South Pacific

Sunday is the perfect day to go to the beach in Tonga – if you're a visitor; an islander found swimming on the Sabbath is subject to a fine. Yes, they do take their religion seriously in the "Friendly Isles." Tonga, like its neighbor to the west, Fiji, is not just one island, but an entire archipelago of far-flung isles. In Tonga's case, the islands number about 170 (only about 45 are inhabited), geographically divided into four distinct groups. Tongatapu, with the capital of Nuku'alofa, is the hub of this island chain in western Polynesia. Two of every three Tongans live here...

An unspoiled corner of Fiji, Kadavu is a beautiful mountainous island with waterfalls, rounded hilltops, outstanding beaches and high rocky cliffs. It offers interesting bush walks, charming rockpools, luxuriant native trees and fascinating birdlife, particularly the famous red and green Kadavu parrots. Kadavu (pronounced Kahn-da-voo), has a population of approximately 8700 and lies only 88 kilometers south of Suva. Kadavu is approximately 48 kilometers in length and varies in width from 365 meters to 13 kilometers. Its area is 411 square kilometers, just a bit less than Taveuni. Kadavu has...

This is an Ile des Pins story: During the world windsurfing championships held in New Caledonia in 1999, board sailors suddenly stopped in the middle of the competition and dropped their sails to take in the sheer beauty of the Isle of Pines…Yes, another contender for the most-beautiful-island-on-the-planet title. Capt. James Cook named it in 1774 for the tree-rich landscape, but it’s the gloriously clear waters offshore, bordered by some of the most stunning beaches (Kuto and Kanumera are the best known) in the entire South Pacific, that enthrall travel-weary visitors. This is an island made...

Several islands lay claim to their own “Bali Hai,” but it was on Vanuatu’s largest island, Espiritu Santo, that James Michener, gazing over the blue Pacific toward a nearby island during WWII, found his original South Pacific inspiration. Like Fiji, Vanuatu is not actually an island but rather a chain of islands. Once known as the New Hebrides, the archipelago is an endless chain of fine beaches, amazing diving, volcanoes, the scent of frangipani in the air…in other words, all the stage settings for a few classic tales of the South Pacific. On the main island, Efate, the capital of Port Vila,...

At the very center of Polynesia, Upolu and Savaii are the twin islands that truly fulfill the South Seas vision of palm-lined, white-sand beaches and blue ocean beyond the reef. And in the capital of Apia, which has at least some of the trappings of a modern city, you’ll also find a slightly timeworn, sultry townscape out of the old South Pacific. Until 1997, the country was known as Western Samoa – long famous throughout the South Pacific for Fa’a Samoa, a way of life in which traditional customs (dance, a love of kava, and the art of tattooing among them) and strong community ties shape...

It's never been all that easy to get to Hiva Oa – and that was part of the attraction for the likes of Paul Gauguin (who came here to escape the "Western influences" in the Tahiti of 1901), and Thor Heyerdahl (who, a decade before sailing Kon Tiki across the Pacific, came here with his young bride to live the "simple life. " And some things haven't changed – particularly the drop-dead natural beauty of the Marquesas Islands. The most northern island group in French Polynesia, (nearly a thousand miles from Tahiti), the Marquesas are rugged volcanic islands: There is no barrier reef...

If this outpost in the western province of the Solomon Islands isn't the final frontier of diving, it's at least in the neighborhood. As Aussie divers have known for some time, Ghizo's underwater world is filled with great reefs, staggering numbers of fish both large and small – and some vivid reminders of the World War II, including wrecks of a Japanese transport ship and an American Hellcat fighter plane. The main town, Gizo (yes, the spelling is different) is the second largest in the island chain, but the main street is lined mostly with small stores and an open-air market...

Rarotonga is one of those islands that old South Seas hands recalled fondly when the talk around the bar turned to the quintessential island paradise. Fact is, the island can still lay a pretty good claim to that title. Long a favorite with sailors, Rarotonga, with its volcanic landscape of jagged peaks and deep valleys, is the only mountainous island in the Cook Islands. Its interior is mostly lush rain forest, and miles of white-sand beaches and an uncommonly clear lagoon fringe its shore. Dive shops on the island lead trips to about 40 sites that cover the full gamut of the water world:...

If you are seeking a place that has buildings no taller than a coconut tree, a country which only received it's third ATM in 2004, a place that boasts beautiful, deserted white sandy beaches, crystal clear waters, and some of the friendliest people in the world, then Cook Islands is for you. Aitutaki is the second most visited of the Cook Islands, only a 50-minute scenic flight from Rarotonga and has charms all its own. This undiscovered paradise is a great location for destination weddings, honeymoons, or to relax and explore with family and friends. Aitutaki offers a unique experience...

The "secret island" or "rebel island", there is no shortage of adjectives to indicate the wild but attractive nature of this island known for its fierce warriors and its resistance to change. Consisting of two islands, Huahine Nui in the north and Huahine Iti in the south, separated by a narrow hollow channel said to be the god Hiro's canoe.