Fiji
Solomon Islands
Vanuatu

Samoa
New Zealand

Had breakfast at Faasitoouta then left for Leumoeaga to find that no one was home, we drove to the southern side of the island then stopped at Coconuts Beach Club which appeared to only have one spare room and decided to check out Sinalei Reef Resort which is right next door. We arrived at Sinalei and were shown two rooms which were identical, very clean and modern and then taken back to reception where we were told to take a seat. It appeared that only one lady could check us in and she was busy seeing another customer so we were left sitting in reception for approximately 20 minutes. We took the room with a partial Ocean View, cost US$180 a night, for some reason they quote room prices in US Dollars. US$180 is actually the quoted price, not what we paid. We managed to get the room at a discounted rate, but I'm afraid I can't let you in on the secret.

We spent the rest of the day relaxing. The hotel has a swimming pool since the currents around the reef can be very strong. If you wish to swim in the sea it is advisable to ask at reception what the best times are.

We ate at the hotel in the evening. We had been told that the food at hotel was not very good, but while the menu was fairly limited the food was excellent. Unfortunately there is no Samoan food on the menu, unless you are staying on a Sunday and eat at the to’ona’i. I tried the coconut fish, which I was informed was the closest to Samoan food, but the use of lemongrass gave it a definite Thai flavour. We also had our first good bottle of wine; all the way through the Pacific the wine lists are predominately Australian and New Zealand, and we had made some disastrous choices, but the Lindemanns Bin 23 Reisling was very pleasant.

Towards the end of our meal, a member of staff stopped at our table to notify us that there had been an earthquake in Chile and there was a danger of a tidal wave hitting Samoa. They explained that they had little information but they would notify us if the likelihood of danger increased. Fortunately we heard nothing further.