South Pacific stop-over on round-the-world trip

Hi folks,

We are from Denmark and will be on our honeymoon in July. We will book a round-the-world ticket from the Star Alliance, so at some point we will have to cross the Pacific. We had always thought of visiting one of the islands down there, but planning turns out to be difficult since we only have about one week and the destination should be relatively well served by a Star Alliance airline (like Air NZ, United/Continental, Asiana, Singapore...). So, here is what we are looking for ;-)

• palm trees hanging over the white beach (we don't have that in Denmark)
• good weather and warm temps in July (we don't have that either)
• snorkeling right off the beach or very close
• good local food
• rather quiet and authentic but not too under-developed place
• but also relatively easy to access from the main airport (since we only have one week)

Because it's a special vacation, we are willing to spend a bit more. So, we're not backpacking but it doesn't have to be a Sheraton beach resort. Flight-wise it seems that Palau and the Cook Islands can be rather easily reached and left with Star Alliance airlines. Do you have any ideas on these two or would you recommend some other place?

Thanks for your advice
Chris

Aitutaki... you'll never forget it

You fly into Rarotonga from NZ or Los Angeles and then hop over to Aitutaki on one of the four or five 40-minute daily flights that Air Rarotonga has.

Accommodation runs from backpacker beach huts to the 5-star Pacific Resort. For a mid-range place I'd recommend the Etu Moana.

I've been there five times and it never gets old or boring. Check it out on Google Earth and YouTube.

Aitutaki looks like Bora Bora in Tahiti. It's an outer island ,though, and I've heard the return airfare
from Rarotonga runs about $500. In Palau, there's good snorkelling right off the main island, but only in
a couple areas, such as near the Palau Pacific Resort. After that, you'll want to be joining boats going
to other locations. If you two are scuba divers, it would be an easier choice.... Congratulations!

fiji is a nice point to stop on the star alliance stops (unsure which airline), to get the most of your fijian visit get onto an island which I always feel is the real holiday fiji not a resort hotel on the mainland (I've had a few folks tell me that ive met on an island that staying at a nice place on the mainland just didn't compare to island life, thats what i also think) take a wander around trip advisor for choices, the island groups with lots of resorts are the closer Mananuca Islands, or if you are prepared to take the daily ferry you can head further up to the Yasawa Island group (my favorite) which is even more exotic. Both island groups have expensive and budget places to choose, my preference is the budget places as I think it just fits the island life that I can't experience like that at my home. Popular island resorts include Mana Island, Plantation Island, maybe Beachcomber Island for a more party/younger place in the Mamanucas, or Octopus or Blue Lagoon Beach Resorts for a more remote less sophisicated choice. Everywhere is good though and the local Fijians are always wonderful hosts. Enjoy!

Yes- if there's any way your ticket package can get you to Fiji- it will get you to those idyllic white-sand
beaches with palm trees and great snorkelling right off the beach. The Fijian people are a bonus- have to
be some of the friendliest on earth. I'm with Thurston on the Yasawas- Nacula and Waya Islands get my
vote for South Pacific perfection.

Thanks a lot for your comments, guys. I've got some questions though:

• I read a lot about problems with mosquitos in Trip Advisor reviews for Aitutaki. I know it's a tropical island but it seems that some people were eaten up by mosquitos. Is this a seasonal issue (we'll be travelling in July)? Is it limited to certain places on the island?

• I also read that the shallow water in the lagoon in front of Etu Moana prevents one from swimming and snorkeling. Are there other places on the island where this is no problem?

• Which island has probably the best weather conditions in July? I read that Rarotonga has a maximum of 25 degrees (but very low rainfall) but Fiji is warmer with about 28 degrees. Fiji looks great but is more difficult to access for us (we always need to connect through Auckland).

Air Pacific (owned by Qantas) flies the Auckland to Fiji route and has a random July date airfare of
$286 one way. Air New Zealand flies there also, so maybe you can get a deal through your RTW ticket.
Fiji and Rarotonga are on the same latitude and only 1200 miles apart, so there won't be big differences
in the weather. In fairness, I haven't been to Auitutaki, but I do know it has some reefs to skin-dive-
I have read on previous posts to watch out for stonefish at some locations in the lagoon. I heard from
other Europeans while travelling that Fiji is usually not even on their radar because airfares there usually
run $4000 roundtrip from Europe- something to think about if you ever thought about visiting Fiji.

@cgrimpe post #5

I usually go to the Cooks between September and February. In five trips to Aitutaki I've never considered mosquitoes to be a problem. I usually take mosquito repellent with me, especially to the tropics. I don't think I have used it more than five times in the six weeks or more I've spent on Aitutaki. When I did use it, it was in the evening, when I was outside to protect bare legs.

The lagoon directly in front of the Etu Moana is shallow at low tide. It is normally pretty good snorkeling at other times and a very good spot for those just learning. Etu also has free kayaks for their guest's use. This gives you a lot of freedom to look for good snorkeling nearer to the outer reef. When my wife and I stayed there the staff transported us and two kayaks (no fee) over to the other side of the island where we spent a day exploring the motu on that side of the lagoon. When we finished we called and they picked us up. There are some very good places to beach snorkel. One excellent spot is on the NW corner near the marine preserve where the water is clearer than that near the west beach where most of the resorts are.

Weather should be about the same in the Cooks or Fiji. July is a good month to go.

I have been to both Aitutaki in the Cook Islands and to the Yasawas in Fiji. You will probably encounter more people that have visited Fiji than have seen the Cooks, especially the outer Cook Islands. That doesn't mean that one is better than the other for you.

The differences:
My impression, as well as my wife's, is that most striking difference between the two countries is the population density and the culture. The Fijian culture is made up of native Fijians and Indian people. Native Fijians are of Melanesian origin while Cook Islanders came from Tahiti and are Maori or Polynesian. The Indian people of Fiji arrived in the 1800s brought there by the colonists, mostly to work in the sugar fields. Most of the places you'll want to go in Fiji are more developed and tourist oriented than you'll find in the Cooks.

The Cook Islands is definitely cleaner and neater. Visit a school in both countries and you'll see a marked difference. There is no place in the Cook Islands that the average tourist would be advised not to go, not necessarily so in Fiji.

If you like lots of company and tourist-oriented development I'd choose Fiji. If you like a less developed destination with fewer tourists and easier access to the native population try Aitutaki. Both are beautiful places with friendly people. You'll have fun at either destination. We just like the Cook Islands over Fiji, or Hawaii, or the Caribbean, or Samoa, or Mexico or the Bahamas, or Cuba.

And no other Polynesian dancers come close to what you'll see in the Cook Islands. They are the original!

Edited by: H2ooh

Air Pacific+ (+owned by Qantas)
This is not accurate. Qantas has less than half share, and the current Fiji government is attepmting to prevent them having an voting rights.