First Timer in the South Pacific

My husband and I will be traveling for a month with an infant in May/ June 2010.

Since we are first timers in the region, I have a few questions:

1) Which airlines offer inter-island passes from Los Angeles? If you have web site links, please post them.

2) Which islands would you recommend in the mid-range category? I know the French Polynesian islands are prohibitively expensive.

3) Aside from beautiful beaches and scenery, which islands offer culturally interesting sites?

4) We will have 4-6 weeks to travel, so how much time should I budget for each island? I am particularly interested in Fiji and the Cook Islands.

No really worthy passes in this region.
However, starting from LA you are in luck, as you could probably include several islands as stopovers (free oor cheap) in an Air New Zealand RT ticket from LA to Auckland (where you don't really need to spend tim if you don't want to).
Check the Air NZ website.
The 5 possible stops are Tahiti, Rarotonga, Tonga, Samoa and Fiji.
Not all can easily be combined with each other, but the Cooks and Fiji could be - one on the way down to Auckland, the other on the way back to LA.

I think the Cooks can comfortably be termed as mid-range, bearing in mind that expensive inter-island flights will be necessary if wishing to go beyond Rarotonga.
Fiji is one of the cheapest countries in the region, and is one where you can even get to a number of islands by regular boats, reducing the expenses of island-hopping.

I think all these islands are similarish in terms of cultural interest.
Well, French Polynesia might offer most, with its restored marare and old statues in the Marquesas.
You might find village life most traditional-looking in Samoa and Tonga, where tatched huts remain more common than in the others.
Some shows of traditional dancing can be seen in any of them.

Solomon Islands and Vanuatu have more traditional Melanesian culture than Fiji, distinctly different from the Polynesian culture of Tahiti or the Cooks. However, they need to be accessed through Nadi or Brisbane.

Sure, and PNG has even more culture.
But all those countries would be more complicated or at least expensive to reach from LA than Polynesia and Fiji.
They can also be pricier to explore, consisting of more islands.
And then to top it all, they are malarial, which makes them less ideal for those taking an infant along... which is the main reason I decided not even to to mention them before.

In the last year and a half, I spent 11 months in the South Pacific (from French Poly to Tonga) and my two favorite places were Aitutaki and Niue. Niue is the most fun during whale season, but there's always plenty of hiking, climbing, and swimming to do regardless of the time of year. I would compare the beauty of Aitutaki (in the Cooks) to Bora Bora without the huge peaks. The lagoon is just as beautiful if not more and the people seemed MUCH more friendly to me. You can rent a scooter for $100NZ a week and find inexpensive places to rent or stay. I've put both on my list of places to return to on my next trip across.

Drew

My vote goes to Moorea in French Polynesia for beauty (some very good beach for children) and the Marquesas (also French Polynesia, rough beaches) for culture. I have never been ot Aitutaki, but the lagoon looks enticing. It also looks like it has the best beaches.

Niue is in a completely different category, it is something special - not a touristy beach destination. (no beaches but swimming in ocean pools at the rocky shore) It is one of the few islands where the comfort and safety level is high enough for travel with children and senior citizens, but it still gives you the untouched feel of forest, hiking trails, caves, few inhabitants, very, very few tourists and clean water! It is also a great diving destination. And something very important: Nieueans really appreciate your visit.