Best bet for a stopover in rainy season (jan-feb)

Hi there,

I'm planning a short stopover in the South Pacific for january or february next year. Looking at the precipitation statistics for most of the South Pacific islands, this is considered the rainy season. I was thinking visiting Tahiti and Moorea might be a good idea, given that these mountaineous islands will still offer a lot to see when the weather doesn't alllow for lounging on the beacht. I still have a few questions:

- Does rain fall in short showers during these months or will it more likely rain during the whole day?
- Are there notable differences in precipitation between the different sides of these islands (like on Kauai, Maui etc.)?
- Any suggestions on other islands that still have a lot to do in bad weather?
- Any suggestions on islands that do not suffer as much from the rainy season during this period?

Thanks for helping me out!

Fiji's mountainous main island, Viti Levu, does offer lots of things to do in bad weather, and its mountains do create distinct climates on the western and eastern sides.
In general the western side of this island, including the Mamanuca and Yasawa island groups off the western coast, is drier and sunnier, with good weather likely even when it rains in the east.
Viti Levu alone is bigger than all the islands of French Polynesia combined!

That said, I only encountered a week of constant rain in Samoa, and that was said to be unusual.
Most of the rain in the region is the typical tropical afternoon downpour.

The North Shore of Kauai gets much, much more rain than the south shore (Poipu area)...but that is what makes it so lush and beautiful. And you can "air dry" quickly.

In the wet season, sometimes it can by dry in the day and it pours down at night. Other times it rains all day for several days.

As Lazlo states, the Western sides of larger islands are drier - it's worth bearing in mind that with mountain ranges the rain generally falls on the windward slopes and it's drier on the leeward slopes.

If it's really pissing down, you'll either need to have a good book or be in one of the 'big' cities with things to do (eg Museums or good restaurants). On this score, I can only really recommend Suva in Fiji or maybe perhaps Noumea (New caledonia) and Papeete (Tahiti) at a push.