Authentic Experience Wanted - travelling between South Pacific Islands

Hello all,

After visiting some friends in New Zealand I would like to spend some time traveling between some of the South Pacific Islands. I am not looking for a tourist experience. Does anyone have any advice for interesting ways to move between the islands. I was thinking something like volunteering on fishing boats.....something along those lines. I don't mind hard work in exchange for an authentic experience.

It's not going to happen simply because there is almost no such traffic.

Fishing boats don't want clumsy volunteers they want wage slaves from Vietnam and Burma who work for $200/month and keep their mouths shut.

I know this a friend of mine captained a long liner out of Nukulofa-he said it was the scariest shittiest experience of his ife-a life spent on the North Pacific.

Time for Plan B!

You will find that there is very little boat traffic between the Pacific countries, except for the contaner ships, which don't take passengers.
However, you can easily get an authentic experience travelling within the one country by the local shipping, which local people use all the time.
I have travelled this way through much of Solomon Islands, often by necessity, as this was the only way to get where I needed to go.
Solomon Islands is much larger than most of the Polynesian countries, and shipping between its many islands is the most common way for locals to travel, definitely an authentic experience.

Yes, I agree, you should pick a country and try to travel to islands within one country by ferry, international ships do not take passengers for a variety of reasons.

Rule out the Cooks unless you have a couple of months, as you must go on a local freighter, and schedules are erratic.

Fiji and the larger countries that also have ferries are your best places to aim for.

Raro has a good point-taking that old ferry from Suva down to Kadavu should cure you of any romantic notions.

Yes, definitely not "romantic", unless one loves puking. Let me add: eat only bread or crackers when you go on those ferries. Everything else will come back up.

I've only ever been seasick twice in 17 years of travelling around the Solomons. One was very much in the open sea, heading from Malaita to Ontong Java atoll - the sea was rolling in such a way that the ship rolled even more, and I think everyone was sick except the crew (but I claim to have been the worst: I couldn't even sit up, but had to stay on my mat on the deck.) However, I was fine on the way back, when we followed a different route. My mistake on that journey was eating fresh pineapple.
The other was very mild, rounding the north-eastern tip of Malaita, which I have done many times without problems. It started to rain, and all the locals were worrying about me getting wet on my preferred space on the deck, and insisted I go below. Big mistake.
My advice is to travel where you can see the horizon. (Learned from a father who joined the navy at 14).

Do not go on the interisland boats without taking some anti-seasickness pills with you. You will enjoy the trip so much more. Aloha

Fiji especially has many residents from various island countries and there is always the trips back and forth to visit once a year (and then stay 1-6 months until the boat back). It is known as the hub of the Pacific because the air transport and also shipping system branches out in all directions like a wheel's spokes. Some of the trips are not that bad and you can travel for years living pretty cheaply if you have the time and the will. Friends from Tuvalu can go home from Fiji for under $100 while the plane is about $600. A friend who lived in Micronesia was stuck in Nauru for a month and hated it, but local friends from there love it. They are all a bit different but remember following the shipping traffic will bring you to the major towns while you may dream of beautiful uninhabited isles. Rarely you can find a yachtie who may offer a crew position but you will have to adapt to someone else's plans. Your NZ friends may even be able to help you find a trip from there as many people travel up for a season or for the yacht races. Within Fiji you can go to Rotuma, Rabi and Kioa...all with different ethnic backgrounds and traditions and it wouldn't take you a tremendous amount of time.
If you don't really want to do the backpack-barefoot thing and have some money, link a few good boat trips together like with Tui Tai. Good luck!

Oh I forgot, I'm very susceptible to motion sickness though you do get used to it if you go on boats a lot. I always bring ginger tablets (sold with vitamins or in health food stores) as they settle your stomach quite a bit even if you do get sick. My other secret weapon is wristbands that hit your accupressure points and they work GREAT(sold in chemists). Really, I can and have gotten sick from an elevator ride, but with those things I can go out in high seas. (If I forget them I press the right points myself.) Those are my 2 fave methods to enjoy boat rides but if it's a cyclone, Bonine is good for prevention and doesn't make you drowsy like Dramamine. ;-)