South Pacific FAQ

Welcome to the branch, which will take you to some of the most beautiful paradise islands on earth, some of the best beaches and some of the best dive sites...This branch covers the Pacific Islands as well as Papua New Guinea, often referred to as PNG. Please read this thread to find the answers to common questions, and ways to find solutions fast.

THIS BRANCH DOES NOT COVER AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND
please post your questions on the AUS & NZ branch. For questions related to Hawaii, you might also want to check out the USA branch. And as quite a few people visit the South Pacific for scuba diving, also check out the Diving & Snorkelling branch. For health related questions, you might want to have a look at the Health branch.

If you plan to sail around in the South Pacific, you can also find useful information on A Life on the Ocean Wave. Stuck with a translation of some local languages? Consult the experts on Speaking in Tongues. Feel free to add information you think is helpful to other fellow travellers (start with a short headline in bold in order to make browsing through this thread easier) Edited by: prayerbabies

FAQ links
Please remember to do a search before you ask a question, quite often that question (or one very similar to it) has been asked and answered many times already. Following a couple of FAQ links that can be very helpful.Find answers to common questions about your trip in Lonely Planet's
Here, you will find answers and many links on the following subjects:
Before you go,
Visas,
Transport #4,
Accommodation #5,
Money and Costs #6 and
Weather #7.
Loads of information about transportation can be found on Lonely Planet's
Lonely Planet Destination Guides. Last but not least, arm yourself with a guide book, e.g. Lonely Planet's South Pacific guide books.

Weather

Following a couple of websites, where you can find information about the weather situation in the South Pacific:

CNN weather
Yahoo Weather Oceania
Climate diagrams in the South Pacific
Weather forecast South Pacific
Tropical Storm Data and Warnings
SuperTyphoon tropical cyclones information

Papua New GuineaHere are some links with general information about PNG; many contain lots of other links which will even take you further:
airniugini.com.pg
www.pngbd.com/
www.geocities.com/skyfdn/ www.travelnotes.org/Oceania/png.htm
www.niugini.com/
www.pngtourism.org.pg/
www.em.com.pg/
PNG is among the best dive places in the South Pacific, if not worldwide. Following a few links that provide info about scuba diving: www.loloata.com/
www.tufidive.com/
www.niuginidiving.com/
www.lissenung.com/lissenung/

French Polynesia
General Information
Papeete.com - Tahiti Sun TravelExcellent Web site – lists most accommodations on the islands The place to start.
Tahiitiguide A fun interactive Web site – great for viewing accommodation locations. Tahiti-tourisme The official site
Info Tahiti Forums
Tahiti Explorer A very active forum. If you want feedback on upscale resorts that is the place.Valuable information for every budget can be gleaned from the forums. Be sure to use the search function.
Air Tahiti Airpasses may have to copy and paste link - http://www.airtahiti.aero/articles.php?id=69 This is the local carrier.
Air Tahiti Schedules may have to copy and paste link - http://www.airtahiti.aero/horaires.phpFaaa (Papeete Airport) to the Moorea Ferry or downtown PapeeteTake Le Truck - exit the airport, go to the main road and cross the streetLeTruck is 125 XPF during the day, 200 XPF nights (sporadic service)There is left luggage at Faaa airport.

It is pricey - costs depend on size of piece.A gym size duffel bag costs 350 XPF per day, surfboards can run 2000 XPF plus per day.The Moorea Le Truck does not go to Moorea airport.Hotels are not allowed to do transfers on Moorea.Taxis are very expensive.If you are on a package tour your transfers will included in your cost and you need not worry about this.If you fly into Moorea you need to buy transfers in Tahiti at the Air Moorea counter.

They are 500 xpf each way, you need two for evening arrivals.If you arrive in the evening you must call the transport company ahead of time to let them know of your arrival.The transport company is:EIMO NUI Tours, Mate et LouLou,(689 country code)56-15-05, or 77-01-52You will also need to call them to arrange your return.

Currency Xe.com currency conversion -scroll to French PolynesiaAbbreviated either XPF or CFP, prices are often quoted in Euros online.The XPF is at a fixed rate to the Euro -1.00 EUR = 119.332 XPFThere is always a fixed charge for currnecy exchange - between 400 - 500 XPF so you are better off changing more at a time and having fewer transactions.ATM's are tempermental.Credit cards are widely accepted (Mastercard/Visa). Travelers checks get a better rate than cash.To use pay phones you will need to purchase a phone card.

The Cook Islands If you are interested in visiting here, the two main websites to look at are www.ck and www.cook-islands.com .Rarotonga is the main island, only 20 miles (32km) around. The main town is Avarua. There is a lagoon surrounding about 3/4 of the island, from Muri Beach on the southeast, all around the south coast, and up along the west coast.

The weather is kind of comparable to Hawaii, in general. The rainier season is from November to April, when it is also more humid, and hotter. The drier season is from May to October, when it is a little cooler. But the lagoon is always warm enough for snorkeling year 'round. We don;t get anything like a monsoon season. Most raincomes in short bursts of a half-hour to an hour, but there are no guarantees.

The weather websites are usually incorrect in predicting the weather here. We are so small, and the little storms and fronts move around so quickly around here, it is virtually impossible to predict anything more than a few hours in advance.Just a few other tidbits people often ask about:There are at least a dozen internet cafes around Rarotonga, and at least one on Aitutaki.We have the highest telephone rates in the world. To phone Canada or the UK it is NZ$3.20/minute, or about US$2.20/minute. We all use e-mail for overseas communications.There are no discount telephone cards here, to the best of my knowledge.

Telecom CI is a monopoly, and does not cooperate on overseas phone cards. They do have their own phone cards, but the rate is the same as from a regular phone, plus there's a 40c charge per call. Again, now you know why we use e-mail!There is no "season" here for tourism, it is year 'round.There are about 40 hotels/motels, and maybe 7 or 8 backpacker places. There are also rental houses available. You can get an idea of rates from the two websites above. You can book through travel agents, but many places offer discounts for direct bookings via e-mail.

Camping is not permitted. All land is privately owned.From LAX, Air New Zealand has flights three times a week. That flight stops in Tahiti on the way here, and back.There is a once-a-week flight to and from Fiji.There are about ten flights to and from New Zealand from here.

There currently are no flights to or from Hawaii. You have to go via Fiji, and it gets expensive.Virgin serves the Cooks from Australia via Christchurch New Zealand (as of March 2005)The outer islands:Almost all outer island travel is by air (Air Rarotonga).There are freighters that serve the outer islands, but the schedules are very erratic, there aren't ferries as in some other South Pacific countries. So, you pretty much have to fly wherever you want to go.Southern Group:Aitutaki is the most popular, with a large lagoon. RT airfares are about NZ$320, but there are often deals available.

There are two resorts, several smaller places, and a few in the backpacker range. Only a few percent of the people that visit Rarotonga also go to Aitutaki.Atiu is the next most visited, but only by a few hundred or so people a year. You can do a triangle that includes Aitutaki and Atiu.

There are a couple of motel-style places, and a couple of backpacker places.Mauke, Mitiaro, Mangaia--these are not commercialized at all, and only get several dozen tourists a year. Mangaia is the most mysterious, and gets very few tourists. If you want to get away from modern things, this is the place to go. Mauke and Mitiaro have the friendliest people, though they are quite shy on Mitiaro, and more outgoing on Mauke.Of the above, only Aitutaki has a lagoon. The others are raised coral, so if you want waterports, choose Aitutaki.

If yo want more exploring etc., choose one of the others.Northern Group:These are about 700-800 miles north of Rarotonga. Airfares to Manihiki and Penrhyn, the two main islands, are about NZ$1100-1200 and that is from Rarotonga. Both are true atolls, with little islets surrounding a large lagoon.

There are a couple of guest houses on each island. There are freighters that go every three or four weeks, but don't eat much while on board, and bring a lot of Dramamine, it is not a Princess cruise.OK, I could go one for another few hours, but I'll stop here.

Please do a little research before you ask your questions. The above websites are very good on most things related to the Cooks, especially the privately-run www.ck , The www.cook-islands.com is the website of the tourist office, still very good in many ways, but with less opinion and detail than www.ck .Raro

Quick stopover in French Polynesia
Many people seem to have a short stopover in FP, tight budget and no guidebook.So here is the conventional wisdom of what to do:If you arrive in the middle of the night hang out at the airport.It’s not a comfy airport for sleeping (no carpets, plastic bucket seats) but it’s clean and pleasant.There’s the usual pricey snack bar.In the morning Le Truck to the Moorea ferry wharf.

Take the ferry to Moorea. (See my post above.)The least expensive places to stay on Moorea are Camping Nelson and Moorea Camping.They are both on the beach and practically next to each other. Take Le Truck on Moorea there. (It will take you across the beautiful northern half of the island, traveling past the breathtaking bays.) They are on a small touristy strip with shops and restaurants.

Another budget choice is Haapati Camping but that is a bit out of the way.(689) 56 43 02, tablesaw@mail.pfWhen you return to Papeete you can try storing your bags for free at the Tourist Office (closes at 5pm) or ask at the Prince Hinoi hotel if they will store your bags (300 xpf?).You can visit the market in Papeete. At approx. 6:30 pm the food trucks (roulettes) set-up on the waterfront by the tourist office. Lights are strung on the trees, a lovely atmosphere.You’ll see other tourists with their luggage enjoying their last meal in FP.

Tips for getting more replies to your questions:1-

Use the Thorn Tree search engine.
See if someone has already asked your question by pressing the "Search" button and typing the keywords. Some questions are done often, like "Where should I go in Fiji?", so they don't get many replies because people would answer the same thing again.2-

Read a few pages of posts.
The most frequently asked questions are covered at least every week. I recently traveled for several months through the South Pacific and had the need to post only a couple of questions on the TT. All replies to my other questions had already been answered on previous pages.3-

Update your profile.
When you are logged in, click on "Profile" at the top of your page and mention anything about you that would be helpful to know under "Bio". An 18 year old Brit on his/her first trip abroad usually wants different advice from an Australian family with an infant, or a couple in their 80s from San Diego... the more you write about yourself, the better your answer will be. Don't forget to check "Profile Visibility" after that, and click on "Update Profile" afterwards.4-

Tell us what your main interests are.
You will get different answers depending on whether you want to visit a museum, watch dance performances, participate in a Kava ceremony, spend your time at the beach, attend festivals in the countryside, go scuba diving or go hiking.

If someone asks to have an itinerary designed for them and doesn't even mention whether they prefer cities or nature, five-star resorts, hostels or a basic bure/fale, I generally go to the next question on the theory that either they are not seriously looking for an answer or will not find my opinion useful as I travel differently than they do.5-

Avoid asking general questions
like "What is there to do in Papeete?" People who know the answers are probably tired of typing that much stuff for people they don't know and may not answer. Do some of your own research first to ask informed questions about specific things. If you've already done some research and got part of the answer, please tell us, so that we don't write on things you already know.6-

What's cheap for you?
When using words like "cheap, reasonable, nice, fun, interesting, authentic, etc" give some idea of what such words mean to you. Some people's idea of expensive might mean moderately priced to me. Please don't use slang; most TT users are non-English speakers and sometimes it's inconvenient to need to look up in the dictionary in order to understand a question.7-

If you post and don't get many responses or have additional questions, try adding a more specific reply to your original post to move the original thread up the board. This is far preferably to starting a new thread, which annoys everyone who has responded to your post and doesn't let new people have the benefit of what has already been written.8- Thank people for the answers, either in the thread or with a PM. And don't abuse people for not giving you the answer you wanted. Perhaps you got the wrong answer because you didn't ask the right question, or you didn't ask it in the right way.9- For the first time traveler I would suggest to take a look at Art of Travel10– Any questions should be posted on the forum, not on this FAQ thread.11

Maps and images of the Pacific Islands
American Samoa: map
Cook Islands: map
Federated States of Micronesia: map
Fiji: map
French Polynesia & Tahiti: map
Guam: map
Kiribati: map
Marshall Islands: map
Nauru: map
New Caledonia: map
Niue: map
Northern Mariana Islands: map
Palau: map
Pitcairn Islands: map
Papua New Guinea: map
Samoa: map
Solomon Islands: map
Tokelau: map
Tonga: map
Tuvalu: map
Vanuatu: map
Wallis & Futuna: map Taken from Lonely Planet Worldguide

A short guide to the highlights in the South Pacific
American Samoa:- Aunu'u Island: a beautiful island just minutes by boat from Tutila. Don't miss the lake of red quicksand, the crater lake full of eels and Ma'ama'a Cove, a wild cauldron of surf.- Southh Ofu Beach: part of the national park, South Ofu offers the finest snorkeling in the territory. A contender for the most beautiful beach in the South Pacific.- Bushwalking on Tutuila: a pristine rain-forest just hours away from grimy Pago Pago Harbor.- Saua: Samoans claim their islands to be the birthplace of Polynesia, the Manu'a Islands to be the birthplace of Samoa, and quiet Saua on Ta'u to be the birthplace of Manu'a. A sacred site by any measure.
Cook Islands:- Aitutaki's lagoon: turquoise-colored, with magnificent sandbars and coral ridges - ideal for snorkeling.- Trekking: Rarotonga's rugged interior of mountains, streams and valleys.- Mt Maungapu: superb summit-views over Aitutaki.- Bones and birds: Atiu's caves include ancient burial sites and the Kopeka cave, home to a rare swallow.- Freshwater pools: swimming spots in Mauke and Mitiaro islands makatea caves.- Northern islands: perfect for touring by ship, where you can sleep on deck and savour the wide horizon.
Easter Islands:- Rano Raraku volcano: where statues grow from the ground and freeze in time.- Moai: sad, stern and stoic stones faces.- Rapa Nui culture: one of the world's most isolated cultural groups.
Federated States of Micronesia:- Diving: the manta rays of Yap, the wrecks of Chuuk and the whirling variety of marine life on Pohnpei and Kosrae.- Ancient ruins: you can paddle through the sunken ruins of nan Madol an Pohnpei or explore Kosrae's ancient kingdom of Lelu on foot.- Traditional culture: no island group holds so strongly to its old ways as Yap, well known for its giant stone money and its Bechiyal Cultural Center.- Hiking: the lush volcanic swells of Pohnpei and Kosrae offer numerous scenic hiking options.
Fiji:- Snorkeling and diving: fantastic coral reefs.- Cannibal history: visit the Fiji Museum, the Tavuni Hill Fort and the Naihehe Cave.- Kayaking and rafting: through the gorges and wilderness of the Namosi Highlands.- Taveuni: walk the beautiful Lavena Coastal track and the Vidawa Forest.- The Yasawas: cruise, sail or kayak its azure waters.- Levuka: the wild and lawless capital of the 19th century.- Abaca National Park: spectacular views from the mountains.- Sigatoka: windswept sand dunes.
French Polynesia:- Ua Huka: riding on horseback through the desolate landscape of the isle of horses.- Society Islands: the fun and festivities of the spectacular annual Hawaiki Nui canoe race.- Hiva Oa: lipona displays the most significant remains of pre-European civilization in the Marquesas Islands.- Bora Bora: superb snorkeling with lagoon marine life.- Papeete after dark: eating alfresco from les roulottes and taking in the nightlife of colorful waterfront Blvd Pomare.
Guam:- Ritidian Point: a deserted and gorgeous sandy beach.- Chamorro Village: great local food, especially during Wednesday evening mini-fiesta.- Fiestas: lively events bubbling over with local food and dances, hosted annually by each of Guam's 19 villages.- Two Lovers Point: a pleasantly landscaped point where two lovers, now represented in a gigantic spindly statue, plunged to precipitous death.
Kiribati:- Traditional dancing: colorful, vibrant and easy to arrange, just get yourself invited to a maneaba.- Homestays: relaxing with a fresh coconut in one of North Tarawa's houses on stilts over the aqua lagoon.- War relics: enormous WWII guns form the bloody 1943 Battle of Tarwa.- Outer islands: life moving at a relaxed pace, locals salting clams or weaving thatch.- Christima Islands: bone-fishermen and bird-watchers unite.
Nauru:- Coral moonscape: a fascinating, bizarre bleached-white moonscape which will remain long after the phosphate's gone.- Phosphate works: a chance to inspect the mammoth machinery that once made Nauru's people among the richest in the world.
New Caledonia:- Ouvéa: sunset on Mouli beach.- Île des Pins: experience a pirogue trip along Baie d'Upi.- Hienghène: overwhelming Lindéralique cliffs.- The Rivière Bleue Park: explore its wild areas.- Scuba diving: on Aiguille de Prony or off Lifou.- Kanak culture: the Jean-Marie Tjibaou Cultural Centre in Noumea.- Eating: tasting a traditional bougna in a Melanesian gîte.- Horse trekking: through the rugged mountains near Koné.
The Northern Mariana Islands:- Fiestas: music, dancing and Chamorro food feasts at these festive church-centered events.- The Grotto, Saipan: Saipan's most unique and exciting dive (for the experienced only).- Suicide Cliff, Saipan: another place to reflect on the tragedies of WWII.- North Field, Tinian: the massive utterly deserted runways from which the bombers carrying the atomic bombs to Hiroshima and nagasaki took off.- Rota: a friendly, peaceful island where everyone waves holds intriguing natural wonders, such as the bird sanctuary or the taga stone quarry.
Niue:- Excellent scuba diving: particularly at Ana Mahaga and Snake Gully.- Great snorkeling: including Snake Gully and the rock pool at Hio Beach.- Amazing caves and chasms: the Vaikona and Togo chasms are magical.- Limestone cave tours: through the Ulupaka and Anatoloa caves.
Palau:- Kayaking or diving the Rock Islands: a maze of divinely green, mushroom-shaped islands.- Babeldaob: Micronesia's second-largest island, with powerful waterfalls and traditional bai (mens' houses).- Jellyfish Lake: snorkel among jellyfish that have lost the ability to sting.- Snorkeling: sharks, mantas and other underwater treasures.- Peleliu: a WWII-ravaged island which is now a tranquil retreat.- Seafood: feast on mangrove crab, lobster or exquisite sushi in one of Palau's many outstanding restaurants.
Pitcairn Islands:- Ducie: the beautiful lagoon and the amazing collection of flotsam on the beach.- Henderson: the classic makatea geology of the island, and its four endemic bird species.- Pitcairn: reminders of the island's Bounty history include Fletcher Christian's Bible and the bounty models for sale, carved by mutineer's descendant.- Polynesian petroglyphs: Pitcairn's pre-European history is carved into the rocks at Down Rope.
Samoa:- Falealupo Peninsula Savai'i: a remote area combining lovely wild beaches with a beautiful rain-forest reserve that protects Samoa's unique vegetation as well as fruit bats and a variety of birds. An aerial walkway takes you through the rain-forest canopy and up into banyan tree.- Fatumea Pool, Upolu: a clean freshwater pool and cave offering a cool and refreshing break on a hot day.- Pulemelei Mound and Olemoe Falls, Savai'i: Polynesia's largest ancient monument and Samoa's most beautiful waterfall and tropical pool.- Taga Blowholes, Savai'i: one of the world's largest and most impressive marine blowholes.
Solomon Islands:- Honiara: spending a few days in bustling Honiara with its shops, restaurants and hotels.- Guadalcanal: wartime memorials and sites.- Diving and snorkeling: in waters that teem with fish, exquisite corals and WWII wreckage.-Western Province: magnificent aerial views of Roviana and Marovo lagoons.- Malaita: the artificial island of Langa Langa and Lau lagoons.
Tonga:- Tongan feasts: including traditional music and dance, kava ceremonies and sumptuous meals, especially on Tongatapu and Vava'u.- Ha'amonga 'a Maui Trilithon, Tonga-tapu: this huge trilithon is one of the ancient Polynesia's most intriguing monuments.- Mapu'a 'a Blowholes, Tongat-apu: a 5 km stretch of geyser-like blowholes with fountains of sea-water up to 30 m high.- 'Eua: an island of virgin tropical rain-forest, limestone caves and dramatic cliffs.- Ha'apai & Vava'u: snorkeling with humpback whales in pristine waters.
Tuvalu:- Funafuti Conservation Area: uninhabited islets, dolphins, manta rays and great snorkeling.- Remote Funafala Islet: laid-back village lifestyle.- Funafuti Atoll: a classic coral atoll with a stunning aerial view.- Tuvaluan handicrafts: painstakingly woven pandanus mats and fans, imaginative designs and bright colors.- Funafuti Lagoon: floating on the crystal-clear lagoon and gazing at the sky – a great way to kill time.- Ano: Tuvalu's unique ball game.
Vanuatu:- Tanna: the unforgettable fireworks display at night on Mt Yasur volcano.- Espiritu Santo: a mind-blowing dive on the SS President Coolidge, the world's largest accessible shipwreck.- Pentecost: the remarkable and unbelievable naghol (land-diving) ceremony.- Tanna and Pentecost: traditional Vanuatuan culture in kastom villages.- Efate: quaffing kava at a nakamal, then devising your own gastronomic tour of Villa's many good restaurants.- Malekula: the fascinating ancient traditions of Malekula's diverse cultural groups.- Epi: donning goggles and swimming with the dugong at Lamen Bay.
Wallis & Futuna:- Lalolalo crater lake: the sheer-sided and perfectly circular lake on Wallis.- Talietumu & Tonga Toto: the recently excavated archeological sites on Wallis.- Hallowed ground: the many churches on both islands, particularly the kaleidoscope interior of St Joseph's on Wallis, the triple-towered Sausau Church on Futuna and the chapel dedicated to St Pierre- Chanel, the Pacific's saint, on Futuna.- Halcyn days: lagoon island beaches on Wallis and the postcard-perfect beach of Alofi.Taken from Lonely Planet's South Pacific guidebook.

Re #8---
On the map of the Cooks, there are links to information about some islands, etc.

On the Atiu link, it states

"There are several daily flights between ¢tiu and Rarotonga"

---This is incorrect. There are several weekly flights, but only one a day at the most.

As to Rarotonga, it states about Wigmore's Falls:

"You can drive all the way to it, though the last stretch is rugged and calls for a 4WD."

This is no longer correct. The road is pretty much gravel all the way, almost any car can make it all the way. This may not seem like a big correction, but the last 200 m before you reach the falls are often full of a few thousand mosquitoes, so if you're walking you'll have to pour on the insect repellent. So, don't abandon your rental car at the main road, you can usaually drive all the way to the falls. Motorbikes also can easily make it.

Raro

SOUTH PACIFIC TOURISM WEBSITES
Polynesia:
Tahiti & French Polynesia
Rarotonga & Cook Islands
Independent Samoa
American Samoa
Tonga
Niue
Tuvalu
Tokelau
Micronesia:
Federated States of Micronesia
Northern Marianas
Marshall Islands
Palau
Guam
Kiribati
Nauru (LP)
Melanesia:
Fiji
Vanuatu
New Caledonia
Solomon Islands
Papua New Guinea

Souvenirs from the South Pacific
Check out this thread to get an idea what you could bring back from your trip to the South Pacific.Feel free to contribute to that thread if something has not been mentioned yet.

Noumea (Grande Terre, New Caledonia)

In Noumea
To see - Anse Vata beach (inclThursday nite market) also nearby Baie de Citrone
- Cultural centre incl fabulous Enzo Piano building
- Botanical garden
- Duck Islands water sports
- Acquarium (hopefully the new one is open by now)
- Place des Cocotieres (central square with coconut trees) surrounded by interesting range of shops

To eat on budget
- market by port for fruit/veg and yummy pastries. Also the cafe in there for brekky
- great supermarkets for breakfast/lunch supplies, wide selection cheese, salamis, wines etc from france
they also have (in the city centre) some hot meals - roast chickens, curry etyc
- "foot long" filled baguettes from one of the many sandwhich shops in town
- La Fiesta(name?) on Baie de Citrone for spanish food and pizza
- KFC and Mcdonalds

To see - daytrips
- Amadee lighthouse
- Isles of Pines

VANUATU...INFO, TIPS & TRICKS: Read this

VANUATU....INFO, TIPS AND TRICKS

Hello, I am Hilda from the Netherlands. I have been in Vanuatu for 7 weeks now and I am liking it! What amazes me is that not many backpackers find their way out here. Too bad! It is so cheap nowadays, for example, a flight with Virgin Blue (Pacific Blue) from Brisbane to Port Vila is around $ 500, - (including all airport taxes and departure tax). Air Vanuatu also offers flights that can be booked through their website. Someone told me Flightcentre New Zealand offers good deals on packages to Vanuatu. Daily expenses in Vanuatu can be as high or low as you want, depending on what you do. There are some hotels that also cater for backpackers and who offer cheap rooms or dorm style accommodation.

Being on a pacific island, meeting island-people, staying in a village, experiencing “island-time”, enjoying local food, let’s say…get a taste of the South Pacific…that’s what you can do too! All of this is so different from travelling in Australia or New Zealand. I would say…if you want to experience something really special…book a flight now that you are already in the area and have a look around Vanuatu.

You can book a ticket online (www.virginblue.com.au or www.airvanuatu.com)or book through a travel agent or flight centre (like Statravel or Flight centre). There are many islands (I think in total 84) and every island has its own charm. For example: Efate (with capital Port Vila and the waterfalls), Epi (known for its dugong-sea cow, rainforest and mountains), Tanna (working volcano, you can actually walk straight up to the rim/mouth of Volcano Yasur and see the lava inside), Ambrym (2 lava lakes), Santo (diving on the largest intact shipwreck of the world, the SS President Coolidge) and Pentecost (witness a land diving ceremony during certain months of the year, the way of bungy jumping before it became famous, this is not done with elastics, but with vines around their feet and from towers built out of vines and timber).

I visited Nguna Island, just North of Efate, for a couple of days. A beautiful place to stay and the people are so friendly. They have a Marine Protected Area, which is teeming with fish life and has beautiful coral. The MPA also does turtle tagging and you (as a tourist) can come along to spot turtles and you can even sponsor one. If you do so, your money (5000 Vatu) will go to the MPA and will be used to keep the Marine Protected Area in order, to do surveys on the reef (like Reef check) and they will be able to use the money for one of their other projects. You in return can name the tagged turtle and you can experience a turtle from very close by. You also get a certificate with all the information of your turtle (length, head width, species, sex, etc) and you can check the website to see if your turtle is spotted again. If this is the case you can read how much it has grown since you saw it and of course…where it has been seen. I was staying in a bungalow and I had to pay only 2000 Vatu per night and it was including 3 meals of local food! You can take a truck from Port Vila and then take the ferry across to Nguna Island. This will cost you around 1000 Vatu one-way. So…all and all I would definitely advise you to go there. The website of the MPA is: www.marineprotectedarea.com.vu. For people on sailboats who want to visit Nguna Island: there is also a mooring, which can be used in return for a small donation.

Visas to enter Vanuatu are not necessary if you are from: Commonwealth countries, EU countries, Fiji, Japan, Norway, Philippines, South Korea, Switzerland or USA. Other nationalities can apply for a visa at the Immigr. Department in Port Vila. Your visa can be extended up to 4 months. Check for information on (bravei@vanuatu.gov.vu or vanuatuimmigration@vanuatu.com.vu or www.vanuatutourism.com/visa-info.htm)<BR><BR>Languages spoken in Vanuatu are: English, French and Bislama. Bislama is a sort of Pidgin English. Very interesting to listen to and to learn of course. Once you know a few words (like: Thank you= Tank yu tumas, How are you?=Olsem wanem?) and you try to speak with the locals, they will reward you with smiles. You show them that you are interested in their language, their culture and therefore....them as people.

Oh yeah…no worries about being eaten! Cannibalism doesn’t exist here any more (as far as we know). Vaccinations / immunizations are not required for Vanuatu. If you are planning to visit the outer islands, malaria medications are advised for those areas. Cyclone season is from December to May. Rainy season is from January to March. Best time to visit would be from May to October. Busiest months are June, July and September.

For the divers amongst us: best time for diving is probably September, October and November. Nice clear seas and not too busy. Vanuatu’s waters are teeming with fish life and has a lot of different corals. There are many shipwrecks to dive on, most famous being the President Coolidge in Santo. Local dive masters, who have dived these waters for many years can show you the most obscure and interesting sea creatures. If you are very lucky you might even see a dugong. This rare creature is also called sea cow. They are very friendly and quite curious.

Some tips: Exchange rates for 1000 Vatu are: AUS$ 11,47 US$ 8,57 EURO 7,25 and NZ$ 12,58. Check current rates at www.oanda.com. You can take a local bus for 100 Vatu within Port Vila Centre and 200 Vatu for areas close to Port Vila. Bring your own snorkelling gear (or buy it here-better than hiring). Internet is quite expensive and pretty slow. Ask around to get to know the happy hours for cheaper internet. International phone calls are half the price if you call after 8 o’clock at night or on Sundays. Vanuatu is not a place to bargain, so if you go to the market or stores…the price you see is what you have to pay. Water from the tap is safe to drink in Port Vila town. Other places: just ask local people. Before swimming or snorkelling, ask the locals if there’s anything you should be aware of and if it is safe to swim or snorkel in that area. Maybe you have to watch for rips, animals or sharp rocks. ATM’s are available in Port Vila and there are also possibilities to change money. Tickets to outer islands can be a lot cheaper if you show them your international ticket (up to 15 or 20 % cheaper!). If you want to visit the outer islands, ask an inbound tour operator (like Adventure Centre) to help you sort out the tickets. Some flights only go once a week, some twice, depending on the destination. So you really have to get things organized, especially if you have limited time in Vanuatu. Souvenirs like mini-sailing canoes, necklaces, carvings, island dresses, island shirts, grass skirts, etc. can be bought at the market for a good price.

Food tips: The market is a good place to buy fruits and food. A big bag of passionfruit is only 100 Vatu, big papaya 100 Vatu, grapefruit for 30 Vatu, pineapple for 300 Vatu, green beans for 150 Vatu, bunch of bananas for 100 Vatu and a fresh coconut for 30 Vatu. For fresh fish go to the supermarket (like the big Au Bon Marche in area Number Two) or go to the “ Fish market”, which is a store (also called LTP) opposite the bakery called La Parisienne (ask your bus driver). At the fish market they will even cut it to sashimi if you ask for it. Wahoo is about 1200 Vatu a kilo and also very nice for sashimi. At the supermarket you can buy French bread for 50 Vatu and if available, a kilo of fresh tuna for 700 Vatu.

If you want to go out for dinner and don’t want to spend a fortune: You can go to one of the food stalls at the market and eat a stir-fry (for example) for 250 Vatu or lap-lap (local food) for 150 Vatu. The big supermarket Au Bon Marche (area number Two) has take away food and is cheap. There are some fast-food places (for example Island Chicken, El Gecko’s Take away). Seaview (near the market) has very cheap food, either downstairs or upstairs. The Waterfront (the place to be!) has good food for a reasonable price and is a good place to meet people. Jill’s cafe (next to ANZ-bank) is a nice place to grab breakfast, burger, fruit punch or a sandwich. Flaming Bull Restaurant is also a good place to have dinner (Fish&chips 750 Vatu and steak 1200 Vatu). Some places have live music. Waterfront has a band every night and there are more places like that (again, ask around). La Pizzeria (opposite Au Bon Marche-area Number Two) has the best food in town according to some friends of mine and is very cheap (Steak 750 Vatu for example and a large pizza for 1400 Vatu). Rossi’s Restaurant is a nice place to get a cup of coffee and read the latest news (they usually have Australian and New Zealand- papers). A fairly new restaurant is Kanpai. This is a Japanese sushi-restaurant and the place has a great view over the inner harbour. The food is excellent and for a good price ( sushi-set 1200 Vatu, sashimi 1500 Vatu, Udon 700 Vatu).

Things to do in Vanuatu: swimming, snorkelling, scuba diving (also dive courses), sailing, shopping, horse riding, playing tennis, visiting the market, hiking, (game) fishing, budget bottom-fishing, seeing/learning how to dance, learning how to weave a basket, kayaking, parasailing, golfing, mountain bike cycling, volcano tours, visiting the waterfalls, visiting a village or archaeological sites, looking for carvings, sand drawings, tam tams or other souvenirs, posting a postcard from the one and only underwater post-box at Hideaway Island or posting a card in the post-box on top of Yasur Volcano in Tanna, renting a car/scooter and drive around the island. And there’s a lot more to do.

Cheap “do it yourself’ trips around Port Vila are: Visit the Cascade Waterfalls (bus 200 Vatu one-way, entrance fee 1000 Vatu), take the ferry to Erakor Island and hang out/swim at the beach for free (bus 200 Vatu one-way), take the ferry to Iririki Island (free), walk to the lookout and sit on the beach. Or take the ferry to Hideaway Island (bus 200 Vatu one-way, ferry 500 Vatu return) and spend the day snorkelling around the island or at the beach.

Places to stay for backpackers in and around Port Vila would be for example: Erakor Island (Starfish Lodge), Hideaway Island, Room with a view, Vila Hibiscus, Treetops Lodge, Wild Pig Hotel, Hotel Formule Holiday or La Maison Blue. Some of them have cooking facilities in the rooms, some have a share-kitchen. Enquire before booking I would say. Having access to a kitchen is a good way to save lots of money that you could use for much better things! A new place named “City Lodge” just opened in the middle of town (opposite the markets). Double room with ensuite bathroom costs 4700 Vatu. Shower is very good, the only downside is that the beds are a bit too hard.

Vanuatu is a home to a lot of visiting sail yachts or motor yachts. Good places to meet boaties or yachties are The Waterfront, Café du Village or Anchor Inn. You might be able to get a berth on a boat, to become temporary crew (or just someone who comes along) and see some islands sailing around. You can also put a notice up on one of the noticeboards at these places. Who knows….you might even be able to sail to Fiji, New Caledonia, the Solomons, Australia, New Zealand or even Papua New Guinea. If you feel like an adventure….get some information on the captain, the boat and safety gear, how long the trip will take, what the expected conditions are (weather, currents, pressure and winds) and what they will expect you to do. Don’t get me wrong…sailing is not just fun and relaxing…it can be pretty hard too. Depending on the other people on board and the weather conditions. Here’s some good advice I got from a sailing friend (which turned out to be great advice): if you are going on a passage, take some food-items you really like (maybe chocolate, Coca cola, Pringles, candy or pretzels) and hide them away from yourself and the others until you really need them, as a present to yourself. I sailed from Palau (Micronesia) to Australia, my first passage ever and it was quite an experience. Good and bad memories. Three weeks of sailing and the weather was bad. We didn’t see land the first 10 days we were sailing. Only water, water, water, water and some whales and flying fishies. I tell you…I was seasick for the first 3 days! And covered with bruises! Not getting enough sleep, because of the movements of the boat (bumping into everything) and of course the watches everyone had to do. So…realise it is not just a pleasure cruise and prepare yourself for the worst. One thing is for sure….you will learn a lot and have more knowledge! Some more advice: don’t have a hangover the day you are supposed to leave on a sailboat, remember that the first sign of seasickness is that you yawn.

Enough wise words for now. Enjoy yourself whatever you do and wherever you are. I hope someone can use this information. All the best to all you travellers! Take care! Sincerely, Hilda Kuipers

Last but not least…here are a few links:

www.adventurevanuatu.com.vu<BR>www.vanuatu.net.vu<BR>www.vanuatutourism.com<BR>www.divevanuatu.net<BR>www.sailawayvanuatu.com<BR>www.virginblue.com.au (for cheap flights)
www.oanda.com (for current rates)
www.spto.org (South Pacific Tourism Organization)
www.pi-travel.co.nz (Jasons South Pacific)
www.airvanuatu.com<BR>www.marineprotecetedarea.com.vu<BR>
This report was written by Hiske

Another great website for Americans traveling to the Cook Islands is www.cookislands.travel

Papua New Guinea Tips for Backpackers

Having paid my fourth (this time 2 months long) visit to PNG, this time I also had the new LP guidebook to the country with me. This new book is so bad that if anything, it will only serve to put people off visiting by making the country sound a lot more expensive than it already is!
So let me share some tips - additions and corrections to the book.
I also suggest that you get a copy of the old LP guide to PNG as it is in fact more useful than the new one, at least for budget travellers.
Let me add that I would recommend PNG highly!
The extremely diverse culture, fantastic arts & crafts, diverse geography and wildlife (notably easily seen birds of paradise) but especially the friendliness and hospitality of the local people makes it a place unmatched elsewhere in the Pacific. All that, and there are no tourists in sight, except from those on packages to a few overpriced, isolated resorts.

General info

Safety seems to be a major concern often raised on this forum. While the media coverage of the country makes it sound scary, having taken some very simple precautions like not walking the streets at night, I have not experienced any crime at all.

Costs may well be the other major deterrant, but this is relative. While PNG is more expensive than South-East Asia, prices are often lower than in most other South Pacific countries. The new LP book says even budget travellers need at least 50 USD/day to get by, which is a nonsense. Not taking flights and buying souvenirs I could live on 20 USD/day, though how much you actually spend will of course largely depend on where and how you travel.
However you might well need the 50 USD/day if you travelled as LP suggests you to do - the new guidebook conspiciously dropped listing budget places to stays, and their itinerary recommended as "possible for budget travellers" incudes staying at a 150 USD/night resort!
When reading the prices below, you can calculate with a rate of roughly 3K=1USD.

Getting There & Away
AirNiugini's virtual monopoly on flight's into the country, and the high fares they charge may well be the major factor keeping tourists away, but with the land/sea borders with neighbouring Indonesia and the Solomon Islands both open now (well, sort of) flying can even be bypassed altogether. More on this later.

Regional Info

Crossing from Indonesia
First of all, while LP actually recommends giving bribes to Indonesian immigration officers, DON'T do it!
While such "road taxes" used to be expected by some border guards in the past, this year nobody asked for them so please don't reintroduce the idea!
Getting to the land border from Jayapura, a taxi now costs around 2-300.000 Rp.
By public transport you can go from Pasar Baru in Abepura to Skouw, the last village before the border for 7000 Rp. An ojek (motorcycle taxi) from the Skouw border road junction to the border is 30.000 Rp.
However, note that you can't get an exit stamp for Indonesia at the border itself - you must get one at the immigration office in Jayapura. The catch might be that they might want you to go by sea, not land - at least if you entered Indonesia on a "Visa On Arrival". You would have to charter a boat in Hamadi for a million Rp to do so - the regular boat mentioned in the new LP guide hasn't existed for 5 years or so!
Once you have the exit stamp, you can exit via the land border though, and from the PNG side it is easy to hitch a ride (often free) to Vanimo, the first PNG town across the border.

Vanimo
While the cheapest hotel rooms here start at 90K, if you hang around the beach in front of the Vanimo Beach Hotel looking helpless with a backpack, there is a good chance locals will offer you rooms in their houses for about 30K. An American guy I met got 2 such offers within 1 hour!
Moving on from Vanimo without flying can be tricky, as there are no regular, scheduled shipping services.
If neither Lutheran Shipping nor Star Ships has a ship within a few days, check also the noticeboards outside the supermarkets for boats to Aitepe. "Banana boats" now charge 90K to take you there.

Aitepe
Aitepe now has a guesthouse (not in LP) opposite the post office. While rooms upstairs cost 80K or so, they appearently have beds downstairs for 30K.
PMVs to Wewak leave a few times a week, charging 30-50K. The road is rough but scenic.

Wewak
LP only lists one budget place here, Ralf Stuttgen's Place with dorm beds for 40K. Note that it is a long way out of town and hard to reach by public transport (I waited over 2 hours for a lift to town), and very run down (mice chewed my guidebook at night there!).
A much better option is the Wewak Guest House (not in LP) close to the centre of the town on Church Street (but entered from the back) which has backpacker beds for 25K and rooms from 50K.

Maprik
Well worth visiting this town as the haus tambarans (spirit houses) here are very different from those on the Sepik River! There are 5 different places to stay here, all listed on the prominent "Welcome to Maprik" signboard you will see when entering the town, but LP only lists the Maprik Hotel, the most expensive one!

Middle Sepik
There are nice new village guesthouses in Kanganaman and Yamok (behind Korogo) charging 25K pp.
Yamok village has built 2 new haus tambarans that are very beautiful and different from others on the river.

Chimbu Province
Near Dukum village, on the Highlands Highway a few kms before Kundiawa there are two ecotourism projects offering a chance to stay in a cheap guesthouse and go hiking and birdwatching with local guides. Neither is in LP, but both have signs on the road. "Malobo Wildlife Conservation" is said to be the better of the two, with accomodation for 20K.

Mount Wilhelm
Guides to climb the mountain cost 75K for the whole trek, porters 20K/day. Actually the trail up there is pretty clear and if you are an experienced hiker you can almost certainly do without a guide.
In Kegsegul, the gateway to the climb, the East Kege Guest House (not in LP) near the airstrip is the cheapest place for 45K, and very friendly. Betty's, recommended by LP, now charges 75K without meals.
At the lakes avoid staying at Henry's guestouse which is not as well located and comfortable as the other place right by the lakeside.

Tari
Note that both places mentioned in LP are actually almost an hour from Tari itself, hard to reach by public transport, and impractical for visiting the Huli villages in the Tari Valley itself. They are better located for birdwatching, and the Warili Lodge only costs 40K, not 60K as in LP.
However in Tari itself the Tari Women's Guesthouse (which was in the old LP but isn't in the new one!) is still the cheapest option for only 20K. There are also at least 2 new, cheap guesthouses in nearby villages, well located for experiencing village life.

Rabaul area
The volcano in Rabaul is still very active, which means that the town is showered with ash every few minutes. This is really bad in the eastern part where Hamamas Hotel (highly recommended by LP) is located, so don't stay there unless you enjoy being covered with ash or plan on hiding from it in your room all day.
Stay in Kokopo.
Also note that the Kabaira Beach Hideaway recommended as a good budget place is an hour from town with public transport very scarce that way (I had to wait 2-3 hours), and the owners are not too keen on backpackers as they are more into catering for divers.

Buka
While I didn't stay there, there are appearently cheap guesthouses (none in LP) costing about 30K in both Buka itself and across the strait in Kokopau. PMVs to Buin cost 80-100K and supposedly leave on Tuesdays and Thursdays. There was a BRA checkpoint between Arawa and Buin that appearently turns foreigners back sometimes, but as I was riding in a PMV owned by a local BRA bigman, I passed it easily.

Buin
There is a guesthouse with rooms for 60K attached to Wolik Trading.
You can also change your lefover PNG currency into Solomons dollars there at a (poor) rate of 1K=2SD.

Crossing to the Solomons
Solomon Islanders come to the market in Buin on Thursday (only a few) and Saturday (more) and you can negotiate a ride to the Shortland Islands with them. I was charged 100 K but locals pay 30K - the first in a line of rip-offs in the Shortlands!
Note that police in Buin will tell you that crossing to the Solomons here is not allowed, and if more travellers do it they may start cracking down on it actively.
Once in the Shortlands, nobody cares that you came from Bougainville, and you can wait for transport to Gizo in peace. Unfortunately the only rest house in the Shortlands, near Korovou, should be avoided as the caretaker steals from the rooms! Arrange to stay in a village instead, ideally in Maleai where the Solomon Airlines agent lives.
Note that flights from Ballelae in the Shortlands to Gizo now only operate fortnightly, on every second Saturday. This means that if you come from Buin on a Saturday market boat you will have missed it and will have to wait for the next one for a full week or two!
No ships service the Shortlands with any regularity (maybe one every 3-4 weeks) but small fibreglass boats with outboard engines do cross the 120 kms open sea to Vella Lavella and on to Gizo sometimes for 200 SD/person. This is quite scary and though I took one I would never do it again!
Once in Gizo, there is no problem getting your entry stamp for a 3months stay in the Solomons, and it will be dated from the day you arrive in Gizo, not in the Shortlands!

Snorkeling on Rarotonga and Aitutaki, Cook Islands

This has come up quite a bit over the last five years, and I've answered it in one form or another about 50 times, so a TT'er just suggested I put it on this fixed post. Maybe they'll leave it on.

Rarotonga:
On Rarotonga the best snorkleing area starts at the SOUTH end of Muri Beach, at Ta'akoka islet, and continues south and then a little west for about 2 miles (3km) to the village of Titikaveka. The middle and northern parts of Muri Beach---from Pacific Resort north---are not really very good areas for snorkeling. There are bits of coral everywhere in the lagoon, so you need to use reef shoes (many places lend them out for free, or you can buy them at the Dive Shop in town for NZ$30), but there are not many coral heads, which is where the fish live.

So, if you read posts that "We stayed at Vara's [or Pacific Resort, etc], and the snorkeling wasn't good at Muri Beach", well, they are correct, but that is the middle of Muri Beach, and they are generalizing to their and your detriment.

Here is a cut and paste of a recent reply I did about the snorkeling here, when someone asked if the cyclones of early 2005 had destroyed the snorkeling near Muri Beach Hideaway, which is in the middle of Muri Beach:

---------------
"The snorkeling at the center of Muri Beach, where the Muri Beach Hideaway is, has NOT fallen off since the cyclones, since it was basically at zero and always has been! Repeat, there is horrible snorkeling in the MIDDLE of Muri Beach! The coral is small, and just bits, and some sheet coral, not coral heads that attract fish. But it is sharp enough to cut your feet, so you need reef shoes.

The snorkeling at Muri Beach starts at Ta'akoka islet, which is on the south end of Muri Beach, and goes for about 2 mi south and then a little west to Titikaveka village. Fruits of Rarotonga is a jam and muffin shop on the inland side of the road, and across the road is a kind of "entrance"---i.e. no private houses---to the lagoon. Fruits is about 1 mile south of Muri Beach Hideaway, more or less, kind of in the middle of that 2 mi area.

If you are at Muri Beach and want to snorkel, you can head into the good area two ways:

A. walk along the beach heading south until you are just past Ta'akoka, then wade into the lagoon until it is about 4 ft deep. Turn right, keep walking parallel to the beach and the reef. Look to your left, underwater, and when you see coral heads in about 6-8 ft of water, you'll start to see hundreds of fish. It gets to be about 10-15ft in the deeper areas towards the reef.

OR

B. About 100m before you get to Ta'akoka, head into the lagoon in front of my place (Shangri-La), and aim at a 45 deg angle directly towards the area between Ta'akoka and the barrier reef. It's mostly 2-5 ft deep until you get there. When you get to the outlying tip of Ta'akoka, it drops off steeply, to 8-10ft, so only do this if you can swim well. But this is the single best spot on Rarotionga, according to the Dive Shop snorkeling guide. After this yo can keep heading south, and continue along as in "A" above.

The snorkeling has not fallen off in that big area, but it has changed a bit. A lot of the coral near the beach has been washed out into the middle of the lagoon, so it remains shallow for maybe an extra 50m, and then gets to be about 6-10ft deep. There are actually a lot of smaller fish about mid-way out. But the big ones are still out towards the deeper water. "

-----
OK---if you are NOT staying here at Muri Beach, you can take the bus or bike or car and park opposite a little muffin and jam shop called "Fruits of Rarotonga". It is about a mile south of Muri Beach, and it is thus right in the middle of that best snorkeling area. If you are on the bus or a bicycle, the lady will often look after your pack/purse, etc., maybe justr buy a muffin or coffee after you are done to re-pay the favor!

The other spot that is good---as mentioned in the Dive Shop "snorkeling tips" brochure---is near Black Rock, on the NW corner of the island. Basically just head to the Golf Club sign on the main road, and park across the road. That area is called Nikao Beach, and although it is technically private land, it is OK for all to use it, just clean up when you leave. There are bathrooms there.

The single best spot to snorkel, according to the Dive Shop, is the tiny area between Ta'akoka islet and the barrier reef. You can see a photo of this on my website. You'de have to park at the Sailing Club and walk down the beach about 5 minutes, then head into the lagoon, as described above.

There are pockets all around the island where the snorkleing is also good. These might be 40-50m wide, and off to one side or another from a beachfront place. Ask the place you are staying at where "their" little snorkeling area is. So, you need not go to Ta'akoka/Fruits of Rarotonga or the Black Rock area, but if you do go to either of them you will be assured of finding the fish quickly.

Aitutaki: While One Foot Island is a popular and beautiful spot, the snorkeling is horrible, as it is all sand in the lagoon there, not coral. So, not a lot of fish there, defintiely worth going for its sheer beauty.

The single best spot is about 100m north or the islet called Maina ("Little Girl") which is in the SW corner of the Aitutaki lagoon, no where near One-Foot. To get there you need to get a lagoon cruise on one of the smaller boats, that carries maybe 8-10 people. The large 40-person boat, used for the day trippers mainly, is too slow to go there and also go to One-Foot in the time allotted, but the "fast boats" that Bishop's and a couple of other operators have can zip over to Maina, spend a half hour there for snorkeling, and also zip over to One-Foot for lunch and relaxing as well. But you cannot arrange this if you are only going for the day trip. Well, you could possibly do it if you did your own flights, trasnfers, cruise reservation etc., but it would be pretty difficult.

The area near the Aitutaki Lagoon Resort---which used to have a small bridge to it, but now just has a mini-ferry----is good snorkeling, BUT you have to be very careful due to the stonefish there. They are on the lagoon floor, which is not a problem as you should be wearing reef shoes anyway, but they are also clinging to the sides of all the large coral heads, esp. in the shallower areas (3-5ft deep), and these are the ones you may lean against or push off to continue snorkeling. You can barely see them, they blend in so well, so just avoid touching any coral at all with your hands if you snorkel in that area.

In general:
The fish here are great, but the coral is not very good compared to places like Fiji.

There is a "fish chart" you can get at the Dive Shop, Pacific Resort, and other places, for about NZ$15. It is plastic-coated and has a hole near the top, so you can actually string it around your wrist and take it with you. But it is a little confusing, as it includes fish found inside the lagoon AND outside the reef in the ocean area, and some of the latter are dangerous---scorpionfish, lionfish, etc---but you will never really see one in the lagoon itself.

And, to again address the first Q I answered five years ago, there are NO sharks in the lagoon here! The only sharks are in the bars on Friday nights.

Raro
www.shangri-la.co.ck

Tonga Trip Report (part 1) My wife and I traveled to the Kingdom of Tonga from August 30-Sept.18, 2005, on a self-planned trip. Our primary reason for choosing Tonga was to have the opportunity to snorkel with humpback whales, and our trip was fantastic in that regard. Because we pieced our trip together ourselves, we had the opportunity (sometimes unplanned) to come into contact with a large number of tour operators and accommodations.

Our trip was mostly spent in Vava’u, but we also were in Tongatapu for five days, so we had the opportunity to see both island groups. We did not visit the Ha’apai group or the Niuas.Overall, Tonga is a very undeveloped, very beautiful group of islands with spectacular natural attractions, a thriving traditional culture, and very little in the way of modern tourist infrastructure. We found the Tongan people to be generally polite but not outgoing, with a few notable exceptions.

Most tourist-related businesses are operated by expats from Australia, New Zealand, or elsewhere. Even so, the tourist industry does not operate with the reliability and dependability that many travelers are accustomed to, as I’ll explain in more detail below.In my mind, there are three kinds of people who are most likely to enjoy a trip to the Kingdom: (1) people who are keen to get into the water with humpback whales; (2) people who want to visit destinations that are not heavily touristy or commercialized; and (3) people traveling across the Pacific on a yacht – Vava’u has a strong yachting community.

Several preliminary bits of advice if you’re planning to travel to Tonga:(1) If you’re going with the objective of swimming with the whales, you’d be best served by signing up for one of the group trips offered by Whaleswim Adventures www.whaleswim.com We would have done this ourselves if our schedule had allowed it, and some of the inconveniences and involuntary changes-in-plans we experienced would have been avoided if we had.

Even though we did not sign up for one of these trips, Rae Gill, the owner of Whaleswim, vastly helped us in choosing accommodations and tour operators. I had the opportunity to meet her and one of her guides, Annah Evington, while we were in Vava’u, and they have a time-tested way of doing things that ensures not only a good experience for the tourists, but also an absence of any harmful effects on the whales.(2) If you are planning your trip yourself, do so many months in advance. We booked our trip in February 2005, and even at that time, many hotels were booked up or had limited availability, which caused us to have to change hotels every few days.

September is at the peak of the whale season, and accommodations are very limited in quantity, so you have to book early.(3) If you want some really expert assistance planning activities, either before your trip or while in Vava’u, get in touch with Aquarium Adventures (aquariumadventures@yahoo.com), which is run by an American couple named Ben & Lisa Newton. They were extremely friendly, helpful and knowledgeable, and were one of the few businesses that ran like a regular tourist operation.

Highly recommended!(4) Don’t expect everything to go as planned – maintain an open mind and some flexibility.With those introductory comments, here’s an account of our trip and some of the experiences we had: I. Getting There: We flew from Los Angeles to Nuku’alofa on Air New Zealand and arrived at Fua’amotu Airport around 5 a.m. on a Thursday. As of mid-2005, the airport has separate international and domestic terminals, so we had to catch a taxi for a short ride to the domestic terminal.

When we arrived there, it was completely deserted. As we waited, a few more tourists arrived and we all waited together for the Peau Vava’u check-in personnel to arrive.Peau Vava’u was, in September 2005, the only domestic airline in Tonga. (The government has now opened up the market to additional carriers, but as far as I know Peau Vava’u is still the only one).

They originally had operated two DC-3s, but reliability problems had prompted them to ground those two aircraft in favor of a Convair 580. In researching the trip, we had found lots of stories about Peau Vava’u overbooking and canceling flights, operating hours late for no apparent reason, and the like. Our experience was just the opposite. Our tickets (which we had bought and paid for six months earlier) were waiting for us, the flight was not overbooked, and it took off and arrived right on schedule.

We found the service to be courteous, and you get some great views of the islands as you fly north to Vava’u. We had expected that all of our luggage would be weighed for compliance with the airline’s weight limit, but they only weighed our checked bags and not our carry-ons. We encountered no problems at all.II. Mounu Island Resort and Whale Watch Vava’u:Our trip was set to begin with a 5-day stay at the Mounu Island Resort, situated on a private island about 30 minutes by boat from Neiafu.

Mounu is owned and operated by Allan and Lyn Bowe from New Zealand, and they also own and operate one of the handful of whale-watching operations in Vava’u, called “Whale Watch Vava’u.”Mounu Island is gorgeous. It’s a small island that you could easily walk all the way around in half an hour.

The island is covered with a lush forest, and nicely landscaped trails lead from the main restaurant/bar to the four traditional fales for guests. We stayed in the “Honeymoon Fale,” #4, which is the largest and nicest. The fales are rustic, open-air structures, each set on the beach. They are comfortable and functional. The beds are equipped with mosquito nets, but we did not encounter any mosquitoes on the island. Mounu is surrounded by beautiful blue water and has a really excellent snorkeling reef between it and a neighboring uninhabited island, Ovalu.

The food is also very good, although you don’t get a choice about what to eat.We frequently saw humpback whales from Mounu Island, often while we were eating. Allan and Lyn have a dog named “Uli” that somehow senses whales and will bark furiously in the direction of any whale within visual distance.

The dog is amazing and frequently spotted whales that no human had seen.We went out whale-watching twice with Allan on one of his boats, and both times got in the water with whales. On both occasions, it was a fast-paced affair, with Allan bringing us close to the whales and having us quickly enter the water and swim to the whales’ anticipated path, usually just to watch them swim by and then depart. We did have one fortunate encounter with a curious male humpback that circled us, and approached us on the surface. It was incredible.At this point, a few observations about swimming with whales are in order. First, be prepared for cool water. Humpback whales come to Vava’u in winter, and we found the water to be in the low- to mid-70’s when we were there. We were perfectly comfortable wearing 3/2 full wetsuits, but some other people on the boats used shorties.

If you are sensitive to cold water, plan ahead and bring a wetsuit!Second, keep in mind that the whales aren’t all motivated to be in close proximity to boats and people. In fact, in our experience, most whales would put their flukes up in the air and dive whenever approached by a boat. We have heard stories -- and seen video -- of friendly whales approaching boats and interacting with swimmers, and we had our own very close encounters later during our trip (see below), but those experiences appear to be the exception rather than the rule.

As you might expect with any wildlife, the whales have their own agenda, and if you want to get a good encounter with them, you have to devote multiple days to give that encounter a chance to happen.Third, be aware that different whale watching operators have different styles in their approach to whales. Some will swoop in quickly and drop you in the whales’ path, while others will approach the whales only cautiously and slowly.

The latter approach is likely less stressful for the whales, although I have to tell you that the whales appear to be capable of effortlessly avoiding any whale boat or swimmers they choose to. They are fast swimmers, and can dive out of sight, hold their breath for 15-20 minutes, and surface frustratingly far away. None of the whale watch boats has any equipment that allows them to locate or track the whales, which means spotting and approaching them is done 100% by spotting them visually. Patience is definitely required when you go out looking for whales in Vava’u.Anyway, we went out with Allan twice whale-watching, but the weather wasn’t the best and the whales weren’t being very cooperative. Even with that, both of us got in the water with them and it was an great experience.

We did have two frustrating experiences at Mounu. The first was on a Sunday, which happened to be the first day with nice weather since we had arrived in Vava’u on the preceding Thursday. We were DYING to get out to find some whales under the good weather conditions. Allan informed us, however, that Sunday is a “day of rest” in Tonga, and so he’d be unable to take us out. He then promptly got on his whale-watching boat and headed out to pick up the group of tourists to whom he had chartered his boat for that day.

We saw him and the tourists swimming with a whale right off Mounu later in the day! Needless to say, we were irritated, but being out on Mounu, we had no choice to do anything but stay on the island. At least we were able to have a good day of snorkeling out on the nearby reef, but this experience highlights the fact that when you stay at Mounu, you’re a captive with little control over your daily activities.Our other problem came when it was time for us to leave Mounu and transfer to the main island of Vava’u for the rest of our stay.

We had pre-arranged with Dolphin Pacific Diving to go out whale-watching on that day, and had confirmed the arrangements with numerous e-mails before we arrived. We asked Allan to contact Dolphin Pacific to work out a plan to transfer us so that we could go out as planned, but he did not contact Dolphin Pacific until after hours the day before we departed, and by then Dolphin Pacific had canceled our whale watching day.

We learned this when Allan dropped us off at the Tongan Beach Resort (chosen because he was picking up a whale watching group staying there), and we were left to fend for ourselves and figure out where to go and what to do. Not a very smooth or professional hand-off, but it’s just one of those things that happens in Tonga. As it turns out, Allan was actually doing us a favor …

Tonga Trip Report (part 2) III.
Hakula Lodge and the Maris KingOur plan was to stay the next four nights at the Hakula Lodge ( www.fishtonga.com ), a two-room lodge owned and run by Jeff and Janine LeStrange directly beneath their own residence. The Lodge caters to fishermen, since Jeff and Janine also have a sportfishing boat called the “Hakula” (Tongan for “sailfish”), but the lodge is open to non-fishermen too. The Lodge has a lot going for it, which I’ll get to in a minute, but the best thing about it is Jeff and Janine.

Of all the tourist-industry people we came into contact with in Vava’u, Jeff and Janine took the most personal interest, and made the greatest effort, to make sure that we were taken care of and that our stay in Vava’u was enjoyable. It started when Janine found out that we were stranded at the Tongan Beach Resort, which is not near anything else. Instead of leaving us to our own devices, Janine immediately came over to the Tongan Beach Resort and picked us up, let us drop our things at the Lodge, and then gave us a ride into town.

By then, we had learned that our carefully pre-planned itinerary of whale watching had been canceled by Dolphin Pacific Diving (more on that below), and Janine gave us some suggestions for places to visit in Neiafu to fill our unexpectedly-free day. Moreover, she informed us that Hakula’s whale-watching boat, the “Maris King,” would be going out the next day and invited us to go out with them. This kind of personal attention and caring about our trip continued throughout our stay with Jeff and Janine, and it really made the trip go much more smoothly. I would recommend staying at Hakula for this reason alone.

The Lodge is located about a mile outside of Neiafu, overlooking the Port of Refuge with a beautiful view. It has two rooms, each with a refrigerator, air conditioning, and the like. If you are going out fishing with Jeff or out whale-watching on Maris King, all you have to do is roll out of bed and walk down to the dock -- very convenient! The only disadvantage to staying there is that you end up having to take taxis back and forth into Neiafu if you want to eat out there or have activities that depart from town.

This is a bit of hassle, but worth it in my view because Jeff and Janine are such great hosts. We ended up going out whale watching twice on Maris King, and those were our two best days on the water. Maris King is piloted by “Veni,” and the whale-watching guide is “Ofa,” a lovely young Tongan woman. Maris King is an extremely comfortable boat, and Veni and Ofa do a great job of carefully and respectfully approaching the whales.

As an added bonus, our trips were accompanied by one or more of the young women from “Wild Focus,” who shot digital video both above and below the water of our encounters with the whales, and they can then sell you a DVD of the highlights of your day. They do excellent work (we have three of their DVDs) and turn around the videos in only a day.The highlight of each of our days on Maris King was a long in-water encounter with a mother/calf humpback whale pair. Some mothers don’t want swimmers near their calves, but this one (it was the same whale both days) didn’t seem to mind.

They allowed us to approach VERY close and just sit there watching them play and interact with each other. The calf, at one point, approached us to within about six feet distance, just to “check us out,” with the mother watching carefully but never doing anything aggressive toward us. It was an astounding experience that we will absolutely never forget, and we get to relive it by watching the video any time we like.

Our experiences on Maris King were the best ones we had. I’m sure luck played a role, but we concluded that Maris King was the best whale-watching boat of the ones we tried. So, if you are in Vava’u, try to go out with Veni and Ofa.

IV. Neiafu Now that we were on the main island of Vava’u, we were going into the main town, Neiafu, to eat out and for other activities. Neiafu is a small, picturesque and very sleepy town. Everything closes around 6pm on weekdays, noon on Saturdays, and the whole place is shut down after hours and on Sundays.

We ate at a number of places, including the famous “Dancing Rooster” and the “Bounty Bar,” each of which we found disappointing. Our favorite dinner spots were “The Compass Rose” and “Ciao,” both of which seemed to be open when lots of other places were closed, and both of which had excellent food and service. If you want to experience the Neifau social scene, go to “the Mermaid” any night of the week, but especially Friday night. It’s a lively bar with bar-type food and lots of people partying.If you want to use a computer for any purpose, such as getting on the internet, you have a couple of choices, but the best is Aquarium Adventures. Ben and Lisa Newton have a half-dozen VERY modern computers with a fast internet connection and excellent home-made desserts to boot. As an added attraction, Wednesday night is “game night,” where you can partake in whatever first-person shooter they happen to be playing over the network.

V. Tongan Feasts We did two Tongan feasts with traditional dancing while in Vava’u. The first, and most popular, is held at Hinakauea Beach on Thursday nights, and you can buy tickets at the Adventure Backpackers Lodge in Neiafu. The Hinakauea Feast is extremely authentic and very entertaining and is considered a “must do” activity in Vava’u. The only drawbacks are that they pack a lot of people in, and the seating (simple wooden planks) can get very uncomfortable after a while.

We also went to a barbecue/feast at the Puataukanave International Hotel. This one was indoors and a lot more comfortable, but also less authentic-feeling than the one at Hinakauea. The food, music, and dancing were all excellent, though, so I still think it’s worth attending.

VI. Dolphin Pacific Diving As I mentioned above, our pre-planned itinerary of whale-watching and scuba diving was thrown completely up in the air when we learned that Dolphin Pacific had decided to cancel all of our reservations for no apparent reason. Dolphin Pacific had recently been purchased by a British couple (Al and Zoe Coldrick), who had taken over about a month before our visit to Vava’u. I really got upset when Al told me that they were not going to honor our multiple days’ worth of reservations.

To calm me down, he offered me a free night dive, which I accepted but never actually occurred. Despite being completely irritated with them, we still went out whale watching with them on one day and out diving one day. There’s more detail on each of those outings below, but overall I found our dealings with Dolphin Pacific to be disappointing, mainly because the reservations I had made months earlier and confirmed a few days before our arrival were completely ignored, I surmised because a big diving group had shown up and taken priority.

Dolphin Pacific has gotten a lot of great reviews over the years from other travelers to Vava’u, but our experience was not encouraging.Whale watching on Dolphin Pacific’s boat “Makaira” didn’t go well. Makaira is a sport fishing boat that has been converted into service for diving and whale-watching trips. On our day, twelve tourists plus several guides were crammed onto the boat, and as a sport fishing boat, Makaira doesn’t have an abundance of comfortable seating.

The whales weren’t cooperative and the other people on our trip were mostly 20-year-olds who didn’t really seem to care anything about whales. The only good point of the day was meeting Annah Evington and her brother Grant.My 2-tank dive with Dolphin Pacific went better. We went to two dive sites, each of which was spectacular. We saw vibrant coral, sponges, and an array of great fish, and the visibility must have been at least 100 feet. I had my first shark encounter (a group of whitetip reef sharks we found in a cave), my first turtle encounter (looked like a hawksbill), and my first squid and lobster encounters.

The divemasters appeared to be very safety-conscious, and the dives both went great. As an added bonus during the surface interval, we got to observe a giant swarm of large fruit bats roosting in the trees on top of Kitu Island, and our second dive was highlighted by the sound of a humpback whale singing nearby. I wish I had gone on more dives in Vava’u. Amy from Wild Focus accompanied our dive and made a great video of it, which I also got the DVD for.

VII. Vava’u Lahi Land Tours If you want to see Vava’u by land, the best option is Vava’u Lahi Land Tours, which is a tour bus driven by “Eva,” a Tongan gentleman who is reputed to do the best land tours.

You can arrange the tour through Aquarium Adventures, and it takes about half a day. Eva takes you around the island to see various villages, takes you to the top of Mount Talau (with a wonderful view), and to a couple of caves. Be warned: part of the tour involves some light hiking through overgrown fields, so be sure to wear long pants and enclosed shoes. We didn’t, and each got a variety of insect bites in the process, one of which developed into a very serious problem a couple of days later.

Tonga Trip Report (part 3)

VIII. Puataukanave International Hotel

Hakula Lodge was all booked up in anticipation of an upcoming fishing tournament, so we had to check out and spend our final two nights in Vava’u at the Puataukanave International Hotel, the newest and supposedly most luxurious hotel in Neiafu. On the plus side, “Pua’s” has a superb view of the Port of Refuge, and is extremely conveniently located, so you can walk to anything in Neiafu. On the minus side, we found the service to be indifferent. Our room featured a television that didn’t actually receive any channels of programming, and had a column of ants marching from the door, up the wall, across the ceiling, and out the sliding door to the balcony. Overall, I would not recommend the Puataukanave, even despite the extremely convenient location.

IX. S/V Impetuous

After our two awesome days out on Maris King, we figured we had topped out on whale-watching and it wasn’t going to get any better than what we had experienced. So we had a discussion with Lisa at Aquarium Adventures, and she suggested that we go on a day sailing trip on a boat called the “Impetuous.” (www.sailingtonga.com) What an awesome idea! Impetuous is a 51’ Beneteau in perfect condition, and is operated by two Kiwis named Sandy & Terry. We chartered the Impetuous, and went out sailing for the day, which was really wonderful. Sandy & Terry sailed us around, anchored near a deserted island with a fantastic reef for snorkeling (‘Euakafa), and at the end of the day stopped near Kitu Island to let us record a singing whale through the hydrophone we had brought with us. They also do multi-day charters and whale watching trips. The lunch we had on the Impetuous was superb as well. It was a really enjoyable day, and if you like sailing, Impetuous is highly recommended.

X. Off to Nuku’alofa

The last five days of our trip were to be spent in the Tongatapu Group, so we flew on Peau Vava’u, again with no check-in complications and no significant delays. One piece of advice that you will see everywhere is to re-confirm your flight the day before it leaves. We did this.

Upon arrival at Fua’amotu Airport, we thought we were going to be picked up by a van from Fafa Island Resort, which was where we would be staying in Tongatapu. No one showed up, prompting one of the assembled taxi drivers to call someone associated with Fafa on our behalf. He then volunteered to take us to the wharf to meet up with the boat that would take us out to Fafa, so we got there with no problems. Apparently there had been some mechanical difficulty with Fafa’s van.

The boat that took us out to Fafa was the “Kurti,” a sailboat that now operates exclusively on motor power. The boat is clearly aging and that, together with the absence of the van to pick us up at the airport, didn’t make for a very good first impression of Fafa. Fortunately, in this instance, the first impression wasn’t accurate. Upon arrival, we met Joseph, one of the Germans who runs the Resort, and had a tour around the island. Fafa is similar in concept to Mounu Island, in that it is a small island with nothing on it but a resort composed of traditional fales. There are differences, however. Fafa is slightly larger, and the surrounding water and reefs are not as nice as those at Mounu. There are more fales (probably 12, as opposed to 4 on Mounu). The fales themselves are much larger and more advanced from a construction and comfort standpoint. They are beautiful works of architectural art that seem very traditional, but very modern at the same time. The pictures on Fafa’s web site (www.fafa.to) don’t even begin to do these fales justice – they are spectacular. One of the coolest things is that the fales have fully-enclosed, private OUTDOOR showers, each set in a lush garden. My wife and I agreed that it was the best shower we had ever seen. And, unlike the showers on Mounu, these had actual working hot water.

The other thing you notice immediately at Fafa is the bird life. The whole island is swarming with various kinds of birds, including Red Shining Parrots, purple swamp hens and banded rails. The greenery is well-maintained and the staff is courteous and responsive. The restaurant serves three meals a day, with a menu that you can order from that changes every day. The food is superb.

There is one and only one thing we didn’t like about Fafa: the geckoes. The island has a large population of geckoes that appear to inhabit every structure, and they come out every night. They are about 6” long and scurry around, hissing at each other and probably eating loads of insects that would otherwise be biting everyone. We thought they were cute at first. The problem, however, is that they poop with impunity inside the fales and other structures from dusk until dawn. We would wake up with brown stains across the top of our mosquito net, and we’d have to be careful where we walked first thing in the morning. If you sat out in the open in the fale at night, you were at risk of being pooped on, which I actually was at least once. We talked to other guests who had similar experiences. It got to be very unpleasant after a couple of days.

Our plan was to spend a couple of days just relaxing at Fafa, and then take a couple of day trips to the main island of Tongatapu to see various tourist attractions. Those plans were interrupted, however, by a serious medical problem. Remember the insect bites that my wife and I had received taking the land tour with Eva on Vava’u? One of the bites on my wife’s foot had become badly infected and rapidly swelled up to the point where she could not walk. Her foot was in incredible pain, she was running a fever, and the toxins from the infection were causing her to be nauseated. We talked with Joseph, and he kindly arranged to take us to Tongatapu first thing in the morning on the resort’s speedboat, and he also arranged a driver to take us to a clinic run by Australian missionaries near Nuku’alofa. So, that’s what we did, and by this time we were really worried. Tonga isn’t a very advanced or modern country, and we worried about the quality of medical care. The doctors and staff at the Village Mission Clinic quickly put us at ease. My wife got first-rate medical attention and a lot of caring and compassion at the Clinic. Although they lacked the diagnostic techniques and modern drugs that you find back home, they were extremely professional, and took the right course of action. They gave my wife antibiotics that caused her fever to go away and stopped the spread of infection in her foot.

Over the next five days, my wife continued to be unable to walk and we were forced to spend the rest of the trip in our fale at Fafa Island, except for a short sight-seeing tour to see attractions like the blowholes, flying foxes and the trilithon. Joseph and the people at Fafa were extremely caring and accommodating throughout the ordeal. Finally, the day arrived for us to return home, and we had to endure six flight segments over a 36-hour period to get there. Not pleasant!

As an epilogue, I can tell you that after about a month of daily IV antibiotic treatments, we finally got rid of the infection in my wife’s foot. It wasn’t a weird tropical disease or anything like that – just a garden-variety infection like you could get anywhere in the world through an infected break in the skin. My wife is walking normally again, and we still treasure our experiences in Tonga, especially swimming with the whales.

Well, that’s my trip report. Feel free to write with any questions, and enjoy your trip to Tonga if you decide to visit there!

NIUE TRIP REPORT “THE REMARKABLE ROCK OF POLYNESIA”

A note to the readers: These are my impressions of Niue only as a visitor and may not be representative of all views. Also all accommodation, eating establishment and attractions have not been critiqued and evaluated.

It is truly remarkable that Niue exists. Not as an island, of course, but as an independent nation. No other nation on the planet except perhaps the Holy See claims so small a population and such a subsidized life. Only 1700 people cling to this coral rock hundreds of kilometres from the next piece of land or island and it feels (and is) seriously remote. When one arrives on Niue, your first though is, “Hmm, this island MUST belong to someone else”. It’s status as an independent entity does not quite seem plausible. Yet, all the signs are there that you are indeed in a sovereign nation. There’s a premier (with his own parking stall and a fondness for Steinlager at the Pacific Way Bar), a parliament, and all the various ministries and departments are there dealing their bureaucracy in the same serious manner as any government agency in Canada, America or New Zealand. There’s even a very official looking stamp in my passport stamped by a very friendly and proud young man in his crisp uniform very ostensibly communicating to me that I am now “Nuie Arrived.. February 7, 2006”.

Niue is, however, not a de facto independent nation... Only in being in free association with New Zealand has this little dot of land been able to exist and shout it’s name to the world. It may be compared to a teenager, living on his own, away from his parent’s house in his own space with his own brand of independence written all over his being, when in actuality Mom and Pop are paying the bills, making the important decisions and putting the petrol in his car. . Niueans know this too... that this is the only way they can exist. Nobody seemed to be yelling too loudly for more independence and from my perspective, the status quo seemed to suit everyone just fine, thank you very much. There are no Niuean passports, of course, only NZ ones... a fact that has led to it’s own demise... more than half of the population has fled to New Zealand since “independence” in 1974.

This does not make Niue any less interesting...In fact, if anything, it adds to the mystique of this tiny Makatea island that is only 64 kilometres around, so cut off , so lonely and so different from even its close Polynesian family members in Samoa, Tonga and the Cook Islands.
Niue is very much like that eccentric cousin one only sees at 10- year family reunions; sitting in the background.. always looking to see if his older brother is checking up on him... a loner, wearing miss-matched clothes, being very sensible not to drink too much punch like his more raucous island cousins and socializing in his own friendly and charming way to those who seek him out.. and then only on his own terms.

I arrived in Niue after some quick deliberation in rain-sodden Samoa. After seeing nothing for weeks but leaden skies, flooded roads and soggy personalities, I decided on quite the spur of the moment, to flee to a physically flatter and perhaps drier locale. Now that it is feasible and economical to fly from Apia to Niue, I felt the opportunity could not be better to visit. A quick visit to Island Hopper vacations in Apia was all I needed to do and I was on the next flight to Niue.
The ticket cost me just over $730 Samoan Tala (approx. $360 Canadian dollars) which I thought was reasonable considering the distance and the destination. I was to leave on February 7th.
A word of warning to those who are embarking on a trip to Niue from Samoa. Polynesian Airlines is your link...Any of you who have lived or travelled in this part of Oceania are probably all too familiar with this carrier and it’s sorted reputation... All the rumours you have heard about Polynesian are true...It is a dreadful airline.

Check in at Faleolo International Airport in Samoa was interesting. The Poly check in staff were surly, apathetic and totally unprofessional... A situation I had never encounter in Polynesia anywhere so it was quite a shock.
We were soon on our way to Niue via American Samoa. The little Dash-8 was packed. I thought this was wonderful that so many Niueans were returning home for a visit. Little did I know that all of them, save 5 of us, were Samoans headed to Pago Pago and would disembark there. After a transit stop in Pago we were on our way to Niue.. On board there was a holidaying young couple from Australia, a Samoan woman and what looked to be her granddaughter and myself... Not one Niuean was on board. Oh yes, and a flight attendant who did her best to hide from us.. there was no safety demonstration, no telling us to have our seats and trays in the upright, locked position and certainly no comforting words from her or the flight crew as we flew headways into a tumultuous and black thunderhead somewhere between here and there...There was nothing except a packet of stale Taro chips and some off-flavoured Orchy drink that was only given to us after the Australian fellow went up front and asked if we could have something. (!!!)
Approaching Niue, the sun came out, shocking all of us and the verdant island itself came into full view... very solid looking against the deep blue of the Pacific.
Landing at Hanan Interenational airport was uneventful. It’s a tiny airport but customs and immigration are as efficient and thorough as anywhere. Prepare for a bag search... I got a soup to nuts one here.. all conducted by a very friendly and polite immigration officer, who in between looking at my Rexona and squeezing the toothpaste, asked such questions as “How did you hear about Niue?” or “Do you have friends or family here?” or “Is it really cold in Canada?” It was one of the least intimidating experiences I have ever had entering a country despite the fine toothed comb search.
I had emailed a guesthouse in Alofi, Niue’s main town and capital. The server in Samoa let me down and the email was not received so there was no one there to pick me up. Now, this is where Niuean hospitality and friendliness comes in...A young lady, hanging about the airport terminal for what ever reason, decided I needed a ride to Kololi’s guest house and we were on our way.

Kololi’s Guest House is a fine place to stay and looks to be like the pick of the crop for Alofi guesthouses. Neale and Rupina are your hosts and are very friendly and accommodating.
The spacious main house has rooms for $35NZ (NZ dollars is the currency here just like the Cooks... Samoa Tala are used as kindling for Umu fires in Niue, so exchange them back in Apia!).
The guesthouse was full with of friendly workers and tradesmen building the new hospital here, unfortunately, so I had to opt for a more expensive bungalow.. They are normally $NZ95/night, but I got a weekly rate, so you try to negotiate the price with Neale if things are slow. I decided Niue would be the splurge for my 2 1/2 month South Pacific tour.
The bungalow was great... all brand new... fully equipped kitchen, 2 bedrooms with comfortable beds, good bathroom with shower (and hot water!!...yeah!) and a pleasant lounge and front deck area for sitting in the evening (Don’t forget your Aeroguard when in Niue... the mozzies are as friendly as the locals).

By the way...Thanks, Mark (Crossie) for being that link in between Neale and me... much appreciated!
Kololi’s guesthouse is worth ***1/2 out of five in my books.

It takes 2 minutes to walk to the centre of town. Centre is relative Alofi has the same population (about 700) as my home town in Saskatchewan and is remarkably similar... One main/high street.. there’s the store and a few other shops, the post office, the butcher, Telecom office and the police station. A few cafes are thrown in and a couple of places to wet your whistle.
I had some uncertain moments (the only nail-biting I ever did in Niue!) when cashing some traveller’s cheques into NZ$ at the local bank. This bank was once a Westpac and is now a branch of the Bank SouthPacific, a Fijian enterprise. When I initially asked if there would be any difficulty cashing Canadian dollar cheques into New Zealand currency, the smiling teller said “No problem...all major currencies are accepted and exchanged” Once I had the cheques out though and on the wicket, a very long process of deliberation between all the employees of this branch ensued.... 20 minutes and a ridiculous transaction fee later I walked out with my cash in hand... very nervously thinking how I may have had to spend the duration of my Niuean visit sleeping in the bush and eating coconuts if they had decided to not exchange the cheques for whatever reason. You may want to get your NZ dollars in Samoa before you come here... The banks in Apia are perhaps a little more used to tourists and foreign currency so there would be no problem there. There are no ATMs on Niue, although I was told one was in the works at the bank.

A good thing to remember too, is that Niue is very much a cash society. Eftpos/ Interac aren’t used much and only the Matavai resort and a few other places take credit cards. The guesthouses, cafes, bars and stores are cash. Keep this in mind when you visit.

Everywhere I went people smiled and waved...I thought my arm was going to fall off. I can’t even begin to count how many times I was asked where I was from and what brought me to Niue... even on the first day. Everyone wanted to chat and had the time to do it. I could see this as a blessing for the friendly tourist, a curse to those who wanted privacy and live in the shadows here. This is truly the friendliest place I have ever been to anywhere in the world.

A short walk from the guesthouse to Swan Son’s supermarket gave me an opportunity to stock the larder of my bungalow. Supplies in Nuie are quite expensive... and selection is limited as there are just not enough people on the island, I suppose, to warrant stocks of luxury goods or vast amounts of even everyday items. Something tells me that if the ships can’t make it for whatever reason, the shelves on island stores would be very bare very quickly. The whole ambiance, pace, society and economy of Niue was very reminiscent of Aitutaki in the Cooks...sans One Foot Island and the Teking lagoon cruises.

One nice thing about Niue is that the water is deep bore well water (at least at Kololi‘s)... It’s cold, full of minerals, tastes really good and is safe to drink... I didn’t need to buy bottled water here. A nice change from the tasteless, rather expensive bottled water of Samoa or the tepid, odd-flavoured rain water in outpost Tonga.

There is a local market in town that is held twice a week... Most of the folks that attend are there more for the socializing than actual engagement in commerce. There isn’t much to be purchased anyways. Niueans live in a consumer society evidently and there seems to be too much money around to warrant slaving away in a plantation for your primary source of food and income like one would be doing in Tonga or Samoa. I even had trouble getting bananas! The selection of local produce is limited to taro, coconuts a few very expensive (although lovely) handicrafts and not much else. No one seems to eat the papayas that are everywhere and they usually just fall on the ground to rot or are fed to pigs. There were no fish as the sea had been too rough to go out at the time.
There were no other fruits or vegetable at all. In Nuie, you may end up eating a lot of tinned or frozen veggies and the fruit you eat may be in the form of imported NZ apples and oranges or tinned pineapple. It’s hard to believe on this little tropical island that so little produce is grown.

After walking around Alofi in the searing tropical heat and humidity, I decided I needed wheels. I went to Alofi Rentals where I got myself a nice,shiny Yamaha 250 motorbike... Not a scooter, but a real motorcycle. If you have ever wanted to learn to ride a bike, Niue is a great place to do it... The roads are all in excellent condition, there is little traffic and few hazards like dogs or waddling hogs to deal with. The bike was $25 NZ per day but be forewarned that the rental place does not carry any liability insurance. You will be responsible for the first $1000 damage to the bike if you have an accident. The police all look very professional and respectable looking here (They DON’T wave when they pass you) and road rules seem to be followed and enforced here... You will need to wear a helmet (comes with the bike rental), be courteous and keep the speed to the posted limits. The bikes are in excellent condition and you can rent pushbikes and cars here too.
You are required to get a Niue drivers license. They cost $10 and make a great souvenir all laminated up and pretty...All you need is your license from home. I got a motorbike validation even though I haven’t ridden a motorbike for 20 years. The lady who stamps your passport also works at the police station... You will get to know her well if you are in Niue for more than a few days (She also does a shift at Radio Niue, too!!... This is a multi-tasking society, folks. When you leave Niue, she knows ALL about you, where you’ve been, where you’ve been staying and what brand of beans you buy at Swan Sons!! She‘s a sweetheart...)

Eating out in Niue does not leave a lot of options. I self catered for the most part as I had the cooking facilities. Swan Sons IS the supermarket. It’s like a small town store, but they have most items you’d need. There is also a small shop in the “shopping centre” in the town centre that has a big selection of frozen meats and other things. These frozen items are very expensive, although they did have a run on small frozen chickens for $5 a piece... They were good for 2 meals. Needless to say, I ate a lot of chicken in Niue and became quite creative in preparing it (The Film “Forrest Gump” comes to mind... “We got fried shrimp, baked shrimp, shrimp soup, shrimp cocktail, pineapple shrimp...).
There are also a few other small shops in town that carry basic supples.
If you wanted to veer away from cooking yourself and taking some of your meals out, there are only a few options in Niue. There are several cafes, two of which I really enjoyed going to as their food was good and the company excellant.
The Crazy Uga is a little round shed sitting across from the Police station overlooking the sea. Keith is the main man here who can whip you up a good flat white (or other excellent brews) and some fair grub. It is open later too so can come have a burger and a beer after you’ve had too many beer at the Pacific Way bar.
The Cafe Falala Fa is not a bad joint with a semi-funky feel. It is also on the main drag just south of the town centre. It is a popular place especially for lunch and the food is good although pretty damned expensive ($9 for a toasted sandwich that came with nothing else... no chips or salad).
The Washaway Cafe is a fair hike south of town at Avetele beach. It is a pretty spot (you can snorkel here...kind of) and the folks who run it are super friendly and the food is good and the beer is cheap. It has a look more like a beachside bar one would see in Mexico or Thailand. Good place to come on Sunday when everything else is closed.
The Matavai resort looks like a nice place (made even more attractive by Mr. Cross’s incredible art!)
Although I did not eat or stay here, the bar is pleasant and this is the best option for visitors to Niue who want something upscale. They only had a handful of guests staying there.
There are a few other places to eat in town like Jenna’s cafe and Mataki’s bakery and cafe. They are not exceptional places to eat, but are okay for a quick bite, I suppose.
When you are cruising around Niue on your bike, stop at the Israel Mart in Avetele as well for an excellent cream cone that comes in many flavours.

Places to drink: There are a few. I had my beers at the Pacific Way bar which seems to be the most popular “local”. Come in and have a Lion Red or a Steiny (beer is dangerously cheap in Niue... go figure) and visit with the local expats or maybe even the Premier if he is so inclined to come in for one. I had a great visit with him and found out his daughter (sister?) lives in Kitchener, Ontario and that there are quite a few Niueans in Canada. Where in the world can you drink with the leader of the country???
There was an empty chair on one side of the table that no one would sit it... Would it have been Mark’s chair????
Clayton’s bar just a bit further into town looks like more of a night place.. I didn’t go.
The bar at the Matevai is very nice and the Washaway is a drinkable place. I also saw a bar at the motel at the Coral Gardens motel. There is also the Bond shop in town where you can get your duty free booze.

There is not a lot to do on Niue and this was it’s primary attraction for me. There are some really interesting caves and rock formations around the island at various, well-maintained sites. (The Togo and Matapa chasms are really cool).
There is good snorkelling at Limu pools... I mean REALLY good snorkelling. The most incredible water clarity I have ever seen and the fish were in technicolour. The black and white sea snakes, although unnerving at first, actually become charming after a while. Avaiki cave is also very intriguing.
The sea was very rough for almost the whole time I was there, so water-based activities were limited. I wanted to go snorkelling/diving with the friendly folks at Dive Niue (right beside the Matavai resort) but the conditions were never calm enough.
Of course, being interested in botany and horticulture led me to some esoteric adventures like some botanical hikes in the forest reserve and a visit to the Crop research station at Vaipapahi. I also had to pop into that palatial looking Noni plantation (Niue’s next boom may be the Noni rush.. A lot of money has been dumped into here, boy... I hope it pans out and that my dad and all his old cronies here in Canada and elsewhere continue to choke down their daily morning ration of the vile juice.) It had the feel of an old cotton plantation in Alabama... driving off the main road onto the hibiscus-lined access road lined with palms and with rows of bent figures labouring away around the Noni seedlings, it was hard not to imagine hearing “We Shall Overcome” or “Old Man River” being sung in the distance.

Some final thoughts onNiue:

It is the most friendly and one of the most enjoyable places I have ever been to. No, there is not a lot to do here and that was it’s charm for me. I enjoyed spending hours being alone (something that is almost impossible to do in Samoa) just biking around the well maintained roads, talking with everyone and hiking to the chasms, cliffs and caves and through the rain forest.
Thank you Niue for a truly wonderful and enchanting time!... I would return anytime (I would fly Air NZ this time, though!!)

Sugarmooning on AtiuCook Islands May 2006For those of you unfamiliar with Atiu Island, it is an unspoiled gem. Atiu is a raised makatea island, which basically means it was an extinct underwater volcano that rose out of the ocean. Makatea is fossilized coral, which is really cool. In some places, you can easily make out the coral branches like it came out of the ocean yesterday and not 120,000 years ago. Now I see why Crossie is always making a big fuss about his beloved Niue (which is the same type of island).Visiting Rarotonga, Atiu, & Aitutaki I saw all 3 types of Pacific Islands (From a geological standpoint).

Rarotonga is your raised volcanic island. Atiu is the makatea island and Aitutaki is very close to being a coral atoll. Ok, end of the history lesson and on with the show.May 6th: Made it to Atiu after a fun flight on Air Rarotonga (AR). We were way over the weight with our baggage, we had about 25 kg’s each and not the 16 kg’s AR allows. Not a problem, AR did not even flinch. On our flight to Atiu and staying with us at the Atiu villas, were some local tour guides and land owners who were going to join the National Geographic cruise ship Endeavor, help them tour Atiu, and take them to the uninhabited island of Manuae. These guides included Lawton, who does the glass bottom boat tour in Aitutaki. Once all unpacked, my wife and I toured a little bit of the island on a scooter (we signed up for the encounter package with the Atiu Villas, this included all food, drinks, scooters, and tours – great deal).

Talk about a crash course in scooter driving. We did not rent one in Raro, which was a big mistake. On Atiu, I was learning scooter driving on mud and loose sand. Finally made it to the coast where the makatea sits about 20 feet above the water, fantastic views. We barely made it back to the villas after sliding across the entire muddy road with my new wife on the back. No cook island tattoo’s is my motto (2 type’s road rash or coral rash). Don’t have to worry about making dinner reservations, only one restaurant on the island which is Kura’s Kitchen (Roger & Kura run the Atiu Villas).

The best food the Cook Islands is in Kura’s Kitchen (and that includes the Tamarind House). Some of the local tour guides (on our flight) knew some of the fisherman of Atiu. Being very lucky, the fisherman had landed about 40 large yellow fin tuna the morning of our arrival. That night in Kura’s Kitchen (KK), we had the best sashimi, served with teriyaki and wasabi. The Ika Mata made with that same fresh fish was out of the world good. It felt like I ate 5lbs of raw fish that night and it was sooooo good (I’m not a big sushi eater).

The deserts Kura makes are legendary. We had lime custard with fresh fruit and a frozen whip cream topping.Mary 7th: Sunday morning, so we started the day with church. My wife is catholic, so we went to the 10 o’clock mass at the Catholic Church (they had a special 4 o’clock mass for the Endeavor cruise people, but we wanted to see the regular service). What a service! My wife might get me to go more often if the US service was more like Atiu. The singing was inspiring. My wife and I stuck out like sore thumbs, out of the 60 or so people in the church, I was the tallest person in there, my wife was the second tallest (I’m 6’2).

After service, everyone in town knew who we were and nicknamed us “sugarmooners”, don’t ask me why (I guess they don’t get a lot of honeymooners on Atiu). Next, we scooted around the entire island. With all islanders staying in villages at the center of the island, this left the coastline deserted (we never saw anybody which is eerie, but cool). We stopped a various beaches, checked out the various coral and shells, all amazing. At one beach, I noticed the surf was really small – so I slipped outside the reef to do a little snorkeling – amazing! Best coral I have ever seen, tons of fish, best snorkeling experience ever. It was a little weird to snorkel with reef shoes on instead of fins. My wife was afraid to join me; timing the small waves and slipping outside the reef can be tuff, so I didn’t snorkel very long. Coming in I came very close to falling, but I pulled it off.

If the waves are big, I would not recommend trying this (on May 8th & 9th the waves were way too big, I wished I had snorkeled a little longer the day before). After checking out the island, we made it back to the villas for our worst night in the cooks. The night was so still, out came the Whisky Bugs (WB). Because it was Sunday, KK was not open. The Atiu Villas are fully stocked with food, so we turned on the lights are prepared some noodles. We ate dinner and tried to read in bed. Before we knew it the WB’s were everywhere. They fly, don’t bite, but love to crawl on you, and can get through screens. We had hundreds of them in our room and in our bed.

The WB’s made for a very difficult night of sleeping.May 8th: Woke up that morning with all the WB’s gone, I think some of the ants in our place carried them away. Tour day; we started with Birdman George (BG) and his Eco-Tour. BG told us to stay out until 10 pm and the WB’s will be sleeping, we formulated a plan for this. BG showed us all the birds on the island (his bird calls were dead on), weaved plates out of coconut leaves, and gave us fresh coconut milk to drink. He showed how the islanders used candle nuts and a bunch of other plants on the islands and what there uses are. Next tour was with Marshall and the Kopeka cave tour.

This tour was great, seeing the beautiful caves inside the dense jungle was great. The Kopeka Bird that lives in the cave is one of only two birds in the world that use sonar. We were lucky and saw & heard lots of birds (when the birds sonar is “on”, they make an unnatural clicking sound). The Kopeka bird is only found on Atiu and only in that one cave. After the cave tour, we went to our one and only Tumano. A Tumano is where mostly male islanders drink a local beer made with sugar & oranges – they pass one cup around and discuss the day’s events. The Tumano was a great experience and that is where my wife and I found out we were known as the Sugarmooners. Ended up the evening with a great dinner at KK and drank a few beers with good o’l BG and his wife. When we went back to our villa after 10 pm, we only used a flashlight to get ready for bed - worked like a charm, no WB’sMay 9th: Did a coffee tour, which was ok.

The best part was tasting all the coffee at the end of the tour. Our flight to Aitutaki was delayed, no problem, just hopped on the scooter and continued to tour the beaches (this is when I took my surf goats pictures). At 2 pm we said goodbye to Atiu and off to Aitutaki.Misc: People were so so friendly on this island. People were waving to us right and left while driving though town (we were 2 of only 5 tourists staying on the island).

The island was so lush, from the balcony at Atiu Villas I would sit and watch white turns (birds), swirl down this lush, green tropical valley all the way to the ocean. When Captain Cook visited Atiu in the 1700’s there were 5,000 people on Atiu. In the 90’s there were 1,200 people on it. The population now is about 580. Air Rarotonga has a great triangle fare that we booked (all one way) – Rarotonga to Atiu then Atiu to Aitutaki and finally Aitutaki to Rarotonga, saves you from doing round trips to each island.

Final Days in ParadiseCook Islands May 2006May 9th: Arrived in Aitutaki around 3 pm after catching the perfect Atiu to Aitutaki flight. There were only 5 people on the 15 passenger plane. We got into the Etu Moana (EM) around 3pm, beautiful property, great views. Everyone who has been raving about this place is correct. Immediately upon arrival at the Etu Moana, we signed up for the Samade island night, which was a good thing. I mentioned in the Atiu report that our flight was delayed about 2 hours, but people coming from Rarotonga to Aitutaki were delayed much longer and some barely got on flights (one couple got in around 6 pm and could not go to island night because it was sold out.). Air Rarotonga was not spoken of very highly, but we had no issues with them. Island night was good, like a luau Berry Bonds style (on steroids).

The food was ok, buffet style. I listened to Shully and grabbed lots of the Ika Mata which was excellent. The baked fish and pork was not good. We had a whole Etu Moana table with 3 couples of honeymooners and 2 couples celebrating anniversaries. My wife and I stayed, while everyone skipped out as soon as the show ended. While all the EM couples were stuck in line waiting to go home and pay, we listened to the band, who was quite good, and relaxed – it was a good choice (we made it home by 11:30 pm).May 10th: Relaxation day.

We thought about signing up for a lagoon cruise, but hung out to read instead. Good choice because it rained around 11am and was overcast all day. We went to Café Tupuno with 2 other EM couples that night. The food was excellent and we loved the atmosphere. This was my favorite place to eat on Aitutaki, although I heard good things about the Pacific Resort Restaurant. Yes, there were a few cats – but I ended up playing with them and they were never on the tables or counters.May 11th: Kia Orana cruise day. We chose that cruise because everyone was raving about them (originally want to take TeKeng). We were happy with our choice.

We saw some of the survivor islands and one foot. We planted our coconut tree on honeymoon island (this is a little corny, but we liked it) and will check on it in a few years (if no more typhoons hit). The snorkeling was great and I loved to feed the fish. This day was perfect, finished off the evening at the restaurant in the Are Tamanu, Te Vaka. Food & service was good – although we were starting to get a little tried of eating out.May 12: Rented a scooter and cruised the island. Tried to check out the Survivor camp, but security would not let us through. It looked like they are building a huge pier, but it was all the survivor stuff.

There was a big land meeting the day before and one of the main roads was closed because of it. We were told Survivor hadn’t paid for use of the motu’s or something like that. I heard that the cooks have so many land issues, no way would I try to buy a property or “lease” there (even if I married a cook islander). Touring the island on the scooter was fun, had lunch at Samades, which looks amazing during the day, much better than at night. That night my wife and I enjoyed a sunset walk on the beach. Saw tons of minnows jumping right next to shore and an eel (very blurry picture of it).May 13: Bad choice day, but good day to leave.

Since we had a 7pm flight and had to be out of our EM unit by 10 am, what better way to leave the cooks than with another cruise. We went with the Aitutaki Explorer and Captain Lawton who we met on Atiu. Lawton is a great guy and lots of fun. The cruise would have been great but the weather was not cooperating. It rained almost the entire time. I’m generally always warm, but I was a little cold on this tour (and that meant the other 9 people were freezing). I would snorkel to warm up. Make sure to go out on the lagoon on a sunny day. If you’re not a big snorkeler, I highly recommend Lawton’s tour. The glass bottom is great, and even though it was rainy, the water clarity was better than when I went 2 days before. The fish Lawton cooked for us was excellent and because the other people on the tour did not eat fish, I ate a ton.

Got back to the EM around 5 pm and took a long hot shower. Our 7 pm flight out of Aitutaki was not fun and I will leave it at that – major weather. The 11 pm flight from Rarotonga to LA was great and got in early.Misc: Jim and Joann who own the EM were fantastic. A coconut hit our roof in the afternoon and Jim helped me open the bastard, drink its milk and eat its flesh. We did not look at the places like Ken does, but we did hear a few complaints about UnParadise Cove. The people of Aitutaki were very friendly.

All in all, I don’t think I could have had a better honeymoon and I need to thank everyone on these forums for helping me plan it. On each island I knew exactly what to do and where to go. The most important thing, my wife had a great time and is already talking about going back for our 5 year anniversary.A Warm Thank-You to Everyone Who Answered One of my Lame Posts!- - - - Mike

Vanuatu Trip Report – Efate, Tanna & Santo

Just wanted to share my experiences about our 2 week trip to Vanuatu (late July to early August). Maybe too much info for you all, but oh well. A little background: My partner and I are in our early30s, like hiking, outdoor activities, adventurous fun stuff, but I am getting a bit more picky about our lodging. I consider myself the discerning budget traveler, don’t mind shared bathrooms and simple accommodation as long as it’s clean. I can’t stand to cook in a nasty unclean hostel kitchen though.

WEATHER: It was cloudy on Efate, in Port Vila, but still warm enough for shorts. The locals said it was oddly cloudy for all of 2 weeks. Still managed to get a bit sunburn. Tanna was much cooler, if it was breezy (as on the coast) you needed a light sweater if you weren’t right in the sun. It still was warm enough to go in for a dip if you were quick. Tanna is much warmer on the interior, but obviously the mountains (including the volcano) are quite cool. Santo had the hottest and sunniest weather, but we also had one day of complete downpour all day. The locals say the weather patterns are changing and it’s not as sure that the dry season will not be wet. I was never cold, and I was glad for the ceiling fan in 3 of the 4 places we stayed.

GENERAL TRAVEL TIPS:Buses: Buses are not allowed to pick up people directly from the airport in Port Vila, but if you just take your bags about 50m down the road (out of the airport), there is a bus stop. 100vt/person gets you into town, as opposed to 1000 or 1500 for a taxi. It’s a bit harder to catch a bus out to Hideaway Island (or Benjor, near there) but after the 5th bus that stopped, we got a ride out there for 200v each. Buses are easy to get during the day, and even at night to some degree in town, but if you’re trying to get a ride into town later in the evening it might be difficult.

If you do have inter-island reservations (as we did: you get a 20% off your fare discount for showing international departure ticket), confirm your inter island flights before you leave for Vanuatu. I booked our inter island flights over the internet with the new Air Vanuatu website; I had an email printout that said reservation CONFIRMED; 2 days before we left I confirmed our int’l flights, but didn’t bother asking about the domestic legs. Air Vanuatu CANCELLED our domestic flights. Luckily there was still availability on all the days we had wanted to travel, though the flight times were not the same. There is a 200vt departure tax between the islands.

If you are not picky about where you want to stay, it may be worthwhile to book your accommodation when you get there. You can get some substantial discounts on the pricey resorts through Vanuatu Standby Accommodation (website below). Or you can prebook thru this website, but not be eligible for the discounts. The discounts are not as great for budget accom. We treated ourselves to 2 nights at a resort the last nights and I used them to book it. We could have had an over the water bungalow at Erakor for 16,000vt, usual about 26,000. If you go budget and stay at the bungalows, you can pretty much just show up (or call from Port Vila before hand). This would be cheaper than booking the bungalows ahead of time through the few websites or through a travel agent. I booked all the accom. (except for the last 2 nights) ahead of time, because it was the high season. In retrospect, it would have been cheaper to book the budget stuff after we’d arrived (see below for details). All accom. prices herein are for double occupancy.

People are REALLY friendly, but not in that we-want-your-tourist dollar, hard sell, give me money kind of way. It’s easy to ask directions, and you’ll be forced to, cause they’re aren’t really road signs. It’s worth it to take a look at the Bislama primers, it’s a fun language (LP sells a Pidgin minibook for AUS$10). As an English speaker you won’t have nearly any problems on these 3 islands, if you know a bit of French, you’re good as gold (almost all Ni-Vans who we came into contact with spoke pretty good English or French). Most places close up on Saturday and Sunday afternoons, so book your car/tour etc. outside of these hours. If you go to the outer islands, you should take doxycycline, malaria-prevention pills. You’re probably OK in Luganville and Port Vila, but anywhere else why risk it? It’s cheap ($10 for 6 weeks worth) and we haven’t had any side effects (it is an antibiotic so will interfere with oral birth control for the first 7 days).

Helpful websites: www.positiveearth.org/bungalows/introduction.htm
www.santotoday.com/language.htm

101CupsofTea: You could try the Vanuata tourism office or Air Vanuata or Lonely Planet or WikiTravel

PORT VILA, EFATEAccommodationWe stayed at the Travelers Budget Motel for 2 nights. (travellersmotel@vauatu.com.vu (678)23940; fax 67823941. Manager: Jean-Michel Russet). Booked thru Van. Hotels online for 4700vt/night (see above for link). Very new, very clean, about 10 minutes walk into town. Far enough out of town not to have traffic noise, but as it’s a neighborhood, there was the usual dogs barking and roosters crowing. Very nice small place surrounding a rock garden, comfortable firm beds, clean shower (hot&cold) and bathroom; fridge, tea/coffee, fan & TV in room, even a fruit platter on arrival! A small outdoor kitchen is available for use, BBQ etc. I think they wanted to charge 100vt/each to use the kitchen. Breakfast available for 650vt/each. No view to speak of. A room where you actually want to spend in, it’s comfortable. 24 hour security. I looked at City Lodge from the outside, and it’s right down in town. Most of Port Vila looks pretty run down and I was glad we were not staying right in town.

When we returned from Tanna and Santo, we stayed at Benjor Beach club ( www.benjor.vu ), booked thru Standby Accom. We stayed 2 nights at a rate of 12600 per night (this reflects the in country discount). I have mixed feelings about Benjor. The room was really nice, spacious, we had just the basic 1 bedroom villa (no spa). Very spacious, TV w/DVD player (but you had to pay 300vt to rent a movie, I thought that should have been free). The room was beautiful, comfy bed with ample pillows, two good ceiling fans, fridge, coffee/tea, great tiled bathroom with sliding glass doors opening onto a small private walled garden area. Deck chairs & private deck. The restaurant was excellent, and visited by non-guests and locals as well (but still never busy – maybe 4 tables at most dining). The resort is a bit isolated, in that you can’t just catch a bus into town, you’d have to walk a good 2 kms to get to a main road to catch a bus. The only way into town then is by taxi (1500-2000vt) or if you’ve rented a car. They didn’t have bikes, which would have been great to ride down to catch the ferry to hideaway island. Their “beaches” are not sand beaches, it is really shell and coral. I liked the coastline, it was rocky and rugged and a 10 yr old boy would have a field day exploring. They had a nice area for wedding ceremonies. You can rent glass-bottom kayaks (2000 vt, unless included in your package).

Basically the room, restaurant and service was great, but the resort aspects were poorly managed: you couldn’t play minigolf (no turf or carpet, just cement, I saw a dead mouse on the course), the tennis court was dilapidated and cracked. The golf driving range wasn’t anything special. There were no deck chairs on the beach, though there were a few up at the pool (small, but well maintained). It’s very quiet (no roosters or dogs), mostly couples keeping to themselves. If you’re happy to relax, read, sunbathe and smooch, this is the place for you. It is NOT a good base for activities, unless you have a car, as it’s not easy to pop into town for a drink or even for dinner.ToursIf you’re just going to Efate, there are loads of tours, etc., but we didn’t really check out many of the tours/activities available on Efate. We did do a few things:

Melee Cascades Waterfall. This is 1400vt per person minimum (200vt each way by bus, 1000 admission). I think ½ day tours want to charge you about 4000 to go, so it’s worth it to go solo. Beautiful little jungle walk up to some waterfalls and nice refreshing rock pools to take a dip in. We had the pools to ourselves. Relatively easy walk (2km maybe?), though water shoes might be preferable. Restroom and picnic area. You may have to walk a little bit on the way back to town before you catch a bus.

Coongoola Day Cruise: www.southpacdivecruise.com.vu 25020 or after hours 23271. 7800vt/each, an all day affair, a nice relaxing way to get out on the water and visit some off shore island (Moso). The boat holds 50 people, but we had 4 others with us, once we dropped off the divers (and this was the high season!) Stops at a turtle conservatory, then on to snorkel (nice reef, nicer fish), then BBQ lunch on a great beach. The lunch was really good, I as a vegetarian came prepared with a pack lunch, but it was unnecessary, they had plenty of veggie side dishes I could have filled up on. Of course they have your morning/afternoon tea. After lunch a visit to a cave (not so flash), and another snorkel spot (again, really nice fish). If it’s a calm enough day, they use the sails, but we motored about since the seas were a bit rough. I was worried about getting seasick, and didn’t want to spend all day on the water because of that, but the boat was big enough. Even with the somewhat rough seas, the snorkel spots were pretty calm. A good bet for the quiet at heart.

Kava Bar (Nakamal). Try if you are adventurous and like your mind a bit altered. MUCH stronger than Fiji or Tongan kava (unless you are trying it in the resorts, where it’s watered down). This is an afternoon/sunset activity. Women are only welcome in the nakamals in Port Vila, not appropriate on the outer islands. We tried to go to Ronnie’s in Port Vila, bus dropped us off there on a Sunday eve., Ronnie’s was closed (lesson learned!), but he showed us the way to the Green Light Nakamal (in Bislama no less), where we partook. I had two small shells, my partner had 2 large shells and we were sufficiently ripped for a good 2 hours. They say it makes you sleepy, I wasn’t, I wanted to walk and explore in my dazed and confused state. An experience to be had, wouldn’t want to do it every day! Some places don’t wash the shells very well and you can contract Hep A so be careful (we were immunized).

TANNATanna is for the adventurous, unless you are staying at White Grass resort or a couple of the other higher end spots. We stayed for 5 nights, and it was my favorite part of the trip, our best chance for interaction with the local culture, and the real life in Vanuatu. It’s dusty, everyday I put the same clothes on, knowing I would get covered in ash on the back of the pickup truck. The people are really friendly, everyone waves to you. The village life is for real (not prepared for the tourists).

Transport & Accommodation pre-booked the Port Resolution Yacht Club thru Van. Hotels online. The prebooking was a mistake – we were charged 5700 for the bungalow. The going rate is really more like 4000/night (for two). One lady who had been there a few years before was paying just 1500/night! If you want to stay here, wait til you get to Efate, and call Weri on 68791, or try emailing at portresolution@vanuatu.com.vu. This is real bungalow style accommodation. Mosquito nets, thatched hut, real Robinson Crusoe. The generator gives light (a single bulb in your bungalow) in the evenings til about 9pm. There is hot water, but it’s hit or miss if you get any (I think it depends on how many have tried to shower). The showers and toilets (flush) are in a cement block and aren’t the nicest but are generally clean enough. Your bungalow may have a wash basin outside. You are a LONG way from anything (are there really stores in the village next door?) and there are no kitchen facilities for you so you are dependent on the wonderful ladies for your meals (of course you can supplement with store bought non-cook foods). Breakfast is included (toast and jam, we didn’t have eggs at any time). Lunch (500 or 1000vt) can be fancy (my partner got a whole lobster once), dinner (750vt) is usually rice with “curried” veggies and some piece of meat or fish on the side. COLD Tusker beer avail for 350vt. There is one other “restaurant” on the beach on the other side of the village, you must prebook, very good though, we had lunch there one day.

What you pay for at Port Resolution is the remote and gorgeous location. It is set on a gorgeous cliff looking onto the port where a few yachties may moor their sailboats. You can visit the black sand beach and the hot water spring there, and two other white sand beaches (w/in walking distance) – one has OK snorkeling, the other has shallow swimming holes. You can walk into the village (which actually owns the Yacht Club communally) and down to the beach on the other side.

When we prebooked, we were asked if we wanted to book transport too – they quoted 9600/per person for round trip transport. I thought this was astronomical and refused to pay it. We arrived at the airport and were able to get on a truck who was going our direction and it cost us 2000 each one way, the same on the return trip. So a savings of 9200 vatu in total for the two of us. You can arrange transport if you let Weri know you’re coming for 2000vt/pp each way – DON’T book it thru Van. Hotels.

TOURS
From Port Res, Weri will organize tours for you, just ask: We did in one afternoon a visit to a traditional village, the jungle walk (highly recommended!!) and of course the trip to Yasur Volcano. Yasur is close (maybe 40 minutes by pickup truck) so many tourists choose to visit it more than once. It IS pretty amazing.

You can also walk to Shark Bay to see the sharks, down the beach and out to Turtle Bay Inn (you can lunch here, but tell them you’re coming ahead of time). French-owned, and honestly not really much nicer accommodation than we had, but much pricier.

We did go to the Jon Frum Village Friday night, but honestly, there was just a lot of singing and dancing (which I’d seen in the village next to Port Res), and no one stood up to explain significance of what was going on or anything. I guess for 1000 vatu it’s worth it, but I really didn’t see anything that was Jon Frum per se.

You can go fishing with a local on a traditional outrigger canoe (1000vt/one, 1500vt/two people).

Tanna is really for the adventurous and those who don’t mind roughing it. Even if you stay at one of the “resorts,” travel is pretty rough. But I loved it and wouldn’t have missed it for anything.

SANTO

After the rough lifestyle of Tanna, I was REALLY glad to arrive at Deco Stop Lodge (www.decostop.com.vu ) with ensuite room with HOT shower. Now here I was glad I had prebooked thru Van. Hotels online – we paid 8700vt/night (double room, dorm beds go for about 3800, and the hostess quoted a rack rate of 9400/night to others. This includes continental breakfast. Deco Stop was AWESOME. Full restaurant and bar (menu changes every night, Bfst (600-1000), Lunch (1000) & Dinner (1500 for mains 800-1000 for entrees); great bar snacks at happy hour, DVD/TV room with pool table and pingpong, and a pool and view to die for. Very relaxed atmosphere. Kathy, the proprieter and owner, is Aussie and is a divemaster as well. This place is really for the dive crowd (dive locker and rinse tanks), but I felt comfortable there as a non-diver as well.

Luganville doesn’t have much in the way of restaurants, a Chinese restaurant, a small café (now owned by Ni-vans, used to be kiwis), and breakfast/lunch place. Hotel Santo and the Beachfront Resort have restaurants too. Aore Resort (on Aore Island) has a really great menu, with strong cocktails to boot (nice place to go have weekend lunch or dinner). We went to Coral Quays (formerly Bougainville Resort) for dinner, used to be the best restaurant on the island, not so now – Deco Stop has more variety, taste and is cheaper.The only place that looked halfway decent in town to stay was Unity Park Motel. Deco Stop is up the hill a bit (about 15 minutes walk to town). Coral Quays looked nice, but about 5km out of town. Aore Resort also looked nice, but you’re dependent on the ferry to come into town or do other tours, though you can dive straight from Aore.

My partner did 3 dives here, and I took the Millennium Cave Tour which I highly recommend if you like hiking and getting dirty. I was the only one on the tour, and I still had a great time, so I know it’d be really fun with a few more. Hike through a bit of mud, down some rickety ladders, through a cave with river running through it, scramble over and under boulders (very slippery), then finally float down the river on inflatable kiddie tubes, gorgeous scenery, really fabulous tour. Wear old sneakers or Tevas. Also visited a village and met the chief, I got the feeling if there’d been more people there would have been more said in explanation. If you’re interested, make the most of a dry day and do it. Two women wanted to do the tour a couple days after me and by then they’d had too much rain to make it passable.

Our last day on Santo we wanted to see Champagne Beach and blue hole. We hate bus tours, so wanted to rent a car, but none were available. We hired a taxi instead for the whole day – worked out well – the roads are rough and again no road signs. We tried to go to the Loru Conservation Area, went to the village, got a guide, started walking and the heavens opened up and it rained ALL DAY. We cut our walk short, went on to Champagne Beach (beautiful even in the rain), and the Matevulu Blue Hole (big and deep, but there is another blue hole with better fish life (bring your mask & snorkel), ask around about it, plus the other one is free). Also went for lunch at Oyster Island – a must if you like seafood very French, HUGE portions go and stay for a couple of hours.There’s not really any bars in Luganville so do your socializing at your hostel/hotel or in Port Vila.

Please ask any questions, I’ll try and answer them!

I posted the following on Dec 30 2008 for a New year's greeting. Someone suggested I add it to this FAQ post, so here it is:

To those who haven't visited the region yet, let me make Seven Suggestions for island travel:

1. Plan your air routes out carefully. In recent years air travel routes have changed. The east to west flights in the South Pacific are almost gone, so it's tough to visit, say, Fiji and the Cooks and Tahiti. Most visitors will have to go in and out of Auckland NZ. Tongan domestic flights are always changing. Fiji is still the place to be if you want to fan out to other places. Try to include island countries on your int'l ticket to save lots of $$$.

2. Unless you have more than two weeks or so, just pick one country to visit: The cost of int'l flights has of course gone up, as have domestic flights. Even so, don't try to see seven countries in ten days, or even two or three. Pick one out, go to some remote places in that country as well the most touristy areas, and you'll still have a great time.

3. Some research is good: As always, try to read up on local customs and the culture. For example, bathing suit (or lack thereof) rules in Fr. Polynesia are a LOT different than in Tonga and Samoa! Tipping can actually be offensive in lots of places.

4. Usually avoid the big three topics: Try to avoid discussing politics, religion---and land issues!! (unless they bring up these topics---then tread carefully)

5. Travel advisiories are often ridiculous: Coups can happen anywhere, (esp. in Fiji), but they rarely affect tourists. One can read "travel advisories" about almost any country, usually issued by large countries like the US. But most places are pretty safe when it comes to crime, as long as you don't leave your digital cameras and wallets on the beach when you go snorkeling, etc. Paradise just ain't paradise all the time.

6. Health advisories may also be overdone: but these should be checked out a bit more. Dengue outbreaks should not deter a trip, for example, but they should make you be careful to put that DEET repellent on when visiting.

7. Only need a beach??? If you just want to loll on the beach during your vacation, consider just staying at a resort in your home country, rather than spending the $$$ for overseas flights to stay in an anonymous resort in the islands.

8. Explore local villages etc. If you visit the islands, try to meet some locals, it's not hard to do. Most are warm and friendly, esp. to tourists.

I'm sure the regulars here on the TT will have other suggestions, these are just a few general ones that quickly come to mind.

Pleasant travels!!

Raro

Some links to websites with information on the Kingdom of Tonga

Matangi Tonga is a good source of news and links:

http://www.matangitonga.to/article/global_index.shtml

Also, Planet Tonga is an important link for members of the Tongan diaspora:

http://www.planet-tonga.com/

http://www.tongaholiday.com/

Tonga is amazing!

If you are seeking a destination that is uncommercialised, authentic, adventurous, & breathtaking, Tonga is for you. We are proud that Tonga is one of the few places in the world that has still not been affected by mass tourism & commercialism. We do not have the big hotel chains, McDonalds, etc., BUT we do have a pristine country, absolutely no crowds, adventure sports & activities, and an amazing culture that is authentic (and not just a show for tourists).

We are definitely off the beaten path, and that is exactly what makes TONGA so special.

If you would like to learn how you can have a "once in a lifetime" adventure, here are a few websites on Tonga:

www.thekingdomoftonga.com

www.tongaholiday.com

Tonga's the real deal!

'Ofa 'atu and hope to see you soon!

I have just tried a number of links in the post here and none of the work!

We are still missing Jetstar and New Zealand-origin Pacific Blue flights (possibly called Polynesian Blue)
It appears the mods have deleted both of my previous update posts, even though tall the information isn't in Tilos' above.

Also, Air Pacific to Christchurch.

Someone should feel free to copy my post, make needed changes, and repost it. We can then put in another call to the moderator to delete our extra posts. I am U.S.-based, so I don't know much about the discount Australian carriers and obviously overlooked some flights.

Traveling in the North & South Pacific

originally posted by tilos, now reposted with some corrections by Ozziegiraffe & myself

People often post here asking how they can go visit a ton of different Pacific countries in a ridiculously short amount of time. Here is some info about which airlines travel where so you can get a basic sense of how to plan your trip.

Continental connects Guam to the Federated States of Micronesia, Palau, Marshall Islands, and the N. Marianas Islands. There is a direct flight from Yap (FSM) to Palau several times a week. The Island Hopper flies from Hawaii to the Marshall Islands then through the states of FSM to Guam. From Guam there are flights through Yap and Palau to Manila. The Continental flights are very expensive, as there are few competitors on these routes.
There is also a Continental flight from Guam to Fiji, providing a valuable link-up between Continental and Air Pacific flights.
Note that there are also direct flights to Palau from Taiwan and Korea on FAT and Korean Airlines.

Air Marshall Islands connects Kiribati to the Marshalls, providing a link between the South Pacific and Micronesia without having to visit the US territories of Guam or Hawaii.

Our Airline runs a flight from Brisbane to the Solomons, then to Nauru, Kiribati (Tarawa) and on to Fiji (codeshare with Air Kiribati).

Air Pacific is Fiji-based, connecting LAX, Hong Kong, Australia and New Zealand to Fiji. Once you get to Fiji, Air Pacific can get you to many places including Samoa, Tonga, Kiribati (both Tarawa and Christmas Island), the Solomons, Tuvalu, and Vanuatu.
The Bula Pass can make visiting multiple countries affordable, but you are limited to a 30-day period.

Air New Zealand connects Auckland to Niue, Samoa, Cook Islands, New Caledonia, Fiji and Vanuatu.
There is currently an LAX-Samoa-Tonga-Auckland flight, but (as of now) it is going to be discontinued.

Qantas code-shares with the other mentioned airlines, but only flies to New Caledonia itself.

Pacific Blue connects Australia to the Cook Islands, Fiji, PNG, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, and Vanuatu. It also connects New Zealand to Fiji, Tonga, Samoa & the Cooks

Jetstar flies from Sydney to Fiji.

Hawaiian Airways connects Hawaii to American Samoa and Tahiti.

Inter Island Airways connects American Samoa to Samoa, and promises to eventually provide links to Tonga, Fiji and Niue, too - don' hold your breath!

Air Tahiti Nui connects Tahiti to Rarotonga, Los Angeles, Paris (by way of LAX), Tokyo, and Auckland (with continuing code-share service to Sydney).

LAN Chile flies from Santiago (Chile) through Easter Island to Tahiti.

Air Niugini connects Papua New Guinea to Australia, Japan, Hong Kong, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, the Solomons and Fiji.

Airlines PNG has cheaper flights from PNG to Australia.

Solomon Airlines connects Honiara to Brisbane 4 times a week. It also codeshares with most other airlines passing through the Solomons.

Air Vanuatu connects Vanuatu with Australia, NZ, Fiji, Solomons, and New Caledonia.

Aircalin connects New Caledonia with Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Wallis & Futuna (also a direct W&F--Fiji flight), Tahiti, France, Korea, Japan, Honolulu, and Los Angeles.

Sea transportation between different countries is very limited.
Pitcairn Island (the hardest one!) and Tokelau (from Samoa, roughly fortnightly) can only be accessed by boat.
Elsewhere, there are connections between Samoa and American Samoa (weekly) , New Caledonia and Vanuatu (monthly), the Solomons and PNG (twice weekly), and Fiji and Tuvalu and Kiribati (a few times a year). Onward ticket requirements of the island countries can make it somewhat hard to take advantage of many of these links as you can usually only buy boat tickets in the country of departure.
Unless you own a yacht, you cannot see the Pacific islands solely by boat.

Update to FAQ 31: Delta now has service from Japan to Palau that appears to be cheaper than Continental's Manila-Palau flight. (thanks cameroonlion).

Delta also flies from Japan to Guam and the Marianas.

Thanks for the valuable information about eco-oriented adventure activities in American Samoa.

In response to the note of "Grimy Pago Harbor" visitors should be aware that this is out of date. In the past 20 years specific actions taken by the United States Environmental Protection Agency has ended effluent discharges into the harbor. Today turtles and fish thrive in coral beds. Terns, birds of paradise and lesser frigates glide over the harbor. The beaches of Pago Harbor are populated by swimmers snokelers and kayakers enjoyed the beauty of nature.

From Pago, JW

Edited by: katija

last i checked cathay pacific does hk to fiji
lan chile does auckland to santiago
whos going to do an map image to connect the dots?

ASFAIK Cathay doesn't do HK-Fiji, it codeshares with Air Pacific who does.

could be right. i saw it on a cathay website booking and assumed it was cathay who was flying.
anoher cathay web site in a different country of origin didnt have the flight.from memory i think it was cathay vietnam or thailand who did have it to be booked.

Air New Zealand continues to fly Auckland - Rarotonga - Los Angeles once week, and also a return flight south LAX - RAR - AKL once week.

Air New Zealand flies Sydney to Rarotonga once week, and also RAR - SYD once week.

Update Vanuatu, Octorber 2013 - Hope this is the place you wanted me to repost it ;-)

LP Update Vanuatu Santo, Ambym, Tanna and Efate - October 2013

Vanuatu is not a backpacker country. Visas are free for most nationalities but a proof of a return/onward ticket was asked both in Brisbane, Australia as in Santo, Vanuatu from the immigration officer.
The 2 most expensive things are accommodation and tours. The good news, local food is cheap, good and plentiful.

I visited 4 of the 80 plus Islands - Santo, Ambrym, Tanna and Efate.

Santo:
Money exchange: If you want to exchange money there are banks and Chinese traders more than willing to do business with you. If you want to exchange Euros, go to BRED Banque Populaire, probably French owned. Their rate is considerably better.
SIM- Cards: Buy a Digicel Tourist SIM Card for VA 1’000, all phone calls within the country are VA 27, SMS are 10. No registration needed and it works within 5 minutes. Same rate as for the local people. To activate your SIM dial 122 – call.
Accommodation: I stayed with an expat, therefore no recommendations here. A restaurant Clubeez (big sized meals go for VA 350, open daily until 9pm) was just next door of the Club De Sama / Sports Bar (same building) in the center of town. The Sports Bar is great place for a cold beer 22/7.
If you want to do tours, there are different tour operators in town which speak both English and French.
Wrecks to Rainforest is my top choice which is owned by Mayumi Green, a knowledgeable and friendly Japanese Lady with very good contacts . She is in business for 4 years now and got me in contact with some great people. Contact: www.wreckstorainforest.com / Email: mayumi@wreckstorainforest.com / cell 678 554 70 01 landline: 678 37 365. She is also on Facebook. Visit her and her friendly staff in the town center. For the adventurous she’ll gladly organizes 4-6 days tours, trekking in the rainforest, visiting local villages which will show you their custom-dances. Unfortunately my time was too short to check out this great option.
Leweton Culural Village: Show VA 2’500 per person visits by group only. Phone 567 11 14. The people from the Bank Islands will greet you fiercely with their warrior dance, show you the traditional way of Kava and Fire making, you can smol taste ;-) both – their staple breakfast and half a bowl of Kava. More songs are followed in which you have the chance to take part in and you might be picked and popped into a local dance costume. Next the women show you various melodies beating the water in a small nearby pool and everybody right down to the 3 year old will wish you a smiling fare-well, shaking your hand. Professional Dance Group with a personal touch.

Watching Dugons and Seaturtles plus Snorkling with Fabrice, a sympathetic French-Nivatu man. Cell + 678 77 40 536. Email: fabricemoderan@hotmail.com / Facebook: Island Fishing Santo
Went snorkeling at a great site with Fabrice on his little and soon on a much bigger boat. Tours last about 3-4 hours and cost VA 4’500 per Person, kids are half price. The were fantastic corals and a visibility of around 25 – 30m plus some coral fish of various colors. Later we went Dugon (sea-cow) and Turte watching and found 3 of the mammals and 3 or 4 sea-turtles racing just blow the water level. This will cost you VA 1’500 extra for adults and half-price for kids til 13 years of age. Time past quickly and the foreign visitors were very happy with big smiles. Both options are run exclusively by Farbrice.
Fabrice also does Fishing Charters with his new, bigger boat. 4h for up to 6 persons will cost you VA 35’000 and for 7h the price is 50’000 – lunch included in the 2nd option. You go and fish the big ones like Marlin, Mahi Mahi, Bonito (Tuna), sailfish etc. The big difference to other tour operators are – you can have the fish and
15% of all revenue (snorkeling, dugon watching and fishing) is going to the village chief (his step-father) and will be reinvested in building both a church and a local school which are nearly finished plus the salary of a teacher to run the school. Highly recommended.

Going up the East Coast and stopping at various points of interest like shimmering Blue Holes and beautiful Beaches. Start in Luganville – end in Port Orly.
Riri Riri River and Blue Hole: VA 1’000 per Person, Entry mainly by tour. Individual entry possible if you can trek down a guide which are not always present at the sign but they are often there, especially on the weekends. The canoe ride is for all nature-lovers and kids a favorite. I was on bord on a local dug-out canoe with a youth from the village and an ever-smiling, sling-shot hunting boy. After about 15-20 minutes’ you reach a hidden place along the river, get out of the canoe and go for a fantastic swim, bring your snorkeling stuff if you have. No food or drinks available.
Matevulu Blue Hole: Access is VA 1’500 per normal car / minivan, taxis are 1’000. Walkers who visit via a roughly 30 minutes’ walk from the main road pay 500 per person. The blue whole is the biggest in the area and the Tarzan swing is an attraction for itself – if you dare to use it. In case you walk, take the Matevulu College road and if you are at the Matevulu Blue Hole sign, take the right road of the two and follow the curvy road (not the old airstrip) into the bush. No food or drinks available, bring your snorkeling equipment if you have.
Nanda (Jacky) Blue Hole: Access is VA 500 per person. The very friendly owner of the Blue Hole is Chief Jacky. Cell number is 771 27 52. This blue hole is lovely – in fact the most beautiful one if you add the well done garden and the nice sitting places. There are smaller Tarzan swings here than the one in Matevulu but still high enough for a scream and quite a few fish call the blue hole their home. In case you are walking, it’s about 300m from the main road – on your right. Before reaching the Nanda Blue hole, you will pass a smaller one on your left hand side in a deep hole. Keep on walking. No food, but possibly soft drinks or a coconut to drink in future.
Champagne Beach: Access is VA 2’000 per small car, 4’000 for a bus or a minivan full with people, 500 per visitors who stay at Lonnoc Beach or walk down from the main road. The chief’s name is Opet Toto. The small beach is beautiful with crystal clear blue water and the finest of white sand you can imagine. There are just a few makeshift souvenir stalls, most of them are empty apart from the time a cruise-ship arrives. You might very well have this little beauty just for yourself – bring your own food and drinks and leave with your litter.
If you stay at nearby Towok Bungalows – the entry to Champagne Beach is free of charge. The boss is Jeanneth and Peter Toto. Cell 56 36 173. 6 Bungalows are finished, they cost en-suite VA 3’000 per person and 2’500 with shared bathroom and shower. The restaurant seems to be clearly overpriced.
Lonnoc Beach (and Lonnoc Beach Bungalows) . The owner is Kalmer Vocor, cell 561 456. Free access to a small but nice-enough beach as long as you order food or drinks at their restaurant or stay overnight. Acc. is VA 2’600 per person in a big dormitory, 5’500 for a single and 7’000 – 12’000 for a couple. All rooms apart of the dorm are en-suite and all include breakfast.
Golden Beach: Visits are not recommended due to ongoing land disputes.
Port Olry – a friendly French speaking fishing village with a Catholic Mission founded in 1887. Stay at “The Little Paradise of Port Olry” – in my opinion clearly the best place up north.
Manager is Tarcisius Alguet, he speaks both French and English. Cell + 678 542 48 93. Website: www.positiveearth.org / email: tarcisiusalguet@yahoo.com . Email or call him to make bookings but it’s also easy if you just turn up and tell him that you want to spend the night. One person is VA 1’500, 4 pers in 1 bungalow (double bed and two single beds), bathroom and toilette shared are 4’000 and a new bungalow (en-suite) for couples goes for 5’000 (well done) and you get it for a fraction of the price compared to a resort like Lope Lope. Food: Breakfast is included in all prices, lunch and dinner is VA 500 per plate, both good and plentiful. In the local village store you can buy soft drinks and beer, at the local market fruit and vegetables. Activities: Go snorkeling during High-Tide in the house reef just in front of your bungalow. The corals are less beautiful compared with my snorkeling trip with Fabrice but there are plenty of fish, both colorful reef fish and others. Walk over to Malet Island, easiest at low tide and snorkel along it’s shore. Take a sea kayak ride for VA 500 per person and paddle over to Malmas Island to enjoy half a day out at the small beach, snorkeling and walking on the island, e.g. for spotting fruit bats etc. For snorkeling bring your own gear or be lucky and find something useful of his Chinese quality gear. You can also stroll through the friendly fishing village, visit the catholic church and talk to Father Morlini, an Italian Priest who is in the country since 1962. Tharcisius (what a name I know) also can take you to a nearby hill for a 2.5h tour and survival lesson, telling you which fruits and nut are edible and about the local medicine plants plus there is a great view down to the village and the beach.
Further he runs The Little Paradise Tours which can take you to all of the mentioned sights above ( the 3 blue holes and to Lonnoc and Champage Beach for VA 6’500 each, kids are half-price, all entries are included. You can do this as a day tour from Luganville or from Port Olry or in two days, sleeping over at his place. Call or email him for further infos.
If you just want to go to his place without a tour, the cheapest way is by public transport. Pick-Ups VA 500 or shared taxis go for 1’000 per pers. They live from the Petrol Station in the afternoons around 2.00 – 3.30 pm and in early mornings around 06.30 am back from Port Olry. Hitch-Hiking is also fun for part of the way, say from a Blue Hole to Luganville if you dare to. New is also a bus service for VA 1’000 per head, leaving a bit later in the afternoon from Luganville and returning a bit earlier from Port Olry in the mornings.

Millenium Cave and River floating day trip. VA 7’000. Overnight stay in a nearby village - recommended.
Manging Director is Samuel Andikar, cell +678 547 09 57. www.millenniumcavetour.weebly.com / milleniumcavetrek@gmail.com. Book directly with him or via Mayumi Green or her staff at Wrecks to Rainforests in the town center (see above), it’s the same price. One thing up-front: The cave is just one aspect of this varid tour, there are jungle hikes involved, climbing over huge boulders and swimming through a narrow gorge. Bring good shoes and expect them to be soaked in water.
Tours start daily with a pick-up before 8 am at your accommodation. You will be back at your hotel in the afternoon. You begin the tour with a 45 Minutes’ drive to the 1st village, followed by a walk of 15-20 min to the 2nd village. Here you leave your dry cloth and continue with your lunch and a water bottle for approx. 1h 20 min to the beginning of the cave with a stop for your face to be painted beforehand. The walk through the 300-400m long cave takes about 30 Min. You will be given a quality life jacket and a torch (flash light). Through the cave runs a small river in which you walk. On the walls you’ll see countless tiny nests of many swallows (fortunately their nests are not yet collected) and above bats are flying. The cave smells strongly after guano. Once outside you cross the main river and eat your lunch which a porter brought to the other end of the cave. Now the roughly 30 minutes long Canyoning section starts where you will go up and down wooden ladders and hold on to ropes or metal chains to climb over house high rocks and boulders and down into the river again. Next is about 45 Minutes of floating and walking in the river with 5 long pools which lead you through a narrow gorge until you reach the point from where you walk steeply back up to the village, 20-30 Min. Jean-Baptiste, the Chief of the village is a friendly elderly man who speaks French. Change in your dry cloth, grab a coffee and some fruit pieces and ride back into town and on to your hotel. All people of reasonable fitness will highly enjoy the trip and adventurous kids will love it. Our guide Henry was well trained and took good care of the three of us. Will you like it? – I bet you will.

Ambrym: Craig Cove – visit of the active Volcanos of Benbow, 1159m and Marum, 1270m
The best thing for you to know – since about 2 weeks there are the names of all the major guides, including cell phone numbers and trek prices written inside the small building at Craig Cove Airport.
If you just need a place to crash for the night because you can’t make it down to Lalinda or Port Vatu, go to Sam, he works at the airport and owns a small guesthouse in the village of Craig Cove. He will be there when you arrive.
Transport to Port Vatu or Lalinda is Va 5’000 per car. You share the amount between the people who are with you in the same group. Some locals will be picked up at the side of the road and ride in “your car” for just a fraction of the price but this is ok as transport is scarce.
Here I would like to recommend my/our Guide Josses Wilfred, cell +678 54 87 405. He is from Lalinda, speaks French well and quite a bit of English too. Josses is 40 years old, married, has 3 children and is a guide on the volcano for 22 years. To put it simple - you will hardly find a more experienced guide. Plus he’s a very friendly person and knows his way up and down the volcanos at night, even in dense fog. Don’t be surprised if he starts singing loud and cheerful while hiking up or down the volcanos steep slopes. He is also the trusted guide of a French volcanologist Thomas who comes regularly over to the island of Ambrym with new groups of French tourists. The prices he has given me to mention here are higher than the ones published at the airport in Craig Cove. Negotiations might be possible. Guide Fee: Va 4’000 per day/group up to 4 pers. Personal porter is around Va 2’500 per way but you don’t pay the porter when you stay in the base camp for some days as the porter return straight away back to their villages. Food is around Va 2’500 per day but honestly I would strongly suggest you to bring as much food as possible from Port Vila or Luganville, especially small treats like nuts, chocolate and biscuits. (When I saw what the French group ate and what was prepared for me – I had tears in my eyes ;-). Also don’t forget to bring at least four 1.5l water bottles, plus water purifier. If it rained a lot during the last days, there will be plenty of water in the base camp, if it didn’t, there might be none. Buy the water in the shops of Craig Cove before you start your one-hour truck-trip down to Lalinda. Rent of material: (tent, sleeping bag and GAS-MASK) is Va 2’500 for the whole trip. The gasmask is a must-have and a helmet is recommended but Josses doesn’t have any at the moment. If you have the possilbility - bring a gas mask (around USD 50) and possibly a helmet from back home. Finally entry fee to the volcano is Va 2’000, the permit is valid for your entire stay.
Personally, due to the possibility of bad weather, I would rather count 2-3 nights on the plateau than just one night. We stayed 3 nights on top in the base camp and it was raining during 2 nights and 1 day. Important is also from where you want to leave. There are options to continue north to Ranon but this involves a Va 12’000 boat ride to get back to Craig Cove and if you continue to Endu, you will have to book your onward flight from Ueli Airport. Guides are available from the other side of the island and Josses has their contact numbers but this will add up in expenses and organization talent. If you are alone or in a small group, the safest option is to fly in and out of Craig Cove, with affordable transport available right from the airport. Sure you will have to walk down the same way but most people come because of the 2 volcanos and the experience stays the same.
A short Trekking description:
From Lalinda you walk about 9km and 730m up in altitude to the base camp. This will take anything between 4 – 6h, depending on your level of fitness. From the base camp to Benbow, ca. 950m.a.s.l. it will take around 2h, from Benbow to Marum, approx. 1’000m.a.s.l. around 2h as well – as long as you can go the direct way and don’t have to outrun the 2 small active volcanos, just before Marum. If your guide decides this out of security concern, count on 5.5h plus each way. Finally from Marum back to the base camp at night will take another 2h. Due to the bad weather in the days before we had to do both volcanos in one day.
To go down the Benbow crater to see one or both of the lava lakes is generally only possible if you bring a 200m static rope with you as the inside of the crater has a decline of about 40°. Josses on the other hand and even a dog from the base camp just walk down there as if on a Sunday morning stroll but this is not recommended for visitors. Once you see it – you’ll know why. As I joined a group of French tourists by chance due to a misunderstanding of my arriving date I had the chance to go down to see the first lava lake. Count on 4h with a small group of about 4-5 people. A helmet is strongly recommended and you definitely have to be fit to do that.
Of the first lava lake of Benbow you will be able to see about half of its actual size, the 2nd lava lake has nearly disappeared, has sunken down at the moment.
Marum’s lava lake is bigger and viewable from 3 different viewpoints. From number 2 and 3 you have a 100% of this awesome sight, a true entry point to hell if you are religious and believe in the painting of the religious artists. The lava lake is constantly boiling, jutting up lava in a fury and when the level of the magma sinks a bit – it takes the shape of a heart. Simply amazing! Wait until the night to see the walls of the volcano glow red and see the red gas-cloud coming out of the volcano. Finally while walking back to the base camp, hope for another amazing sight. The stars with the Southern Cross amongst above you head and when you look back you see the red gas clouds of the lava lakes of Benbow and Marum next to each other. The distance to from the crater down to the lava lake is about 250 - 300m.

Tanna: Visit of Yasur, an super active Strato-Volcano, 361m
Yasur Volcano:
From the junction road to the Volcano it takes you around 45 Min to access the crater rim if you are reasonable fit. Personally I find it a sad thing, that most people just drive up to see the great one, walking up allows you to get to know your volcano much better and the overall experience is deeper, especially if you walk down again at night with your head-torch. Entry fees for adults: VA 3’350, first entry, 2nd entry Va 1’675 (half price), 3rd entry Va 1’000.
A volcanologist mentioned his concern to me about tourists just driving up to the volcano and approach the crater within minutes. There have been people killed by this volcano even down at the car park. For your own safety, especially if you came without a guide and walked up by yourself it would be best to observe the volcano’s activities from the car parking, around 150m from the crater rim itself for at least 30 min to 45 min to check on the wind and gas direction and to which side the lava rocks fall after being spitted out of Yasur’s 4 vents, especially after bigger eruptions happened.
Best is to be there around 3-4pm and wait until the night has fallen as the show is most impressive when it’s dark and you see the red lava spraying all around in front of you. I would plan surely 2 afternoons/evenings at the volcano which is hissing, farting, rambling and exploding 24/7. It’s an amazing spectacle.
Guide and Accommodation-Options.
A free-lance guide who knows the area like his pocket is 22 year old Mike Sam. Cell 564 01 97 and 773 03 97. He charges Va 500 – 1’000 per adult for a half / full day trip to the volcano via a different route or to visit a waterfall, custom villages, hot springs, down to Port Resolution and even to Yakel, the most famous of all Custom villages, roughly half way across the island. Mike is soft-spoken and possibly the friendliest person I met in all of Vanuatu. In short he’s your best bet. Mike also has 1 beautiful small bungalow for 1-2 persons (and soon 1 more) to stay at his place, half an hour’s walk from the junction to the volcano. It’s called Tanna Yasur View Bungalow, Prices are Va 2’500 per person, including all meals. Call him up to see if the bungalow is available. If you are into a black magic tour, he can arrange an Enkiry Cannibalism Tour for you. Prices are Va 1’000 per adult, Kids half price.
There are now many more options to stay the night close to the volcano than mentioned in the last edition of LP South Pacific. All are roughly the same, say Va 2’500 including breakfast, plus optional lunches and dinners for Va 500 – 1’000. Here I would like to mention 3 places.
Tanna Treetrop Lodge and Bungalows: Owner Fred, cell 841 77 37 and 779 14 64. Acc. is Va 2’500 per adult including breakfast with overpriced meals for lunch and dinner. He can arrange a pick-up transport for you from the airport, expect to pay Va 2’500 – Va 5’000 max. per person. The view from the tree house terrace directly over to Yasur at night is pretty cool and your accommodation shakes with every major eruption, plus you see the lava flying out of the crater and all of this 10m over the ground. Awesome! Fred can also drive you to the volcano and back, down to Port Resolution and just about anywhere you desire to go. But all this adds up quickly in cost as you can also walk easily to all of the above mentioned places. From his place to the volcano it’s a 1 hour’s walk, down to Port Resolution, count on 2h and about 1.5h to the John Frum Village.
Unfortunately I need to write this here. There have been complaints about him or his driver from other guesthouse owners, that he “steals” their customers away as he owns 2 cars and receive quite a lot of people. If you do find him at the airport, it’s nothing wrong with fixing a price for your drive to the other side of the island but insist that he drops you at the place you want to go and don’t listen if someone mentions – the place is no longer working and the like. Check your bill carefully too, when leaving as guests have had complaints.
Near Lenakel, there is White Beach Bungalows, ca. 7km south from the airport and a Va 200 ride on a local minibus. Prices are from Va 1’500 – Va 4’000 per adult, breakfast included. Cell 594 92 20 Apen Nako – owner) and Cell 535 88 21, Kalial Sam, his manager. There are 8 bungalows to choose from, some have toilette and shower en-suite. The place is clean and nice, bungalows range from simple to comfortable, food is good and you are right at the beach, a 5 minutes’ walk from the main road.
Kalial would also be your best bet to visit the custom village of Yakel, where time hardly changed during the last 100 years as he is originally from this tribe and speaks there local language fluently. There is a informative DVD film about the village of Yakel, available in the shops in Port Vila for around Va 3’200. Entry to Yakel is Va 1’500 per person and this will get you the opportunity to see some unique dances with men and boys wearing just a big namba (penis shed) and women and girls in grass skirts followed by a walk through the village. You can hire a car to the village, 13km away from White Beach Bungalows / 10km from Lenakel or walk. Car hire is around Va 1’500 – 2’000 per way. Plan around an hour for your visit and come in the morning as in the afternoon women and girls are no longer allowed to stay in front of the Nakamal (Men’s club house) where the dances are held. Yakel has an elderly men designated for tourists. His name is Charlie but he speaks hardly any English. Cell 566 39 89. Generally it’s best to call ahead and come with a guide for some explanations but you could also just turn up in the morning and ask them to dance for you. The entry fees are being used only for traditional festivals such as circumcision ceremonies and Toka dances or if a villager gets sick and has to go to the hospital as the people from Yakel hardly use any cash in their daily life.
I was very lucky and got invited by chief Albi Nangia to stay the whole day. After some traditional lunch, the rain set in and we fled to a high tree house and talked the hours away until the sun came back. At around 4pm each day, the men and boys start to gather in front of the Nakamal, Kava roots arrive, get cleaned, chewed and later the Kava drink is being served in coconut shells. As there was a recent dispute in one of the villages, a tied up pig was brought, slaughtered on the place and cut into small pieces for different family members. Then the men drank kava an started roasting the pieces of the pig on 2 small open fires while in the Nakamal a giant pot with Taro, sweet potatoes, leaves and meat was cooking. More food arrived like roasted mais and we all sat, drank and ate the pig in harmony. As night fell, we wished our friends good-bye and walked back to Lenakel.
Tanna Coffee Factory: In 2011 they produced 26 tons of Arabica coffee, in 2012, 50 tons and in 2013 already 83 tons! This is easy to understand as the factory pays a fair price of Va 270 per kilo of coffee beans to the farmers and therefore more and more farmers decide to grow coffee in their fertile sands. The coffee get’s collected in huge bags and sent by ship to Port Vila where it is roasted. Tanna’s Arabica Coffee can be bought in Port Vila’s supermarkets and shops, as well as in the airports of Tanna and Efate. Prices are from Va 800 per 250g (beans or grounded). Manager Daniel is happy to show you around the small factory on Tanna, outside of Lenakel, just before you reach the White Beach Bungalows – look out for the sign.

Efate: Port Vila, Vanuatu’s capital and around
The Vanuatu Cultural Centre (read museum) has risen the prices to Va 1’000 – 1’500.—per adult, depending whether or not you take a tour with the resident guide, dressed in traditional garb, who plays the flute and other instruments for you and shows you his skills as a sand-drawer. The items range from interesting artifacts, masks and tam-tams to a dusty collection of shells and stuffed birds.
Lelepa Island and the Feles Cave (where King Roimata actually died). This is easiest undertaken with Lelepa Island & Fishing Charters, the owner is Albert Solomon and his cell number is 774 27 14. www.lelepaislandtours.com. Prices per adult are Va 8’900.--. Tours start just after 8am with a pick-up at your hotel. Next is a short boat ride to the island, a lesson in medicine plants while walking to a little beach, time for a 1st snorkeling with plenty of colorful fish, a nice lunch on the beach, another boat trip to see an old cave with red hands printed on the naked walls, a snorkeling session from the boat in a beautiful reef with some big fat fish and a visit in the main village. From here you have the chance to see the Feles Cave where the old king Roimata actually died, just a 10 min. walk from the village. The one room cave chamber is impressive – a nice place to die indeed. Return to the mainland and on to your accommodation in Port Vila at around 5pm.
Paonangisu, near Takara: Go snorkeling to see the only intact WWll American fighter-airplane! Call Erik: 542 70 57 or 777 72 05. Email: corsairvanuatu@gmail.com. The plane lies in about 2m of depth and you can sit in the cockpit and have your photo your photo taken (bring your own under-water camera). Prices are Va 2’500 adults and Va 500 for kids, a visit to the small museum from where you get in the small boat that brings you through the mangrove forest to the site of the plane is included in the price. Cool stuff. To get to Erik, hire a taxi or take a local bus, Va 500, ca. 45
Minutes from Port Vila.

Enjoy Vanuatu,
Roger

Update to Solomon Islands, October 2013

Solomon Islands: News from the friendly Pacific Islands

I have been asked to send a copy of my Solomon Report to here. Hope this is the right place after all.

To begin with. Solomon Islands are not a backpacker country but it is possible to live cheap if you know your way around, for an example with Couchsurfing and local hosts.

Visas for up to 3 months are free for most nationalities, especially from Western Europe, North America etc. The end of the valid date of your visa, is given according to your return/onward ticket out of the country. The immigration officer simply asked me when do you fly back and I told him the date but didn’t need to show him a ticket.

The 2 most expensive things are accommodation and traveling.

Rooms tend to start at S$ 250 / ca. USD 30 and go way up, possible cheaper in a homestay and certainly in a dormitory (but these are very rare), where you will be most likely to share your room with locals.

Flights are expensive and ferry travelling times between Honiara and Munda / Gizo doubled nearly (+20h) as the fast ferry doesn’t run anymore. If you get easy seasick, take a shorter trip.
Basic food like fish and chips, package noodles, cooked eggs and plenty of fruits are inexpensive, Water bottles are available at most places.

Money exchange and getting to/ from the airport. Generally only the 3 banks exchange foreign currency and all at very poor rates. But when coming out of the customs (and still inside the building I exchanged some money with a guy who had a small stall there, it’s the one on the RIGHT side (can’t remember the name), the left side is one of the banks with a poorer rate. I never got this rate again, once in town. A taxi costs around S$ 100 but you can walk to the main road and catch a minibus to Pt. Cruz (town center) for only S$ 3 and maybe another 3 for your luggage.

Within my time spent on the islands I stayed most of the time in Guadalcanal, in and around Honiara, where there is plenty to see and to do. See a small selection below.
In between I took a ferry (360 Discovery but there would be cheaper options) to Auki on Malaita Island and continued by public boat down to the Langa Langa Lagoon and back.
In Auki I stayed at SSEC Transit, a church-run dormitory where you get a bed for S$ 60. It is mainly used by locals, many of them who are teachers, getting to town to get their salary from far flung villages and towns. The place is very clean and friendly. It’s just behind the Anglican Church, a max. 5 Minutes’ walk from the jetty. Amy and Stephen, landline 401 81.
The freelance guide Silas is still in town, his new cell 745 82 01. He could bring you to a cave, a waterfall or somewhere else but to the waterfall you can easily go yourself. Make sure the entry fees are included in the price and count on say US 25 and up for a half or full day visit with him.
Later I spend time in the Langa Langa Lagoon and visited Alite Island, which is one of the typically man-made coral islands where the Busu Cultural Village is located. Thomas is the boss there, cell 846 00 10. His son Bernard’s cell is 750 79 06 for negotiations (boat transfer, homestay, programs). He mentioned a bed-price of S$ 200, S$ 50 more for food ( expect basic food), per person. Different tribes / clans live on the island and they seem to get along well with each other, as long as no tourist shows up. Basically that means if you want to see the other part of the island and walk through the stonewall entrance to their settlement, you are expected to pay them money, around US 12, even for a short visit. If you are not willing to pay that, just stay on Thomas’s side or the open area. There are an array of programs and shows to see at the Cultural Village but most need preparations and cost considerably money. Programs I have seen by chance (with an eccentric group of US guys who flew in to Auki by helicopter) included pan-flute and dancing groups, fire making and cooking, where the heated stones from the fire are directly put into the pot to cook the vegetables. There was a warrior dance and a group went out with slim traditional canoes. Shell money making and the demonstration of a bride price on a pretty girl are possibly the easiest things to organize plus fire making and cooking. Plenty of souvenirs and shell money will be offered to you for sale but there is no pressure at all to buy these things. Important to know is also that there are 2 more accommodation possibilities on the island but if you contact Thomas, you will likely end up in his rooms. Whatever you do, bring your own mineral water or purifier and a couple of ready-made noodles, just in case.
There is a public boat that runs in the afternoon around 2.30 – 4pm from the jetty in Auki to many destinations at the Langa Langa Lagoon for example to Alite and Serah’s Hideaway for just S$ 20 but the ride might take up to 2h instead of a 30 minutes direct run. The return boat goes in the morning around 7.30am. The boat ride is not guaranteed, check at the jetty or call Sam, cell. 844 95 48. No public boat on Sundays. If you arrive by public boat you might want to plan at least 2 nights, otherwise you hardly have any time as it gets early dark. On nearby but tiny Laulasi Island, they worshipped sharks and a group of ancestor- and enemy skulls can be seen in a small forest. Inquire about prices before leaving. The paddling time takes about 15 minutes from Alite Island.
If you want to spent time in luxury peace with excellent food (think barracuda, crayfish, squid or steak and are prepared to spend money - let yourself paddle over (about S$ 20 – 50) to Serah’s Hideaway, ca. S$ 500 – 600 per person per night, including food, cell +677 747 23 44. The accommodation in bungalows and a house are about S$ 250 – 300, meals go for around S$ 100 each. A new island, hand-made of course, just recently joined in and new bungalows are being produced. There is a small village nearby which you can reach by a chain of palm trunk bridges where on Saturdays and Sundays you might want to visit the church and nearby there is also a small village shop. Serah a charming local woman with a part-time present German husband is a very friendly host with plenty of knowledge about the islands and who built her islands by herself (with the help of workers). Her little paradise has plenty of orchids and in the water are plenty of fish (parrot, angler fish etc. and a couple of riff sharks which you can see while swimming, snorkeling or even from the land. If you have your own snorkeling equipment bring it along as the ones currently present are mainly broken.
There is a way from Serah to the mainland via a several kilometer long walk through the bush from where you can get to a road and ride back to Auki by bus apart from Sundays.
If you want to hire a boat to pick you up in Auki it will cost about S$ 300 from Thomas and S$ 500 from Serah, enquire when you call which is essential before you come and visit them. Sam might also be willing to help you out.
On my return trip I spent 2 nights in Tulagi. The walk around the island is nice and the town has a couple of rather expensive places to sleep, the cheapest being the Government Rest House for S$ 260 (ca. 30 Minutes walk from the jetty, others are much closer but cost S$ 350 and upwards .

In Honiara and around there are plenty of places to visit and I generally hitch-hiked to all destinations which was really easy. But there are also public busses along the main road. That way I went up to Visale which has a catholic church and a bit further, say 3km there is a basic new homestay “Welcome to Kalupa Beach” from a catholic father in Honiara. S$ 100 per night, bring / buy your own food. Currently there is only one room available with 2 beds and mosquito nets. A nearby shop sells very basic stuff like package noodles. Around lunch time the fishermen come back from the sea and would like to sell you their day’s catch. To be sure, bring your own water or purifier. The place is a couple of hundred meters on your right hand side, after the black / tar road ends, look for the small sign. Just before Visale which is about 42 km out of Honiara, there are 2 more homestays at the beach with small shops attached.
The Vilu Open Air Museum now charges S$ 100 per adult, which I think is way too much. No negotiations with the grumpy owner. I just said good-bye.
The White River settlement on the outskirts of Honiara has quite a big population of Gilbertese / Kiribati / Polynesian settlers, which are much lighter in skin color and have straight hair.
Towards the other side I went to see the 30 plus rosty amtracks (amphibian vehicles) from the WW ll near Tetere beach, entry is S$ 50. At KG6 at the outskirts of Honiara there is the Betikama Mission and school complex which also has some WW ll relicts and a big souvenir shop. Over the bridge you are in Lunga (end station of the KG6 bus. Watch the kids washing the cars in the river below, go and talk to Jay, the friendly owner of the tiny red painted shop who sells basic food, soft drinks, beer and coconuts (left side of the road as you exit town at the little roadside market) and walk about 2-3 km along a road with plenty of friendly locals to the Lunga beach where you can spot a rosty shipwreck, not even 20m from the shore and have a swim. Be Aware that the area around Hell's Point, where the japanese War Memorial sits is an area where theft is frequent evenafter you have paid the S$ 20 kastom fee. Do never leave your car unattended.

Enjoy the Solomons,
Roger

Fiji- LP Update and more stuff from its South Pacific 2012 Edition, Nov. 2013

Visas are free for most nationalities but you need to show your return/onward ticket out of the country.
Within my 15 days on Fiji I spent my time mainly on the main island “Viti Levu”, made a short trip to the small island of Mana in the Mamanuca Group and a multi day trip to Ovalu, off the east coast.

Viti Levu:
Namaka / Nadi: I have stayed with a local Indian-Fijan Family and celebrated the Indian Diwali Festival with them. Got stuffed with fine foods and plenty of Indian sweets and can’t therefore give you any accommodation option 
Garden of the Sleeping Giant: Go for a visit of the beautiful Sleeping Giant Garden, full of a huge variety of orchids and some walking trails. Entry for adults is F$ 16, kids up to 15 years of age pay F$8. If the weather looks rainy you will be provided with an umbrella and upon come back you’ll get some fruit juice. They also rent the gardens for functions like birthday and wedding parties. The price per head is F$ 20 per head. Call 921 21 25 or 905 06 87. Opening hours are Mo – Sat 09.00 – 17.00, Sun 09.00 – 12.00.
To get there you can either go on a tour, hire a taxi in Nadi or take any local bus / minibus to the junction of the Garden of the Sleeping Giant, F$1, around ½ h. Cross the road and follow the natural road for about 2km until you see a sign, where you turn left. The garden is 5 minutes up on the side road.
Back on the natural road, turn left (to the right you walk back to the main road) and walk another 30 minutes to reach 2 hot springs. Both have a mud pool and a hot water pool and both charge now F$ 15 for adults! I walked up to have a look at the place but couldn’t see a clue to sit in a hot spring at an already really hot and humid country. But in rainy weather it might be worth the effort. Instead of soaking I got invited into a local house, drank cava with the family clan and played an outdoor game with the local kids.

Navilawa: The village chief is Philimoni, cell 993 94 74. The modern looking small village has a beautiful setting and has about 150 people including some + 20 kids in school-age who are going to a boarding school. There is a lodge right at the beginning of the village, which costs F$ 35 per night and person. In total there are 6 beds, 1x4 and 1x 2 (with one double-bed). The place is very good value as you are most likely to have the whole house for yourself. There is a shower, a flushing toilette and a kitchen inside fi you are self-catering. If you wish the villagers to cook for you add F$ 15 for 3 basic meals. If you just want to come for visit during the day, the day-fee to visit the village is F$ 21.50 including a village tour and refreshments. In the village there is a small shop where you could buy basic items such as biscuits, cans and noodle-packs but it would be best to come up to the village with these items already in your backpack. The villagers can offer hikes or horse-riding (F$ 15 per person) into the beautiful surrounding mountains for a couple of hours. There is also an old cave nearby where people have taken refuge during cyclone season.
How to get there: Call driver Api Nambo from the hot springs. Cell 996 26 15. He will drive you one way for F$ 40 (in a 4x4 vehicle, 20km inland from tank junction on the main road, where the sign for the stoney creek resort is) to Nawilava. To get to tank junction, just sit in any bus or minibus going from Nadi towards Lautoka, F$1 and tell the driver where you want to get off. If you want to go even cheaper and like to hike, be at the junction at 8am and wait for the public bus going to Korobembe. From Korobembe, 13km inland from the main road, walk for 7km until you reach the village. After 3km there is a gold plant on your left as you follow the beautiful river bed through lush vegetation. For the return bus, be at 5.15pm back in Korobembe and get off at the main road from where you can flag down a bus or a minibus to either Nadi or Lautoka. Recommended.

Navala:
No visit to Fiji is complete without an overnight stay in the last traditional village in the Fiji Islands which has a spectacular setting in the foothills of the mountains. Highly recommended. Entry fee to the village has risen to F$ 25. This should include a village tour and refreshments but not necessarily. In total there are over 100 “bure”, traditional buildings, in the village. On the upper side there is a soccer/rugby ground and behind the local school, grade 1-8 and next to it a catholic church.
How to get there: From the town of Ba (the next town from Lautoka on the Kings Highway) there are busses at 11.00am, 4.15pm and 5.15pm. Fare is F$3 and the bus takes about 1h 15 min to rustle up to the village (on some section you think you could walk faster...). From Navala there is a bus at 06.00am, 08.00am and at 1.45pm which brings you back to Ba, from where you have connections to Lautoka and Nadi. Riding the bus trough the beautiful country side , often with plenty of cheerful school kids on the way home, is extremely enjoyable.
You can stay either at Bulou’s Eco Lodge, phone 628 12 24, ca. 1km away from the village. Dormitories including meals are F$ 75, bungalows are F$ 180 or you can opt (like me) to sleep in the village itself. This is more rustic but you will sleep in an actual family-bure. Upon arriving in the village ask for Alevina, she lives in the “Sauelau Bure” which basically next door to the bure of the village chief and the headman’s bure (at the start and on the lower side of the village towards the river). Cost is just F$ 30 including basic meals. Bring some snacks from town. Water is available via a pipe from a nearby source. Alevina doesn’t have a phone and there is no cell connection in the village at present but she has a functioning flushing toilette, some 35m down a track! You will likely end up in the family bed, with kids, parents and grandparents sleeping on the floor but don’t worry – everybody will be much more used to do that than you 
What to do: Swim with the kids in the muddy river in the afternoon, watch the youth playing rugby in the evenings and visit the local school in the morning. Plus take plenty pictures of the beautiful bures and the friendly inhabitants. You can also opt to hike in the surrounding mountains. If you would like to donate school material to the school (grades 1-8), they currently look for picture/reading books, library books, stationaries, coloring books, board games, atlases and dictionaries. Give them to director Luke or even better give them to a suitable class. The school has at present 157 kids (with 23 of them staying in dormitories as they come from 4 even remoter villages over the hills)

Mana Island – Mamanuca Group near Nadi:
Be aware that many Fijan islands where badly hit by a cyclone in December 2012 and some resorts have just as recently opened as Nov. 1st, others are already open for months while Funky Fish Beach Resort on Malolo Island is still closed. The cyclone damaged both, the infrastructure on the islands as well as the coral reef which is being revitalized. Call before you go.
On the island there are 4 places to stay. 2 Backpackers and 2 upmarket resorts.
Ratu Kini Backpackers and Dive Resort: Tui Tabu is the director. Cell 999 13 48. Email: tkabu@connect.com.fj. The place is run by a sympathetic manager Trevor from NZ. There is a 5star Padi Dive shop on site. Dorms are hot and sticky as they are in a building behind the main restaurant-dive-shop building and cost F$ 32 including breakfast or F$ 66 with an excellent food-plan (including lunch and dinner). There is also a restaurant and a bar from where you can choose à la carte. Singles and doubles are also available. A number of paying attractions are arranged, such as snorkeling, hand reel and trawling (fishing), half day or full day island hopping with 2 stops at different islands where you can sit in different resorts and enjoy a drink before going for a snorkeling on the nearby sand bar, there are sunset cruises and a trip to Monuriki Island, the location of the film “Cast Away” with Tom Hanks. The Backpacker place has its own boat which brings you from Nadi to Mana in around 45 Minutes. Prices are F$ 75 one way or F$ 140 return with a free pick-up in / around Nadi.
Mana Bay Lagoon: Cell 92 92 337 and 92 19 951, the manager is Jitan. Dorms including all meals are F$ 65. Single rooms are F$ 100, doubles are F$ 140 and one double is en-suite for F$ 340. There is a small restaurant plus a bar on site where you can choose your dishes and drinks. They have their own transfer boat from Nadi which is called the Mana Flyer. 1 way F$ 75, ca. 45 min. including a free pick-up from Nadi area. They also have a dive site. They have similar day tours like the ones mentioned above.
Tadrai Island Resort: www.tadrai.com / Email: rm@tadrai.com / cell: +679 999 35 68. This exclusive and truly beautiful place is run by sympathetic manager Jack Stark. Tadrai is kids-free and has just 5 villas on the beach, each with a stylish outdoor bathroom, bathtube and its own little fresh water swimming pool. Prices are for doubles or singles F$ 3’000 per night, inclusive all food and drinks. Steak or Lobster – you choose. The beautiful common freshwater swimming pool is nicer to look at if the water is calm and seemingly continues with the sea, just in front. Helicopter Transfers from Nadi are F$ 1’500 (per helicopter) but you can also come on a public boat, on the boat with one of the backpacker hostels or on a chartered boat. If you arrive by boat there is a free pick-up from the main jetty on the other side of the island.
Mana Island Resort: They cover a huge portion on the island and the mini-Berlin wall (which one LP writer wrote) is still in place. I didn’t appreciate this, if you want to stay check www.manafiji.com . Prices range from F$ 320 upwards.

Nandi / Port Denarau: Captain Cook Cruises – www.captaincook.com.fj / reservations@captaincook.com.fj /land line + 679 6701 823. They offer a variety of cruises from day cruises to dinner cruises and right up to a 4 day stay on a small luxury cruise-ship. I had a look at their day cruise to Tivua Island. Normally they go on a roughly 50 year old schooner (a double mast sailing ship) who belonged last to the governor-general of Fiji in the old colonial days. There were around 60 people on board and the ship was pretty full. Coffee and water on the ship has to be paid for but on the island the lunch BBQ, including alcoholic beverages are included in the price of F$ 185 per person. Start is at 10am and you’ll be back by 5pm, unfortunately. 1-2 hours more on the island would be greatly appreciated. Once there - you will go for a snorkeling just off the island ( a ten minutes’ walk around) where you will see dead and some live coral, blue sea stars and plenty of colorful fish. BBQ was good and after that you can go for a relaxing hour, another snorkeling session, grab a sea-kayak and paddle to the schooner or take a trip on a glass-bottom boat to the small reef in front of the island. Dives and massages are available at an additional cost (dives F$ 150 – 1 tank). Be aware that some of the snorkeling equipment is below average, if you have your own, bring it along. Security on board as well as while snorkeling is good (snorkeling is in 2 groups – one for beginners and the other one for advanced snorkelers, both with a guide). Recommended.

Near Sigatoka at Korotogo on the Sunset strip:
The Kula Eco Park is a fantastic place to while away 1-2h. In Fiji they are most famous for the breeding program of a highly endangered iguana type and you get to handle 2 different kinds of iguanas (crested and banded) plus some boa constrictors. Apart from that there is a long shaded boardwalk which leeds you through open cages with birds flying around, sea turtles (including feeding), flying foxes and so on plus tanks with live coral. The place is very suitable for a pick-nick and kids will love it. Prices for foreigners are F$ 30 for adults and F$ 15 for kids, there is a family price as well. If you want to help the park, don’t drive with the taxi up to the entry as they have to pay the driver a 15% commission in addition to the price you pay. Get off at the main road from where it is a 300m walk up to the gate, straight away. Open daily. Recommended.

Tubakula Beach Bungalows, just across the road is one of the best value places in all of Fiji. Dorms go for just F$ 26 and if you are the first person who checks in, ask the lady for the single room inside the dorm with a double bed (it goes for the same price). In the dorm there are hot water showers, a kitchen with fridge and freezer plus a stuff and cutlery etc. Out there is a small swimming pool in a beautiful lawn with plenty of coconut trees, right at the beach. To one side is a friendly small village with a small shop whose inhabitants will be happy to chat to you or you can play volley ball with them but be aware that some of the players play in Fiji’s National team.

Suva:
Some travelers and expats say Fiji’s capital can be dangerous, especially at night but I found smiles and friendly people where ever I went. I stayed at the South Seas Private Hotel just above Albert Park, a twenty minute walk from the bus station. The old hotel has singles for F$ 35 and Dorms for F$ 20. There is no breakfast or restaurant but a kitchen for guests to use. Among the things to see is the Fiji Museum, the walk along the sea-shore, the Suva Municipal Market and the University of the South Pacific but I also went to see the Youth Prison or rather the Rehabilitation Center for under 18 year olds. The small facility for boys and girls is out in the green not far from the Fiji Museum and is parted. Girls were outsourced to a church-program and are therefore better off. But the rehab center for boys instead of having them in a prison cell is pretty advanced for a developing country.
Cloth donation and more: If you would like to donate some clothes (T-shirts, shorts, flip flops, underwear, long trousers, shirts – according to priority) of you or 2nd hand clothes and flip flops (look for sizes M and L) at the markets around town. Please bring them directly to the rehab. It’s a 8 minutes’ walk from the South Seas Private Hotel. Go up Ratu Cakobau Rd which leads up from Albert Park to the South Sea … Hotel and turn right into Domain Rd, just a bit higher than the South Sea … Hotel. Walk down until you see a small road going to the left (Imthurn Rd or similar). Take this and just before it ends at a house, there is the Obrien Rd to the right. Walk it up to the last house and donate the cloths to Mr. Clement the man in charge or Mr. JR, a social worker. This way the cloth get directly to the right place but you won’t see the kids most probably. For being sure to see them and talk to the cheerful pack (7 at the time I was there but 22 just a few months earlier) you need to call the welfare department in Suva Thoorak, (approx. F$ 4 by taxi from the Fiji Museum). Landline is 331 55 74. Ask for Ela, the woman in charge or the head of the department. I have all names and cell numbers of the people in charge but as they are confidential – I can’t disclose them. The small rehab center’s land line number is 331 28 36. I talked to the kids for some time (a smiley bunch of 15 – 17 year olds, all in for burglary (some innocent – others guilty) and they wished to play volley ball and had already a net – so I donated them a ball. Be aware that this is the only youth prison / rehab center in the whole country and I believe Fiiji is surprisingly forward in the way they treat their young offenders. The problem is that the kids often arrive here directly from the police station on the main island or from other islands in the clothes they wear at that moment and have no spare cloth. That’s why your donation is very much appreciated.
In case you have time and a program or skills to offer to the youth (who might attend a school or a vocational training while here) or you would like to donate some money for a bail out (the average cost is F$ 1’000 – 2’000 / USD 500 – 1’000 but as most families are poor - they can’t afford this much of money) you definitely have to make an appointment with the director of the department.

Ovalu Island Levuka:
How to get there: Go to the Patterson Brothers Shipping Company, land line 331 56 44. They are just below the Centenary Church, in a shopping complex in the city-center, about a 5 minutes’ walk from the bus station. Open Mo – Fr 08.30 – 16.30, Sat 08.30 – 12.00. The price is F$ 35 per way and includes the bus-ferry-bus ride (5-6h) from Suva to Levuka. No trip on Wed and Sun. The bus leaves at 13.30 from the bus station. Going back from Levuka to Suva, busses pick you up at your hotel at 04.30am and you will reach Suva around 08.30. Inquire about return trips on most days of the week. Buy your ticket in person up to 1 hour ahead of the departure. Both bus rides are about 1.5h and the ferry take about 45 min across to Ovalu Island.
Levuka is a small town with an wild west atmosphere (buildings, no cowboys or guns) and was declared Unesco world heritage in 2013. It’s a small and pleasant little town (if you overlook /oversmell the stench from the nearby fish-fabric) with plenty of friendly people. Stay at the Royal Hotel (the countries’ oldest hotel, singles F$ 35 up) or at the New Mavida Lodge, singles F$ 60 – 80, dorms F$ 25. The Patterson’s Brothers office is in between from where it is a 2 minutes’ walk to either of the 2 places. Roam around Levuka and take in the old architecture but the Ovalu Club is closed for renovation at the moment. 5 km to the north of Levuka is the Bishop’s Mausoleum/Tomb/Grave. Taxis, F$8 or catch the morning bus around 7.10am or a pick-up any time they pass to reach the place. The Tomb is to the right side of the road, a 2 minutes’ walk. Immediately to the left on the road a small footpath leads up a little hill in the bush. After a 5 minutes’ walk you will find an old church in ruins which is atmospheric. The handy man who lives just before the church and works in the nearby secondary school has the key to the tomb but there isn’t really a great deal to see apart from a stone, mentioning the bishop’s name etc. 300m up the road you’ll reach a catholic church and behind is a vast secondary school campus including a boarding school. Kids come from all over Fiji but most come from the area of Suva. Other parents work as expats overseas and the recommended school has a good number from other Pacific Islands such as PNG, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Samoa, Nauru, Tuvalu, Kiribati, Samoa and Tonga. I heard a good singing lessons and played table tennis with them on the worst table I have ever seen ;-)

Yassava Island Group:
I would do anything to avoid the Awsome Adventures Fiji overpriced Katamarans . They apparently went up 50% of the published LP fares from 2012 and you can’t leave the boat if you don’t have a booked place to sleep. Well for mass tourism that might be the way but not for intrepid travelers. On my last day in Fiji I heard from a local in Lautoka, that there should be a public ferry from Lautoka to most of the islands villages on Friday and Saturday for just F$ 30 – 50. It goes back to Lautoka on Wednesday and Thursday. Departure times are in early morning around 05.00 – 06.00 am. That means you would have to sleep over in Lautoka, about an hours drive north of Nadi. The boat’s name is Sulua. Please double-check this information and post more information if you take it.

Enjoy Fiji,
Roger

Tonga – LP Update from LP’s South Pacific edition, 2012

Tonga Dec 2013

Visas are free for most nationalities but you might need to show your return/onward ticket out of the country.
Money-exchange: All the major banks exchange foreign currency but rates for USD and Euros are poor.

Getting to Nuku’Alofa from the international airport: Taxis are Tala 40 – 50. Otherwise walk / hitchhike to the main road, ca. 1km away and from there catch the occasional bus or hitchhike into town. Tony (from Tony’s Guesthouse, cell 774 87 20) offers airport transfers for TOP 15.—each way and will also drop you at any location in town or pick you up from there.

Sim Card: Buy a Digicell Sim (as many locals have one) at the airport office. They are TOP 3.
On arrival get yourself a free copy of Jasons, Tonga Visitor Guide, 2013-2014. They have more accurate details available. You can find them at the airport, the hotels, tourism bureau, Friend’s café etc.

On return, always check your flight departure at the last minute – before leaving to the airport. Had twice a flight change of 12 hours within 8 days (once leaving Fiji, the other one leaving Tonga) without any email or phone information, nor did they contact my acc.

Within my 8 days in Tonga I spent my time on Tongatapu- and Eua Island.

Tongatapu:
Stayed at Misa Guest House, cell 878 07 78, which is run by Chinese who speak little English. It’s right in the center of town, next to the Queen Salote Hall (the big green house) on Mateialona Road (on the intersection with Railway/One Way Road). The rooms are shabby but are the cheapest in town, their guests are mostly locals. Singles are TOP 23 + 3 for a fan, doubles are 46. From here you can walk anywhere in town and it’s only a couple of minutes to the market or the Centenary Chapel/ Free Wesley Church, which is the King’s church.
There is a new Guest House in town, which is about to open. Fila’s Guesthouse, cell 775 53 67 or 77 48 12. It’s basically a house with 2-3 single rooms and one double room, washing machine, kitchen, nice garden. Singles are about 40, doubles about 80, prices haven’t been decided finally. It’s about 1km from the town center.

Centenary Chapel: Each Sunday at 10am, a 2 hour church service starts and mostly members of the royal family will attend it. When I visited the Queen was present, sitting less than 10m away (on a higher platform in front to left when you enter). The service was well done and the Holy Communion was moving, first and alone the Queen and later everybody who could walk, going in turns of 20 to the front.

On the way to the wharf, I got invited for lunch and the locals insisted on feeding me 2 bowls of ota (raw fish in lemon- and coconut juice with vegetables). Next I hoped on the small shuttle boat to Pangaimotu Island, 15 minutes from the wharf, last departure 1pm. TOP 20 return plus your consumption on the island (lunch and/or drinks) The place is run by Earl, a friendly guy, who came to Tonga over 40 years ago at the age of 24. Snorkeling around the cool shipwreck which sticks up into the open reveals plenty of fish and much cooler water than at the beach. There is another good snorkeling spot at the far side of the island. The restaurant has snorkeling gear but most is broken.

On December 2nd there was a huge procession from the Free Wesley Church marching through town to the Kings Palace in the morning. All locals dressed in their best, musicians trumpeting around and even a wingless airplane was part of the show. This event seems to be new so watch out next year – it’s a great photo opportunity.
Oholei Beach and Hina Cave Feast and Show: Cell 777 87 13, land line 28 864. Dinner and Shows run on Wednesday and Friday nights, starting at 8pm. Admission is TOP 40, plus TOP 15 for retrun pick-up. (The website still mentions transport is for free, the problem is they don’t know how to take it off). On Sundays at 2pm there is only a feast but no show. Prices are TOP 30 for the big meal and transport is TOP 20 return. Call for reservations. In short the buffet food is great, eat as much as you like (but buy your own drinks) and the show is entertaining. Simana Kami, your manager, host, singer and showman runs the place after a 23 years break for 6 years now. But it was his father who started the great idea in the 60’ties. The show includes plenty of songs and dances plus the goodie at the end: a fire-dance, all set up inside the Hina Cave. Recommended.
Apart from laughing and eating with locals or expats I visited the main market, walked the small town and went on a day tour with Tony (from Tony’s Guest House, cell 774 87 20, landline 210 49). Tony is a real character, talking, explaining and pointing out things nonstop as you go and he will take in all the main sights of the island. The tours cost TOP 60, take about 6-7h and start normally at 10am.

The ferry to Eua Island leaves currently around 11am, be there at 10am. Tickets cost TOP 23 and the ferry takes around 3h. Return ferries are around 3.30 – 4pm, be there 1h ahead of time. The ride can be jumpy, even in plain sunshine. In case you easily get seasick, gulp a tablet as even the locals were vomiting through the windows.

Eua Island:
With the wales all gone, there was still plenty to see on beautiful Eua. The island has plenty of pine trees which grow often next to palms and mango trees. The coastline is rugged with good lookout points, high above the fierce sea, there are caves to explore, beautiful beaches and good walks.
Regarding whale watching: Note the season is from the middle of June to the first week of October. Between July and September whales are “guaranteed” as Wolfgang (see below) told me. In Eua, the sea can be a bit rough but you swim in deep, clear water. It’s more difficult to swim with the whales here than in Vavau where the lagoon is calmer but the visibility can be much less.

There are currently 4 sleeping options at Eua. Opposite the wharf is Deep Blue Diving/ Ovaka Tree Lodge which is run by Wolfgang, a german dive master and manager of the place. Single’s are TOP 60, doubles are 80, dinner (great) pizza’s are 25 and the price includes a breakfast and a light lunch. Whale watching/swimming are TOP 200. Dives include the famous Catherdral-Cave.

Hideaway is around 3km from the wharf, further away is Deep Resort.
I stayed at Taina’s Place which has a beautiful garden and great walking maps. Cell 77 65 002, land line 50 186. Ferry pick up, TOP 10 or take the local bus, TOP 1 which leaves from the wharf just after the ferry has arrived.
Dormitory: TOP 27, Singles: TOP 45 / Doubles: TOP 60, Family room TOP 85.
Breakfast TOP 18, lunch TOP 16, dinner TOP 25 (seems a bit overpriced). There are shops on the island, the one closest to Taina is about 20 minutes’ walk away.
Tina died in 2012, her husband Day married again and is currently modernizing the bungalows which clearly show their age. There will be new bungalows coming too, which should be ready for the 2014 whale watching season.
Eua Sightseeing: I did the following walks: Went alone with Taina’s maps to Fangalahi Beach, which is an hour away. The description was good but you have to climb/ crawl 2 fences on the way. You also need a little sense of orientation/ careful map reading as you head along the sometimes not very clear trail.
I also visited the huge Banyan tree, good in late afternoon but got stopped by a huge bull a short way before viewing the smoking cave. We both got startled as we met each other’s unexpectedly but the bull was very much alert and there was no way to pass around him. Therefore I wished him well and went back home. Approx. 1h return.
Within one full day I visited 2 of their day programs. I started with Day (husband of Tina) in the morning to the Fangatave Beach, TOP 20 transport per person, TOP 40 guide, per group. After a ride to the North of the island in an old battered 4x4 pick-up, it took us about an hour to work our way down to the beach. There is some basic climbing required (level 2-2+) as you descend steeply via open caves to the beach. Fortunately most of the way is in the shade. Count an hour or so to explore the various caves and don’t forget your flash light to peek into some dark holes to say hello to the local bats. This walk you should do with a guide.
After a lunch break with a short siesta we took off once more, this time to the southern tip of the island and visited the rock gardens, the natural archway, viewed the rough sea from high look outs points above the cliffs and saw horses, parrots and wild pigs. From the big (first) rock garden you generally walk north along the track for as long as you want to go and later head back the same way. To view the Arch you have to go 5 minutes inland through the bush. Follow the descriptions. On the way back we had a look at Ha’aluma Beach and saw the old Tongan stone cuts. Good in late afternoon. When you hit the beach, one site of 2 stone cuts lies just to the left, the other one shortly to the right, just before the water hit the sand. All of the afternoon program you could easily do alone but it would help if you get a car drop-off at the rock-garden and a pick-up at Ha’aluma Beach, TOP 20 per person (including guide TOP 40 per group). This way you save 15km of walk.

Enjoy Tonga,
Roger

Samoa, (Western-) – LP Update from LP’s South Pacific edition, 2012 and more stuff, sent Dec 12th

Western Samoa: November 2013

Visas are free for most nationalities but you need to show your return/onward ticket out of the country.

Money-exchange: The airport offered the best rates when I visited although I managed to sweet-talk a trader of Westpac for the same rate the next morning.

Getting to Apia from the airport. After 5pm and all Sunday there are no local busses to town. You can take a taxi for around Tala 50 or try to talk to a minibus owner, many from a particular hotel or with such a destination for a lower price. But the most inexpensive option is just to walk up to the mainroad and try to hitch a ride in a vehicle coming from the airport and heading to town. That way I ended up paying just Tala 10 on Sunday night. The airport service bus is Tala 25 per person, you can book it from any hotel in town.

There is a reliable airport-shuttle minibus, operated by Mr Tauili Ili who speaks good English. His cell number is 777 12 37. He’s available 24/7 and prices for 1 person are Tala 30, for 2 persons, Tala 25, for 3 Tala 20.

Sim Card: Buy a Digicell Simcard (as most locals have one). They are between Tala 10 – 20 depending on a special offer.

Within my 13 days in Western Samoa I spent my time on the 2 main islands Upolu and Savai’I but also on Apolima- and Manono Island.

Upolu Island:
In case you are interested in the Scouts, the Anglican church, north of the city center and very close to the Museum of Samoa, has a program on Friday afternoons from around 5-7pm. This is currently the only Scout group left in Apia and they are doing well and are full of esprit.
At the Bahai Temple there is a small service of 30 minutes on Sunday morning, starting at 10am.
To Sua Ocean Trench owners have now build showers and changing rooms for your comfort and the place is really cool. The long drop down from the top of the ladder (max 10m), possible only at high-tide or if you are crazy enough from the tree that grows above the hole for an even higher jump – is still one of the biggest fun you can get on the island.
Slept at Anita’s Beach Bungalows in Lalumano which are nice but food seems overpriced as is charging your electronic gadgets. Headed from there by hitch-hiking to To Sua Ocean Trench and walked back around 1km to the intersection down to Vavau Beach. Be reminded whatever the tourism office in Apia may tell you there are no beach fales available there. But it’s a beautiful place - bring your own food.

Apolima Island:
This was a stunner! Took a local bus on Friday late morning from Apia’s bus station to Apolima Uta (mainland village), ca. 2h and waited for the school boat which carries the school kids to the island for the weekend. Somehow that boat finally left from another place but I could hitch a ride over with some villagers in the afternoon. The boat will for sure turn back early on Monday morning. Otherwise you can either hire a boat for yourself (up to 10 people) for Tala 300 or call the following numbers for enquiry about a public boat and the time of departure. If you do this you might have to pay around Tala 20 – 30 per person and way. To spent the night you will be charged Tala 100 per person which will include all your meals. You will most likely end up in the beautiful family fale of the local matai Sa’u Natapu, cell 77 69 766 or the one next to it which belongs to the pastor. Pastor Tepatasi Tuala, cell 72 63 070 or his wife Sa Tuala, cell 77 97 817. The matai (village chief) speaks very little English but the Pastor and his wife speak English well, so give them a shout and announce your plans to come over.
The ride will take around one hour and is mainly calm apart from the last 20 minutes where the boat gets shakier in the higher waves. When we zipped through the narrow opening (around 10m) we went full speed but when I left the island the sea was rough with meter-high waves. That meant going out in slow motion with waves cracking over the small boat, not for the faint-hearted.
The island itself is beautiful and after you have climbed the beach you will see a big lawn around which the village is clustered. Albeit remote the village has 24h electricity from Upolu, plus a generator and some solar panels. Behind the lawn and the houses are the gardens (coco and cocoa plus vegetables and more fruit trees), pigs and dogs are roaming free. Behind the gardens steep cliffs are rising skywards and guard the island from the sea. Behind the matai’s fales are around 140 steps of concrete after which you reach a small light house. From here you have a wonderful eagle eye’s view down to the center of action. When I arrived a pig was slaughtered in my honor and I was treated with the high respect typical for Samoa. The next day the Samoan TV came by and filmed the church service. After another great meal, fine mats were presented, big and small pigs were roasted before and were now ready for shipment back to the mainland, all to thank the film crew who made the effort for coming over. Quite a sight in fact. It’s one of the 3 places to which I will surely come back on my next visit in Samoa.

Manono Island: There are meanwhile 4 accommodations to choose from. Grab a boat from Maono Uta (mainland) to Manono Tai (island) and see where it brings you or ask where you want to be dropped. Than stay a night there, walk around the island and check out the others options in case you want to stay longer. Leota is still running his place. Than threre is Sweet Escape and the Matai Lota has another option to spend the night. Forgot about the last place.

Savai’i Island:
Stayed at Regina’s Beach Fales up at Manase. Nice place to while away some hours. Beach Fales are Tala 60 including great food. The owners really jumped into action when I left the bus, getting my bag, brought some cake and fruits in less than one minute and a coffee was coming later on. The fastest service I have seen so far in the whole of Samoa. Backtracked via hitch-hiking to Sale’aula and looked at the two old churches which were run down by the lava around 1905. The swimming with the turtles is indeed a sorry place and the owners were so sleepy they never made it up to their feet while I was there. Currently they have about 20 sea turtles and feed them with taro leaves and papaya. Swimming with the turtles doesn’t bring you anything if you don’t have a snorkeling set with you as once in the water, you hardly see anything of the turtles but you might knock your feet on a rock or a turtle shell. But if you stay close to the water’s edge, they come by quite quickly in the hope of getting some food. Entry is Tala 7, swimming / snorkeling is included in that price and should you love it – they even have options to stay overnight.

The best place by far for me was at Satuiatua Beach Fales (in Satuiatua). The owner’s daughter Phila arrived with her 3 kids last year from NZ, so everybody is fluent in English, the food is great and all for Tala 75 per night (breakfast and dinner). There is a separate charge for Wifi but no charge to charge your gadgets. Phila’s cell is 723 26 93. The place is on a beautiful piece of beach with good snorkeling right from the beach at high-tide. Around 30m to the reef, the coral is partly alive, partly dead and many colorful fish call it their home.
From here I hitch-hiked down to Taga to see the blow-holes, Entry is Tala 5, guide to the blow holes is included in that price. It’s around a 15-20 minutes’ walk along the coast. The blow holes weren’t that much in mood, the tide was only starting to come in and there was no swell but were worthwhile nevertheless to see. Nearby are other bigger holes (guess LP called them the washing machine and the closet but these names are unknown to the local guides who speak practically no English. Wonder off for yourself along the lava field cloth to the sea and watch for the bigger holes.

Enjoy Samoa,
Roger

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