Island hopping

I'm a journalist who saved some money these last years and is planning a RTW, involving visits to Australia and some countries in the South Pacific. I have worked very often as a freelance journalist, travelling with my small videocamera and laptop and doing short reports. Therefore, I was thinking which could be the most interesting places or moments to visit, keeping in mind we'd like to start in Australia and finish in Chile, after Eastern Island and Papeete. Most of my contacts are in Europe, therefore very local issues might not sound interesting, but others, like the probably independences of some islands (New Caledonia, French Polinesia, Bougainville, even Tokelau), the sinking of Tuvalu (global warming), or others which might sound more exotic. Any advice about the route?

Tokelau and French Polynesia to soon become independant nations? Highly unlikely.

I could give you some advice about the route, but if I could be as bold as to give you some advice on WHAT you could focus on for interest. You say that "local issues" would not interest the punters of Europe? People in civilized, cold and western nations LOVE hearing colloquial stories of lust, avarice and change in exotic and paradisical locations... They'll lap it up just like National Geographic.

Tuvalu is often in the news as it has been the poster child for rising sea levels/climate change... As tragic as it is, the story is overworked and cliched... It is not new news for the world.

How about trying a new angle and really get off the beaten path? Go to some of the less known islands for some unique stories that haven't already been done to death by the world media. How about a doco on hows, whys, wheres and whos of the recent problems of the the Solomons? Or how technology has grasped Tonga and how the local culture deals with the plethora of mobile phones and the internet?. Or the sad tale of rape and sexual abuse on Pitcairn? Or how Christian churches have entrapped and extorted millions from hundreds of thousands of people in Samoa or Fiji? (THAT is a story I would do if I were a journalist) Or a story on the tumultuous, insidious however perennial relationship between the native people and the overlording French in French Polynesia? Or "The Loneliest Pacific island.... Life on Rapa Iti" (where it is so far south, it is too cold for coconuts to grow and a whole unique Polynesian culture has survived) Or a gripping tale about forgotten Niue?

Have fun!

Edited by: islandboi321

EXCELLENT advice from Islandboi on topics. You may already know that it is not possible to island-hop between many of the nations in the South Pacific. For instance, it is not possible to fly from Kiribati on to the Marshall Islands, even though they are close geographically, you have to return to the main centre or hub for flights. Fiji is the hub in the South Pacific and you will have probably to fly in and out of Nadi frequently. A tip - sort out your accommodation in Nadi in advance, it is difficult to organise cheap accommodation at the airport, especially if you are using the free 'help desks'.

I have been sailing in the South Pacific for quite a few years, sorry if these topics are too obvious but they are what we see and watch the people face every day. Problems range from ground water polluted by salt water to the forced relocation of the population due to looming inundation. Earlier this month, storm surges caused damage in many islands throughout the South Pacific (look at Takuu in PNG and Majuro in the Marshalls). Some island nations (like Tuvalu) have well thought out plans for the future, with funding already put aside; others have no plans at all, some can make no plans as they are close to being bancrupt.

Another problem for island nations is dependence on fossil fuels. Inter-island supply ships visit on a less-regular basis. Many small outer islands or atolls have little or no fuel available so the local people cannot go out fishing easily. Some of the island communities in the Marshall islands (Aur for instance) deliberately gave up using sailing canoes for transport, work purposes and fishing in favour of using small boats with outboard motors. Now they are unable to service or repair these motors plus have difficulty in obtaining or affording fuel and they have lost the art of canoe-making. Other of the atolls (Ailuk in particular) have a strong tradition of using sailing canoes and happily work the island chain and atoll with ease. There is a move to encourage the building and use of local sailing canoes and yachts that stay through the cyclone season are helping by supplying tarpaulins or used sails.

Health is one of the obvious problems worth looking at. As people move from outer islands to the main centres of population, they change from their traditional diet of local fish, fruits and root vegetables to a more Western-style diet of tinned fish and meat and bread and rice and their health suffers. Imported foods are, of course, expensive (and rice is becoming unaffordable for many) and in short supply, in centres of population it is often difficult to grow enough local foodstuffs for the population. There will surely come a time when governments have to make serious attempts at encouraging people to return to their island and traditional lifestyle.

It is not all bad news. Valuable help is being given by various educational programms or medicinal aid. People interested in volunteering might find a segment on this aspect of life in the islands of interest. Local belief systems in various forms of 'magic' are fascinating to research. Local knowledge of traditional plants that have medicinal uses might be of great use to the Western world. The list of interesting topics goes on and on.

Good Luck!

Your first job is to map out the route you'll take from Australia to Easter (not Eastern) Island. You'll have to go via Tahiti, and to get to Tahiti you'll have to probably go via Auckland NZ, unless you want to pay extra on your RTW ticket and take the smaller aircraft flight from the Cooks to Tahiti.

I agree Fiji is a good place to base yourself if you plan to visit places other than Tahiti and Easter Island. But airfares will be high between the countries, so again, pick out places you really want to go to first and see what the cost will be.

I'd forget Tokelau for what you want to do, ship is only a few times a year. And getting to and from Tuvalu will be expensive.

Having written dozens of articles for the US market, I agree that "slice-of-life" articles about small villages and local issues would be interesting to possible readers. I'd leave the big international stories to others, they have the local staffs and contacts for in-depth articles.

Thanks to all three for your long replies!

I know the last legs will have to be Tahiti-Rapa Nui-Chile , just wondering the previous ones. And of course any story can be interesting depending on which door you knock, but my actual contacts usually focus on news and reports somehow linked to everyday issues. I know how nonsense it is not to have accepted a report about a traditional festival, simply because it is not 'news' but how it becomes 'news' if Unesco declares it heritage (wasn't it heritage before the declaration??). However, you can only send two or three of this reports, in different weeks, but could try with different TV channels, of course.

Some of the atolls in Solomon Islands are in danger of sinking. Particularly Sikiana in Malatia Province, where flood waters have destroyed food crops. The government is trying to develop a relocation programme. That might be of some interest to your readers. Check out today's Pacific Island Report: http://pidp.eastwestcenter.org/pireport/2009/January/01-08-03.htm