Scenic flight to Vanua Levu

Getting ready to touch down in Savusavu's tiny airport

Bottoming out in our lowrider rental car; Savusavu

Moth resting on a branch near our guesthouse

Crammed into our tiny Suzuki Jimny

Main street; Savusavu

Beach scene near Daku Resort; Savusavu

Savusavu Wok - our favorite Chinese restaurant in town. Excellent prices and delicious food!

Jerusalemi Village

Spectacular Savusavu Bay

Driving down to Vuadomo Waterfall

Pretty flower near Vuadomo village

Bob enjoying his off roading experience

A storm on the horizon, near Vuadomo Village

Watching Savusavu Secondary School students wildly cheer on their teams

Despite the rain, the field is crowded with excited students cheering their friends on

Racing around the track bare footed!

Waiting for the school bus

Our Coco Bure - the perfect base for exploring Savusavu; Siga Siga Sands

Bob and Ann given leis as a welcome gift; Siga Siga Sands

Hot springs in Savusavu Bay

Taro for sale; Savusavu Market

Ann shopping for produce at the main market in Savusavu

Edible ferns for sale

Robby and Bob showcase a woven basket - the perfect way to transport produce

Interior of Savusavu's market - Saturday morning has the biggest selection

Sea grapes

Savusavu Bay

Smoked reef fish - we bought some but the taste left a lot to be desired

Getting some Tuktuk love; Siga Siga Sands

Carved coconut stumps; Gecko Lodge

Savusavu's tiny airport

A Fijian child points out where his house is on this Savusavu map at the airport

Fiji Airways puddle hopper

Low tide; Vanua Levu

Ann getting ready to snorkel Siga Siga Sands' private lagoon

Giant clam; Siga Siga Sands

Sea cucumber

Christmas tree coral

Magic coral - if you touch it, the coral changes color from brown to white!

Banded coral shrimp

Robby enjoying our daily snorkel sessions at Siga Siga Sands; Savusavu

Freckled hawkfish resting in the coral

Sea Grapes

Welcome leis for Aunt Nancy, Luke and Frances; Siga Siga Sands

Juvenile eel

Robby accompanied by Tuktuk to our favorite snorkel site at Siga Siga Sands

Pretty coral at Siga Siga Sands

Luke and Tuktuk

Giant clam

Our family villa at Siga Siga Sands

Black spiny starfish

Blue fish hiding in the coral

Lionfish

Puffer fish

Tiny clam embedded in coral

Tuktuk followed us everywhere we went around Siga Siga Sands

Crab retreating into its hole

Panoramic view of our home for 2 weeks on Savusavu

Pretty beach at Siga Siga Sands

Grace relaxing on a chaise lounge

Luke hanging out on the front porch; Siga Siga Sands

Frannie, Grace & Emma swinging near Jean-Michel Cousteau Resort

Cold beer shack

Town Council in Savusavu

Colorful market stalls

Fresh fruit for sale on main street; Savusavu

Emma striking a pose

Koro Sun Resort reception pool

Bike shack; Koro Sun Resort

Infinity pool at Koro Sun Resort

Floating bures; Koro Sun Resort

"Kids beyond this point will be eaten" sign at Koro Sun Resort

Gorgeous flowers at Koro Sun Resort

Low tide near Wavi Island

Luke and Robby cheering after checking out one of the waterfront bures at Koro Sun Resort

The beach near Wavi Island was full of colorful crabs with one massive claw

Bridge leading to the exclusive Wavi Island

Savasi Island Resort

Boat being renovated into accommodations at Savasi Island Resort

Diving license plate at Koro Sun Divers - we loved meeting and chatting with Colin and Janine!

Centipede hiding in Becky's towel!

Happy hour cocktails at Koro Sun Resort

A brilliant sunset; Koro Sun Resort

Evening entertainment; Koro Sun Resort

Meke time (combination of dance and story telling) at Koro Sun Resort

The women only portion of the meke (traditional Fijian dance)

Boys take center stage at the meke

Vuadomo village

Our friendly village guide takes us on a tour through Vuadomo

Filling water containers at Vuadomo Village

Vuadomo village's lali drum (a wooden slit gong used to beckon the villagers to church on Sunday)

Poling a bilibili (traditional bamboo raft)

Less than 100 people live at Vuadomo village in simple dwellings such as this one

Meeting a friendly villager wearing a sulu

After getting the village chief's approval, we hike out towards Vuadomo waterfall

Panorama of pretty Vuadomo waterfall

Luke attempting to climb up a rock under the powerful waterfall

Family photo at the waterfall (Emma, Frances, Ann, Luke, Nancy, Grace, Bob, Becky, Robby)

Luke and Robby (with a little help from Emma) demonstrate how to carry taro roots

Vanua Levu is a pretty island with views like this as we drove around

Pigs foraging for food at dusk; Siga Siga Sands

Richard and Rose smiling by the wonderful dinner they invited us to eat with their family - the food was yummy!

Dressed in our Sunday best with pastor David

Inside church - the 90 minute service was interesting and flew by!

Getting ready for church service at Nasavusavu Gospel Chapel in Savusavu

Smiling after church - Emma, Frances, Gracie and Becky

Another gorgeous sunset at Siga Siga Sands

Luke buying souvenirs from a jovial vendor in Savusavu

We loved the view driving into Savusavu - gorgeous glimpses of the bay below teased us on the drive into town

Fish shack in Savusavu

Advertisements on this storefront

Grog pounding done here - only in Fiji can you find a store to pound your kava!

Robby and Luke rowing us out to the fishing boat, Savusavu Harbor

Richard smiles as he confesses he left the GPS device back at home as we set out on our fishing trip

Savusavu harbor is one of the Pacific's quaintest with a picturesque waterfront

Becky and Franny soaking up the sun on our fishing trip

Sunset at sea - we had zero luck fishing but Richard was 4 for 4, hooking a fish the instant his line hit the water!

Namena Island Dive Resort - some of the best diving in the world can be found near here!

View of Vanua Levu from our SCUBA boat

Franny strikes a pose before swimming through a natural arch

Fat starfish

Pennant bannerfish

Moray eel

Diving through a tunnel at the Chimneys dive spot; Namena Marine Reserve

Clown triggerfish

Luke enjoying the Chimneys dive site

Goundar Shipping vessel linking Vanua Levu to the rest of Fiji

Admiring a pretty sea snail at Siga Siga - the rule of thumb is to never take an inhabited shell!

The Goundar Shipping office where we bought our tickets from Savusavu to Taveuni at a bargain 10 FJD each (including 90 minute bus ride to Buca Bay)

Map of Fiji's various islands which are linked by pricey flights or budget ferries

Selfie in Savusavu

Panoramic view of Savusavu Harbor

The "Hot Bread Kitchen" where the best selection of bread can be found; Savusavu

Siga Siga Sands picturesque grounds

Family volleyball session; Siga Siga

Emma strikes a pose in the garden; Siga Siga

Grace and Emma feed Tuktuk a flower; Siga Siga

Did we mention the gorgeous sunsets at Siga Siga?

Getting invited to a Hindu festival at our caretaker's house - vinaka to Subas & Sunita!

It was an honor to partake in the Hindu festival at Subas and Sunita's house

Bob dancing with the ladies to their amusement and delight

An exhausted Grace falls asleep mid ceremony at the Hindu festival celebration

No festival is complete without kava - here the guys mix up a grog of kava for everyone to enjoy

Subas hands out bowls of kava for the family to try

Pretty village on our drive around Vanua Levu

Vanua Levu is an easy island to navigate with few cars on the road

Taro for sale by the roadside

Almost every village we drove past had its own church; Vanua Levu

Lots of road construction going on with "Stop" and "Go" signs to direct traffic

Wooden bridge - a common sight on Vanua Levu

Nice vista as we drive to the north part of Vanua Levu

Walking through Labasa, the largest city in Vanua Levu

Pulling off to admire the view in the northern section of Vanua Levu

Alas our Suzuki Jimny was not built for off roading! The gear box shattered on this dirt road in the remote mountainside

Robby and Frances smiling with Manasa. He graciously helped us for hours in our rescue mission from the remote mountain village of Tambia

Posing with the lovely ladies of Tambia Village - the women prepared dinner for us once it became obvious that a quick rescue was not going to happen

Robby showing the village chief and his wife their photo while Manasa smiles in amusement; Tambia Village

Our tour of Tambia Village - no electricity or phone service here!

A simple outhouse; Tambia Village

Being offered coconut while we wait for rescue; Tambia Village

Becky and Tuktuk - our favorite Fijian dog; Siga Siga

Robby and Luke by the signpost of our awesome home for 2 weeks - Siga Siga Sands

Enjoying our nature hike through Siga Siga's massive property

The hiking loop is about 1 mile and was well worth it for the views; Siga Siga

Hiking down towards the river

Becky soaking up the scenery

Luke having a Tarzan moment

Becky swings across the river

Robby and Luke posing au natural with Tuktuk looking on in curiosity

Panoramic view of Siga Siga's lush garden

Green ferns galore

The grand finale - what a view from the lookout point!

A bit sweaty after our garden excursion

Hibiscus flower; Siga Siga

Our final sunset over Siga Siga Sands

We travel light! Waiting for the bus to take us to Buca Bay as we get ready to leave Vanua Levu and hop over to Taveuni Island (Lea arrives early to bid us farewell)

The crowded bus as we make our way from Savusavu to Buca Bay

Goodbye beautiful Savusavu! The view as we cruise onward to Taveuni