Travelling to the pacific - 1st time, help me plan!

Hello,

I have hard time deciding what to do.

I would want to see some of the pacific culture, experience it as nearly as possible, and get to see one atoll with a lagoon. And do this on a minimum budget, and for a long time, not just a week, or three - preferably 6-8 months.

Sounds simple, ey?

Some background info; We have been saving for our trip (halfway around the world and back) for 3,5 years before we left, so we have some money saved, but not enormously. We have never actually been to the Pacific, and have no idea where to go - although we have figured that Fiji & Tonga are the cheapest places, so thats one thing.

I know the Pacific isn't the bargain paradise, but we want our money to last as long as it can, for we are not picky people when it comes to budget travelling.

Anyhow., lets get down to it.

Cook islands' have a few atolls, but getting there is ENORMOUSLY pricey - especially the outer atolls. Aitutaki is a cheap flight away, but yet all these atolls possess one thing in common; Expensive accommodation. Is there any way to homestay (or camp) in the Cooks, or something that could cut down the costs?

Tuvalu has atolls too. Yet they are very overcrowded, and seem even more expensive than the Cooks - and the flights are very, very expensive...

Then there's the Tokelau atolls, only a boatride away from Samoa, and they have pretty low priced accommodation, but it seems it's somehow hard to get to the islands? LP's SPacific book says you should get a "permission from the village councils to be able to buy the ticket to the islands" - Yet this "fact" isn't said anywhere else - not even in the official pages of Tokelau.. So whats this about? Mixed info leads to confusion.

Okay, enough about the atoll dreaming.. The second priority is the actual experiencing of cultures, partially on my terms.

Fiji's Lau group islands intrest me, because they are so remote. Yet almost all of Fiji has cheap accommodation, and camping places. So Fiji is easy for the wallet, i like it.. But is the indo-fijian culture everywhere, or just the mainlands - or i'll put it this way - is their food culture everywhere? And is Lau group difficult to travel in?

Tonga has been under our binoculars for a long time, too. Sounds cheap, especially if you do not fly and use the ferries. Yet it sounds so boring, not much to do, etc. But isn't that the pacific charm - and practically everywhere in the Pacific it's the same, not much to do? I'd like to spend a month in Ha'apai, and then rent an apartment or a house from Vava'u and stay there for a few months, before taking a short few week trip to the Niuas.

One thing for you, the answerer, is to consider that my g/f is a vegetarian - So if you can, could you bring out a viewpoint of food in your reply?

I am all open to any suggestions, as no tickets have been bought yet..

We'd be starting our journey in Australia, and ending it to New Zealand, so the plan could be; Fly to Fiji first, then Tonga, then Cooks, then NZ.

Some calculations follow; Do they sound right?

Flight from Brisbane to Nadi - 250 euros total for 2.

Then the Air Fiji airpass, 500e total for 2.

2 Months of accommodation in Fiji; 1200-1300e, total. 200e for foods.

Then a flight to Tonga - 500e for 2.

A week or two in Tongatapu, and a month in Ha'apai - total accommodation cost 900-1000 euros. And food cost about 170e.

Then we'd rent an apartment from Vava'u for a few hundred euros a month, and stay there for a period of 2-3 months, totalling out at 600-900 euros + food, which should be around 750e total.

We'd visit the Niuas - probably just Niuatoputapu though, and stay there for a 2 weeks, accommodation totalling at 150 euros, food costing about 100e for that period.

Then, as we venture back to Tongatapu, we'd take the flight to Rarotonga, which would total out at about 800-900 euros for both of us. Then a 4 week trip there, taking the Aitutaki-Atiu -flight package (400 euros for both), and that would cost about 1800e for accommodation, and 300e for food.

Then a final flight to NZ - 400 euros for the both of us.

Of course i didn't count interisland transports, but i figured they'd be all covered with 200e.

This whole thing totals out at; 9550 euros, which is roughly 19000 AUD - or - 13000 USD.

Please set my dreams straight, get me realistic.

-J

Get David Stanley's South Pacific Handbook. It's getting dated on prices, etc., but worth it for what you want.

Forget the Cooks if you want to camp, not really allowed. Forget Tokelau, I doubt they'd let you stay six months. No flights from Tonga to the Cooks anyway, not sure where you read that. you need to go into and out of NZ, to expesnive for you budget unless you do it on a RTW trip.

Best bet is really Fiji. Lots of outer islands etc.. You could also add Tonga, maybe Samoa, depending on your budget for air costs. Not a lot of apts to rent on Vavau (if any!), but you could get a long-term deal at Adventure Backpackers or a similar place. Getting to and from the Niua's is problematic at best, sometimes no flights for a few weeks, etc.

Sounds like you have a lot of research to do before you make decisions. Read the old posts, but get David Stanley's book, lots better than the LP one.

Thanks for the reply.

I wasn't planning to stay in Tokelau for 6 months, just a month or so, sorry if i wrote in a way that lead you into that.

I will try to get the book.

How much would a 6 month trip to the islands (whatever they are, Fiji, Tonga, Samoa) cost? Approximate?

-J

Stanley's South Pacific Guidebook is now free online, although it would be easier on you to find a hard copy.

Regarding Fiji (the limit of my personal experience): it's very easy to experience the local culture(s), if that is a goal. Fiji accom is relatively inexpensive compared to other island groups. But don't count on camping, unless it's at backpacker resorts where you can set up your own tent at a price typically cheaper than the lowest dorm prices. Indo-Fijian culture is not everywhere, most often in and around the larger towns, eg Suva and Lautoka on Viti Levu, Labasa and Savusavu on Vanua Levu. Curiously enough, not a great deal of Indo-Fijian food culture, although, I do not know what your expectations are in this regard. I'm only judging from what I regularly saw and was exposed to from my backpacker perspective. The vast majority of restaurants I came across were of the chinese (or SE Asia) stir-fry variety. Native Fijian I could only find on a regular basis at homestays and resorts (not counting the deep-fry fish served with chunks of taro, served at lunch places in towns).

What do you plan on doing with the Air Fiji airpass? Flying is a necessary time-saver on Fiji if you want to get to some outer islands, but with some planning/scheduling you might get by cheaper by booking one or two specific flights and bus/ferry the rest of the time.

Overall costs: I averaged about 27 Euros per day (covering 2 months) a couple of years ago. This included all transport including a couple of internal flights, and a dive. Otherwise I was living fairly frugally even by my backpacker standard, and stayed away from the more expensive tourist areas on and around Viti Levu.

Your food estimate seems on the low side if it's intended to cover 2 people: I averaged about 140 Euro per month. This includes restaurants, bars, and supermarkets. Accom cost is difficult to estimate: mine were around 380 Euros per month. Doubles not always 2x single so there's some saving for you there, and some resort accom includes a food plan. Otherwise, might be OK. Much will depend on where you stay, and off the beaten trail accom is cheaper but less of it around.

If you want to move around the area your best option might be to use Fiji as your base. You can hop out to Vanuatu and then on to New Caledonia and back to Fiji. Vanuatu has a distinct Melanesian culture which might appeal to you, as well as the opportunity to visit an active volcano on Tanna. New Caledonia offers a different look at the South Pacific with both the Kanak culture and an European flair; there is also a beautiful lagoon on Ile de Pins. Although New Caledonia is more expensive than Vanuatu or Fiji, you will have the option of camping there. The Cook Islands are amazing and with a bit of research you can come up with cheaper accommodations, even on Aitutaki. You could fly from the Cooks to Tahiti(very limited flights) - again Tahiti is considered an expensive area but camping is allowed and food was not overly expensive. You can also fly to New Caledonia from Tahiti. Either way you approach it you will run into transportation shortcomings and higher costs than other areas but it is definitely worth the effort. For help with your routing you could look at www.airtimetable.com - it has links to airline route maps so you can figure out who flies where. Good luck with your plans - would love to hear what you decide to do!

Thanks for the both of you for replying;

oldpro: Especially that daily budget figure of yours helps a lot! And you're right, maybe i shouldn't take the airpass and use ferries / boats instead.. I just thought somehow, in my mind, that it wouldn't be THAT much more expensive, but maybe it is.. Anyhow, i didn't get one line from your post; "Doubles not always 2x single so there's some saving for you there" - i just can't figure out what you mean.

..

newfie43: Hmm, interesting suggestions. Yet, being in a tent in the middle of the rain season could be rough. And i would feel insecure about wandering off the tent site, in fear of people stealing stuff.. Vanuatu has malaria, and i have a condition that makes me VERY vulnerable to brain damage from fevers, so a place infested with a fever disease = big no-no, i don't wanna risk my life, or my brain. And I have thought about New Caledonia, but it's fairly expensive and yes the only option would to tent - and with their tent site prices, i could get room accommodation in many of the pacific countries.. I haven't checked French Polynesias' tent site prices but i figure they're at least the same, or more. Could you tell me WHY+ is it worth it, are they +REALLY+ that different from other islands in the sea +(and why do you think that if you do)? .....and PS: I tried to mark your message as helpful but somehow it went "correct"

I have heard lots of good things about Tonga, and it seems they have a very laid back culture, which i could probably like - and it's pretty cheap, also. If any Tonga-traveller sees this thread, please reply!

Does anyone know if there is any chance of employing yourself in any of the islands? (thru some organisations or some way, i'm a gardener by profession)

It would be so nice to help people there by working with them.

Btw, i have the LP's South Pacific & Micronesia book, but at least according to Amazon, it's totally, absolutely useless compared to that D. Stanleys book about the region.

-J

Here's David Stanley's Moon South Pacific Handbook free online.

I have a GPRS internet connection (speed equals 56k modem), so that web-book isn't just a choice for me.

silvanocat: Thanks for trying to help, but if you would have read thru the thread, you would have noticed that oldpro already posted that link.

Also, i have already ordered a copy of the book from Amazon..

But please people, continue to reply, give input, your thoughts. Every post is appreciated!

-J

The problem with Vava'u is that you will need to make friends with boats, or spend money to really enjoy it and the islands and beaches. What it may be good for is meeting the yachting community and perhaps crewing on a yacht to get to see some more of the Pacific. This is a very different experience to mixing with local people though.

I have been in a tent numerous time during the wet season in Tonga and camping no longer seems like a lot of fun! Definitely a dry season activity, but it generally is not possible to camp in Vava'u (I had permission because I was working). There was one island where the "owners" were Ok about camping and they would come and take some money, but you couldn't stay there over an extended period and need to be fully self-sufficient (which gets expensive - stove, water containers etc etc).

Vanuatu is really interesting, if you could get there, but I also like Samoa alot and would have thought it was cheaper than Tonga.

If you had read through previous posts on this branch you would have seen the link already posted as well as the suggestion to use the Moon not LP Guide.

Camping on Vavau is technicaly possible, but you have to arrange in advance with the village leaders. Not worth the effort unless you want to stay for a couple of weeks, etc. Try Talihau village, where Lucky's is. But again, almost imposssible to do this in advance.

And I would suggest yuo do not get too technical in your criticism of TT'ers on this branch, like with Silvano. you put a LOT of info up, and if we miss a little or you miss a little in rrading something, we all put up with it, at least on thuis branch.

so, I'd suggest you mellow out a little, start focusing on more specific areas of specific countries, etc., and take it from there.

If you can't handle ANY type of fever, to be honest, I'd probably totally avoid the whole South Pacific, except for the months of June to September, and even then, only from Fiji to the east and south (like Tonga, Samoa, cooks, Tahiti). There is malaria west of Fiji in many rural (tho not many urban) areas, and except for June to Sept there is always a chance of dengue fever in Tahiti, the Cooks, Samoa, Tonga and Fiji. Since you mentioned that as a specific fear----fever---I'd seriously re-consider your trip plans in light of that factor.

If you do go, bring a lot of DEET, and a mosquito net. Budget for food could be about US$12-20/day per person if you cook for yourself. Main expense is accommodation. You can figure again on US$12-20/night per bed, in most of the places we talked about, in at least a few backpacker places.

But I think a change in attitude towards asking for info might be your first step, at least in my humble opinion.

#5 I was not completely sure if your budget was to cover two people or per person.

For example, room prices. Travelling solo, I might pay $10 for a room. Two people paying for the same room (double) might pay $15, which is less than 2x $10. This means $7.50 per person instead of my $10. This is why two people travelling together and sharing accom prices can travel more cheaply pp than a solo traveller.

Regarding emplyment on Fiji: don't count on anything paid. Volunteer is always appreciated (possibly in exchange for lodging) but this is an opportunistic thing. You might stumble across something, you might not.

On the topic of gardening: I met a NZ woman in Suva who was putting in a lot of her own time to set up a gardening awareness programme. The basic diet of Fijians is not always so healthy (overreliance on taro) and she was developing a course for vegetable gardening. Some resorts now do this (grow own veggies), to be able to offer a better diet to tourists.

#8 / silvanocat: I have eyes, yes, and i'm very intrested in all replies made to this topic - so yes, actually I have read through every post on this thread, although i understand it might surprise you - i didn't make this thread "for fun".

#9 / Api: Thanks for the heads up! I have heard/read that Vava'u doesn't have much to see if you don't have a boat (or money for the transfers), and you're backing that up. I guess i have to reconsider Tonga.. But i thought Samoa was more expensive than Tonga, at least what the LP SPacific book prices tell me.. (??)

#10 / Raro: I can take little fevers and beat them with drugs, but malaria is a disease i wouldn't want to catch - i won't have anti-fever drugs with me all the time, and what if i have a seizure somewhere alone, away from help? That's a serious risk for me. Anyhow, about the attitude - I wrote a long first post, because i wanted people to know my thoughts and the situation. If i had posted just a little bit of info, it would be far more harder for you to know what i'm thinking, right? As what comes to my reply to silvanocat, it was merely a note that before replying to a thread, to avoid repeating, you should read the thread through. But i might be wrong, and here on LP forums it's usual that people post the same stuff all over again.

#11 / oldpro: Yes, we're a couple, should have written that out on the first post. Do you know how are the import laws in Fiji, can you bring seeds with you (as long they have the latin name displayed) or do you have to get them sent?

Does anyone know how easy it is to get around in the Cooks with boat transfers? Because to the outer atolls, the flights cost enormous amounts of money.. Is there a cheaper way?

And you Fiji-professionals like oldpro, do you know about the inter-island transfer possibilities in the Lau group?

One last thing; On wet season, the rains come mainly in the afternoon/evening/night, in HEAVY brief showers, or this is what i have heard, is it true?

-J

isn't that the pacific charm - and practically everywhere in the Pacific it's the same, not much to do?

Apart from Sundays there are all kinds of things to do.

Kayaking, swimming, snorkeling, beach hiking, mountain hiking, beach fishing, trolling for Tuna/Mackerel, surfing, sailing, you name it it's there for you to do.

Of course some of it takes money and if you're not interested in water sports you had better find somewhere else to visit.

I've seen people tenting in Fiji in rainy season-quite laughable really-sodden tightwads are to me quite comical (!)

And it can rain anytime and rain heavy you are in for some 'interesting times' I hope your relationship with your SO is strong it'll need to be.

As to diet-in Fiji vegetarian means 'no meat'+ but if cooked by Fijians can mean +'contains fish' Indo Fijian is generally only available in towns and a few select resorts.

Also camping @ a resort even a backpacker one may or may not include kitchen privileges inquire first and expect to pay at some places-not a lot but if they don't want you cooking outside your tent you're stuck.

No real boat transfers in the Cooks. Freighters are very erratic, so don't plan or rely on them even if schedules are posted.

Yes, as above, rain does not only fall in the afternoon/evening/night, it can be any time of the day. In the Cooks, and Fiji, it may last an hour or two, rarely longer unless a cyclone is on the way, which is only once a year on average. But a couple of hours later you could get another hour or two of rain.

Rainstorms tend to last longer in Fiji than in the Cooks, as RAr is so small and has no real mountains to slow things down. But just be prepared for rain at any time from Nov to April.

Malaria is mainly west of Fiji, and not east of Fiji nor on Fiji itself. Dengue can come up anywhere in the wetter months.

I wrote "If you had read through previous posts on this branch" not thread.

And yes, people here DO "post the same stuff all over again". If Raro had a Euro for each time he has answered the camping in the Cook Islands, boats in the Cook Islands and weather questions he could buy the whole South Pacific. Take a look at his post on the FAQs.

So I posted a link that oldpro posted previously. I thought that I was doing you a favor since you are so obsessed with CHEAP and BUDGET and I thought I could save you a few Euros. Perhaps instead of scolding me for posting a link that was previously posted you might devote the time and effort to figure out how you could earn enough money to visit that atoll you've been dreaming about.

Never would have thought that even this forum has some bitter "old beards", but they're everywhere...

#15 / silvanocat: Apparently i got the term "branch"+ wrong. Anyhow, to me your message seems that you're annoyed by +"budget travelling"+ (everybody should be rich, i know), and that new topics are bad - although i have heard same kind of stuff before, when i started getting into using linux - every so-called-pro's shouting +"RTFM", and if you have to ask something, you're just plain stupid, right?

Everyone, i am very sorry that i ever invaded your holy territory of this Australasia & Pacific - Pacific Islands & Papua New Guinea -branch. Won't happen again, i will just read the FAQ's and old topics so thru that the harddisk containing them will have holes in the places where that data used to be - i won't be posting anything new, so thats good a) for your server, b) for your peace of mind, so you don't have to answer my stupid questions.

Also, all people who helped me, if you're ever travelling to northern Europe and need accommodation in Finland, PM me up!

Have a nice day!

-J

Sorry you feel that way after all the effort we have put into this.

But I do invite you to ask more specific Q's about specific accommodation places, etc etc., if you do get the urge.

Yeah well, sorry for the inconvieniece i have caused.

I was aware that my topic could be a stupid question when i posted it.. As like silvanocat pointed out, it is/was - people just were polite not to tell me RTFM straight away.

From now on, i'll just PM people if i have anything to ask and won't post anything stupid.

I just figured people could help me out by laying out some costs etc, but apparently i should have just RTFM - never saw it coming, i got the vibe people are really helpful on this branch.. And you've been so, but i don't wanna waste your time - like silvanocat said, even you Raro have posted the same stuff all over and over again, because people just don't search & read the FAQs enough.

I never wanted to be a burden to anyone / never wanted to upset anyone - yet i succeeded in it!

Good thing is that there are other forums than this one!

Take care

-J

Post deleted, not worth saying anything.

Edited by: silvanocat

javanio.... an observation....and a suggestion

Observation #1: Your initial post had about five questions and three times as many statements about what you already knew. It had several instructions on how to answer your questions properly.

Observation #2: Most of the active posters in this group have been to the places they talk about, and they really want to help others. They, (and I include myself in this category) are "cyber-extroverts" and like to see their words published and praised.

Suggestion: Feed us one or two questions at a time. Wait for a response. We can be very friendly and chatty if given a chance. I'm reminded of a something a good friend said to me a long time ago; "People that know it all are especially irritating to those of us who do."

One more thing I recently learned was from Randy Pausch who gave "The Last Lecture" and then wrote a book about it and then died. He said "Find the best in everybody; no matter how long you have to wait for them to show it." If you bail jvainio, you'll never see it.

Yeah well, from silvanocats words i got the picture that everyone here replying to anything is just doing that "with long teeth" (a Finnish expression, referring to that they are not that willing) and that my questions are super-stupid - i should use more search, more google and read more books.

And i don't want help if it's so hard to do and you're just helping me because you're polite and don't wanna just say "RTFM & google it, bitch" - if it's a pain in the ass to help me, then don't, i'll be better off somewhere where i don't bother people, as it wasn't what i tried to do.

And the reason why i didn't start off with one question, was that i figured it would go easier that way.

Apparently not, so i should chop this threads questions up and make a new thread, posting one piece at a time?

-J

jvaino ... try to get some perspective, OK? It's easy to misinterpret on the web. A few words posted in a forum, and there's a lot of room for ambiguity. I post with the best of intentions, almost always in the same way with everyone, and that still does not stop 1-2 people per year from misinterpreting and reacting violently to a word or phrase I used, directing a stream of abuse at me.

And consider this: why would you generalize from an experience with just one person to "everyone here replying.."? You could just as easily say (I hope), that the picture you get from oldpro's posting is that a lot of people take the time to help out where they can.

Do as you please, there are no rules or even guidelines about how many questions you can ask in one posting. If you put them all in one post, someone might complain about it being too complicated. If you put different questions in different posts, someone else will complain about you taking up too much space on the branch and say you should put them all in one post!.

You can't win if you try to please everyone. That's the way it goes.

jvainio - post #21

Yeah... conversational... like we're doing right now... one or two topics at a time.... or, notice how the thread morphs from one subject to another as the conversation continues.... just be patient and ignore the occasional irrelevant remark(s)