Oceania

Travel through Oceania by country:

Australia, Indonesia, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, New Zealand, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu

Travel through Oceania by popular city:

Auckland, Canberra, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney, Wellington

Travel through Oceania by popular things to do:

Cook Islands, Sydney Opera House

Travel through Oceania with our writers:

In the Corner of the World, Work and Play in Queensland

Cook Island Accomodations

by Neil Woodburn on

Vacations can be greatly enhanced by the accommodations one chooses; or they can be ruined.  On my recent
trip to the Cook Islands, I took a chance with a resort I knew nothing about, The Rarotongan Resort and Spa.

Although the rest of my travels tend to be far more rugged, once a year I like to treat myself to a nice, pampered
tropical vacation and in doing so, I appropriately raise my accommodation standards.  So, I am happy to report
that nearly everything at the Rarotongan was up to par.  The rooms were wonderful, had functioning air
conditioning (especially important in the South Pacific), friendly staff, and a supremely beautiful, isolated location
next to a marine preserve.  Most importantly, the Beachfront Suites were indeed beach-front – only 30 yards
of virgin sand separated us from the azure blue ocean. 

But alas, there is trouble in paradise.  The resort definitely took advantage of its isolated location and
captive clientele to produce some of the most expensive and horrible food I’ve ever consumed at resort.  The
meals reminded me of Eastern Europe in the early 1990s but at London prices.  Very disappointing.  After a
leisurely morning of lying out on the beach, it would have been so nice to indulge in a tasty lunch in the convenient
beachfront café, but this simply wasn’t possible.  Potato wedges were the only palatable item and
those got very boring very quickly.  Oh, and I’ve got to also point out that the wait staff certainly took
the term “wait” to heart while serving.  I know things operate on “island time” but
waiting an average of 30 minutes for mixed drinks—that were usually melted by the time they arrived—was
simply asking too much.

Despite the above mentioned problems, however, I would still stay at the Rarotongan if I were to return to the Cook
Islands—they were indeed some of the best accommodations we came across.  I’d certainly rent a scooter
to have handy, however, for every time I got hungry. 

Cook Islands, Rarotonga

by Neil Woodburn on

Rarotonga is the most popular of the Cook Islands and the place where I spent all of my time on my
recent sojourn to the South Pacific.  It’s the most developed of the islands, and caters the most to
tourists, but don’t let this turn you off.  “Developed” is a relative term.  The island has
just enough modern conveniences to make life comfortable for visitors (air conditioning, potable water, ATMs), but not
enough to prevent them from enjoying the unspoiled treasures of a remote, tropical island. 

Only 8,200 people inhabit this small island which takes just one hour to drive entirely around—indeed, a
public bus does so every hour on the hour (I couldn’t help but feel sorry for the poor driver who just motored
around in one big circle all day long).

One of the reasons Rarotonga appealed to me was that in addition to its miles of beautiful beaches, the island is
also blessed with a thick, jungle interior.  My last tropical vacation, to Turks and Caicos, was a little
disappointing because the island had only beaches to offer.  The landscape of Turks and Caicos was flat,
desert-like, and boring!  Rarotonga, however, is much more like the now famous island of Oahu, recently
popularized by the TV series Lost.  Large mountains rise from its center and are covered with rich foliage that
creeps down to the beaches.  A challenging, yet rewarding cross-island trek leads the adventurous
through this thick, mysterious jungle and across the middle of the island.  Don’t do as my girlfriend and I
did, however, and attempt the trek from the south side (despite warnings not to do so). 

For those seeking less machete-inclined activities, Rarotonga also offers the regular slew of tourist attractions
ranging from scuba diving, horse riding, scooter rental, deep sea fishing and, of course, sun-bathing.  The only
real disappointment we ran across on the island was a few days of intermittent rain.  Nonetheless, the weather
stayed in the 80s during the downpours (and people didn’t even bother getting out of the water) so it was just a
mild setback in paradise. 

More on the Cook Islands

by Neil Woodburn on

Captain Cook sure picked a swell place to become his namesake.  The Cook Islands embrace every South Pacific cliché with such passion and
conviction that occasionally I had to pinch my well-tanned, daiquiri infused body to make sure it wasn’t all just
some wonderful dream.

I just returned home from my very first visit to these islands.  Having never been to Tahiti or Fiji, I
can’t compare the Cook Islands to their more popular South Pacific neighbors, but I can report that they are
indeed worth your time.

The islands offer that quintessential tropical getaway.  They are blessed with warm weather, pristine waters
and beaches, thick jungle interiors, and plenty of time for rest and relaxation.  There is also an abundance of
fresh mangoes, star fruit, coconuts and a variety of tropical fish on which to dine. 

I was told by my travel agent to expect “Hawaii 50 years
ago.”  This proved to be an apt description.  Tourism, although a major source of revenue on the
island, hasn’t managed to ruin it yet.  The atmosphere remains relaxed and laid back and the locals very
friendly.  Indeed, this was one of the easiest vacations I’ve ever been on.  Not even the language was
a problem as everyone spoke perfect English—albeit with a strong New Zealand accent.

Now We're Cookin'

by Neil Woodburn on

The Cook Islands have always been one of those destinations in the
world that are such a familiar name, yet I really had no idea where they were.  I ran across them recently when,
in the very late month of November, I began searching for a vacation spot to celebrate New Year’s. 
Everything in Costa Rica and Belize (my first choice) was booked and so I turned to one of my favorite magazines, Budget Travel, to find some last minute deals.

The Cook Islands, as it turns out, are in the South Pacific – a location I always considered too far and too
expensive to visit.  But this is simply not true.  I learned that Air
New Zealand can get you there on an easy overnight flight from LA and that accommodations are actually quite
affordable.  I ended up booking through South Sea Adventures
who hooked me and my girlfriend up with airfare and eight nights in a beach bungalow with breakfast included for
just over $2200 each.  This was a great deal considering I was flying Christmas night and returning just after New
Year’s.

So, please take a moment to sign on the next couple of days to read a series of posts about this fantastic
location.  You won’t regret it. 

South Pacific Blog

by Erik Olsen on

Are you dreaming of tropical climes? Wondering to yourself what it might actually be like to live out in the South Pacific? Wonder no more. The South Pacific blog takes you there, with posts about island life and even a dose of history. For example, take a read of this post about the Banabans of Fiji. No idea who the Banabans are? Me neither. But the writer of the blog, David Stanley, talks about them and many other island-related things in this excellent little blog. The style of the writing is clear and informative, as I guess you would expect it to be coming from a guidebook writer. Yes,