Cruise The World With Us 2026

Saturday – February 21, 2026 – Apia

Today’s featured photo is of a path in Colo-i-Suva Forest Park. We chose an excursion to this park but didn’t know what we were in for. On the bus during the drive to the park the guide described the walk as a trail downhill to a pool in which we could swim. What he did NOT say was that the path went up AND down, had steps of uneven height and was missing many of the handrails that were attached at one time. He said our walk in the woods should take between 45 minutes and an hour. Our group’s walk took 2 hours. Along the way we saw 3 policemen who came from the endpoint towards us to carry out some walkers who were unable to complete the journey. We will be thinking twice next time we see a walk like this advertised in the excursion brochures. Despite the bad physical experience, it was interesting to hike through the forest.

The day began with sunny skies and warm temperatures. We boarded our excursion bus and drove through Suva on the way to Colo-i-Suva Forest Park. We saw many open-air markets on the way with a wide variety of fresh fruits and vegetables. There were also stands with clothing, but it was difficult to tell the type as the bus drove by.

On the way to the park our guide explained that the park has pools in which we could swim with water that is cold (as it comes from the mountains). He said there were 3 choices for our walk – 1) a 45 minute to one hour walk downhill from the parking lot to the lowest (and largest) pool; 2) a 15-minute walk also ending at the lowest pool; 3) a 5-minute walk directly to the lowest pool. He said that when we arrived at the parking area we would be divided into groups of 10 and accompanied by a guide for each group. Nearly all those on our bus (probably 30-40 people) chose walk number “1”.

After being assigned to a group we headed off on the trail. The trail was “paved” with small stones – not all dirt. We began by walking up a hill (contrary to what had been described). The guide for our group did not talk to tell us about what we may see (wildlife, birds, etc.). He just walked and set the pace for our group. After 5-10 minutes we came across a sign indicating some birds we may see during our walk. If there were birds, we did not see them today.

We began to descend and came to the first of several pools. You’ll see a couple photos taken from that area in today’s gallery. On the opposite side of the pool, we began to climb and you will see a photo showing the trail with steps but no railing. That would be the case for most of the remainder of our walk. You will see additional photos during the walk showing ups and downs culminating at the lowest pool. Along the way the stones were missing so the trail was dirt/mud in many locations. People had difficulty with the large steps and with crossing the stream. Many soaked shoes and socks. The guide who didn’t talk did provide help where railings were absent, so people did not fall.

As we neared the lowest pool 3 policemen came our way to find and remove passengers who could not complete the walk without assistance. Near the last pool I saw what I believe is a ginger plant – the only flower I noticed during the walk. At the lowest pool we had a steep climb to reach a gravel road. When we saw the road, we thought we were near the parking area, but that was to be another half mile or so – all uphill. Finally, we reached the bus and relaxed in the cool air.

The bus returned to Suva and dropped us at an area described as a shopping center for souvenirs. We entered the 4-story building and looked around but, to us, it seemed like a department store with name-brands for sale. That is not what we were looking for. We asked a security person at the store’s entrance where locals shopped – he told us to go to Jack’s and gave directions. We walked to Jack’s and found clothing we liked. Made our purchases and went outside to wait for the shuttle bus to the ship.

The shuttle buses had interesting signage – “JESUS – No Other Name – No Other Way”. You’ll see a photo of the shuttle we took in the gallery. We rode the bus back to the ship and spent a few minutes viewing the activity near the dock. There was a large area where buses congregated for routes around the island. You’ll see a photo of that area in the gallery. We also noted a colorful tree near there that I believe is called a flame tree. We saw these trees last year in the Cook Islands of Aitutaki and Rarotonga.

Also included in today’s gallery is a photo taken by our tablemate, Gerrit, of guards at the Presidential Palace. Gerrit was there for the changing of the guard and snapped that image.

The day concluded with a Haka dance show featuring Mauri dancers. There are several photos from that show which also included Mauri singing.

You can view the photos from Fiji here.