Help on planning an itinerary from Europe to the S Pacific

I am planning to go on a 3 week trip to South Pacific next year (2016) around April or May, coming from the west (Belgium), probably via Japan? (don't have the ticket yet) . Never been in the S Pacific, but I thought of flying to N Caledonia first (more of a hunch than an educated choice) and use it as a base to see 1 or 2 more states. It is not easy to know if there are flights between all the S Pacific states, islands. Any suggestions on where to head easily from Noumea after a visit of N Caledonia? I would gladly accept any other advice as to the choice of the places to visit and itineraries and whatever, of course. I travel alone, so am not very keen on long stays at the beach or very expensive lodges, boutique hotels etc, although I have a reasonable budget. I like to hike reasonably, but prefer cycling and snorkeling, kayaking. I do not dive. I am planning on renting a car whenever possible and necessary and using planes to spare time. Last but not least, I could pass on Fiji and the French Polynesia if I had to mace a choice, and it seems I definitely will have to!
Thanks for any advice in advance!

Fiji might be a better hub just because it has more flight connections than other south pacific islands

Air Calin can take you from Toyko to Noumea, from there you can get to Pt. Vila, Vanuatu(also with Air Vanuatu) and then on to Nadi, Fiji. From Fiji you have several options to get to Samoa, Tonga or the Soloman Islands but you will have to return to Fiji in between as there are no links between these island groups. You can get to the Cook Islands from Tahiti but you would only be able to head to New Zealand or Los Angelas from there. Travel in the South Pacific has become very limited by air, and travel is often only on certain days of the week. My information may be out of date as it has been awhile since I traveled there. You might want to check the airport websites to see what airlines fly into the places you are interested in and where they fly to and from. But it is definitely worth the effort to get there - good luck with your efforts. It would be great if you could report back here on your success with your plans!

Thanks a lot, I sure will keep you posted!

New Caledonia has direct flight connections to Vanuati, Fiji, Wallis and Tahiti.
Of these, Vanuatu is the closest and cheapest to fly to, and probably also the most interesting.
With only 3 weeks, I wouldn't recommend visiting more than 2 countries, though if you want 3, Fiji is another hop from Vanuatu and from there you could fly back to NC without backtracking.

This topic has been automatically locked due to inactivity. Email community@lonelyplanet.com if you would like to add to this topic and we'll unlock it for you.