands, or eventually the Great Barrier Reef.
In 2003 extending our flight would have “cost an arm and a leg“, i.e. a small fortune. Whereas for a New Zealander, a trip to Fiji was a bit like an Englishman taking a package tour holiday in the Canary Islands, so nothing special and not expensive. Maybe today it’s different, but I still remember the exorbitant round trip prices being quoted at the time. So I simply sent some emails, booked a local NZ package tour, payed with my credit card, and the tickets were waiting for us at our hotel in Auckland.
Sheraton Fiji Golf & Beach Resort
We landing in Nadi and spent a week in the Sheraton Fiji Golf & Beach Resort. I don’t know if it was called that in 2003, and it has certainly been substantially modified and renovated since then (above we have 2022, and below our photo from 2003).
We spent a week doing absolutely nothing, but we did manage a couple of trips. We took a one-day trip out on Whale’s Tale to the uninhabited Schooner Island (I wonder if its still uninhabited today).
And the hotel ran a boat back and forth to the uninhabited ‘nature-reserve’ style Akiolau Island, about 500 m from the hotel beach.
On the same site, and just across the road from the hotel, was the Denarau Golf & Racquet Club, where we found our ideal relaxing dinner option. On the web the golf course now looks particular enticing, but in 2003 it looked positively banal.
Monique enjoyed travelling, but she loved a beach and warm water, and Fiji delivered. We actually even talked about retiring to a place like Hawaii or Fiji, and I had read that French civil service pensions were increased if they retired to the Polynésie française.
We spent a very relaxing time on Fiji, but somehow being in a so-called Pacific paradise, I expected more.
Now that my wife Monique has passed away, I realise that paradise was just our being together. It’s not a place, but a state of mind.
