Lonely Planet™ · Thorn Tree Forum · 2020

Need a bit of help planning!

Country forums / Pacific Islands & Papua New Guinea

Hello, I am planning a trip for 2 months Sept/Oct of 2012 to NZ and Fiji, and would like to add another country, any thoughts or suggestions, I love diving so would like to do as much as i can. I am probably travelling solo, so would like to go somewhere social, Thanks for any suggestions!

Well I guess the Cooks is the destination you can access from NZ and is relatively cheap. However not maybe the #1 diving destination, I bet there are some good places there, still.

If you have a fat wallet, and want superb diving, go to New Caledonia (accessible from NZ). Man, the best marine life in the south pacific I have seen. The only bad things are that they speak french (don't really expect english to be spoken or even understood) and that the place is VERY expensive. But good quality marine life comes with a price...

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Solomon Islands has the best reputation for diving in the area. However, it can be relatively quiet. Check out diving packages in Western Province that include accommodation, eg Uepi or Fatboys.

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You could check out going to Vanuatu from Fiji - diving is best on Santo or Efate.

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Thanks so much!

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While the Cooks may not be the #1 SP diving destination it offers dive shops and diving trips in Rarotonga and in Aitutaki.

Before passing up an opportunity to visit the Cook Islands I'd check it out on the web and contact those dive shops there.

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