Whish Island?

Hi!

I'm travelling from England to a friend's wedding in Sydney, and have managed to wrangle just over a week's extra holiday than my boyfriend. This means I have a whole glorious week to myself to visit somewhere in the area.... I worked out in Singapore for awhile, during which I visited a fair bit of Asia, so am currently thinking of visiting one of the Pacific Islands (I've only visited Fiji doing the whole gap year round trip thing).

From looking at the Thorn Tree and other websites, I originally thought of Papua New Guinea, but on reflection, I'm not sure whether the amount of internal travel required would be a bit much for a period just over a week? I've also wanted to go to the Cook Islands, but am open to any other alternatives...

Basically, I'm fairly adventerous (and done a fair bit of travelling), and would ideally like a mix of relaxation (with some diving / snorkelling thrown in...I'm a certified diver, but to be honest, prefer to snorkel if the snorkelling is good) together with some culture or local scenary (eg. rainforest walks / boat trip etc).

Is there any other island I should be considering?

Also, does anyone know if it would be cheaper to just get a return flight to Sydney (there's current cheap offers on BA) and then arrange separate return flights from there, or get a 'round the world / boomerang' type ticket?

Any thoughts greatfully received!

Cheers

Sarah

Why not consider Solomon Islands - diving at Uepi, lots of local custom/tradition and beautiful scenery.

Other Solomons options feasible if you only have a week (2 would be better!)
Maravagi Resort (email or PM me for a phone number).
This is more reliable than the Western Province resorts if you are only there for a week, as it is simply a 2-hour boat ride from Honiara.
Or for the more adventurous, Malaita province. The capital, Auki, has several transport options from Honiara, including daily flights and several boats a week.
For more ideas, check out Exploring Solomons

Forgot to add, direct flights to Honiara are only from Brisbane at present, but this may change over the next few months.
There are good cheap one and two week deals, but you have to book these through a good travel agent.

Forget PNG, it is still unsafe for a solo female traveller in most mainland and highland areas.

Virgin Airlines Pacific carriers,[http://www.flypacificblue.com] have very resonably priced fares and holiday packages to Samoa, Vanuatu, Tonga and Cook Islands.

I think it is a great idea to visit a Pacific island as some of them are being threatened by global warming and may no longer exist even within our life-time.