South Pacific Islands Experience

The Islands of Perpetual Sunday

Advantages: Pristine rainforest and beaches, amazing diving, welcoming locals
Disadvantages: Not for those who cannot make their own entertainment

...♣♣♣Fact Box♣♣♣ Country: Independent Samoa Capital: Apia Location: 13 .5 S & 171.5 W, in the South Pacific between New Zealand and Hawaii Time: GMT-12hours Neighbours: American Samoa, Fiji, Cook Islands, French Polynesia Language: Samoan, English People: Polynesian Currency: Samoan tala Getting there (from U.K.): Use Qantas/BA to Australia, then Polynesian Blue to Apia, or Air New Zealand from London to ...

cladach29 12.09.2006 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: exceptional
Review of Independent Samoa (South Pacific Islands)

This is SAMOA

Advantages: The weather and the peaceful nature
Disadvantages: Sometimes gets boring very quickly

This review is from a trip I took to Samoa in January this year. About Samoa ------------------- Well Samoa is situated a few hours away from Australia and the two islands which are part of Samoa are very small and can sometimes be difficult to find on a world atlas. The first island is named Upolu which has the capital city of Apia there. The other is named Savaii and although there are about 5 other islands which are not inhabited these are the ...
...because there is ocean everywhere you go visible in Samoa which is a nice thought and can be a breathtaking experience. Nearby islands you can see sometimes in the open air are Fiji and Tonga. Overall it is a very small place to visit but has advantages. Weather -------------- The weather in Samoa can be unpredictable, they have a dry season which is May to October and then they have the tropical season which is from November to April. The entire ...

tink-er-bell 09.10.2009 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: exceptional
Review of American Samoa (South Pacific Islands)

New Caledonia

Advantages: Beautiful, breathtaking scenery.
Disadvantages: Expensive to get to!

HISTORY New Caledonia is a little part of France in the South Pacific. The island was named by Captain Cook on his famous voyage of exploration. He named it Caledonia as he thought it reminded him of the Scottish highlands, this couldn't be further from the truth. New Caledonia is one of the most picturesque of the Pacific Islands and also one of the largest. It is positioned between New Zealand, Australia and Fiji. It was claimed as a French colony ...
...GETTING THERE Getting to New Caledonia can be problematic if you live in the UK. Air France fly direct from Paris, but the flight costs between £700-800. From the UK you can either fly to France and get a flight there or you can fly to Eastern Australia of New Zealand and pick up a connecting flight. these are generally inexpensive and can cost as little as £100. However, the filght out to Australia can be very expensive depending on which time ...

mr_christa 24.05.2004 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of New Caledonia (South Pacific Islands)

Tonga

Advantages: Fantastic scenery, beautiful beaches, extremely friendly people!
Disadvantages: Can be expensive to reach.

Tonga is the first country in the world to see in a New Year. It lies just past the international dateline and became the focal point for the Millenium celebrations of 2000. This is how Tonga first came to my attention, I saw the broadcast from the isalnd and thought it looked fantastic and decided that I would definitely go. I happened to have the chance to go to New Caledonia and looking at a map saw that nTonga was nearby (relatively speaking). ...
...make the short flight to Tonga and stay for as long as our money would hold out. We weren't disappointed! GETTING THERE We flew with Air France from New Caledonia to Fua'amotu International Airport which is about 10 miles away from the capital of Nuku'alofa. This flight cost about $150 for the round trip. There was a $25 departure tax upon leaving. I beleive that most people fly to Tonga from either New Zealand or Australia so a flight may be cheaper ...

mr_christa 23.06.2004 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Tonga (South Pacific Islands)

Escape to Vanuatu

Advantages: Lush rainforests, turquoise waters
Disadvantages: Numerous earth tremors

...halfway between Australia and Fiji, Vanuatu is a Y-shaped Chain of about 80 islands in the southwest pacific. According to geologists, massive tectonic plates in the earth crust collided at this point to form lofty mountains that are mainly underwater. The peaks of the tallest of these rose above the ocean surface creating Vanuatu’s rugged islands. Today, the geologic crunch and grind triggers numerous earth tremors and fuel nine active volcanoes. ...
...European explorers first arrived in Vanuatu in 1606. Fierce tribes inhabited the islands and cannibalism was widely practiced. At the time, forest of sandalwood, an aromatic wood prized in Asia, carpeted the landscape. Smelling profit, European traders systematically plundered the trees. They then turned their hands to blackbirding. Blackbirding involved recruiting indigenous islanders to work on sugar and cotton plantations in Samoa, Fiji and Australia. ...

quan 31.07.2007 · Read full review
Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Vanuatu (South Pacific Islands)