Fiji - The perfect Rugby World Cup stopover

If you are travelling to New Zealand for the Rugby World Cup this September, why not consider an exotic stopover in Fiji, the jewel of the South Pacific.

Just 3 hours flying time North from New Zealand, there are direct flights to Fiji from Auckland with Air New Zealand. The best of Fiji weather will coincide with the World Cup, during which time the climate  is mainly dry and warm.  Fiji is a rugby-loving nation -  where rugby is their national game and there are 80,000 registered players out of a total population of 950,000!  So if the World Cup Rugby action isn’t enough for you, there will be plenty of chances to catch a local game during your stay.

Fiji’s first Rugby World Cup match is Fiji v Namibia on the 10th September at Rotorua Stadium. With 333 Islands, 6 national parks, stunning turquoise beaches, stunning marine life, coral reefs, lush rainforests and a rich cultural life, Fiji is the essence of tropical island paradise and a great place to relax and while away the hours.

For those preferring a more active holiday, Fiji offers fantastic diving, surfing, skydiving, hot air ballooning, jet boating and numerous other outdoor pursuits: Scuba the White Wall - one of the world’s top dive sites; surf the Cloud Breaker - the incredible world renowned six-metre wave, sand-board down the Sigatoka sand dunes, snorkel over giant rainbow gardens of soft coral; swim with huge Manta rays; trek through the jungle; drink Kava with a village chief; or go rafting on a Bilibili, a traditional, handmade bamboo raft.

Fiji has specialist tour operators who can organize tailored adventure tours around the Fijian Islands and a whole raft of accommodation to suit every budget.

Tour Operators

Gulliver’s Sports Travel (gulliverstravel.co.uk) are offering a variety of rugby packages to New Zealand that incorporate stays in Fiji: a sample package runs during the Quarter Finals with a relaxing 3 night stay in Fiji at the end of your trip. The 17 day trip departs the UK on September 28th and costs from £5258 per person including all flights, Superior B&B accommodation and match tickets.  Gulliver’s Sports can also tailor make an itinerary that includes an exotic stop-over in Fiji.

Other operators who have packages that include Fiji are austravel.com or the official supporter travel organiser, England Rugby Travel, englandrugbytravel.com.

Getting There

Passengers flying from the UK can connect via Los Angeles, Hong Kong, Seoul, Australia or New Zealand. Fijican be included as a stopover on  a round the world ticket, taking advantage of daily flights arriving from Australiaand New Zealand. The national carrier, Air Pacific, operates in partnership with Cathay Pacific and Air New Zealand. British Airways, Qantas and Virgin Atlantic flights all connect in the above-mentioned cities with Air Pacific.  Korean Air operate three services per week fromLondon to Nadi viaSeoul.

For further information on activities in Fiji visit: fijime.com/thrillmeor