Lonely Planet™ · Thorn Tree Forum · 2020 |

# Need a bit of help planning! Country forums / Pacific Islands & Papua New Guinea
shod_22 15:13 UTC 23 Oct 2011 | Hello, I am planning a trip for 2 months Sept/Oct of 2012 to NZ and Fiji, and would like to add another country, any thoughts or suggestions, I love diving so would like to do as much as i can. I am probably travelling solo, so would like to go somewhere social, Thanks for any suggestions! |
jvainio 05:28 UTC 24 Oct 2011 | Well I guess the Cooks is the destination you can access from NZ and is relatively cheap. However not maybe the #1 diving destination, I bet there are some good places there, still. If you have a fat wallet, and want superb diving, go to New Caledonia (accessible from NZ). Man, the best marine life in the south pacific I have seen. The only bad things are that they speak french (don't really expect english to be spoken or even understood) and that the place is VERY expensive. But good quality marine life comes with a price... | 1
ozziegiraffe 11:06 UTC 24 Oct 2011 | Solomon Islands has the best reputation for diving in the area. However, it can be relatively quiet. Check out diving packages in Western Province that include accommodation, eg Uepi or Fatboys. | 2
newfie43 21:40 UTC 24 Oct 2011 | You could check out going to Vanuatu from Fiji - diving is best on Santo or Efate. | 3
shod_22 23:33 UTC 05 Nov 2011 | Thanks so much! | 4
h2ooh 14:00 UTC 06 Nov 2011 | While the Cooks may not be the #1 SP diving destination it offers dive shops and diving trips in Rarotonga and in Aitutaki. Before passing up an opportunity to visit the Cook Islands I'd check it out on the web and contact those dive shops there. | 5