What a wonderful time we are having just now. Fiji has been a delight in so many ways. The passage from Tonga was very gentle, with trade winds behind us and enough wind to get us there. Who could ask for more? Our port of entry was Suva. Suva is a big city, 800,000 people. It is a unique mix of cultures; Fijians, Indo-Fijians (from India) and Chinese. There is a sampling of island people from across the Pacific. In the photo gallery you'll see pictures of stores with saris for sale next to surfer shorts. The main islands are large, but there are over 300 islands in all. Some are unpopulated. Most of the outer islands are comprised of simple villages. Even outside of Suva the country is divided into villages of clans that are grouped together to facilitate problem-solving. The larger groups (the province) are overseen by chiefs and talking chiefs, determined by lineage. The smaller clans by "head men" designated by their peers for a couple of years at a time. The main disadvantage in their system is there have been years of inequity between the Fijians and others. The Indians (and other island peoples) were brought from all over to work in the sugar plantations and set up stores. Now, they have made money and want land of their own. It is a tug of war, with Fijians holding on to the land and leasing it out and other races becoming more and more financially secure with dreams of their own. But just yesterday, we talked with our Taxi driver. He had a sugarcane and vegetable farm for 30 years. When the lease was up, he had to put his house on a truck and move it off the land. Politically there is much to work out in this regard. It reminds me of early days in Hawaii where most of the land was "leasehold". All of the people are kind, considerate and helpful. The Fijians are very hard-working, humble and always available to "talk story". The Indians and Chinese are the "go to" people to get things done. It is a powerful combination

In Suva, we anchored off of the Royal Suva Yacht Club. It is such a simple place. It doesn't look like its' name. However, this little place was very accommodating. They had inexpensive food and drink, laundry services and good advice. The city has a beautiful vegetable and kava market, museum, and botanical garden, lots of stores and plenty of handicrafts. We got our fill of city life (which we need to do every once in a while), including going to the movies.

We next voyaged to Musket Cove on the Island of Malolo LaiLai. It is a lovely resort island with a large anchorage. Someone was really using their marketing sense when they set it up. Resort, grocery store, restaurants, fuel, activities ,excursions, and beautiful scenery. They have it . Anyone who has sailed in Fiji knows just how challenging the reefs here are. We are becoming more seasoned with what time of day to travel, tides, etc. Always more to learn. Just a few miles away is the famous "Cloudbreak". This internationally know surf site now has a floating restaurant, event center where yachties can anchor their boats and watch the worldclass surfers. Tavarua, where the break is, was previously "by invitation only". Recently, resorts have been built and people reach there by boat from the mainland.

After several days relaxing in Musket Cove, we ventured further west to Pt. Denerau. Thank goodness they did not have room for us, as we didn't like it at all. It looks like an LA developer got conceptually carried away, but forgot what people really want and need in this part of the world. So onward to lovely Vuda Pt. It is a Marina comprised of small circle of boats with lots of facilities for repairs. People are helpful and prices are right. We decided to go ahead and haul out, as it is so much more reasonable than New Zealand. Had a coat of bottom paint put on, added another throughull and a speed transducer, replaced zincs, etc. Then we began to use our time for relaxation. We rented a car and drove to Pacific Harbor for a night in a hotel (an anniversary gift to ourselves) and a visit to the Arts Village. It is much like the Polynesian Cultural Center in Hawaii. Recent management is not keeping it up to par, but the Fijian people who work there make it a very worthwhile experience. We had a wonderful time and you can see pictures in the gallery. When we returned, the boat hadn't properly dried so we had to find another place to stay. We went through a gate in the fence to a simple resort called the "First Landing". It is on the site where Fijians first set their feet on these islands. They have bures (cabins) and ours was about 50' from the boat "on the hard". It has been such a nice change to be on land in a relaxing atmosphere with these beautiful people. Never have we experienced such warmth and caring attention. We feel rejuvenated and honored to have been part of their family. We really enjoyed their employee choir singing Fijian hymns to us at Sunday dinner. I had bought a red dress in the gift shop :-) , and they dedicated "Lady in Red" to me on our last night. Very special.

We have now joined a website to find crew for the New Zealand leg with some great possibilities. However, we certainly are open to someone buying the boat before we get there and making that New Zealand trip by air. We have had several really positive responses from housesitting opportunities and the future will be interesting, to say the least. If anyone has any ideas, let us know right away before we commit to something else. n the meantime, the kitchen is being redone in the Hawaii house in Kailau, Oahu. It is rented until August of 2015. All is well. We have had a wonderful time free from responsibilities. We have enjoyed ourselves very much.

Now, back on the boat. She really needed a bath after being in the yard. Laundry to do, groceries to buy and provision, etc. By tonight, we should have our bills paid and all in working order. Now we wait for a weather window for New Caledonia. It looks like it will be about one more week. Fiji is so nice, that will not be a problem. The South Pacific Convergence Zone is on us now, with heavy rains and winds . In fact, it is raining very hard just now. We are snug and cozy (Parker's word) in the cabin of Realtime. We'll eat out tonight for our anniversary. Make sure to check the gallery entries. Blessings to all.

Well, time to move on. Tomorrow we will leave for New Caledonia. We enjoyed a 3 hour tour of the Lautoka Sugar Mill. It was built in 1903 and is still exporting raw sugar primarily to England today. Lots to learn there and not quite up to our quality and safety standards in the US. It has been a nice week. We interviewed crew and chose Shane from New Zealand. He will fly to meet us in Noumea, New Caledonia a few days before we make the crossing to New Zealand. I feel a lot better with that task out of the way. Bob has worked all day at trying to re-sinc the GPS with the new computer. Nothing is every easy. We are spending our last night with the couple on Iron Butterfly with a visit to our favorite Chinese restaurant in Laudoka. We enjoyed a last meal at First Landing where I was miraculously able to sing hymns with the employees and some Seventh Day Adventist visitors from Zimbabwe. It was a wonderful experience, people from all over the world singing the same hymns my grandpa taught me 65 years ago. This was a night to remember. I still can't sing the middle notes, but by singing tenor or descant I could sing along freely. It was a real joy to be part of hymn singing again. I'll sign off now with more to come in New Caledonia.