Sunday 23rd September 2001, Nadi Fiji
Neither of us slept much. John was up all night with a jippy tummy, presumably the result of a dodgy stir-fry dinner. The washing was still damp in the morning, so Brigid took it over to the hotel’s laundry and begged the use of their dryer.
We had intended to hire a car for the day, so that we could see some more of the island, and with this in mind we packed our bags. However, it soon became evident that John was in no fit state to go anywhere. So we arranged a late check out and hung around the bungalow for the day.
We eventually called a taxi for 7.30pm. Unfortunately, check-in didn’t start until 11.20pm, which meant that we were confined to an empty area of the terminal building for hours (due to increased security).
Our troubles didn’t stop there. Only when we presented ourselves at the check-in desk, did we discover that our ‘electronic’ visas for Australia – ordered and paid for back in April – had not been granted. It is a condition of entry to New Zealand, that foreign nationals have valid travel documents for onward travel. Without visas, our tickets were effectively invalid! We were livid with the Visa staff at the London office of Trailfinders. When nothing arrived in the post, we had deliberately checked with them on the status of the Australian visas, only to be told that, as they were issued electronically, we would not see any paperwork.
All was not lost, however. By some technological miracle, the check-in clerk was able to produce the required visas in ten minutes … despite it being 1.30am on Monday morning! Nadi is quite possibly the most boring airport terminal in the world, but we will say one thing, the Fijian people are some of the nicest.