We were exhausted after visiting 3 countries and sailing over 1800 nautical miles in less than one month.  However, one of us had to be the pack mule. 

We needed boat parts to repair the boat and they were not available in Fiji.  So, we ordered all of the parts and had them shipped to my sister in California.

Imagine our surprise when we discovered it would cost $900 USD to ship a 20lb box (18″x18″x6″) from Los Angeles to Savusavu.  

In the past we used Fiji Freight and they were amazing!  However, they are no longer doing consolidated shipping.  They are only focusing on commercial shipping.  We looked at many shipping companies and shipping agents.  The cheapest price was close to the price of an airline ticket.

We decided it would be best to physically go to the U.S. to retrieve our valuable boat parts.

Savusavu to Los Angeles

A flight from Savusavu to Nadi and then Los Angeles will cost about $1,100 USD and will take 21-22 hours (depending on layovers).  

The one hour flight from Savusavu is on 21-passenger plane operated by Fiji Link.  This small plane pulls up to the equally small, single-building airport. 

I sat in the last row on my departing flight.

We had beautiful views of both Viti Levu and Vanua Levu. Markedly, a beautiful day!

I love that you can see the shadow of our airplane in the water.

Coming in for a landing at the Nadi International airport. 

The bottom left photo shows us making the approach to the airport. Can you see the air strip?

The Domestic terminal is super small.  One baggage carousel, a small cafe, bathrooms and 2 desks. 

It is a short 3-minute walk to the International terminal.

The flight from Nadi to L.A. was huge! Close to 250-300 passengers.  It was cruel that they had us pass by the business/first class area to get to our tightly packed economy area.

Hermosa Beach

I took a few extra days with my sister and her sweet 6-month old puppy Luke. 

We went on lovely walks each day, ran some errands, and gathered boat parts.

The only person I got to see was my uncle Matthew.  He came by for a short visit and lunch.

I enjoyed lots of walks between Hermosa Beach (above) and Manhattan beach (below).

Pack Mule

Enough funny business.  It was time to earn my pack mule title. 

It was time to remove all packaging and organize this chaos in a way that meets the strict luggage guidelines.

I was allotted one checked bag weighing 30 kilos (66lbs) and one carry bag weighing 7 kilos (15lbs).  

Lots of heavy bearings, a wash down pump, a full stainless tool kit, 2 sets of dive gauges, snorkel gear, and some clothes.

As it turned out my checked bag came in right at 30 kilos!  Man was I lucky.  My carry on was 5 kilos.

Matt took a photo of our plane coming into Savusavu:

Our blog posts run 8-10 weeks behind actual live events. 

I was a pack mule for Matt the first part of May 2025.

Be sure to read about our passage to Fiji here.