Fiji, known for the tropical postcard of constant hot temperatures, white sandy beaches and a gentle breeze. It is not always the case! Currently the UK is having a heatwave of temperatures around 30 degrees Celsius which makes most of us in this region chuckle. Winter in Fiji is during the dry season May-October each year.
Living in Fiji during ‘winter’
Living in Fiji means you get used to being fairly hot all year. The graph below is from a travel guide. It refers to “peak season” and shoulder season. This doesn’t seem important when you live here, but it is good to keep in mind as it will tell you when you can get good local rates at lovely hotels.
When we travel to Australia our family avoids the cooler months as we don’t own the shoes or clothes that would keep us warm any more. Once you have moved to Fiji the kids grow out of their winter clothes and it does get expensive to clothe them! Our kids don’t know what a doona/duvet is or a hot water bottle. The idea of an electric blanket to them sounds very luxurious rather than an everyday item. When asked once what we do when we feel cold in a Fiji winter, our answer was “We turn off the fans!”.
Packing for living in Fiji
Recently Find Your Feet advised a client to bring light duvets or woven cotton blankets. Our clients move here all year. The first winter in your new Fiji home you will experience it as not very cold at all. The following winter you will start to feel actually cold. Although the locals really feel the cold and this time of year will see scarves, beanies even gloves in the streets of Suva.
Do you get Heatwaves in Fiji?
If you consider 30degrees Celesius as a heatwave, then the answer is YES! Looking at the media on the current heatwave in the UK with lots of people sweltering, advice on how to stay cool by eating icecream etc makes us all laugh. The definition of a heatwave is a prolonged period of abnormally high temperatures. Hence similar temperatures in Fiji would not constitute a heatwave.
While we definitely feel the cooler months, mostly it means we can enjoy a bit more activity without melting! Contact us and we can help you with your move to Fiji, what to expect for weather, what to pack with you, what to sea freight and everything else!
