24 June 2011:

After dinner, I spent the evening sipping on a beer on the beach watching the stars and some meteorites until the clouds rolled in. I could see the faint lights from the mainland on the horizon, about 80km away. When I went back to the main hall to see if I can get another beer at around 8:30, everything was dark and the generator was off, so I spent the rest of the evening catching up fully on my travel notes and reading about the places I'm visiting next using the small battery lamp they provided. It was quite cozy in the dim room, knowing the beach was just outside and I was the only nearby light source I can see.

Rough notes: http://mandarinmanmarktravelnotes.blogspot.com/2011/06/2011-nz-to-sf-day-42.html

24 June 2011:

After stringing more shell rings on the beach and catching up on writing trip notes, it was dinner time. I was surprised to find I was the only one here tonight! So much for that dance show that was supposed to be scheduled here. I used this opportunity to chat with the dad of the family that owns this place. Apparently, Awesome Adventures has quite a monopoly in this area and takes a huge cut, making it difficult for the individual family operators to make money. The good thing is that apparently, most of the supplies come from the forest and family gardens, so life isn't too hard.

Rough notes: http://mandarinmanmarktravelnotes.blogspot.com/2011/06/2011-nz-to-sf-day-42.html

24 June 2011:

The Blue Lagoon. Quite a few yachts anchored here. After snorkelling, I had a slow walk back to my hotel. It was difficult as the sores on my leg and feet continue to be a problem. At least the sun is much weaker for the walk back.

Rough notes: http://mandarinmanmarktravelnotes.blogspot.com/2011/06/2011-nz-to-sf-day-42.html

24 June 2011:

The coral here also had plenty of damaged patches, but there was a surprising amount of fish to see. Apparently clown fish are very aggressive, they stare at you, and when I tried to poke one with my toe, it bit it and tried to thrash it! Luckily, their teeth aren't that sharp, but I avoided them from then on. There were also a few giant clams to see here.

Rough notes: http://mandarinmanmarktravelnotes.blogspot.com/2011/06/2011-nz-to-sf-day-42.html

24 June 2011:

On the beach at the Blue Lagoon! There were a few tourists here, and I bumped into a snorkelling tour, but after asking around, I found that I was allowed to snorkel here as long as I didn't stray into Blue Lagoon Resort property. The water here was murkier than I had hoped, but at least there weren't any stingers!

Rough notes: http://mandarinmanmarktravelnotes.blogspot.com/2011/06/2011-nz-to-sf-day-42.html

24 June 2011:

My first view of the Blue Lagoon area. The large modern yachts here are quite jarring to see.

Rough notes: http://mandarinmanmarktravelnotes.blogspot.com/2011/06/2011-nz-to-sf-day-42.html

24 June 2011:

A view of some of the coral formations between here and Nacula Island from the hills the trail passes.

Rough notes: http://mandarinmanmarktravelnotes.blogspot.com/2011/06/2011-nz-to-sf-day-42.html

24 June 2011:

View from a hilltop on the trail.

Rough notes: http://mandarinmanmarktravelnotes.blogspot.com/2011/06/2011-nz-to-sf-day-42.html

24 June 2011:

A nice view of some palms, a swampy area, and the ocean from a hill.

Rough notes: http://mandarinmanmarktravelnotes.blogspot.com/2011/06/2011-nz-to-sf-day-42.html

24 June 2011:

The crests of some hills offered a view to the neighbouring islands.

Rough notes: http://mandarinmanmarktravelnotes.blogspot.com/2011/06/2011-nz-to-sf-day-42.html

24 June 2011:

The trail was quite long and passed through a couple of overgrown areas. I didn't see anyone on this trail going to or coming back from the Blue Lagoon. It was nice being by myself, although I did wonder what would happen if I got in to trouble.

Rough notes: http://mandarinmanmarktravelnotes.blogspot.com/2011/06/2011-nz-to-sf-day-42.html

24 June 2011:

After lunch, I decided to take a stroll to the Blue Lagoon across the island. Following the directions, I walked past a few shacks and found the beginning of the trail. I wonder if these are just storage shacks, or if anyone lived in these. Some of the shacks did look like homes or kitchens.

Rough notes: http://mandarinmanmarktravelnotes.blogspot.com/2011/06/2011-nz-to-sf-day-42.html

24 June 2011:

There were a couple of boats here with groups of visitors. I was the last to be dropped off on the way back, with some inexplicably long stops for "fuel" - I was amused when I read some TripAdvisor reviews after the trip and also mentioned the long "fuel" stops. Luckily, I was back in time for lunch. Note: always bring small notes and change in these places, I had to pay an extra $5 since they claimed they didn't have change, but oh, well.

Rough notes: http://mandarinmanmarktravelnotes.blogspot.com/2011/06/2011-nz-to-sf-day-42.html

24 June 2011:

The staircase leading to the caves. After the swim in the cave, we hung out a bit near the shore waiting for our boat. Nothing too exciting to see in the water here, although there was some sand and coral, the shore here is mostly made of smooth rock.

Rough notes: http://mandarinmanmarktravelnotes.blogspot.com/2011/06/2011-nz-to-sf-day-42.html

24 June 2011:

Inside the cave. It was quite breathtaking, with vertical limestone walls leading up to an opening. I wonder if it's possible to cliff dive from here. Our guide took a flashlight and showed us through an underwater opening to two connecting chambers. It was quite an experience swimming in the dark cave, hearing the muted echoing of the water that we stirred up. The water in the cave was fresh, and both freshwater eels and saltwater snapper live around the area. For the extra time we had in the cave, I snorkelled around for a bit and dove down along the rock walls of the pool. The water was surprisingly deep, maybe about 5-10m, with silt and decomposing leaf pieces near the bottom.

Rough notes: http://mandarinmanmarktravelnotes.blogspot.com/2011/06/2011-nz-to-sf-day-42.html

24 June 2011:

From the beach we landed on, a staircase led to the caves. Seems like these caves are more developed than I expected, although I guess this is one of the biggest tourist draws of this area.

Rough notes: http://mandarinmanmarktravelnotes.blogspot.com/2011/06/2011-nz-to-sf-day-42.html

24 June 2011:

After an early breakfast, I was picked up for a tour of the Sawa-I-Lau Caves on a tiny speed boat. After a few pick-ups around the Blue Lagoon, we were on our way! The ride took about 30-40 min on the small speedboat, I didn't realize we'd be going so far!

Rough notes: http://mandarinmanmarktravelnotes.blogspot.com/2011/06/2011-nz-to-sf-day-42.html