Flying from Nadi to Taveuni with Fiji Airways

Fiji Airways Premier Lounge, Nadi International. Photo / Supplied

Sam Shead flies across Fiji from Nadi to Taveuni with Fiji Airways.

The plane: A tiny De Havilland Viking twin otter DHC6-300. It was the smallest plane I've ever flown on, if you exclude the plane I had my one and only flying lesson in and the plane that took me from Nairobi deep into the Masai Mara.

Class: Economy all the way. No room for Business Class on this little fella.

Price: $331 return.

Flight time: We took 1hr 10m. I initially booked to fly via Suva in a bid to save money but when we got to the airport we were told there was space on a direct flight to Taveuni that was just about to depart. We were hurried through the domestic terminal (basically just a shed in comparison to the glitzy international terminal) and on to the direct flight, meaning we arrived in Taveuni about two hours earlier than planned. This turned out to be great for us.

My seat: 1C. I had a great view of the cockpit from my seat, which was no more than a metre behind the pilot.

Fellow passengers: All fairly young tourists. They looked like divers or surfers.

How full: About five spare seats out of 21.

Entertainment: No movies on this flight, but who wants to look at screens anyway when there are the spectacular Fijian islands to gawp at?

Food and drink: We were handed a bottle of water and a wet towel on the tarmac before we stepped on to the plane. I managed to bang my head getting on and off.

The toilets: None to speak of, so make sure you do your business before you board.

Luggage: 15kg check-in (I was 1kg over but they let me off) and 7kg carry on.

The airport experience: Slightly chaotic after they rushed us on to the direct flight, but it was worth it.

The bottomline: One of the most fun flights I've been on and the views are just insane.