Need help to decide which islands states to visit next year.

As I have some relatives in french polynesia, I will visit them beginning next year.
However, as I am flying from Germany (Munich) and pacific isn't a next door destination, i will be happy to visit some others places during my trip over there.
How to choose 2 or 3 destinations (exception made from AUS, NZ,NC)
American samoa
cook islands
federated states of micronesia
Kiribati
Marshall Islands
Nauru
Niue
Northern Marianna Islands
Palau
Pitcairn (don't think it's worth)
Samoa
Solomon islands
Totulou
Tonga
tuvalu
Vanuatu
please note that I visted Wikipedia about all those places.

I am very much interesting in authentic places,history and architecture in addition with nice beaches, clear water and good traditional food.

Thanks all to help me to select those 2 or 3 places.

The way to combine a trip to French Polynesia with other Pacific islands is (and I'll only address the ones on your list):

Fly from French Polynesia to the Cooks and back via Air Tahiti/Air Rarotonga

Buy a RT ticket to New Zealand and stop over in French Polynesia on the way out and stop over in either the Cooks OR Tonga and Samoa (and make a side trip to American Samoa on Polynesian Airlines) on the way back.

Buy a RT ticket to New Zealand or Australia and stop over in French Polynesia on the way there. From New Zealand or Australia buy another RT ticket or tickets to the other islands. If you are interested in this route check out the prices to various places, it will help you narrow your choices.

As far as the Micronesian ones you should just eliminate them on the basis of price to (and difficulty in getting to based on your plan to go to FP). The only gateway (and this is a maybe) from Australia/NZ is via Cairns to Palau. Check out the price.

If ypu are going to French Polynesia, why not contrast it with a Melanesian country?
Are you looking ofr hotel or resort accommodation, or do you want to meet the locals?

A lot depends on how much you are willing to pay for your flights. If you are on a carrier with One World or Star Alliance, simplest is to check which other islands they go to, on cooperating carriers in that network. You'll soon see your options are quickly limited.

However, if you want to pay extra for other flights, then you can head anywhere.

But from Fr. Polynesia to Micronesia it's a long way. I'd stick to other islands in Polynesia, or Melanesia, as suggested above.

Again, check the air routes of both networks, and take it from there.

Forget Pitcairn, and the other difficult ones might be Tuvalu, Niue, Palau, Never heard of "Totulou"!

Niue isn't difficult but is inconvenient as the only way in and out is to fly from Auckland - except for catching a yacht from Rarotonga or Aitutaki. Once there, not much in the way of beaches and the architecture is boxlike. Extra clear water and natural rain forest, caves, easily accessable reefs. Still fairly traditional and has unique food traditions like bat.

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<hr>Pitcairn (don't think it's worth)<hr></blockquote>

Why?

For multi-country trips I also tend to recommend combinging Polynesia and Melanesia.

There are two easy ways to do that:

1. Using an Air NZ ticket from Europe to Auckland, you can get stopovers in Tahiti one way, then in Fiji (the only Melanesian country on offer) on the way back.
Fiji is not really Melanesian culturally, more like a mix between the two regions, but from there you could get a chep RT ticket to Vanuatu which is possibly the nicest and most traditional of the Melanesian countries.

2. Using Aircalin, you could fly directly from Tahiti to New Caledonia. NC is stunningly beautiful and largely unspoilt, but it still has a heavy French cultural overlay. However from there you could fly to Vanuatu cheaply, too.

The only Micronesian country with a dependable air connection to the above itineraries is Kiribati, served by Air Pacific from Fiji.
But it's not cheap to fly there, and with little to "see" on its tiny islets, you may not find it worth it.
You could actually visit islands inhabited by people of Kiribati origin in both Fiji and the Solomons.

If traditional (as opposed to colonial) architecture is your priority, Papua New Guinea is unbeatable. But it's a long way from the other countries and not cheap to reach. For colonial architecture, I found Fiji (Suva and Ovalau) the best, followed by New Caledonia.
Traditional food tends to be similar all over the region, and may not appeal to all Westerners.
However, in the French territories it can be more refined - and more expensive!

Venezio---the poster is obviously not well-read on the Pacific, and probably does not realize there are no flights to Pitcairn. So, assuming they would have to charter a yacht from Tahiti, I didn;t think it would be worth it for them, when there are a lot of other places easier to get to, in what appears to be their first trip to the islands.

Thanks everyone
few answers & more questions
first :
correction: read Tokelau instead of Totulou
second:
eveything concerning my question seems to be strongly links to flights, are there so expensive from one islands (or groups) to others? is there any boats? like the one from Tahiti to remote polynesian places (marquises)
thirdly: could I get more info on Suva & Ovalou
fourthly: answers gave me the impressions that the french polynesia and NC are quite worth compare to Marshall for instance, have I understood wrongly?
Would it be better to fly from Munich to Auckland or Sydney and organizedfriom there a round Pacific trip?
are there any colonial remains from the german, dutch, english and where?
Fidji: not very interesting why?
New guinea, really worth? thought was very rainy and muddy

thanks all

Auckland is good for the Polynesian countries, but Brisbane is better and closer than Sydney to Melanesia. Flights to Solomon isalnds , for example, are only available from Brisbane (or Fiji, Vanuatu PNG, Nauru and Kiribati).
The German and Dutch were in Papua New Guinea, the British in all the English-speaking parts of the Pacific.
In Solomon Islands, the only real British remnant is the education system, but there are a lot of World War II relics.

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<hr>eveything concerning my question seems to be strongly links to flights, are there so expensive from one islands (or groups) to others? is there any boats?<hr></blockquote>

The flights BETWEEN countries within the Pacific are quite limited. (No boats). From Tahiti you can only fly directly to the Cooks, New Caledonia and Easter Island. And those flights will not be on the airline that you are flying to Tahiti on so you can't just pay a stop-over fee.

To get to the Marshall Islands from Tahiti you could fly RT Tahiti - Hawaii (once a week on Hawaiian), then fly Continental to the Marshall Islands. The price should be well over $3000 US. (Other approaches are to fly to Tokyo or Los Angeles and then fly Continental to Micronesia. That's why I said eliminate the Micronesian countries, they just don't fit in with a stop in French Polynesia.)

Fiji would be a good choice as Air New Zealand flies there and you could use it as a stopover if you book a round-trip to Auckland with Tahiti being your stop in the other direction.

How much time and money do you have for the trip?

I think your questions are really so broad that you probably should get a copy of David Stanley's South Pacific Handbook. To even answer you sub-question about Fiji would take hours.
And forget Tokelau, there are no flights, and only a boat once a month or so. Do you have that kind of time?

Again, this thread could go on for weeks until you narrow down what your time frame is, budget, etc. etc.

I agree with Raro about buying a guide book. And check out the distances between the island groups!

The Aranui 3 freighter trip from Papeete to the Marquesas is unique and I highly recommend it for its scenery and culture. By the way, the German speaking guide on the ship (Bernard from Alsace) is outstanding.

Some other out of the way places:
The Southern islands of French Polynesia: The Australs and the Gambier Islands. You'll find ruins of churches and the largest cathedral in French Polynesia there, remnants of an insane building effort in the distant past. (Never went there, but its on my list.)
Niue - almost no tourists, friendly people. (Went there, loved it.)
Several of the outer islands in the Cooks including Atiu where a German grows coffee and his wife makes textile art. (It's on my list.)

Wherever you go, if your flight leads via Paris or London, add at least one extra day for inevitable delays due to flight cancellations and other unforseen problems.

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<hr>could I get more info on Suva & Ovalou<hr></blockquote>Info on Ovalau<blockquote>Quote
<hr>answers gave me the impressions that the french polynesia and NC are quite worth compare to Marshall for instance, have I understood wrongly?<hr></blockquote>And that's an understatement!
I've only ever hear bad comments about the Marshalls by those few who have bothered to go there.<blockquote>Quote
<hr>New guinea, really worth? thought was very rainy and muddy<hr></blockquote>Not more rainy and muddy than the rest of the Pacific in the wet season.
Certainly worth considering if you can afford the cost of getting there.

Thanks everyone, of course will buy a guide (thanks for suggestions) before to go, however somme LP comments are often worth.
will consider west papua, I think.
time: the 5 weeks most probably, budget depending accommodation and food, movements (boat or flight ) will be consider accordingly to .....interest places!

I'm here in Tarawa and agree that you might not find enough of interest to warrant such a long (expensive) trip. PLUS inter-island air services are not running, in fact most Peace Corp personnel have been withdrawn for that reason, so any transport would be by sea. Did one yesterday (private yacht), BIG seas and we could see the roof of island transport boats each time they rolled in the troughs. We just spent two days on Abiang - could have stayed a month - but in that time travelled most of length of island, no formal accommodation at all, little stock in the stores so - as with most Outer Islands - you would have to make friends locally.

Tuvalu would be an 'easier' destination as the government puts more into the outer islands but still not easy to get around - and remember - it may take a few days each time to organise transport/accommodation/food. Added to this, you usually have to go from the centre (Funafuti in Tuvalu or Tarawa in Kiribati) out to an island and return, there is not usually any inter-island transport.

In your shoes I'd be looking at somewhere like Vanuatu and I'd start by reading ALL the entries in this Forum, you could have a fabulous trip by following some of the great suggestions.

Good Luck!

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<hr>will consider west papua, I think<hr></blockquote>Now, that' a completely new country coming into the picture - and one even harder to combine with the others than PNG.

Lazlo
you depress me
I decided to remove Niue,Nauru,pitcairn & tokelau from my list up to now.
I understand it looks pretty difficult to travel from one place to another in the pacific, however, I would like to visit at least 2 others places on top of french polynesia ( or maybe frecnh polynesia is the best part of all, no idea?)try to imagine you live in Palau and have the chance to visit in 5 weeks europe.
ok you can read many guide books etc. but the purpose of the TT is to get more information through personal experience.
Should I remove budapest from my list & concentrate on France, Italy, greece etc
if you believe so, fair enough, you can't help.
if you believe Budapest is worth a visit, well you will be able to explain in a better way where i should concentrate for this trip. Thanks.
I was thinking mostly of fidji (what do you think? in addition with samoa (because of the german colony)
what do you think, what has pleased you the most?note, i look with google earth and found the northern Marshall interesting but might be wrong.
thanks for your understanding
what is the main differnce between polynesia and micronesia apart from the languages?

It is very hard to get from Polynesia to Micronesia, It took me the better part of 24 hours to fly from Rarotonga to Guam.
For what you want to do, I'd pick the Cooks, Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, whatever you can get flights to. For the Cooks it's a separate ticket from Tahiti to Rarotonga and back. For Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, you have to go to Auckland New Zealand and then head back up from there. Tonga is 1100 miles from the Cooks, but I had to travel 3300 miles---via NZ---to get there!

Your analogy to Europe is not really applicable. One can just get in a car and drive most places, or take a train or bus, or tke a flight on almost any day to any other country from any country.

The main problem is the travel connections in the South Pacific.

You should get a route map from Air New Zealand, Air Tahiti Nui, and other carriers, and plan things from there. You'll be shocked at how hard it is to get around the SP by air, unless you eant to spend about US$10,000 extra for all the weird flights, etc. to see the places you mentioned.

instead of flying from Germany to Polynesia
would it be better to fly to singapore, manilla, sydney etc. and from there to some places and at the end to frecnh polynesia?

My question again what woud be the 2 or 3 nicest and most different places to visit before polynesia?
I thought Palau was interesting due to Wikipedia information in addition to the gilbert islands Vanuatu/Samoa

thanks for your comments

note: if none of places apart from Polynesiaare interested will limit myself to polynesia.

New guinea, why is it so expensive? I mean if you do what?

Fidji tonga worth or not? should I definetly cross them out?

New Guinea is expensive to get to, and then you must get out of Port Moresby to really experience the country (I've only been to Moresby, and that was an experience, but not very "cultural"!)

West Papua, which you indicated a preference for, is part of Indonesia, and present a whole lot of other logistical issues for access and getting around.

The advice you have been given is right - you need to look at how the airlines fly across the Paciific, as there is no real interconnectedness between distant points - most options will be via a "hub" airport of Nadi (Fiji) or Auckland (New Zealand).

TT posters aren't trying to depress you - it's just that you'll get a reality check on here, which can sometimes alter the dreams we have and the travel brochure fantasies we harbour.

Rob

Angela,

Before I go looking - I hope you're giving us a trip report on Kiribati.

Is the crispy fried fish with sweet chilli sauce at the restaurant next to Mary's Hotel in Bairiki still the best feed, or is it those big Tuna steaks at the Otiintaai?

Is the sunrise disco still fun, but kinda sad, and the roads early next morning a place to avoid?

Please tell us all!

Rob

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<hr>what woud be the 2 or 3 nicest and most different places to visit before polynesia?<hr></blockquote>For the greatest contrast and diversity, you'd probably be best off visiting Papua New Guinea and Palau in addition to French Polynesia.

Good luck.

Thanks Lazlo, this is a pretty clear answer.

note: that I read a report this morning (evening for you) on TT about the differences between cooks islands more expensive cleaner than fidji etc..
it was exactly what I needed to provide me a fair answer on my future decision. I ma just looking forthat kind of experiences to decide between kiribati or Marshall etc...

why is Papua port Moresby and this part of the world so interesting and again why expensive?

angela. I do also wait for the trip report to Kiribati ( why don't they call them gilberts anymore btw?)

Apatride---it actually is kind of still called the "Gilberts" There is no "G" and no "S" in the local language, so "Gilberts" has become "Kir-i-ba-ti". The "G" became a "K", the closest sound. The letter combination "ati" is pronounced like an "s". So, if someone actually pronounced the country name as "Ki-ri-ba-ti" [as the Smothers Brothers so famously did in an early TV ad for the Encarta computer encyclopedia in the 1990's!!], then they really aren't familiar with what is actually pronounced "Kiribas".

Papua New Guinea is HUGE compared to the rest of the South Pacific. That's one reason it is interesting, amny cultures, different geographic areas, etc. It would be like wondering why France was more interesting than the Channel Islands. Both have their attractions, but France is quite larger and more diverse.

Thanks Raro
interesting answer about the language, due that my name started with G & 2 SS = Guisse, wonder how people would pronouce it.

As everyone can imagine, i am reading every post in order to make me an opinion and a reasonnable choice.

However, i still don't understand why those countries are expensive and above all new guinea.

what should a reasonnable budget for one week in new guinea (no 4*stars hotels or resorts) and 10 days in Kiribati samoa+ fidjicooks?

I believe that 3 days on each islands are find it doesn't look, there is much to do and I am not someone spending hours on beaches.

thanks

best period to visit those places?

There is no way you can visit "Kiribati Samoa + Fidji Cooks" in ten days, unless you own a large private yacht with both a seaplane and helicopter on board.

You still don't get it. It is HARd to get around the South Pacific in a short time, to more than say two place or maybe three.

I empathise with your "dilemma", but, well, this is becoming kind of a waste of time since you don't seem to be learning from the responses given. Have fun and good luck.