Fiji In June

[ric_vidal]

I don't have to be surfing every day.....just some of the time..........so if any of you blokes have any suggestions, please drop a line or two here.

New wife.

[Karlos]

Ringmaster, Salty is probably the one around here that's the most knowledgeable having lived in Fiji, but he's off getting his brain operated on. There has been previous threads on Fiji but I hear the search function ain't much chop anymore so I'll post my experience with the place again.

I was there a couple of years back & stayed at Hideaway which has a nice little right hand reef out front. Nothing epic but fun nonetheless. Only problem is that it's only surfable two hours either side of high tide, so if that's where you were to head to, you'd want to time it so you get the tides working for you. When I was there I also copped three days of trade winds that rendered it pretty much unsurfable, but my final three days saw about 3-4 foot glass, with no more than 4 others out. Like I said, nothing epic, but fun & a nice place to stay for myself & the missus, who was more than happy to lounge around the pool & go snorkelling & horse riding etc.

Other than that, the only other place I'm aware of that's accessible without a boat is the Sigatoka Rivermouth. I did hire a car one day & drove down to Waidroka resort to see what my options were in getting out to Wilkes & Frigates, but the guy down there was extremely unhelpful (probably because I wasn't a guest) & it looked like it would've been more of a struggle than it was worth. There are a lot of horror stories (google 'em & you'll see) about Waidroka so I wasn't willing to take the risk or spend the time & money getting there. It's really off the beaten track & hard to reach if you're not actually staying there.

Others may have a better idea of other options, but I'd recommend Hideaway to keep the other half happy & give yourself a bit of chance to get some waves.

Another option could be the Maldives. I've been thinking that could be the destination of my next family trip. SurfinTurf was there a while back if I recall & may be willing to chime in.

[steve shearer]

Ringers, June is tradewind season so that limits your options. (ie 20-30 knots of SE wind by 10 am every day)
Don't know what standard of accom you're looking at but Beqa island off the south coast(near Suva) has boat trips out to Frigates Pass which is protected from the trades somewhat.
You'll need to take a boat out there.
The other option that comes to mind is Cape Washington on Kadavu Island.....there a resort out there called Ngigia (i think)......
I believe it's fairly plush and the wave is sheltered from the sou-easters.
A mate of mine went there and put wraps on the place.
You can also stay at Seashell Cove in reasonbly ok bures ( i think,......I was in a tent so they looked pretty plush to me) and get boat trips out to Namotu and Cloudbreak on the changeover days.
Good luck.

[Karlos]

The other option that comes to mind is Cape Washington on Kadavu Island.....there a resort out there called Ngigia (i think)......

Nagigia. Where they filmed the first King Kong movie. I had a friend who went there a couple of years back & copped the trades all week long. I also recall him saying other options (for the non-surfing other half) were somewhat limited.

[steve shearer]

Just as a matter of general interest what the fcuck to non surfing spouses do on a tropical island?
I mean as long as there's a beach and a well-clothed black servant bringing you a cocktail with a paper umbrella in it everything's roses isn't it?
And I guess old Ringer has to perform his marital duties with a bit more panache than normal.

[Karlos]

Just as a matter of general interest what the fcuck to non surfing spouses do on a tropical island?
I mean as long as there's a beach and a well-clothed black servant bringing you a cocktail with a paper umbrella in it everything's roses isn't it?
And I guess old Ringer has to perform his marital duties with a bit more panache than normal.

True, but I was told that Nagigia was more like a rocky outcrop than anything else, & there was a definite lack of sand. This is just going on what I was told, so anyone out there may well correct me. Anyway, usually places geared around surfing do tend to be a bit more limited than those resorts that are not. Unless you go to Tavarua or Namotu maybe?

[Natho]

Seashell Cove sucks big time so don't stay there. Its only good for getting a boat out to the breaks. Your missus would kill you if you made her stay there.

I know a few who have been to Nagigia and don't rate the waves as very good there.

Plantation is not bad and there is a boat out to Wilkes, however the boat will cost you about $40 per go.

If you have the coin stay at Nomotu or Tav. You can't beat either and the misus should still be happy. Going to Fiji and not surfing Cloudbreak is like going out to dinner with Jen Hawkins and not having a root. Ya just gotta do it.

[curly]

I have been to Fiji a couple of times and if you are going with your missus and surf is not number 1 priority I would do the following:
- stay at one of the nice resorts on Denarau Island (the man made island) for a few nights, the new Sofitel is great, the missus will love it, you can easily get between all the resorts so you can choose different places to go for a drink, dinner etc. Then if you want to go for a surf you can contact Fiji Surf for a day trip to Wilkes.
- then head to an island like plantation - a few different standards of accommodation, reasonably quiet and no real dickheads. Plenty to do if you want and you can get a boat out to Wilkes

Me and the missus did this last time, I surfed 3 or 4 times and if the waves weren't good I didn't waste my money going out on the boat.

Personally if I was going with the missus I wouldn't try to go to Tavarua or the other places down the Coral Coast. The beaches are generally average and there is not a lot to do. If the beach aint good she won't be happy.

[curly]

Sorry I meant to say I wouldn't be going towards Frigates if I was with my missus not Tavarua. If you have the coin stay at Tavarua for sure - if you can afford the price tag of around $250US per person per night, not $250US per couple per night. I have never stayed there but went to have a look on changeover day and it is sensational - the dream holiday if I had the coin

[steve shearer]

Wilkes is a very ordinary wave; a sectiony funky thing that never really stands and delivers......it's like surfing a sandbottom point when the sand's not quite right.
Namotu is fun over 6ft but pretty boring below that....it seems the kind of wave where nowadays you'd be likely to run into a bunch of middle-aged Californians on SUP's.
Looks like we've come to a consensus Ringers: you've got a mansion on the beach and a steady job, your going to have to pony up for Tavarua....
The worst day of my surfing life was motoring past perfect 8-10ft Cloudbreak with no-one out and not being able to surf it.
Geez 5 hunge a day for a coupla DINKS is loose change.

[otway1949]

Please the Missus if it's her turn, do Hideaway and chance the medium good right hander and the tides.
Good brownie point spot! Be aware that there is much scamming and rorting by sellers in the markets. Keep you and your wife's buying wits at Indo level. don't take a gift creates obligation!!
Other places invite death by nagging. That's Seashell Momi, Nagigia, the feeders to Frigates.

[pridmore]

I went last May and had a great time. Stayed in Deanrau Isl which is a fair way from the waves but as I was only surfing some of the days it wasnt too bad plus when I went it was for half days so you get plenty of waves...I got picked up by Ian from Fiji surf and it wasnt real cheap but it was very easy and he took us straight to the waves, no mucking around with rental cars or boats....we surfed Wilkes mostly but it can get crowded and isnt world class like Tav and Cloudbreak and Restaurants but bloody expensive to stay there and even if it is paadise, not sure its what the wife would want ( stuck on tropical island surrounded by waves and no shops anywhere )...Hideaways might be an ok option, I had some fun waves there too but that end of the Island seemed a bit grubby to me....Fiji is awesome and you wont get friendlier people but the waves are a bit out of the way so you best be organised....really must do a trip up to one of the villages too, do it when the kids arent at school and take some gifts, footy jerseys and shoes were very popular, great experience....I will go back for sure.... ( sofitel has the best buffet ever, I gained 5 kg's over there but food was 10 out of 10 mmmm )

[tiger]

What's your missus like to do on holiday Ringers?

I've taken my missus to Nagigia, and she loved it there. But she's not into shopping and stuff a lot of other chicks are interested in on holidays. If your wife's a bit more outdoorsy, and wants to see the real Fiji, it's not a bad place. Epic fishing and snorkelling, some good cultural stuff, hiking, peaceful atmosphere. As mentioned the resort is set on a rocky outcrop/island, out on the reef across the lagoon from a little village on Kadavu. There is no beach at the resort. But there is some epic beaches only a couple of mins away on the boat that they will drop you at for a couple of hrs. We did this a couple of times. Got them to drop us around the western side of Cape Washington at one of the beaches you can only access by boat. We'd snorkel and explore... and well....do other things you do when you are alone on a secluded tropical beach.

If your missus gets bored easy, and likes a bit of action, forget it. It's a bit of a mission to get to aswell. 40min small plane ride from Nadi-Kadavu, 45mins in a boat to the resort. Things like excess baggage (boardbag) add up. Resort is clean, good sized rooms with big decks looking over the lagoon. Food is good if you like fresh seafood, and fruit, but it certainly aint gourmet. Everythings in US dollars too, so a bit exxy ATM.

As for the wave, well it's a matter of taste. Certainly nowhere near world class. The left straight out front is a short slabby thing that is pretty average if you're not willing to take off behind the peak. Take off on the shoulder and you'll get 2 cutties in before it closes out on the reef. Pick the right ones and take off deep and you'll get a barrell to go with the aforementioned cutties. If the swell is really west, the barrell tends to pinch and it's pretty crap. More S swells set up further up the point and run better.I've been lucky and scored it on the right swells, and it's a good wave. But I know of other crew who have been skunked. It can handle the trades OK, I surfed it a couple of times in 20kts+ SE'er and it stays clean enough. There's a right across the other side of the lagoon that can get good, I haven't surfed it. It's shifty, but occasionally as you're watching it you'll see a mental one. It's onshore in the trades. There's a very good right about a 30min boat ride up the coast, but you need the right conditions (i.e. glassy, no trades). Plus it's kinda hard to get the ball rolling with the staff/local boatmen to get there. Here's a link, tried to post a few pics but couldn't get them to work :http://www.fijisurf.com/

[steve shearer]

Did you do much fishing while you were there?...after checking out the website I'd go there just for the fishing.

[tiger]

Yeah Steve, I'm a keen fisho, so was in my element. It's probably the main reason why I like it there. The fishing and diving(and surfing) is right on your doorstep. I caught a 20kg+ wahoo, just a couple of hundred metres off the surfbreak. There's loads of yellowfin and all kinds of other pelagics. Some great popper fishing for GT's, bluefin trevs, and all other kinds of reef dwellers. I caught a huge blue jobfish off the boatdock at the resort, on a surface lure.

That's another reason it's good for me there with the wife too. You can go for a surf or a fish, and you don't lose any time travelling. It takes literally 2 mins from the boatdock and you're bobbing around in the lineup.

[Clif]

no to Fiji

yes to new Caledonia

[TMC]

Ringo if the wife has her heart set on the mod cons try checking out the Outrigger on the main island. Beautiful place, huge pool, poolside bar, decent food, snorkelling, golf, scuba etc.

Stayed there in June 2008 and it was a beautiful place.

Also worth checking out is Mana Island Resort. Bit lower in the star rating than the outrigger, but much better diving, heaps more activities, less crowded (i.e. more alone time on the beach ) nice locals, beatiful pool with bar, and decent food. All in all a great place to waste your kevin dollars.

[LONGINUS]

Yep, Mana would be my pick, stayed there a few years back. Just look at it from google maps and you can see it has the best beach in the Mamanucas and a sweet reef point, Plantation Point that granted only works in largish SW swells but you will have it all to yourself, June gives you the best chance of scoring it as well - nice change from having to truck out 30 mins to Wilkes every morning. I found a few other spots an easy boat ride from Mana as well when I was there. Bird Rock and The Edge - loads of Blacktip reef shaks but they are fairly well fed by the divers. go and see Rara and his offsider Honest Joe in the village for a boat

The Edge - http://www.surfingatlas.com/spot/3081

Plantation Point - http://www.surfingatlas.com/spot/3079

Bird Rock- http://www.surfingatlas.com/spot/3080