Finished making the to-do list today for both Dylan and I. I have 53 tasks to complete, some easy, some hard, nevertheless excited to see everything come into fruition when it’s all said and done. We’re going to start prioritizing the list to make sure the things that need to be done here on the island get finished before I leave, while some of the other tasks can be finished state-side if I can’t do them during my stay.
Had some spare time in the morning to go check out more areas of the resort so here are some photos:
The shacks near the boat pick up/drop off zone where you can grab kayaks, snorkeling gear, stand-up paddle boards, foam boards, and where all the guests leave their surfboards.
Namotu Island Resort across from Tavarua where Swimming Pools and Namotu Lefts break. Heaps of hermit crabs everywhere.
Volleyball court. Jet ski’s to tow surfers into HUGE waves when the time comes…not just for guests to ride around which is good because you don’t have sketchy people zooming around you as you surf being loud and polluting the water.
Half-court basketball/tennis.
Tony Hawk halfpipe. So Tony came here with his buddies who build ramps for a living and while they were here Tony decided he wanted to build Tavarua a ramp so he paid for all the materials, which were ordered wrong the first time, and then when the right materials came the Tavarua staff put it together and skated it on Tony’s last day here. Then they took it apart, put the concrete foundation in, and put it back together. Eventually they want to put a roof over it to protect it from rain because right now they just throw a tarp over it like me and my roommates have to do in San Diego. So Dylan says they’ll have to take it apart again, build the roof, and put the halfpipe back together haha. It was a rushed project, but thanks Tony! Brought my board here and I’m stoked to have some fun sessions on this. Rode it barefoot once with the random board that was just sitting there and it was pretty fun, but it will be good to ride it properly soon.
Fitness room/gym.
Infirmary. Men’s (Tagane) and Women’s (Yalewa) public restrooms.
Main office and gift shop.
Game room (billiards/ping pong) and sick Volcom dart board.
Pool with Tavarua Island icon on the bottom and waterfall. Hot tub is connected to the pool. Poolside bar.
A couple of the women in the kitchen tried to get the new surf guide, Jackson (San Diego), into the pool. They got close but no cigar, which surprised me because they’re pretty strong. I wouldn’t want to mess with them. Then they dumped a whole pitcher of ice cold water on him later when he was sitting down near the bar.
Jess and I were working in the restaurant all afternoon, watching the wave Restaurants (hence the name) peel for a couple hundred yards at head high every once and a while, but Jess had to wait for the tide to fill in before he could go out. I stayed at the restaurant to get photos, but of course when he got out there, it all went flat and he sat there for an hour and nothing ever came his way. Bummer. When he came back in, I felt the urge to get in the water so I just went for a paddle to farthest anchored boat and back through onshore chop just to get a good workout because there were no waves to surf that late in the day.
After dinner, the bar was packed with people having a good time before we started the bonfire. Dylan whipped out the smores and everyone enjoyed the fire. I wish I had a super nice camera with fancy shutter speed settings like some of the other guests who took awesome photos of the fire with the full moon in the background, but I guess you’ll have to use your imagination. It was “biblical” as Jan put it haha.
As people started to go to bed, it ended up being just Dylan, Jess and I hanging out with the fire, telling stories till about midnight. Good stuff. Some crabs showed up to hang out with us too. We even got a little bit of light rain. Tomorrow night is the Kava ceremony, which I’ve been looking forward to all week. It will be my first Fijian cultural experience here.