2009 Pitcairn Island Tours

Between January and March, 2009, the Research Vessel Bounty Bay will make five visits to Pitcairn Island via Mangareva Island in French Polynesia. Since there’s no airport on Pitcairn, this is about the only way to get there. Cruise ships sometimes advertise Pitcairn Island visits, but at best their passengers get only a couple of hours on Pitcairn, and if the weather is at all bad, they can’t land at all. In contrast, those booking passage on the MV Bounty Bay through Pacific Expeditions Ltd get a week or more ashore. A sidetrip to Henderson Island from Pitcairn is included in the tour. Prices range from US$2,900 to US$3,600 depending on the length of the cruise, and room and board with a local family on Pitcairn is US$70 extra per person per night. The flight from Tahiti to Mangareva where one boards the ship also costs extra. The RV Bounty Bay carries only 12 passengers and one of the five departures is already fully booked. This is something for the person who thinks they’ve seen and done everything.

Lonely Planet Seeking Authors

Guidebook publisher Lonely Planet is currently seeking people interested in updating their guidebooks for a fee. This list of destinations up for grabs includes seven Canadian provinces and 15 US cities or states. They’re also looking for Pacific-based writers for their island titles. Unlike the previous Lonely Planet policy of “parachuting” experienced researchers into new areas, LP now seems to prefer stringers based in the areas themselves. This has the obvious advantage of local knowledge but members of a community are unlikely to want to step on many toes. So future Lonely Planet guides will probably be less critical. Newbie writers with no experience need not apply as “two examples of your published writing work (preferably travel-related), including details on where and when they were published” are required.

Lonely Planet’s job offer page is all about what they want and doesn’t cover what they’ll be giving successful applicants. Anyone considering updating for Lonely Planet should be aware that the publisher will own all rights to their work, including moral rights. The only compensation will be a flat one-time fee. Free travel insurance is usually thrown in (probably to protect the publisher from liability as much as the writer from actual harm). The good old days when LP writers retained their copyrights and earned royalties are gone for good.

Still, if you've got the time and enthusiasm, doing one or two books for LP can be educational. You'll be badgered by arrogant editors who have no personal knowledge of your area, will have to adhere to strict deadlines, won't be allowed to solicit freebies (although many LP authors do anyway), and will have to pay your own travel expenses. Ex-Lonely Planet author Wayne Bernhardson comments, “Nothing could persuade me to return to LP, even if they wanted me (not bloody likely). Working with them is, as Tim Cahill so famously put it, like being pecked to death by ducks.”

Avalon Travel also accepts applications from potential authors and they want five relevant clips to demonstrate your travel writing prowess before they’ll even look at your application. The many other requirements are clearly spelled out on their Acquisitions page. In the short term, you’ll make more money working with Lonely Planet, although you’ll probably survive longer with Avalon if you do a good job and toe the line. At Lonely Planet, you’ll be completely at the mercy of the publisher whereas Avalon Travel still respects author’s rights and usually allows them to retain the copyright to their own work. Avalon also pays royalties – although they’re not high – and usually gives a small advance to help cover writer’s initial costs.

Bertie’s B&B Apia Samoa

Some of Apia’s best budget accommodation is at Bertie's Bed and Breakfast out at Vaitele Fou, about eight kilometers west of town. You can get there by local bus from the market for two tala. Bertie's is run by English expat Mark Birtwistle and his Samoan wife, Mariana Birtwistle. The rooms are large with their own en suite, air conditioning, and comfortable beds. The 65 tala (US$23) single or 110 tala (US$39) double includes a filling breakfast of fruits, eggs and toast, plus tea or coffee. There’s a communal kitchen should you wish to prepare your own meals. Bertie's does pick ups and drop offs at the airport with discounted prices for Bertie's guests. Mark also runs Bertie's Island Tours which does a complete trip around the island for 145 tala (US$51) including admission fees and lunch. Bertie's is helpful, friendly, and you really become part of the family.

Fiji Me with Moon Fiji

Moon Fiji explores the 322-island Fiji Archipelago that lies at the crossroads of the South Pacific. The handbook covers the islands of Viti Levu, Vanua Levu, Taveuni, Ovalau, and Kadavu, plus the Mamanuca, Yasawa, Lomaiviti, and Lau groups. Veteran travel writer David Stanley offers recommendations on what to take, where to go, and what to do, and outlines air routes, tour services, and interisland travel. This information-packed handbook provides more valuable insight than any other guide to Fiji.

Mon Fiji was the first—and is still the best—detailed, reliable source of information on travel around this exciting archipelago. This comprehensive travel guide provides frank reviews of lodgings, from luxury resorts to beachfront bures. Transportation options include getting around by foot, air, bicycle, ship, bus, car, and taxi, and there are also tips on discovering the finest local cuisine. You’ll find vivid descriptions of the islands’ dazzling beaches, rainforests, and reefs, plus tips for enjoying outdoor activities like diving, surfing, sailing, kayaking, and hiking.

Budget travel information. David Stanley demonstrates how easy it is to do it all without renting an expensive car or joining a restrictive tour.
The Fijians. A thought-provoking introduction to the people of Fiji, famed for their warmth, generosity, and fascinating array of traditional customs.
Relevance. Details of Fiji’s turbulent history, including frank coverage of the four coups.
Depth. All of Fiji is explored in this guide, not just the hot spots.
Precision. Moon Fiji quotes exact prices for accommodations, food, tour, and transportation to allow you to prepare a realistic travel budget.
Experience. The depth of coverage that comes from eight consecutive editions.
Maps. Sixty-seven clearly-labeled maps of islands, towns, and sightseeing highlights.
Electronic contacts. Hundreds of websites and email addresses embedded in the listings.
References: The comprehensive bibliography, glossary, and index making looking up information a breeze.

Talofa Cruises Samoa

The Samoa Shipping Corporation, the company operating the passenger ferry service between Upolu, Savaii, and Tutuila, has launched a new division, Talofa Cruises, offering day cruises on a fast catamaran purchased in Australia in February, 2008. The 150-passenger Lady Filifilia is the former Reef Quest, a dive boat formerly based at Cairns and used for scuba expeditions to the Great Barrier Reef. A choice of four day cruises are currently offered from Apia, including a trip right around the island of Upolu at US$115 with lunch and snorkeling. Scuba diving is available at additional cost.

Cabañas Vaianny Easter Island

Low budget travelers visiting Easter Island will be hard pressed to find a better place to stay that Cabañas Vaianny on Tuki Haka Hevari. The five clean, simple rooms in a duplex and triplex are US$20/35-50 single/double including a good breakfast. Each room has a private bathroom with hot water. Cabañas Vaianny is right in town, just around the corner from a supermarket and bar. The airport terminal is only a 15-minute walk away. Ask for Teresa Araki at the airport or reserve in advance by emailing taraki AT entelchile.net.

Questions About Easter Island

What kind of traveler is Easter Island best suited for?

Easter Island is for those who like wild, unspoiled places with lots to see and do. It’s not suitable for anyone looking for beaches, shopping, or nightlife. Independent travel is possible yearround, via Chile or French Polynesia.

What makes Easter Island such a great destination?

Easter Island’s concentration and variety of archaeological sites is unparalled anywhere in the Pacific. Around 1,000 of the famous statues or “living faces” lie scattered around the island, and there are stone walls, rock carvings, and lava caves. The coastlines are striking with huge waves crashing ashore and dormant volcanoes in each corner of the island. Most of the 4,000 inhabitants live in Hanga Roa village next to the airport and the remainder of the windswept island is largely unchanged since the statues were toppled centuries ago.

What should you not miss? Anything really unusual?

Easter Island’s top site is the quarry at Rano Raraku, where the statues were chiseled by hand from the yellowish volcanic tuff. Rano Raraku is now a huge sculpture park with hundreds of statues in various stages of completion scattered around the side of the volcano or along an ancient road to the coast. The island’s second must see is Orongo, the ceremonial center where an egg-collecting race to tiny Motu Nui island just offshore decided who would hold the title of Birdman for the following year. A number of circular dwellings were reerected at Orongo by archaeologists in 1974, and there are numerous birdman carvings in the adjacent cliffs. Orongo itself sits on the rim of the island’s most colorful volcano and the sea views are spectacular.

When is it best to go?

The best time to go is for the Tapati Rapa Nui Festival in late January or February when the whole population participates in traditional dancing, sporting events, canoe races, handicraft and agricultural exhibitions, statue-carving and shell-necklace-stringing competitions, body painting contests, mock battles, feasts, and the crowing of Queen Tapati Rapa Nui. A favorite of visitors is the haka pei when young men slide down a grassy hillside on banana-trunk sleds. The catch is that all flights into Easter Island are heavily booked during the festival season, especially the flight from Santiago de Chile. Finding accommodation is less of a problem as there are most beds on the island than there are seats on the plane.

Can you do it cheaply? If so, how?

The vast majority of places to stay on Easter Island are small hotels operated by local residents and most are inexpensive. Booking a room in advance is unnecessary as several dozen innkeepers meet each flight and compete enthusiastically for guests. Hanga Roa also has a reasonable selection of small restaurants. There’s no public transportation, but bicycles, cars, and horses can be hired. Local companies schedule daily sightseeing tours, but it’s also possible to take a taxi to any of the main sites around the island and walk back to town along seaside trails. The all-day hike from Anakena Beach to Hanga Roa around the wild northwest corner of Easter Island is one of the finest coastal walks in the South Pacific with fallen statues sprinkled along the way. A one-way taxi to Rano Raraku will allow ample time to explore the quarry then walk back along the south coast. From Orongo, it only takes an hour to walk back down to town. Sufficient food and water must be taken along on these expeditions.

Can you plan a trip there by yourself or is it better to book with a travel company?

All that is really needed for a visit is an airline ticket: Everything else can be easily arranged at less expense upon arrival. The only time when a package tour might be advisable is during the Tapati Rapa Nui Festival when bookings for everything are tight. Most visitors don’t require a visa to visit Chile but a head tax or “reciprocity fee” is collected upon arrival at Santiago International Airport, with the amount varying according to nationality: United States citizens US$130, Canadians US$132, Australians US$56, Mexicans US$15, etc.

Answers by David Stanley, author of Moon Handbooks South Pacific.

Vavau Tonga Update

Airlines Tonga is not operating domestic flights in Tonga at the moment. Meanwhile, Chathams Pacific is doing a great job in getting tourists back and forth from Nukualofa to Vava'u. The success of Outriggers in Paradise continues, although Bruce and Julianne Bell report that business is calling them back to Australia and the company is presently for sale. It looks like a great lifestyle business opportunity for the right person. Julianne writes, “We'll just have to delay our dream a few more years.”

Savusavu Music Festival 2008

The 5th annual Savusavu South Pacific Music Festival will be held at several venues around Savusavu, Vanua Levu, Fiji, from November 12 to November 15, 2008. The theme this year will be a “musical safari through the islands” and some of the South Pacific’s best song, dance, and theatrical performers will appear. A festival pass will be required to attend evening shows at the Savusavu Hot Springs Hotel and Jean-Michel Cousteau Fiji Islands Resort but a few free events in downtown Savusavu are also planned. Savusavu hotel space will be at a premium during the festival.

Route Changes by Air Pacific

Fiji’s national carrier Air Pacific is adjusting its route map again. On the chopping block are flights to Vancouver, Canada, being discontinued effective November 30, 2008, and service to Tokyo, Japan, ending on March 31, 2009. The airline claims rising fuel costs and insufficient demand have made these routes uneconomic. What’s new is a twice weekly flight from Nadi to Gold Coast/Coolangatta, Australia, which begins in December 2008. In June 2009 Air Pacific will begin flying between Nadi and Hong Kong to tap the increasingly important Chinese tourist market.

Air New Zealand Goes Begging

Air New Zealand is threatening to reduce or eliminate air service from the United States to Tonga, Samoa, and the Cook Islands unless the island governments pay the airline subsidies. The New Zealand Government owns a 75 percent share in Air New Zealand and both entities have received criticism for undermining economic development in countries which are recipients of New Zealand overseas aid. Air New Zealand’s mercenary approach underscores French Polynesia’s perspicacious decision to create Air Tahiti Nui in 1996 so as not to be dependent on the whims of overseas carriers. Air New Zealand’s main objective is to deliver tourists to Auckland and the South Pacific islands only enter this equation if they support that goal. Anyone who has experienced middle-of-the-night arrivals or departures at Papeete, Rarotonga, or Nadi on Air New Zealand will understand the approach. Convenient morning arrivals and evening departures from Auckland are all that matters.

Tutuila American Samoa Restaurants

Tutuila, the main island of American Samoa, may not be the gourmet capital of the South Pacific but there’s no shortage of places to eat. Aside from the usual American fast food chains, your main source of fried, high-sodium, and high-cholesterol Samoan fast food are the eateries around Fagatogo Market. The Waterfront Restaurant (Monday-Saturday 0600-1700, Saturday 0600-1500), nearby on the water side of Fagatogo Square, is fast food heaven, with nachos, fried chicken, fish and chips, hamburgers, ice cream, and coffee. About the best little fast food place with point and shoot ordering is Xin Hua across from the telephone building in Fagatogo. Judy, the owner, runs a nice operation and at US$3.45 she has absolutely the best shrimp plate in town. One of the only places in Fagatogo to get a coffee on Sunday morning is the gas station diagonally opposite the Sadie Thompson Inn. It also sells huge ice cream cones.

Tutuila's top place to eat is Sadie's Restaurant (daily 0600-1400/1800-2200), below the Sadie Thompson Inn just west of the market. Dinner will set you back a lot farther than lunch. Sook's Sushi (Monday-Saturday 0930-2130), opposite the Sadie Thompson Inn, specializes in Japanese and Korean dishes like spicy fish soup (US$11) and sashimi (US$16). Evie's Cantina (Tuesday-Friday 1100-1400/1730-2200, Saturday and Sunday 1730-2100), at the Motu O Fiafiaga Motel in Pago Pago village, dishes out some of the tastiest Mexican food in the South Pacific, plus karaoke nightly and a feature film with Sunday dinner. Avoid Evie's if you're a non-smoker. Don't Drink The Water (weekdays 0630-1500, Saturday 0700-1230), at Pago Plaza, is a friendly internet cafe serving breakfast for under US$5 and lunch for around US$7. Check out the sinfully rich deserts.

Away from the harbor area, there are several places along the highway at Nuuuli. Sunny's Chinese Restaurant (Monday-Saturday 1000-2200, Sunday 1000-1400 and 1700-2200) is east of the turnoff to the airport in Nu'uuli. Chinese dishes cost $7-8 while the seafood is $11-13. Hong Kong House (Monday-Saturday 1000-2200, Sunday 1600-2100), east of Sunny’s, is nicely decorated and the menu is impressive. Rubbles Tavern (Monday-Saturday1030-2300), at Nu'uuli next to Transpac, is an air-conditioned Samoan-American sports bar. Steaks, burgers, wings, and nachos are on the medium-priced menu. Weekdays from 1600-1800 is happy hour and Sundays from 1100-1400 there's a Samoan buffet at US$15. Your best bet for breakfast is Mrs. Paul's Island Delites (weekdays 0700-1400, Saturday 0700-1200), a small family restaurant in Nu'uuli almost opposite Tropik-Traders. For breakfast there's steak and eggs (US$8), omelettes (US$5), and hotcakes (US$4), while lunch is fried or curry chicken (US$6), burgers (US$4-5), chop suey (US$2 a scoup), and other local favorites.

Mom's Place (Monday-Wednesday 0600-1800, Thursday and Friday 0600-2000, Saturday 0600-1400), at the Tafuna Industrial Park, is easily the best breakfast place on the island (under US$5). Lunch and dinner of burgers, fish and chips, noodles, and sandwiches are generally under US$7.

The Deluxe Café (Monday-Saturday 0700-1400, Sunday 0900-1400), in Ottoville next to Cost-U-Less and only a five-minute walk from the Tradewinds Hotel, is a typical American-style diner serving a good breakfast for US$8. Their generous lunches are medium priced at US$7-13. The locals call it the "Samoan Denny's." The Equator Restaurant (daily 0630-1030/1130-1530/1730-2100) at the Tradewinds Hotel has a fiafia buffet and show on Friday nights. There’s also the Goat Island Café at Sadie's by the Sea, the old Rainmaker Hotel at Ululei.

Most places provide the standard "bottomless" cup of coffee dear to American hearts. The “Special Export Lager” variety of Vailima beer sold in American Samoa has an alcohol content of 6.7 percent by volume. The listings above are updated from the 8th edition of Moon Handbooks South Pacific.

InterContinental Fiji Resort

The long-awaited InterContinental Fiji Golf Resort and Spa on Natadola Beach south of Nadi looks set to open in May 2009. Apart from the large resorts of Denarau Island, the InterContinental Fiji will be the first major resort to open on Viti Levu since the Outrigger on the Lagoon was redeveloped in 2000. The US$200 million JW Marriott Fiji Resort and Spa at Momi Bay to the north of the InterContinental is still under construction and hopefully will begin receiving guests before the end of next year.

The InterContinental Fiji will have 271 upscale rooms, three swimming pools, three restaurants, two bars, a ballroom, and a spa. The 18-hole Vijay Singh Golf Course has been laid out on rolling hills next to the resort. A 125-room Four Seasons boutique hotel and 100 luxury villas are planned for the same area. The beach at Natadola is excellent with high white sand. There’s surfing offshore but no worthwhile snorkeling nearby.

Pacific Blue to the Solomons

The Australian carrier Pacific Blue is to begin twice weekly flights between Brisbane, Australia, and Honiara, Solomon Islands, in December, 2008. Connections to/from Wellington, New Zealand, and most large Australian cities will be available through Brisbane. Pacific Blue, part of the Virgin empire owned by British businessman Sir Richard Branson, already flies from Australia to Apia, Nadi, Nukualofa, Port Moresby, Port Vila, and Rarotonga. Fares on these no frills flights can be cheap but take along something to eat unless you’re prepared to buy food on board.

Changing Times in Fiji

With commodity exports in decline, Fiji’s biggest source of foreign exchange could soon be the sale of carbon credits to polluters overseas. The carbon trading market is doubling in value every eight months and eventually it could be worth a billion dollars a year to Fiji. Another untapped source of future income is the production of ethanol from Fiji’s sugar. Such an industry would create processing jobs in Fiji and provide a steady market for the country’s 22,000 cane farmers. Rather than trying to modernize its antiquated sugar mills, perhaps Fiji should be changing direction entirely.

Tahiti Handbook Online

All 435 pages of the 4th edition of Tahiti Handbook Including Easter Island and the Cooks is now online at Google Books. The “Table of Contents” bottom can direct you to the section you want, otherwise consult the indexes on pages 420 to 435. Bear in mind that this is the 1999 edition and the 6th edition of Moon Tahiti is much more up to date.

Tahiti Handbook is the fourth guidebook of mine to appear on Google Books in its entirety. You can also read the 1st edition of Tonga-Samoa Handbook (1999), the 6th edition of Moon Handbooks Fiji (2001), the 8th edition of Moon Handbooks South Pacific (2004) online. I intend to continue posting older editions of my books on Google as a service to the Internet community, however the latest editions will only be available for sale in hard copy form. Actually, my guidebooks are cheap for all the maps and information they contain.

New Trail on Malekula

Noah Thomas, a Peace Corps volunteer on Malekula in Vanuatu, informs me that his group has pioneered another hike across the island, the Man Bush Walk. This one goes from Unua, near the mouth of the Pankumu River just south of Mbwitin, to Lawa just north of Wintua on South West Bay. The basic rundown is as follows:

Day One: Unua to Melken (9.32 km). Elevation 94 meters. Time walking: 2 hr. 15 min. Resting: 30 min. Total 2 hr. 45 min.
Notes: Easy walk. The road is good and clear. The village is currently working to widen the road so that trucks can pass. You cross the Paunkumu 12 times, so a lot of river crossings. Most crossings are shallow, rarely over thigh high. Heavy rains could make the road unpassable.
Accomodation: Stay at the Melken woman's club. Simple. Mats were placed on the floor for bedding, and food is included. Only 100 vatu per person.

Day Two: Melken to Lambongbong (17.39 km). Elevation 840 meters (finish at 540 m). Time walking: 6 hrs. Resting: 2 hrs. Total 8 hrs.
Notes: Difficult. One very steep climb that gains over 500 meters of elevation very quickly. There are some river crossings early on, and also areas with soft mud. There is a fresh water source after the big climb.

Day Three: Lambongbong to Lawa (15.19 km). Time walking: 5 hr. 30 min. Resting: 1 hr. Total 6 hr. 30 min.
Notes: Moderate to Difficult. Lots of mud. Three climbs, including one steep one after you cross the Matanoi river. Gains 300 meters of elevation in less than a kilometer. There is a large waterfall at the river, which is amazing. After Lawa we chartered a boat (1,500 vatu) and slept in a small village near Wintua.

Maps and photos of the many trails Noah and his group are opening up on south Malekula are on the Kula Trail Blog. I highly recommend them to anyone who wants to experience the real Vanuatu, as opposed to the tourist’s Vanuatu in Port Vila. This isn’t “soft adventure travel”, however. Only the audacious need apply. Here’s a recent video filmed in the area:

Adventure Capital of Fiji

Pacific Harbour on Viti Levu has established itself as the Adventure Capital of Fiji with Uprising Beach Resort right at the center of it all. The biggest event at Uprising over the last 10 months has been the signing on of the Feejee Experience Tour. Due to a greater demand for sun and sand—plus more adventure activities—Feejee Experience now bases its Pacific Harbour activities at the resort. Guests at Uprising Beach Resort can choose among the world’s number one shark dive, Fijis only Flying Fox Zip Line Canopy Tour, whitewater rafting in the highlands, or simply a relaxing day on the beach with a cocktail and good book.

The Feejee Experience Tour starts off in Nadi then heads around the island, participating in activities such as sand dune sand boarding, river tubing, and cultural village tours. It stops off at Mango Bay on the Coral Coast, Uprising at Pacific Harbour, and Volivoli at Rakiraki. These trips are aimed at the younth market and are a lot of fun.

Make Travel Fair

I’ve been interviewed by Stephen Chapman of MakeTravelFair.com. Will traditional guidebooks be replaced by electronic gadgets and the Internet? How does traveling without a guidebook compare to following a guide? Are printed guidebooks still relevant? In light of the coups, is Fiji safe to visit? What’s the future of tourism in the South Pacific? These were some of the subjects covered in the interview.

Solomon Islands Logging