Where to for 9 days from Auckland in November

Hi,

I have to go to NZ (from Norway!) for a conference, and if I am traveling exactly across half the world,
I would like to spend 10 days in early November in some interesting place, reachable from Auckland.

I have only been to the Cook Islands in Oceania. Like to experience things and appreciate something "different" or "exotic". I do not dive but am happy snorkeling. Around 40 years old. Traveling alone. Not looking for partying. Cannot (or at least don't want to) afford expensive hotels. Was always happy in 3-5$ "hotels" in Indonesia and taking the PELNI in those days.

Checking flights, the following places seem most interesting:

• Tonga (is it too late for the whale swimming thing?)
• PNG (can I do something meaningful there in 10 days, including the flights to/from NZ? I have always had an armchair traveler's fascination with PNG ...)
• Port Vila/Vanuatu
• Fiji
  (Previous posts on Samoa have scared me away from that place ...)

(Or should I just do a 10-day stopover in Singapore (where I have been a few times before), taking in Burma?)

Any tips and impressions/suggestions on how to "kill" a week in the South Pacific would be very much appreciated!

Go for Vanuatu.

Culturally, it would offer the greatest contrast to the Cooks, quite similar to PNG but on a smaller, more manageable scale. It also has fairly reliable domestic flights enabling you to get to other islands within your time-frame.
It is nowhere near as cheap as Indonesia, but relatively cheap budget guesthouses/bungalows do exist.

Browse through this website for more info:

http://www.positiveearth.org/bungalows/introduction.htm

Fiji and Tonga could be cheaper, but are more "westernized" and thus less interesting than Vanuatu. PNG is great, but it would be frustrating to have only a few days in such a huge and diverse country - also more expensive to reach from NZ.

Nagyon szépen köszönöm, László!

A very useful reply!
I guess it is down to Vanuatu (which I haven't thought much about) and PNG then.

Thanks for the link as well; finally, any tips for where to go for a taste of "exotic"
Vanuatu in my very short time frame?

Thanks again!

Nincs mit.

I'd say Tanna and Santo are the most interesting islands, and you might be able to"do" both in 10 days if you don't mind taking as many as 4 domestic flights, and rushing a bit.
Don't waste too much time hanging around Efate/Vila, a few hours looking around the center of the capital is more than enough.

Thanks again, László! This is most helpful!

id recommend santo in vanuatu or west new georgia in the solomon islands.
Hideaway Island resort near Port Vila is a cheap stretch of paradise.
Morovo Lagoon is worth the expense though! ;)

Check virginaustralia.com as they have good sale fares to south pacific islands right now!

Edited by: brent1984s

Thanks, brent, any help at this stage is highly appreciated!

A big thank you, Laszlo and brent1984s, for the excellent advice. Tanna was a great experience, as you write, more
for enjoying the magic atmosphere when the sun sets at the nakamal and people get quiet after drinking cava. Pure magic. Walking to other villages (such as Lamakara) was also nice, and then there is the volcano.

I stayed at the Lava View Bungalows and can safely recommend the place for a no-frills but very nice stay. Was very well received in Isaka village. Only positive experiences. Our guide in Isaka, Robert, was great and super honest. Only negative is that it is not very close to the coast, if you came here to swim/snorkel.

My impression is also that Laszlo is spot-on about the relative attractiveness of Vila compared to other destinations.