1 month in 2 destinations in the pacific islands...what would you choose?

Hi all,

My girlfriend and I are going on a 3 month trip: 1 month up the East coast of Australia, 2-3 weeks in NZ, then around 5 weeks in the pacific islands. We were wondering if anyone had advice on where best to go to for the 5 weeks in the pacific islands. Here's our thoughts so far

Our trip will be Early June to Mid July
We're keen on seeing some remote places (not necessarily shipwrecked style, but somewhere where we can get the true "island life" feel
We're also keen on seeing some world class snorkelling, although neither of us are strong swimmers, so would prefer to keep the snorkelling easy!
Swimming with Whales in Tonga is a huge plus, as is other animal encounters that are difficult to do elsewhere

Unfortunately, our budget is only around $80 AUD per day each, not including flights, so cheap accommodation/adventures is a plus!

At the moment our preference is for 2 weeks in Rarotonga, followed by 3 weeks in Tongatapu and ha'aipi group in Tonga. We were originally planning on doing Aitutaki in the Cook Islands instead of the ha'aipi group, but reading posts about colder weather have put us off slightly

**Any advice on a potential itinerary? Is choosing Ha'aipi group over Aitutaki a good choice given the time of year?

Also, are there any other destinations we should consider instead of Tonga or the cook islands in your opinion?**

Thanks for the help!

I'd rather recommend a combination of Tonga and Vanuatu, to get an impression of both Polynesia and Melanesia.
Your budget should be fine for both.

have a look at niue. its a bit off the beaten track without being wild and ragged. Its accessible via auckland only it seems. not particularly touristy but not totally backward. not as pricey as the likes of Tahiti or New Caledonia

Thanks for your replies! Is 18 days in Tonga potentially too long? We're thinking of splitting the time between Tongatapu and Ha'apai, but not too sure if we'll run out of things to do, particularly if its July and the weather isn't quite as good!

I spent 3 weeks in Tonga and wished I had had more time.

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