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Don’t forget Easter Island for less palm trees and more stone statues.
This is a brilliant way to see Polynesia, ‘over water’ accommodation and a different venue every day - https://www.moanavoyages.com/en/cruises/archipels-croisieres/
I’ve been to Easter Island too (2000 ish). It’s a fantastic place to visit, but it is super hard to get to. 9 ish hour flights from Santiago or Tahiti IIRC.
It’s also amazing to hear how a civilisation tore itself apart without regard for their environment.
Got allow myself one big sin
You of all folks, have less to feel sinful about doing this than pretty much anyone I know. You do more than most to try to limit your emissions and this isn't going to make any difference. I think you should travel guilt free. I've never been to any Pacific Island, however my wife says that Hawaii for all it's tourist trapiness (Yes, I did mean to put a t) has to be seen to be believed, and would go back in an instant. I'll look forward to the pictures.
Several Tongans I worked with said Tonga isn't great to visit, go to Samoan, but don't tell the Samoans we sent you.
Discovery islands are nice, great whale watching too.
Pitcairn Island is down round that way. IIRC everyone who considers themselves indigenous is descended from the sailors who were mutineers from the Bounty. There's only a handful of permanent residents, and it's one of the remotest places on the planet. Might be worth swinging by...
There’s only a handful of permanent residents,
Aren't half or a third of the men now in prison for being sex offenders? Doesn't sound like an ideal spot for a holiday if I'm being honest
Cook Islands. Incredible place, amazing people, beautiful place and I preferred it to Fiji.
Fiji was great fun too, but as said above, you need to get off the main island to get the best from it.
Aren’t half or a third of the men now in prison for being sex offenders?
Hadn't seen that! Probably one to avoid in that case
The whole history of Pitcairn is pretty unpleasant. How did any women get to the island?
Anyone else got a mental image of TJ in a grass skirt and a coconut bra? Just me?
Funny you should mention that 🙂
Had a few weeks on Rarotonga about 10years ago. Ticked all the boxes of island paradise for me.
It was expensive, which is understandable as everything is flown or shipped in, but not excessively so back then.
Tiny island which you can circle in no time at all on a moped, with walks up the volanco in the middle etc and surrounded by beaches and lagoons, so pretty much what you'd expect if you think 'polynesia'
This was just before direct flights from Australia were avaiable, so idea how much it's changed - back then you'd only stop if travelling between NZ and LA or coming out and back from NZ.
There were resorts, but most seemed relatively small, we stayed in a rented bungalow.
If it was still the same would go back in heart beat.
How did any women get to the island?
The mutineers initially headed back to Tahiti (the reason they mutinied in the first place), and collected twenty islanders 14 of whom were women. I think by about the early 19thC only one mutineer was left, the others and the Polynesians from Tahiti had all been murdered or killed. The descendants that live there now are from those initial settlers
I have been to Pitcairn Island back in 2000 (was in the RN). Personally its not a place that Id rush back to amazing if disturbing story. Ladies were taken there as part of the mutineers originally. Only thing going for it was an lovely lagoon, other than it is just an odd rock in the ocean. Inhabited by incestuous males, I'd be surprised if there is any future for the place as when I was there alot of the young were leaving to be educated in New Zealand and not coming back ( cant imagine why ). Also stopped at a place called Palmerston Atoll, amazing island with only a few inhabitants and only accessible by boat. Locals were amazing I could have stayed for ever. People sailing the world were offered stays in swap for goods . Ill find some photos, also did Tahiti and Hawaii but not photos (was in the bar)
I did that once too - the round the world ticket, visiting Australia, New Zealand, and several pacific islands. It was one of the best things I've ever done.
Fiji's fanastic. So much to do, loads of little islands nearby, and is great for a curry.
Mo'orea's like Bora-Bora without encircled lagoon and the insane celebrity prices. Totally gorgeous but with boulangeries too. Bora-Bora was the anticlimax of the trip (apart from scuba diving with manta rays) but then we couldn't afford to climax it properly cos of the extortionate accomodation.
The Cook islands are great. Lots of fun and also gorgeous. The lagoon at Aitutaki is the most picture-perferct beach-type destination I have ever and will ever visit. Ever. We took a boat trip to One Foot Island and simply stared, open-mouthed and laughing ocassionally, until they took us away again a few hours later.
I also went to Hawaii once (the Big Island and Kauai) but I'd rather visit any of the above again because Hawaii's just too like America. Although Waimea Canyon on Kauai is absolutely astonishing.
I'm a lucky bastard to have been able to do that, and I'm entirely jealous of you at the same time 😀 I want to go again!
Visited there a long time ago (~1993). My broad generalisation (always the best kind I find 😉 back then was that the non-French islands were "better". The French territories that we visited (Marquesas, Tuamotus, Society Islands - Tahiti, Morea, Bora bora) were relatively well off, and the locals not much interested in our existence. Other places we visited - Cook Islands, Tonga, Fiji, and Niue were much friendlier towards travellers, and more likely to engage with us.
Rarotonga was great, but at the same time the only place I saw a fight break out in a bar I was in !
Tonga - Try the Kava 😉
Niue - Probably the friendliest, nicest island on the planet.
LR