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Fiji & New Zealand
  • Kim Veda
  • Kim Veda

Fiji & New Zealand

A week in Fiji at the Tony Robbins Conference Center for wisdom gleaning and spa retreat. Followed by a week of exploring in the south island of New Zealand. And finally, returning stateside to Knoxville ,TN for Edison's 3rd birthday party. Read more
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  • Trip start
    January 11, 2026
    Kim VedaFiji & New ZealandTraveler

    On my way

    January 11 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 73 °F

    Waiting for the Uber. Thinking about how long I'm gonna be in these clothes. I slept in them last night too. 🤭

    Super excited!

  • Kim VedaFiji & New ZealandTraveler

    TIA

    January 11 in the United States ⋅ ☁️ 75 °F

    I checked my bag, and made it to the gate. I feel discombobulated. I have no pockets on me, so threes no handy place to put my phone, passport, global entry card.

    My backpack is heavy, and my scarf, water bottle, and other items attached by d-clips are flying around all over the place.

    Who knows if I've packed appropriately. I feel like I've already failed. I'm sure I packed too much, but i did leave some space.

    My connecting flight out of LAX is delayed 2 hours already, leaving after midnight PST so I will have a 10 hour layover in LA. I plan to walk around and get some real food. Also there will be several people who are going to the conference on the same flight, so I will start to make some new friends.

    After my last international flight to Portugal, I think I have some PTSD. It was a serious of canceled flights, rescheduling flights at layovers, having to get my checked baggage and recheck it 2 times, hours at customs, missing a flight, rebooking... and barely arriving in time.

    So far everything is going great, besides my nerves. 🤩    Read more

  • Kim VedaFiji & New ZealandTraveler

    LAX

    January 11 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 66 °F

    I have a 10 hour layover in LA. The flight is delayed two hours which means I will probably miss the last flight, unless they are holding it for an extra hour for all of us. I've put a call into Fiji Airlines and I'm waiting for a call back.

    I know when I arrive to Nadi, I have to go through customs, find the ATM or money exchange and then go to the domestic flight area.

    Here in LA, Ive been randomly walking around, stretching, had some lunch of a vegan pita with hummus, quinoa, cucumber, tomato and feta. It tasted a lot better than it looked. Not a fan of this airport; food selection is not so great which is surprising for California.

    Not sure what gate I'm leaving out of so I'm just wandering around. I don't see any Fiji Airlines stations.

    Heard from another attendee of the conference that the ATM wouldn't accept her card in Nadi, so she used all her dollars to turn into Fiji money. So I went to the ATM here and got more money. A lot of places in Savusavu don't use credit cards. They told us we should have between $500-$1000 Fiji money. I have $440.

    On the last flight I popped on the Firefly ejected l electric stimulation pads on my legs. They send electric pulses to the muscles making my legs jump. I think they really made a difference.

    Hopefully soon I'll hear back from the airline, meet others on the flight going to the conference and get this show on the road. Are we having fun yet?

    I need a book to read.    Read more

  • Kim VedaFiji & New ZealandTraveler

    Terminal B... Flight Cancelled

    January 11 in the United States ⋅ 🌙 59 °F

    Realized I wasn't at the right terminal which i was questioning after walking around and not seeing any international flights. Found out I had to go to gate 64c and then get on a shuttle to terminal 4, then walk a mile, through a tunnel to Terminal B.

    Terminal B is gorgeous. Feels like a swanky mall. I still have 5 hours to kill and haven't even been assigned a gate yet, so went in search of some hot tea or cup of hot water to make my own tea... but ended up with eggdrop soup and 4 fortune cookies.

    As I'm writing this, i heard from the group that our flight was delayed until tomorrow morning. 😬    Read more

  • Kim VedaFiji & New ZealandTraveler

    Sonesta Resort

    January 11 in the United States ⋅ 🌙 52 °F

    Yes, the flight tonight was canceled and they are putting us on the flight tomorrow morning at 9:30. We received vouchers for a night's stay at Sonesta Resort and a $70 dinner voucher.

    In the midst of the mayhem at the airport when I found out through the TelegramX thread that the flight was canceled (there were no notifications from Fiji Airways), I met Sherry from Oklahoma. Sherry seems to be in her late 50s and is an accountant. We stuck together for the last few hours. We found ticketing, got our vouchers and instructions to be at the airport at 6:30 am tomorrow, and then waited for over an hour to get on a shuttle to go to the hotel.

    I also met Dennis and Donna, a couple also from Oklahoma, and Natalia from Long Islsnd NY.

    I'm freshening up and going to go down to spend my voucher at the restaurant.

    We have an Uber reserved for tomorrow morning.    Read more

  • Kim VedaFiji & New ZealandTraveler

    Fiji Here I Come

    January 12 in the United States ⋅ ☀️ 46 °F

    The silver lining is I had an awesome night's sleep.

    Up at 5 am and now back at the airport.

    Last night I met Sherry from Oklahoma a well as Dennis and Donna. We all piled in the uber this morning, and beat the shuttle busses of people pouring in. This is a big plane!

    I got some coffee, which is a no no prepping for this cleanse. But I wanted coffee. Blueberries to balance it out.

    I think there are at least 15 people on our flight who are going to conference from what I've counted. The small plane for the next flight only seats 19 people so hopefully we all fit. We will be a day late arriving on the 14th likely (don't have final flight info yet). This is a day late as the registration is on the 13th. Mind you, Figi is 17 hours ahead of eastern time. I emailed to let them know I won't make it for my first scheduled massage.

    Sherry is an accountant (CPA) who has her own business consulting on how to avoid paying taxes by investing in real estate. She is starting a subscribed YouTube channel that is to be released this week. I'm enjoying getting to know her. We seem to be travel buddies now. It's nice to have another head in the game trying to figure everything out. Sherry is resourceful and good with maps.

    12 hour flight ahead of me. I'm going to escape in a John Grisham. Fiji, here I come!

    I've got the whole row to myself!!    Read more

  • Kim VedaFiji & New ZealandTraveler

    Tanoa International Hotel at Nadi, Fiji

    January 13 in Fiji ⋅ 🌧 75 °F

    I landed around 4 pm and felt so happy to be here in Fiji. The energy is warm and welcoming. The native people at the airport were greeting the passengers with a big smile and “bula bula,” and there were musicians playing traditional Fiji music near customs. Customs itself was a breeze.

    I found out I’m on the 10:45 am flight to Savusavu tomorrow. I exchanged currency, took the shuttle to the hotel, and realized a good chunk of the conference crew is already here. We’re guessing there are about 25–30 people at the hotel tonight, and I’ve met most of them already.

    The conference is small overall, only 110 attendees, and it officially kicked off tonight with a welcome dinner… which we missed. 🤷‍♀️

    Still, about eight of us ended up having a really nice dinner together at the pool bar. I ordered the fish tandoori, and it was excellent. 🐟✨
    The weather keeps shifting between cloudy and drizzly, then suddenly sunny again. It’s definitely warm, and somehow even more humid than Florida. This is their summer, and it’s monsoon season. ☁️🌦️🌞

    A few Fiji facts I’m filing away: there are 14 provinces and 14 different dialects. Nadi is on Viti Levu, the largest island in Fiji. Savusavu, where I’m headed tomorrow, is a town on Vanua Levu, Fiji’s second-largest island.

    It’s lovely here, and I’m ready for bed. Back home it’s after 5 am, and I’ve got an early morning to get to the airport. Goodnight from the other side of the world.    Read more

  • Kim VedaFiji & New ZealandTraveler

    Awesome Flight

    January 13, South Pacific Ocean ⋅ ⛅ 84 °F

    The whole row to myself, two hot meals eaten with disposable wooden utensils, no wifi, learning new Figi words, White Lotus season 3, three chapters of the Grisham novel, a two hour nap (head wrap neck support worked great), awakened by a bratty child pitching a fit for an hour (I think because he wanted the headphones and it was brother's turn), Hangover 3 (as funny as ever), meditation soundscapes, more reading, the man behind me singing outloud (Listen to video. He randomly bursts out in song. I heard "beautiful lady" and "crying for you" "Goodbye, pretty woman. Don't make me cry for you. ")...

    The captain's name is Kash Patel? Io.

    .... and learning about Fiji.

    Fiji is comprised of 333 islands located in the South Pacific, half way between North America and Asia.

    .... that's all I know so far.    Read more

  • Kim VedaFiji & New ZealandTraveler

    Off to the Airport

    January 14 in Fiji ⋅ ☁️ 77 °F

    I always seem to be last in every line. Even people who walk in 30-60 min later end up getting checked in before me. Maybe I need to be a little more aggressive. Not sure why I'm last besides trying to handle all my luggage and stopping to take pictures.

    I was told last night that I should take the 7:30 am shuttle, even though the rest of my flight group is taking the 8:30 shuttle. She said, "There will be a lot of people at 8:30, so you should beat the rush. " Sounds like a plan.

    This morning I woke up at 5:30. Reorganized my bags. The next flight to Savusavu is a little jumper plane that only holds 19 people I'm told, and I've heard rumors of luggage weight restrictions of less than the norm.

    Just had breakfast. Curry!!! Curry eggs, Curry eggplant and potato, cumin rice. Is this how Fiji people eat? I adore curry, so I'm in heaven. It was delicious.

    Fiji bottled water actually comes from Fiji or at least it does over here. The tap water is highly chlorinated.

    The water in the toilet swishes clockwise. Is that different?

    58 FJ$ alcohol bill. The rest is paid for by the airline.

    Checking out soon. Not gonna be last this time. My bags gotta get on that plane.

    Lali is the name of the instrument.    Read more

  • Kim VedaFiji & New ZealandTraveler

    Nadi Airport

    January 14 in Fiji ⋅ 🌧 82 °F

    Sherry and I were the only two people on the 7:30 am shuttle. 🌞🌞 By 7:40, I was already checked in. They checked both of my bags and then had ME stand on the scale with my carry-on. 😅

    You can take water through security here. That's Sherry buying us water. Interesting candy bars.

    On a hunt for Cynthia's lost luggage. Cynthia lives in Atlanta, originally from Mexico. Her husband is Japanese and they met in Mexico. She is in real estate investments. One hour later, baggage found!

    Sota Tale means "see you later". Moce Viti means "Goodbye, Fiji."

    Still waiting. Plane is late.    Read more

  • Kim VedaFiji & New ZealandTraveler
    1

    Wasawasa and Namale

    January 14 in Fiji ⋅ 🌧 81 °F

    There is limited wifi here and little signal. There is only one room in which wifi is available.

    It's raining here. Stops occasionally but then starts up again.

    Arrived to Wasawasa where I am staying just in time for my previously scheduled massage. So after checking in, I took a van over to the Namale Spa. It's very beautiful....

    More later
    January 15th, 6:30 am
    Next day. Good morning.

    We're doing a cleanse here, so there is regular fresh beverages being served: celery and lemon juice, broths and smoothies. I had a large beautiful salad yesterday for lunch with sprouts, avocado, almonds, cucumber and tomato with lemon juice and a bit if olive oil for dressing.

    The sessions (that went until 10:30 pm last night) are about nutrition, detoxing, and good health principles... the 7 channels of elimination... things that I've known since I was 15. They are a huge propronent of colonics. In fact, Tony's story is mine. He had horrible absessed acne and colonics completely healed it. My acne as a teenager wasn't quite that bad, but it was bad, worse than any of my peers. I tried everything even 6 months of antibiitics, putting clay from Georgia on my face, drinking hot lemon water every morning, Retin A which burned my face off. Nothing helped. Until colon cleansing.

    It's hilarious to meet people here, especially some of the men, who are having colonics for the first time and then talking about it. So funny! People are getting really excited about colonics over here. Mine is tomorrow morning.

    Yesterday's massage was the "Cagi (Thangi) Air Balancing Treatment". It was 2 hours long and there was a salt scrub, skin brushing, liberal amounts of oil dripping down my sides, hot stones, massage, a masque, a steam tent, a cooling facial masque, then a wipe down.

    The room at the Namale spa was traditional and gorgeous. The ceilings are made of bamboo and thatch and tied together with twine. It is about 30 feet tall and has lights shining on it highlighting the beautiful wood.

    On the tile floor beneath my face cradle was a black stone bowl with floating hibiscus flowers. There was a second table with another woman being massaged there behind the partition.

    The room was open to the outside with a view of the ocean and the constant sounds of the ocean crashing below. The rain hitting the tin roof would vary from light to heavy. When the heavy rain came in, the ocean crashed harder and louder and the room cooled down significantly.

    After my massage I found a shower outside on the lovely deck overlooking the ocean. There was a large bowl of floating flowers on the floor. The shower had a black lava stone wall on one side, so there was at least some semblance of privacy. The water was hot and it felt good to be clean.

    I later met the woman who was next to me in the room, Leigh from Dallas, originally from London, is 53 and having her 5th midlife crisis. She up and quit her pharma aestetics sales job in October and is looking for her next thing. She's thinking like I'm thinking for my next life, but doesn't have any magical ideas dropped to her yet. Leigh showed me around as I was brand new here. We had lunch together.

    Evidently I do have signal in my room, for now. It's not raining this morning yet. Very cloudy. I hear a bird every now and then which gives me hope of sunshine.

    There is a 7am waterfall hike soon and I'm thinking i will go. It was weather permitting so last night i was thinking i wouldn't go but i think I'm changing my mind. I've got 20 min to get ready.

    The water from the faucets occasionally turns brown and the pressure goes up and then down to a trickle. Brushing teeth with bottled water. The toilet water is brown. They say they are testing it and it's safe for bathing.

    I'm hoping to get more pictures today, and I do return to Namale for another spa treatment this afternoon.

    It's now raining so I think the waterfall hike is off.

    My hair is a mess from the massage, shower, air drying, ball cap, rain and humidity and then sleeping... so i think I'll try to tame it before I go find some celery juice or whatever they are serving this morning... as long as it's not Kool-aid 😅    Read more

  • Kim VedaFiji & New ZealandTraveler

    Day 2 Cold Plunging

    January 15 in Fiji ⋅ 🌧 82 °F

    It's cold plunge day! I'm not sure how cold the water was, but I'm thinking between 40-50 degrees. I was one of the first to go in, and each group of 5 people would go in together and stay in for 3 minutes.

    While they were getting the water cold, we had a dance party. So glad I got to be in the first group of people to go over.

    Coming out, my skin was beet red and it felt so good.

    A couple guys from the UK and I got a ride back over from Nanla the mother of Molly her cute dog. Nanla and her husband are the caretakers of the grounds. Her husband is the one who builds the fire walks. We saw horses roaming free on the property, rescued by Sage. She told us that Tony comes here before his Austraila conference and that's the only time these days. Sage hasn't been here in over 5 years since they had the baby.

    You can see the nutrition plan in the photo. It's a variety of fresh juices and fruits and salads. This morning we had a celery drink and an avocado.

    I'm not sure if i mentioned it, but the reason that our flight was delayed is that a couple days before, lighting struck Nadi airport and took out the lights on the runway. This shut down all evening flights and pushed the schedule back for all flights. Savusavu doesn't have lights on it's runway, so they only do day flights.

    I'm scheduled for another massage and facial in about 45 min.

    I'm feeling really great. Immune system feels strong and energy is good.    Read more

  • Kim VedaFiji & New ZealandTraveler

    Day 3 The Sun is Shining

    January 16 in Fiji ⋅ ⛅ 82 °F

    Finally the sun is shining. We're still tromping through mud, but the moods seem brighter.

    This morning there was a rainbow.

    Yesterday's massage and facial was fantastic. Better than the day before. The therapist did my hair with the hibiscus. I return again today during the mid day break.

    Evidently I'm the poster child for colonics. Regular monthly colonics for years now and my colon is clean. I'm a believer. If you have never tried it, I highly recommend.

    Back to start the day's sessions.    Read more

  • Kim VedaFiji & New ZealandTraveler

    Fijian Bobo Massage

    January 16 in Fiji ⋅ ☁️ 84 °F

    Bobo massage is a traditional Fijian massage where the therapist walks on you. There were 2 therapists in the room, one for me and one for Leigh who shared the room again. The therapists (one woman and one man) were laarrrrge people so I was a little concerned walking in. Like 200 plus pounds large.

    The entire massage was done with her feet. Quite amazing actually. Lots of hot oil dumped all over me. Then feet pressing into me. At one point Mary was suspended above me from a linen sling hanging from a pole so as not to put full pressure on me. But for a few seconds on my back I'm pretty sure she did. I was on a thin mattress on the floor with nothing but a towel between my legs and 4 people in the room. Leigh said the guy who was working on her had rough callouses on his feet so the massage was scratchy and exfoliating. She wasn't a fan. I thought it was great and impressive what she could do with her feet.

    After the massage, Leigh and I went in the sauna where we met a couple from Seattle on their honeymoon. The resort and spa is open to guests year around, not just for attendees of the conference.

    Speaking of feet, we don't wear shoes anywhere inside. So we take our shoes off outside the doors and then walk barefoot throughout. Anyone who really knows me knows that I have a bit of OCD and dirty floors and walking barefoot (unless of course in my own home or on the beach) is not my thing. With all the rain and mud we are walking through you can imagine... this conference is stretching me in many ways. I'm so glad i brought my sketchers sandals. They have been amazing with the rain and mud.

    Later...

    There was a gorgeous sunset tonight, the first we've seen here.

    Tonight's session:
    How to make dreams a reality. Go back and think of things you accomplished in the past that at one point seemed impossible. Make a list. What did you do to get there? What were the steps you took from the point that it was an idea to the point that it manifested? Compare a few different things you've accomplished. What do they have in common? This is your blueprint for how to turn your dreams into reality.

    Sage's 7 Truths to Inner Freedom started out the content on relationship mastery. See photo.

    Day 3 complete.    Read more

  • Kim VedaFiji & New ZealandTraveler

    Photo Shoot

    January 17 in Fiji

    Photo shoot this morning. Elisabeth from Austria captured some really nice photos after I saw her taking a selfie and asked her if I could take pictures for her.

    Really great day today. It was the last day of Life Mastery conference.

    If you've never been to a Tony Robbins conference, let me tell you there is a lot of dancing. Like Club Fiji. Everytime they start randomly dancing, Gina the woman who is leading the conference picks 4 or 5 people to come to the stage to lead the dancing "Tony Robbins club aerobic" style. The audience follows the moves that the dancers are doing on the stage like an aerobics workout. I have been on that stage 4 times in the last 2 days! I keep my head down, but somehow I still get picked. When they pick you and say go, you go.

    I have a mosquito bite on my leg that seems to be infected... i found some tea tree oil and consulted with Julianna who is a doctor.    Read more

  • Kim VedaFiji & New ZealandTraveler

    Kava Ceremony

    January 17 in Fiji ⋅ ☁️ 79 °F

    Kava is the national drink of Fiji and is used ceremonially. Tonight we witnessed a traditional kava ceremony. The large bowls that have been in some of my photos are kava bowls.

    There is a leader who makes the kava drink. The dried herb is ground and put in a muslin type bag and then water is poured out from the coconut leaf into the bowl with the kava. The leader turns, swirls and wrings the kava bag in the water with his hands to make the tea.

    When one is ready to receive the hand, they clap their hands together one time to signal they accept. Then they raise the bowl made out of coconut hull. The leader fills their bowl with the kava tea. They drink the whole bowl like a shot (it's about 3 oz). Then the one who poured claps three times and the one who received puts the bowl down and claps three times to signal "thank you".

    The woman who poured mine said to me with a little grin, "You get three servings. " In the end I had two servings; that's about all I could handle. It's nasty bitter and it tingles the tongue. Felt like dental novacaine in my mouth. I did notice about 15 min later that my legs felt weird. I felt like my legs were longer or shorter than they actually were. It was definitely from the kava, and a sensation that Ive never had before.

    I'll have to try some kava back home to see what that's like.

    For dinner they served vegetable stew or beef stew.    Read more

  • Kim VedaFiji & New ZealandTraveler

    Wealth Mastery

    January 19 in Fiji ⋅ ☁️ 79 °F

    The Life Mastery part of the conference ended and today began day 1 of 3 of Wealth Mastery.

    Which means we now get food; no more liquid diet.

    I didn't sleep so well last night. I think it was the kava. I woke up with a headache too, but it quickly resolved. Had a few moments by the pool this morning, and later tried to take a nap during break but I don't think I ever fell asleep.

    Sessions today were really good delving into examining my beliefs about money and ripping up old beliefs and adopting new beliefs. I reviewed the basic principles of building wealth, investing and set my percentages of secure investments (cash, cds, bonds, notes) vs. growth or riskier investments (stocks, real estate, crypto, precious metals...). I made a list of dreams for the next 12 months, the next 2-10 years, and 10 plus years. The very last thing I added to my dream list was that I want to go to Machu Picchu in the next 12 months. Then we played a game.

    We had been instructed to bring cash, so I took out $67 US dollars. Most people had Fijian bills. The game was that one side of the room moved to the far wall, and the other side of the room the opposite wall. Then we were instructed to walk to the opposite wall and then turn around and come back to our wall, all the while doing what we usually do with money.

    As I walked to the other side of the room holding my cash and passing the people from the opposite side, I greeted them and held on to my money. A woman randomly handed me a one dollar bill as I walked past her. No words, just handed me cash.

    As I was returning to my original side of the room, a guy from Austraila asked me if I would trade a bill of foreign currency for dollars. I asked him what it was, and he said he had no idea, but maybe wherever it was from I might want to go there. I looked at him dubiously and offered a one dollar bill for it. I could clearly see that it had a 10 on it. He refused that offer, but said he would take five dollars for it. I said that I didn't know what it was, where it was from, what it was worth, or if it was even real currency. He said, "Yeah but that's what makes it fun; you might want to go there." I asked to hold the bill; and then when I looked closely, I saw that it was from Peru! My heart jumped, and I promptly gave him $5 for the Peruvian 10. Regardless of the exchange rate, it was meant to be. This Austrailian man is going to LA next month for stem cell therapy so he will be needing the dollars.

    It felt like the Universe was giving me a little wink. I'm going to Peru.... and oh so much more!

    I AM Wealth Creator!    Read more

  • Kim VedaFiji & New ZealandTraveler

    Savasi Beach Walk

    January 20 in Fiji ⋅ ☀️ 79 °F

    This is my last day here, and I feel like I've not done much exploring. It's been learning, dancing, detox, the spa... and rain. Every 30 minutes count and it took 1.5 hour to do payroll yesterday. I missed the village tour, but it was raining so I was ok with that. This morning being my last opportunity to do anything (because I'm headed back to the spa one last time at midday break), I woke up extra early to take a beach walk.

    I walked down a very steep hill winding down zigzagging back and forth to the road, being careful not to slip in the dewey grass. Then a 1/2 mile down the road to an opening to the beach.

    I haven't edited pictures yet and I'm currently in the pool in the sun so i can barely see the photos, but here is a photo dump of my gorgeous beach walk.

    A crab, mangroves, lava rock, magnolia blossoms? that look like that they came out of Avatar...    Read more

  • Kim VedaFiji & New ZealandTraveler

    Wasawasa Event Grounds

    January 20 in Fiji ⋅ ☀️ 81 °F

    Coming back from the beach I took a less steep hill coming around to the beach of the dining hall. I found a narrow one foot area between the dining area and large bushes and squeezed through, lifted myself up 3 ft to the deck, then under the railing. That was my pull up for the day.

    It was only 7:30 am and no one was there so I got some photos of the event center and dining hall.    Read more

  • Kim VedaFiji & New ZealandTraveler

    Final Spa Visit

    January 20 in Fiji ⋅ ⛅ 86 °F

    Today I had a fire balancing massage which was a massage with salt, brushing, oil, cucumber masque and finally being wrapped in banana leaves. Laying on banana leaves isn't that comfortable. I felt something poking my leg and reached down and it was a stem or something. The therapist took some pictures of me wrapped in the banana leaves. One I was done, I had chucks of cucumber all over me and I showered outside again.

    While out there I noticed that the water would spew up through the rock. I mentioned it to the therapist and she said that was the "blow hole".

    I then did my third cold plunge for the week, the hot tub and then the sauna.    Read more

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