Last May 24th weekend, we received an email from Fiji Airways about a seat sale to the South Pacific. Having already visited several South Pacific islands (French Polynesia, Fiji, New Caledonia), we have long wanted to return to explore a few more. So this seemed like a good destination for March Break 2025. Click, click, click, and we were set for a trip to Oceana (a.k.a. South Pacific) ten months’ hence. The only issue was that, getting to/from Oceana is not for the faint of heart, in terms of travel logistics, as the flight plan in each direction requires four flights and a good 40+ hours.
March 6, 2025 crept up on us. Leading up to departure, Pam had been finishing a very busy spurt in her teaching role, and my Parole Board work had been particularly tough in recent weeks. The weather cooperated with us big time, as a mild spurt hit the Maritimes around our travel date, and our layover cities enroute were also blessed with good weather. Halifax > Edmonton > Los Angeles > Nadi, Fiji > Apia, Samoa was our routing, and it all went off like clockwork.
With 6.5 hours to pass in Edmonton, 3.5 in LA, and 6.5 in Fiji, we decided to take a hotel room for the day in Edmonton and to get a pool pass for a hotel next to the airport in Fiji. Both turned out to be good ideas, which broke up the layovers nicely.
We left our house in Dartmouth 5:15AM on March 6, and we arrived at the Sheraton in Samoa at 4PM on March 8. There is a 17-hour time change between home and Samoa. Hence, the trip door-to-door took 41.75 hours! And yes, it was brutal. (We once did a 51 hour journey from Zanzibar to home, which continues to be our personal record for a long-haul trip.)
Upon arrival in Samoa, we got some Canadian dollars turned into Samoan Tala, purchased SIM cards for our phones, and got a cab to the Sheraton. Having been sitting for most of those 41.75 hours, we took a much needed walk around the resort grounds, and then, at 5PM, we crashed. I’m writing this at 4AM Sunday morning, having just slept for the better part of 11 hours.
‘Twas a trip that really exhausted us - we aren’t as young as we used to be (or think we are!). But we are here now, and we are excited. With a good night’s sleep behind us, we are ready to roll!
The WestJet Boeing 737-700 arrived inbound from Edmonton half an hour late, which delayed our outbound departure by 30 minutes. Instead of 7:00 AM, we pushed back 7:32 and were airborne eight minutes later. we still ended up arriving in Edmonton exactly on time, at 9:41AM. It was a wonderful flight!
The breakfast menu on the Halifax > Edmonton flight. The service was excellent, and the meal was, too.
Now, that is what I call a great breakfast tray!
Lake Winnipeg’s northern shore. When we visited Lake Winnipeg’s southwest shore back in September, it was certainly not a frozen mass, as it was today. Lake Winnipeg is over 400km long. Norway House at the north end and Selkirk at the south end, are key reference points.
The 400+ km length of Lake Winnipeg.
The frozen prairie of eastern Alberta.
Our Halifax to Edmonton flight path. Canada is huge!
Looking south of Vermilion, Alberta. That is the Battle River.
It was a stunningly beautiful early March day when we exited Edmonton International Airport to get the shuttle to the hotel.
The Four Points by Sheraton Edmonton Airport provided a great break, a nice breakfast, and some sleep from 10:30AM to 2:30PM.
The Plaza Premium Lounge inside the US Departures zone at Edmonton International Airport. What a wonderful airport facility and design, by the way.
Pam, doing some pre-Samoa beach dreaming at the Edmonton International Airport.
The dinner menu for the Edmonton > LA flight. We both had the beef.
There were only supposed to be three people (counting us) in the 12-seat business class from Edmonton to LA. But at the last minute, a family of six - including four screaming toddlers and a baby - overwhelmed the cabin. The flight attendant kindly found some ear plugs for us.
Edmonton International Airport. A lot bigger than we thought it would be.
The sleek lines of the air traffic control tower at Edmonton International Airport.
Downtown Edmonton is a good half hour north of the airport.
The magnificent Rockies, southwest of Edmonton.
Another wonderful meal! We both had the beef from Edmonton to LA.
Our flight path from
Edmonton, south to LA.
Flying into LAX, we were inland a bit from the coastline. But judging from the flight map, Malibu and Pacific Palisades - devastated by January’s fires - are near three coastline you can see through the clouds in the photo above.
LA’s insane rush hour traffic, made worse by the pouring rain.
Fiji Airways dinner, shortly after take-off from LAX, and breakfast, two hours before landing in Nadi.
It’s pretty daunting to fly over water for 11 hours, knowing there is not really anywhere to touch down in an emergency. The Pacific Ocean is huge!
Sunrise was just giving a hint of its impending arrival over the Fiji horizon, as we were in final descent into Nadi at 5:35AM.
Beautiful and very recently purchased airbus A350 of Fiji Airways. It provided an incredibly smooth flight from LAX to Fiji. It was literally packed to the rafters. Here it is parked at the gate upon our arrival in Fiji.
These performers greeted us in customs.
Just before we took off from LAX, we received a note from the son of our good friends, Mel andJuliet, saying that, due to the cyclone hitting the East Coast of Australia, he would have to overnight in Fiji. (He had been a pilot with the Canadian Air Force, but now flies for the Australian Air Force.) When we landed, we saw his ‘Growler’ jet, fin number 304, parked by the fence. And talk about a small world: we actually got to see each other for a few minutes. A definite highlight, and something we will remember for years to come.
We spent our morning at the Fiji Gateway, Hotel, 300 m from the NADI airport. We had read online back in Canada that they offered a pass to sit by the pool, and it turned out to be a wonderful way to spend the morning until our 12 PM departure to Samoa.
And what a deal! You pay $25 CAD to sit by the pool, but they give you a credit for that same amount to use in the restaurant! Nothing like a nice poolside breakfast to start our vacation.
The entrance to Nadi International Airport. It was a 300m sultry walk from the terminal to the Fiji Gateway Hotel, where we spent our brief layover.
The departures screen at Nadi Airport showed just one cancellation for the day: the Brisbane flight. And that, of course, was due to the first cyclone in 50 years to have hit Brisbane yesterday and today.
The Fiji Airways Boeing 737 Max 8 aircraft from Nadi to Samoa was packed. It left 20 minutes early and arrived 25 minutes early. We had such amazing good fortune with all four of our flights to get here! Apart from the half-hour delay on our Halifax-Edmonton flight, which we made up enroute, the next rheee flights all left either on time or a few minutes early and all arrived early!
At the entrance to the Fiji Airways 737, this “BULA” greeting met us! BULA means hello in Fijian.
We were surprised to receive a light meal on the flight to Samoa. And was it ever healthy and delicious! A healthy salad filled with vegetables, penne pasta and chicken chunks. Brilliant!
There isn’t much land in the South Pacific. The flight from Fiji to Samoa was a backtracking over the territory we had already covered from LAX. An uneventful and smooth flight.
Upon takeoff from Fiji, we were amazed at the beautiful, teal colour of the ocean, due to the shallow depths around the atolls. It reminded us of the view from the sky flying into the Maldives in 2023
Samoa is comprised of two main islands: Savi’i and Upolu. Both islands are roughly the same size, but Upolu (circled in the image below) is where the majority of the population is located, as is the capital city, Apia. Upon descent into Upolu, we had the above view of Savi’i.
The airport and our beach resort are both on the western side of Upolu. Upolu is surrounded by a reef. Near our hotel is the ferry to Savi’i. You can clearly see above the channel they have dug through the reef for the ferry.
Our beach resort is literally near the end of the international airport runway. So we got a great view of it upon descent.
This is Faleolo International Airport, which sports a traditional Samoan architectural design.
This greeting met us at Faleolo Airport in Samoa.
And, just as the Fijians greeted us with music, so, too, did the Samoans! The Samoans had really stepped it up a notch, though, with a four-person group, compared to Fiji’s duo.
The entrance to the Sheraton Samoa Beach Resort, where we are staying.
The Sheraton Samoa Beach Resort is comprised of six blocks like this one (ours is block #5), each of which faces the sea.
We were upgraded to a wonderful suite! The rooms were all refinished last fall, so everything is fresh and new.
This spread was waiting for us in our room when we arrived!
The view from one our two balconies, looking out toward the ocean.
Scenes from our post-arrival 2KM walk around the resort:
One of the most impressive things about the resort are these covered walkways connecting all six of the hotel’s room blocks. Every pole has been hand-carved, and each is unique!
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