from Australia to Brazil via the pacific

Hey there,

we are going on a one year trip from Europe to south America via Asia and the pacific. We are going overland from Europe to Vietnam and from there taking a budget flight to Australia. Since we need to get from there back home to Brazil, does anybody have suggestions on the best deal (RTW Ticket/Air Passes/single tickets...) getting from Australia's East Coast to South America. I know there is a direct flight Sydney - Santiago. But it would be a pity to miss on all these small paradises on the south pacific. Suggestions on the most beautiful and relatively affordable ones for something like 2 or 3 stops en route to South America? We are traveling with our small daughter that will be 4 by then.

Would a RTW Ticket be cheaper then buying Sydney - Auckland - Papeete - Easter Island - Santiago - Rio de Janeiro on single tickets?

And is there a no-go time (winter, autumn...) for the south pacific islands?

thanks!

Hey,

I haven't been to the region, but I have done very similar research in the other direction
http://www.lonelyplanet.com/thorntree/thread.jspa?threadID=2374547&messageID=21190978#21190978

You can fly
1. Sydney - Auckland - Tahiti - Easter Island - Santiago : total ~$2200
2. Sydney - Noumea - Tahiti - Easter Island - Santiago : total ~$2400
3. Sydney - Santiago : total ~$1450

Additionally, it is easy to extend the route to tack on other countries. For Route #1, its easy to add Vanuatu. For route #2 you can add Rarotonga. Fiji is easily accessible. The other countries - Solomon Is, Tuvalu, Tonga, Samoa are not on the way.

Don't discount the Sydney - Santiago flight. A lot of the Pacific destinations are easily accessible from Australia and there are often some good deals and specials. While Route #1 and #2 may seem only a little bit more expensive, they go through French Polynesia, which is the most expensive country in the whole region. If you're overlanding from Europe, you're in for a shock. Flying to Vanuatu or Fiji from Sydney would cost the same, and those two countries are much cheaper. You also have to do some research to figure out where you want to go as Vanuatu is a vastly different destination from French Polynesia.

The Oneworld Explorer RTW ticket cannot do this route - you will need to mark Auckland - Tahiti or Noumea - Tahiti as an overland segment and purchase the ticket in addition.

The Global Explorer RTW can do this route via Sydney - Auckland - Tahiti - Easter Island - Santiago.

RTW tickets for 4 continents realistically start at $4000, but this route is more like $4500+.

Oh yes, for the weather, the dry season is the May - October. This is also winter in Australia and New Zealand.

Hi,

We were in tahiti around the New Year (in theory is rainy season) and the weather was perfectly fine. If you are diving, I recommend you to check out the Tuamotus (Rangiroa, Fakarava) instead of staying just in Tahiti.

Here's our split, flying from one island to the next:
- Moorea : 3 nights
- Raitaea: 1 night (*I'd recommend 2 nights, assuming that a tour around Taha'a is secured)
- Bora-Bora: 4 nights
- Rangiroa: 3 nights
- Fakarava: 2 nights
- Tahiti: 2 nights

Here you can see more details on each of the island (I'm still posting, but should be complete soon)

http://www.dontplayahate.com/search/label/Tahiti