After a 2 ½ day passage from Tonga, we picked up a mooring outside Savusavu under a full moon and waited for daylight to proceed up Nakama Creek to the moorings at the Copra Shed Marina where we went through the normal new country process of: clearing in with customs and immigration, finding out where the closest grocery shop was and getting some fresh veggies, finding out where the nearest marine supply shop was, finding the best deal on a data SIM card and buying one, picking up and sending accumulated emails and finally buying a meal out as a treat - in this case right in the marina.

And in this case we were hoping to do some diving and snorkelling, so we quickly booked a dive the same afternoon for Roan and I to see the hammerhead sharks off Savusavu, and organised a 3 night trip by ferry to Taveuni to dive the famous Rainbow Reef and White Wall. The hammerhead sharks didn't show up, but it was an interesting experience getting back on the dive boat - it was a small landing craft and you exited and entered on the ramp. It was quite exciting with the ramp going up and down in the swell!

The trip to Taveuni was great. A two hour local bus ride, then a two hour crossing of the Somosomo straights on the 50 person ferry "Grace" that was loaded to the gills with people and cargo. I suspect the name must be related to the phrase "there by the Grace of God" as it was one where you checked your exit route carefully as you sat down! We stayed at Maravu, an old 5-star resort that had closed, and then been reopened as a backpacker/cheap hotel resort. Low prices, in need of some maintenance, but great facilities and great staff. Roan and I dived for two days with Taveuni Ocean Sports, another place I would recommend. We dived the White Wall the first day which you can only dive at the right time of the month for the coral to be out with a manageable tide/current. The second day we dived on Rainbow reef. Two spectacular days of diving. Meanwhile Marta and Alec had done a hike to a waterfall and gone snorkelling on Rainbow Reef. It was a great and relaxing mini-vacation.

After surviving the ferry and bus rides back to Savusavu it was time for an excursion to the airport to pick up our first visitor for a while - Samantha. Sam was busy spending 6 months traveling between finishing college (uni) and starting work. If they'd wanted her to start straight away they shouldn't have given her that signing bonus!