The South Pacific holiday experience is not just about relaxing on palm fringed beaches and swimming in crystal clear lagoons. You'll find world class scuba diving and surfing, excellent sailing, humpback whales and spinner dolphins, lush tropical rain forest with secret waterfalls, river rafting and a fascinating traditional village based culture. There are no poisonous insects, no terrorism threats, few tropical diseases and a low crime rate. Welcome to paradise, welcome to the Beautiful Pacific.
The Polynesian triangle stretches across the Pacific from New Zealand to Easter Island and north to Hawaii.
The Polynesian countries and territories included on our South Pacific map are French Polynesia, Pitcairn, Easter Island, the Cook Islands, Niue, Tonga, American Samoa, Samoa, Tokelau, Wallis and Futuna, and Tuvalu.
South Pacific travel focuses on vacation islands like Tahiti, Moorea, Bora Bora, Rapa Nui, Rarotonga, Aitutaki, Tongatapu, Vavau, Tutuila, Upolu, and Savaii.
The name Polynesia comes from the Greek words poly (many) and nesos (islands). The term was originally coined by Charles de Brosses in 1756 and applied to all the Pacific Ocean islands. The present restricted use was proposed by Dumont d'Urville in 1831.
The tall, golden-skinned peoples of this vast region speak closely related languages developed from a single mother tongue. Robert Louis Stevenson called them "God's best, at least God's sweetest work."
Melanesia curves down from New Guinea to the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, and Fiji.
While in Polynesia small coral islands and atolls are mixed with soaring volcanoes, in Melanesia the main islands are much larger, many of them remnants of a sunken continent.
Dumont d'Urville coined the name from melas (black) and nesos (islands) on account of the predominant skin color of the regions diverse peoples.
Melanesia is a region of striking contrasts, from thoroughly French Noumea, capital of the overseas French territory of New Caledonia, to Vanuatu's capital Port Vila where France, Britain, and Melanesia mix, and Honiara on Guadalcanal, a famous World War Two battleground.
Fiji is almost considered part of Melanesia, though the Polynesian element there is strong. South Pacific cruise ships frequently call at vibrant cities and dazzling beaches on these colorful islands.
Micronesia lies between Hawaii and the Philippines in the North Pacific. Dumont d'Urville named it for its mikros (small) nesos (islands), literally thousands of which make up the Marshall, Caroline, Mariana, and Gilbert groups.
Micronesia is broken down into seven distinct entities, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, the Territory of Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, the Republic of Palau, the Republic of Kiribati, and Nauru.
The most popular air travel route through the region features stops on Majuro, Kwajalein, Kosrae, Pohnpei, Chuuk, Guam, Saipan, Yap, and Koror.
These islands have been heavily impacted by outsiders, first German and Japanese colonialists prior to the world wars, then as trusts or associates of the United States. Kiribati is a former British colony.
It's an intriguing region to visit, though difficult to combine with South Pacific travel.
Samoa beaches are amongst the most exquisite in the South Pacific, although few have facilities (not even drinking water), none have lifeguards and most are almost totally secluded except those alongside a local village. Don't be surprised if a local turns up asking for money for use of the beach - land in Samoa is family owned and although you won't find signs saying 'keep out' or 'private property', the local owner has the right to charge a 'custom fee', usually from ST$2 to $5 per person. If you are 
looking for a pleasant beach resort to stay for a week or so, there are only a dozen or so throughout the islands . The alternative is to stay at one of the many beach fales or traditional thatch bungalows which are owned and operated by local villages.
One of the finest beaches in the South Pacific is in the remote and seldom visited Manu'a Group of American Samoa. Ofu beach is a stunning 2-mile stretch of white sand backed by endless coconut palms and mountains.
French Polynesia, better known as the Tahiti Islands after its largest and most populated island, ius the epitomy of Polynesia - rugged rain forest clad mounatin peaks tumbling into stunning lagoons, an abundance of tropical fruits and a people so graceful you might think you had arrived in heaven. The islands lie to the west of Fiji, Samoa, Tonga and the Cook Islands with 35 islands and 83 atolls in all dotted amongst over 5 million sq. km of ocean. Tahiti travel was first made famous by Captain Bligh and the Mutiny of the Bounty and along with its enchanting scenery, beautiful people and the vivid colours of French painter Paul Gauguin, French Polynesia has become one of the icons of the South Pacific.
Tahiti Scuba Diving is very popular in the Tuamotu Group with some very exciting dives in the remote Marquesas. There is world class Surfing around the main island of Tahiti with other good surfing spots off Moorea and Huahine.Game fishing is well catered for on most islands with Marlin and Yellow-fin Tuna the prize game. Tahiti is one of the finest Sailing destinations in the South pacific, both for visiting yachts and for chartering a boat once in the islands. The islands also have some of the best Hiking trails in the South Pacific, with stunning remote mountains on the main island of Tahiti and beautiful coastal walks in the remote Marquesas.
Tonga travel is extremely low key with just a handful of beach resorts around the islands. However, lack of commercial tourism makes this one of the hidden jewels of the South Pacific where the charm of the people and the down-to-earth charachter of the resorts play an integral part in making your holiday special. Apart from the glorious beaches and small islands, Tonga is an excellent destination for sailing, game fishing or exploring by water. This is the only South Pacific country not to have been colonized by Europeans and remains the only monarchy in the region. The Tongan Kings once ruled most of its neighbouring islands wielding enormous power throughout Polynesia. Today, the islands retain its proud and rich culture and offer tourists a remarkable array of attractions.
Tonga does not have a highly developed infrastructure for water activities and you won't find any commercial water sports like para-sailing, water skiing or jet boats here, which is great. However, the country is blessed with some of the best waters in the South Pacific for sailing, game fishing and whale watching and there are some excellent coral reefs for snorkelling and scuba diving.
The Vavau Group in the north of Tonga is considered to be the best region for Sailing in the South Pacific with deep channels and the Neiafu Harbour iwith its ideal anchorage and plenty of yacht charters. The same waters are also ideal for Game fishing.
The Hawaii Islands is one of the most sought after tourist destinations in the world. One of the 50 States of the USA, it is a mix of tradition and modern living, of large beach resorts and tropical adventure. Waikiki rules the tourist brochures, but the absolutely stunning landscape around the group should be more than enough to tempt most tourists to these shores.
Hawaii offers excellent opportunities for all sorts of activities, both on the land and in the water. Hawaii is the most isolated group of islands in the world, over 2000 miles to its nearest landmass. It's isolation within the worlds greatest ocean mean two things - lots of unique marine life (about 2000 different species, 30% of which are endemic to Hawaii) and BIG surfing waves. Add to that the states advanced tourist infrastructure and the keen independent game fishing, sailing and scuba diving charter companies and Hawaii becomes one of the best places in the world to enjoy water sports.
Scuba diving attractions evolve mainly around its rich and unique marine life. An Open Water certification course typically coast US$500 whilst a simple one-tank reef dive will cost US$60. Lanai, off Maui, is rated the best scuba diving destination by the experts with Maui and its small offshore islet of Molokini (best snorkelling destination) coming a close second. The Big Island is also considered an exceptional scuba diving destination and has excellent snorkelling around the South Kona Coast. Snorkelling around Oahu is generally good with several outstanding Marine Reserves including Hanauma Bay near Waikiki.
Hawaii is the worlds greatest surfing destination with the monster waves of Oahu's north shore and the surfing schools of bustling Waikiki Beach leading the way. The Big Island, Maui and Kauai also have some exceptional surfing breaks, notably in the winter months from October to March
The Big Island is renowned for its world-class game-fishing off the warm west Kona Coast waters. Seven-hundred-pound blue marlins are common year-round with catches of a thousand-pound not unusual.
The islands, being one of the most isolated places on earth in the heart of the north Pacific, are the ideal sailing stopover for yachts crossing the Pacific and are a popular winter base for yachties from West Coast America.
With a highly developed commercial infrastructure and finance provided through the National Parks system, Hawaii activities can be found in every shape and form and in every corner of the islands. With outstanding natural beauty and a rugged and wild coastlines adventure travel is one of Hawaii's greatest assets. There are several absolutely outstanding hikingtrails, notably the Napali Coast and Kokee State Park on Kauai and Volcano and Mauna Kea Forest Reserve on the Big Island. Kauai is renowned for its excellent kayaking, both sea kayaking along the rugged Na Pali coastline and river kayaking into the otherwise impenetrable rainforest. There are also excellent river kayaking opportunities on Oahu and the Big Island. The public has access rights to much of the state-owned land as well as all rights to the coastline making exploring easy.
The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to Antarctica in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia on the west and the Americas on the east. At 169.2 million square kilometers (65.3 million square miles) in area, this largest division of the World Ocean – and, in turn, the hydrosphere – covers about 46% of the Earth's water surface and about 32% of its total surface area, making it larger than all of the Earth's land area combined. The equator subdivides it into the North Pacific Ocean and South Pacific Ocean. The Mariana Trench in the western North Pacific is the deepest point in the Pacific and the world, reaching a depth of 10,911 metres (35,798 ft)
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