Decisions

Hello!

I know this is a really broad question - but my husband and I are planning a 6 month trip - and in between New Zealand and Australia we are hoping to spend a week on a Pacific Island.
We had talked about FIji - but Air New Zealand has a great seat sale on right now.

We are planning for mid March 2016 - and will have just spent a month in NZ hiking and camping.
We're probably looking to hang out on the beach - dive/snorkel, maybe waterfalls, bike.

The seat sale chooses between Raratonga, Samoa and Tonga.

Any advice on which one may be a good fit for our chosen activites (and maybe a bit more budget).. would be greatly appreciated.

I have not been to Samoa or Tonga but have visited Rarotonga twice and feel it would be a good fit for your requirements. It would be easy to bike there, the beaches are great for hanging out, diving/snorkeling is easy, we only visited one waterfall - there are probably more and there is a cross-island hike that might interest you. There is a good range of accommodations and restaurants - self catering is also possible - there is nightlife in Avarua and opportunities to experience the island culture.

March 2016 is so far away, I wouldn't limit your choices now based on a current seat sale. Odds are that a better deal will come up if you keep an eye on things. If you do want to limit yourself to those three choices, I'd think Rarotonga is the best bet.

Fiji would be a good option, although a week is too short if you want to get to the better parts off the mainland and not feel rushed.

Samoa I don't recommend. It has some good scenery, nice beaches and a few decent waterfalls. Transportation options are very limited, the snorkelling was poor, and I don't have much positive to say about the locals. That last point is my main reason for not recommending the country.

Thanks for the feedback!

It sounds like Rarotonga and Fiji may be the best..

I appreciate knowing that sales come up more often.. we won't rush to make a quick decision because of this one.. thanks!

R

check out Fiji airways fares, they have some good deals, flying into Fiji and on to NZ and returning that way, you could do a short local cruise in Fiji 3/4 nights can't promise waterfalls, but great islands and snorkelling, there is a great Navua river tour which you could also do,http://www.riversfiji.com/rafting/upper-navua and if that is too much there is another river boat tour which has waterfalls on both sides of the boat and stops at a waterfall for a swim

I have just returned from spending a month on Fiji and a month on Samoa- last year I spent a month on rarotonga...
It really depends what your top priority is- and your budget.
Rarotonga is very small ( 32 kms around) and traffic very busy, buses, cars and scooters are continually driving around that rather pot holed ring road. I found the people, prices, food etc to be very much like NZ. ( more expensive than Fiji & Samoa) It is a very easy place to visit but not really 'authentic' if you want a polynesian experience. The cheaper backpackers werent very nice but they do holiday homes very well and small boutique B n B's, the main consideration is to find an accommodation place that suits you because transport to anywhere is easy ( buses continually travel around the island) I biked around but found the territorial dogs on the inland road a nuisance and didnt enjoy the traffic on the main rd. For 6 days ( a short visit) it would be an easy option.
Fiji is large and varied, the culture is a mix of melanesian and indian and you can sometimes feel like you are in little mumbai rather than a pacific island. The snorkelling is good but you have to get out to the right areas- I didnt find a good value place close to Nadi that has good snorkelling. Fiji does middle budget range accommodation very well, good value -even close to Nadi, but be prepared to travel distances between places if you want to see a lot. I found budget got a bit too grubby at times ( dirty sheets, bad food, bed bugs)
If you go to Fiji you may be best to find a mid range place in the Yasawas and just go there..
Samoa is a nice size - each island has a ring road of about 250klms and there is a ferry for about 10$ between ( about an hour) samoa doesnt do mid range accommodation very well - very inconsistent and not enough training / owner imput. I thought the up market stuff was over priced compared with Raro & Fiji but I really enjoy the budget range fales for a real value pacific culture experience. My favourite place is Savaii and favourite part of that would be the North - Manase, Asau areas .If I only had 6 days I would take a taxi from the airport to the ferry and go straight to manase and maybe then to Vaimoana / Vaisala...
At the budget level I found most of the operators really helpful and genuine- just dont party with locals or get too mixed up in their life ( many people are very poor and boundaries can become blurred)the taxi touts at points of arrival are annoying and often a rip off - but then they are worse in Fiji....Rarotonga is less of a problem in that respect because wages are higher and most people are employed.
I didnt think snorkelling was as good on Samoa as in Fiji but there are some good easily accessible places in Manase and Vaisala- I enjoyed the swimming more on Samoa because the water temperature and the weather was warmer in Samoa when I was there in June / July being closer to the equator -but that shouldnt affect your choice much in March...
Summerising it depends what you want,what type of accommodation you prefer and your budget.
Each Island has its own distinct personality
I really enjoy the Pacific and I hope you have a good experience

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