After a couple of very hectic days at Port Denarau provisioning and doing boat projects, we were happy to shove off and head for the Yasawa island chain to the northwest. We were even happier because we were going to meet back up with our very good friends on Lumbaz. They were waiting for us up near Manta Ray resort where the Lumbaz girls were taking a scuba course. Unfortunately, we left Denarau a little too late to make it there in one day, so after motorsailing all day in light conditions we stopped for the night at a little bay called Waikoka Bay on the east side of the island of Waya. It was not a very good anchorage for the prevailing trade winds, and we were on a lee shore, but since conditions were light, it was OK. The next day we rolled into the Manta Ray anchorage to reunite with not only Lumbaz, but also our friends on Field Trip and Breeze. After a couple days of swimming with the mantas, all four of us (Exodus, Lumbaz, Breeze, Field Trip) headed over to the island of Viwa, which is a less popular cruising destination due to the fact that it lies 15 miles west of the rest of the Yasawa chain. Viwa turned out to be a surprise gem, but we couldn’t stay long due to the poor anchorage combined with winds forecast to pick up, so after a couple days we headed back down to Navadra, which is an island between the Mananuca and Yasawa island groups. We had previously spent several days there when mom was visiting. At Navadra, the kid boat party only got bigger, but all good things do come to an end and after 5 fun filled days the larger group dispersed and a few of us headed back up north to the Yasawas, first stopping at Nalauwaki Bay, the large north facing bay on the island of Waya. The second stop was back at the Manta Ray resort and then on up to The Blue Lagoon, with a brief stop at Natuvalu Bay (Naviti Island) on the way. Eventually, our kid boat posse was down to 2 as we departed the Yasawas with Fluenta in the early morning of Sunday, 6 Sept bound for the island of Yadua.
(Port Denarau) –> Waikika Bay (Waya Island) –> Manta Ray Resort –> Viwa à Navadra –> Nalauwaki Bay (Waya Island) –> Manta Ray Resort –> Natuvalu Bay (Naviti Island) –> Blue Lagoon –> (Yadua)
Mi amiga Española and the Lumbaz family were not too far off at this point. We had parted ways with them in Gau when we went south and they went north. In the meantime, while we had been bouncing around the Mamanucas they had gone back up to Vanua Levu and Taveuni, got stuck waiting for weather in Savusavu, made a stop in Yadua, and were making their way down the Yasawa chain. We had been in email contact trying to figure out where we would meet up and it looked like the stars were going to align for us to converge somewhere in the Southern Yasawas. All of us on Exodus were excited to see them again, but one crew member in particular was the most excited, although he’s not the type to show it.
Field Trip and Breeze would join us for the reunion, and we would be a kid boat posse of four boats for a while, but those adventures will come in the next Chapter where I’ll cover all of our stops in the Yasawas as well as another visit to Nevadra where Kid Village 3.0 will be constructed.
We had a long to-do list for the day and a half we were at Denarau, but at the very top of the list was catching up with cruising friends we hadn’t seen in a while. As we were pulling into the marina one of the first boats we spotted on a mooring was True Blue V and just like when we arrived in Savusavu a couple months before, pulling into the Denarau basin and seening True Blue V there felt a little like coming home.
Another very familiar boat on a mooring there was Field Trip. This was one of the kid boats we spent a lot of time with in New Zealand and we had parted ways with them earlier in Savusavu when they came here to Denarau to leave the boat to fly home for a few weeks. Sarah had been worried that they’d never catch up again with us and the other kid boats, but our timing was perfect, because they arrived back in Fiji while we were there, and we were able to head off out of Denareau together to catch up with some of the others.
There was also the catamaran Koa, who we hadn’t seen since Minerva Reef on they way south from Tonga to New Zealand! As we were heading into Denarau I spotted them on AIS and seriously our timing had us racing for the basin entrance and arriving within minutes of each other.
Field Trip organized a “tower of power” happy hour and we all got together to catch up, swap stories, and also meet a few other people. In case you are wondering, tower of power is a big plastic beer dispenser they bring to your table. The part that holds the beer is donut shaped and there’s ice in the middle to keep the beer cool. Brilliant. Anyway, Lochmarin was there, hadn’t seen them since New Zealand. Outsider was there, well at least ½ of them, and I finally met Ian, someone I’d talked to on SSB many times but never met. I would have to wait until returning to Savusavu to meet Wendy. And then as we were all hanging out and refilling our mugs from the tower of power, Per and Sabina from Breeze walk up and surprise everyone! What a great evening, and we were reminded of how lucky we are to be a part of such a fantastic cruising community.
We knew that we’d want to stay a couple days on the main island of Viti Levu for mom to catch her flight back, so I inquired on one of the SSB radio nets if it was possible to anchor at Port Denarau. The answer that came back was no, and it’s a busy marina so it’s best to make a reservation in advance. Via SSB email I managed to secure a reservation, but since they didn’t have any moorings available, we had to shell out the big bucks for a spot at the dock. It turns out that you can, in fact, anchor out at Denarau, but you’re a ways out, so I guess technically the answer to my question was correct, I just asked the wrong question. Anyway, no harm done, because it’s nice to be at the dock every once in a while to be able to step right off the boat without having to dinghy back and forth.
Port Denarau is a full on tourist spot. Right next to the marina is a shopping mall and then there are resorts all over the place. Oh, and golf courses. Can you imagine going to Fiji on vacation to go golfing? Clearly, I can’t.
We had a leisurely dinner at one of the mall restaurants with mom before she left, and then we had a whirlwind day and a half at the dock. I took the bus to immigration to extend our visas and also hit the New World grocery store near the Nadi airport. Tim fixed the port saildrive (yes, again!) and the boys rinsed and brite boy’d all the stainless steel on Exodus. Our final morning we took a family bus ride into Nadi to go to the market for some fresh fruit and veggies. Then we hit the fuel dock and were off to the Yasawas.
Exodus on the dock at Port Denarau
Provisioning. There is a small grocery mart at the mall right at Denarau which has a decent assortment of things but at high prices. I did the bulk of our provisioning at the New World grocery store near the Nadi airport. I had taken a bus to the airport to visit immigration, then I took a taxi from the airport to the New World. I had my taxi driver wait while I shopped, since I didn’t know how easy it would be to flag down another taxi out there.
It certainly wasn’t like the New World back in Kerikeri, New Zealand, but it was OK. I loaded up one cart with as much stuff as would fit and called it a day. I don’t remember exactly what the taxi cost, but it wasn’t expensive at all, in fact I remember being surprised how cheap it was at the time.
Nadi market. Taking the bus from Denarau to Nadi is quite easy and cheap and the buses run pretty regularly. The main bus hub in Nadi is right next to the market, so there was no trouble finding it. Tim went off to find a hardware store while I loaded down the boys with fresh fruit and veg. We have a system when we go to these markets. We start with the hearty, sturdy vegetables first, like carrots, cabbage, and ginger and as I buy things I put them in bags that the boys are carrying. When we’ve got several things then we stop and transfer all the sturdy stuff into the bottom of my backpack. Then we repeat that with the moderately sturdy stuff like eggplant and bell pepper. Then we load up the bags the boys are carrying with the more vulnerable items like lettuce and tomatoes. So, we end up making several laps around the entire market as we accomplish all this, and I only get one or two eyerolls from the boys as I drag them around the place. I will say that the vegetables I bought here at the Nadi market were the freshest and they lasted the longest of any that I bought anywhere else in Fiji. Perhaps it was just lucky timing, but it sure makes meal planning easier when all the vegetables aren’t spoiling on the same day.
While at the market two women approached me and told me there was another, better market to shop at and I should follow them. Even though this is Fiji, my warning sensors went off and I declined to follow someone away like that, plus we were supposed to meet Tim here at the main market, and I didn’t want to screw that up. I learned later that yes, there is another, smaller market of more locally grown items, so it would have been worth a visit, but I still stand by my decision making at the time.
Laundry. The marina has do-it-yourself laundry facilities with 2 washers and two dryers cramped in a very small space. But the showers are right next door making it easy to grab a shower while you’re waiting for your washing. You get the tokens from the marina office, and everything was in working order while we were there.
Fuel dock. We used the fuel dock at Denarau for diesel and gasoline. It’s a tight squeeze to maneuver into, so it was one of the many times we were happy to have a catarman with two engines, since you drive it like a tank and it spins on a dime (although heavy wind can make all of that not so easy!) It was also quite shallow, but our friends on another cat went before us and gave us depth intel, so we knew we would fit.
Visa Extension. Visitor visas in Fiji are good for only four months, but you can get a two month extension for a fee by visiting an immigration office. Any longer than that and the fees and effort level required go way up. Luckily we only needed the two month extension, and I was kicking myself for not taking care of it in Suva, since I walked past the immigration office there several times. Here at Denarau the closest immigration office was at the Nadi airport, which meant a 30 minute bus ride. No worries, though, I’m always up for an adventure on a local bus. The bus ride was long and hot, but largely uneventful. As usual, though, when riding a bus in unfamiliar territory I worried about missing my stop. Usually you can count on the the driver to remember, but I like to have a back up, so I enlist the locals around me to help make sure I don’t miss it. The first guy I asked either didn’t know where the airport was or didn’t understand me. But a woman with very good English heard me ask and assured me I still had a ways to go.
The bus doesn’t actually go up into the airport they just drop you on the main road. So, I walked the additional mile or so up to the airport, along the way asking at a security shack where I could find the immigration office: second floor of the international terminal. That was easy enough to find, but then I remembered that I had forgotten to take out money from the ATM at the mall before I left, so I asked someone where I could find an ATM. Turns out I would have to go over to the domestic terminal for that, so I gambled that I had enough money for the visa extensions and headed up the stairs to the immigration office.
There were several people sitting there waiting their turns, but there was no line, and no “pick a number” process. Everyone just seems to pay attention and know whose turn it is. When it was my turn I filled out a form and they told me how much it would cost, something like $96 Fijian per person. I panicked inside because I was pretty sure I didn’t have that much. I counted out all of my money including all of my coins and came up like 15 cents short. I told the lady who was helping me I didn’t quite have enough and that I could walk over to the ATM and come back. She let out a big sigh and then told me that would be fine, gave me my receipt, and told me I was all set. “What about stamps in the passports?” I asked. Oh, that, she said it takes a few days for the request to be approved and I need to come back to get the stamps. Well, that would be a problem since we were planning to leave Denarau the next day to go up the Yasawas and we weren’t coming back. So, I asked her if I could go to any immigration office, like maybe the one in Savusavu. She consulted in Fijian with one of her colleagues and they concluded that yes, that would be fine. I just had to be sure to save my receipt to show them in Savusavu that I paid.
I didn’t like having to leave the transaction without the passport stamps, but what could I do. Luckily, we still had a month before our original visas expired, so as long as we got to Savusavu by then it should be OK. (Spoiler alert: We arrived in Savusavu a couple days before they expired but the day I went to immigration I was informed that the lady who stamps passports was home sick so I would need to come back. So, I came back on the day they expired, and after a few phone calls, we did end up getting the passports stamped without issue.)
So, when I walked out of the immigration office at the airport in Nadi I had zero cash to catch a taxi back, so I headed over to the domestic terminal to take out money, and of course it gave me all $50 bills, which wouldn’t really work to pay a taxi driver. So, I hit the cafeteria, and since it was afternoon by this point I treated myself to an ice cold beer.
We really enjoyed having mom on board cruising with us. Her two previous visits to see us were at a marina in Mexico as we were preparing for the puddle jump and then more recently in New Zealand where we did land travel and stayed in vacation rentals. So, this was the first time for her to cruise with us on Exodus. And the Mamanucas were a great place to hang out because islands are close together and we had reasonable conditions at both Mana and Navadra.
Unfortunately, the weather wasn’t so great during her visit, though. It rained some and we had some gusty wind conditions, but mom was coming from hot, hot El Centro, so she didn’t mind the weather too much.
Truth be told, Mom’s about that easiest guest to have on board that you can imagine. And I’m not just saying that because she’s one of the two people who actually read all this stuff. Seriously, she’s relaxed, doesn’t have an agenda, doesn’t mind all of the water and power conserving we have to do, she helps out, and she goes with the flow. For example, she was such a good sport over having to swim ashore since landing the dinghy in the surf was a little challenging. We’d dinghy close in, and then mom would get out with a boogie board and one of the boys would go with her and they’d swim in to shore together while I took the dinghy back to Exodus and then paddled in. The boys liked having grandma around to play games with and share in some of the dishes duties, of course. Alex liked showing off climbing to get her coconuts, and Brenden tried so hard to shoot her a fish.
Speaking of fish, it was pretty funny that after these years of reading about and seeing pictures of all the fish we eat, that we didn’t really get too many fish while she was with us. The spear fishing on this western side of Fiji just wasn’t so great. But Tim did manage to get a couple small coral trout, which luckily are safe to eat in Fiji, so mom was at least able to taste our favorite beer batter recipe!
Mom’s days on board went by fast, and before we knew it we were heading from Navadra back to the mainland of Viti Levu in order for mom to catch her flight home.
Navadra is the northern-most island in the Mamanucas, or maybe it’s the southern-most in the Yasawas, I was never quite sure. Anyway, it was right in between the two island groups, and it’s not really just one island, but two islands close together forming a large bay. The other island, which is actually larger than Nevadra, is called Vanua Levu, but that can be confusing since that’s also the name of the second largest island in Fiji where Savusavu is located, so most cruisers just refer to this spot as simply “Navadra.” Neither island is inhabited, and there didn’t seem to be a village or any nearby island to do sevusevu with, so we just enjoyed ourselves in this peaceful, remote place.
It’s an absolutely beautiful anchorage. The weather wasn’t great while we were there with strong gusty winds, but at least the sun was shining. The water was a few degrees warmer here, so even mom and I did some swimming. There was some swell that comes through the anchorage, but it wasn’t terribly uncomfortable or anything. The boys loved it because it made some small waves on the beach at high tide, and they could surf on the stand-up paddle boards. Brenden is even small enough he could ride the small waves on a surfboard. Being fun size has its advantages sometimes! I tried to boogie board, but no success. Later, when I saw that Brenden couldn’t even catch a wave on the boogie board, I didn’t feel so bad. The surf made the dinghy landings a bit of a challenge and mom and I got in the habit of swimming into shore, so it was manageable.
Two boys on a paddle board
Tim and Brenden spearfished a couple times but didn’t have any luck. Although that didn’t mean we went without fish…Tim put his good neighbor skills to work and helped some people on a fishing boat try to find their paddle board paddle that had fallen overboard. They didn’t find the paddle, but for his efforts, Tim was rewarded with a small bag of fresh caught Mahi Mahi, so we savored that for dinner, and we were at least able to have a little bit of fish while Mom was visiting.
While Tim and Brenden spearfished Alex did his part in providing for the crew by getting coconuts. Grandma was admittedly a bit nervous when she first saw Alex scamper up a coconut tree and then wield a machete to get to the nut inside the husk, but we sure did appreciate his efforts.
We returned to Mana a second time when mom was with us (read about the first time here). We enjoyed walks on the beach and even a lunch out at the restaurant. The restaurant was nothing special, but it was right on the beach, so obviously had a great view (no better than the view from Exodus though, I might add.) As we were eating one of the groups of tourists from the backpacker resort were gathering for their ride back to the mainland, and they were serenaded with some Fijian singing, so that was something to be enjoyed. I couldn’t help but feel sorry for the people who were ending their vacations and heading back to work or wherever.
Nautilus was with us this second time in Mana, and one afternoon Tim, Hans, and Brenden went out spearfishing, but they weren’t having any luck finding any fish, but Brenden was determined to get a fish for Grandma, and he didn’t want to come back empty handed, so he shot a little fish for her. I don’t remember if we ate it or not.
Brenden couldn’t home empty handed, he just needed to bring Grandma a fish
The boys with their Grandma at Mana
Enjoying lunch at Mana
It was here at Mana where we said the first of a string of very painful good-byes to our fleet of kid boats we had been so fortunate to cruise Fiji with. Nautilus left us to head west to Vanuatu, The Solomons, and eventually Papua New Guinea and Indonesia. We tried and tried to convince them to come with us to Marshalls. Even after they left, and they were in Vanatu Tim was still sending them emails trying to convince them. But their path was to be different than ours, although I know we will visit them again someday; maybe they will come see us in California or maybe we will go see them in Belgium (spoiler alert: they will come to California).
After Nautilus left us, we had that empty feeling that we would be alone again for some time. But that very afternoon we were reunited with two of our other long-lost friends… Novae and Et Voila, both of whom we hadn’t seen since Savusavu.
So sad saying good-bye to this dear family, our friends on Nautilus
For Alex’s actually birthday on August 4th, we were back at Mana, and mom was with us. She brought both boys birthday presents… Alex got some noise cancelling headphones (since he fell in love with Andrew’s when he was here) and Brenden got, well, Legos of course! He may be almost 13, but he still loves to play with legos.
We took the day off from school and mom and I made the traditional homemade oreo cookies and the kids spent the afternoon dinghy surfing, one of Alex’s favorite things to do. In the evening we had Nautilus and Nirvana over for oreos, ice cream, and fun.
Gramma Nay frosting the home made oreos for Alex’s birthday
As the cruising season progressed, the kids figured out that several of them have September birthdays and that it was possible if not likely that we would not all be together for all of them. So, they got the idea to have a “September Birthday Party” in July. They ended up pulling it together while we were in Musket Cove (the second time), and they had the party on Nautilus. Victoria made a cake (of course!) and Alex and Brenden made snickerdoodle cookies to take over, and the kids all made presents for each other. The birthday kids were Brenden, Gigi (Nivana), Victoria (Fluenta), and Seppe (Nautilus). Since it was only a couple days before Alex’s August birthday, they decided it would be OK to include him to, so I guess technically it was an August/September birthday party. I wasn’t there for all of the fun and shenanigans, but luckily Nautilus shared some photos:
Yes, that’s my son grabbing the sharp end of the knife
During our second stop at Musket Cove, we were there with Fluenta, Nirvana, and a new kid boat called Honey. Julie from Nirvana had the California physical fitness standards, so we arranged a day for all the kids to participate in testing themselves against the standards. They were amazing! They ran a mile, did push ups, sit ups, and a few other things. Bottom line is that even without regular sports participation they are all well above the “healthy” threshold, and Brenden and Gigi (12 year old girl from Nirvana, she and Brenden were actually born on the same day) actually scored presidential level in all categories.
One of the most impressive things to see was how they all simultaneously competed with and encouraged each other. During the mile they each seemed to have their nemesis they were chasing… Brenden was chasing Alex, Jonathan was chasing Brenden, etc., but it was a healthy level of competition and they all tried their hardest without getting too wrapped up in the competition. During the pushups and situps they sat near each other, and cheered each other to “keep going!” and “you can do it!”
And of course, when they were all done they climbed a tree. They are cruising kids, after all.
(For posterity, I record the boys’ mile times here. Alex: 6:58. B: 7:04)
Lined up to run the mile (OK, this photo is actually a reenactment, we forgot to take the real photo)
Alex and Brenden catching their breath after running the mile
Gresham Family Exodus 