Oceania travel tips and stories. Vacations ideas, cruises spa and resorts

Just a five-minute boat ride north of Efate Island in the Vanauatu Island chain, Kakula Island has been called “The Jewel of the South Pacific” for good reason. Its lush 90 acres include white sand beaches, coral reefs and pristine tropical splendor. Protected by neighboring islands, the calm waters surrounding Kakula are excellent for swimming, fishing and snorkeling. Uninhabited and unspoiled, Kakula serves as a breeding ground for sea turtles.

Continue reading Escape to paradise called Kakula Island

The Cook Islands are a Polynesian paradise consisting of fifteen islands scattered over some one million square miles of the Pacific Ocean. They lie at the center of the Polynesian Triangle of the South Pacific with Tonga and the Samoas to the west, and Tahiti to the east.

Continue reading The newest 4-star property on the Cook Islands

Have some serious fun in the adventure sports capital of the world—New Zealand! Whether it is sailing or sea kayaking off the Bay of Islands, hiking the Routeburn, trout fishing, scuba diving, bungee jumping or sheep mustering, we will put together the ultimate New Zealand vacation for you.

New Zealand’s awesome landscapes, lush forests, amazing wildlife and pleasant climate make it a haven for many outdoor activities, and a great place to unwind. New Zealand society is diverse, sophisticated, and multicultural, and the honesty, friendliness, and openness of Kiwis will impress you.

Continue reading The great advantage of New Zealand

With a circumference of only 37 miles and coastline served by paved road, Moorea can be encircled in a single day’s bicycle or car tour. Be sure to stop in the villages and boutiques as you make your way around. Enjoy horseback riding along the beach or into the interior, hiking up to a hidden waterfall, or drive to the Belvedere lookout point, high in the interior of Moorea for spectacular views of Opunohu and Cook’s Bays.

Moorea, soaring magically out of the ocean in an explosion of green velvet, is what you would imagine a South Seas island to be. A wide, shallow lagoon surrounds the island`s vertical mountains where poetic threads of waterfalls tumble down fern-softened cliffs. Peaceful meadows flanked by pinnacles of green will fill your senses and renew your belief in the majesty of nature. Pastel-painted houses surrounded by gardens of hibiscus and birds of paradise, circle the island in a fantasy of happy, yet simple villages.

A favorite of frequent visitors, Moorea offers couples the perfect combination of all the islands: pristine and secluded beaches; lush mountains and valleys; exclusive resorts; and a wide variety of shopping and fine restaurants.

The drama of Moorea’s landscape continues below the sea with an infinite range of canyons, chasms, and promontories. Fish feeding is common here so divers are often surrounded by schools of small and large marine life. With a lack of strong currents, Moorea is perfect for beginners while the deeper canyons attract the more advanced divers.

Continue reading Moorea is known as the “Magical Island”

Bora Bora – Unquestionably the most mythical of the Pacific islands remains the island of all dreams.
So much has been written about Bora Bora, and yet it is hard to find the right words to describe the magic that emanates from this island.
Seen from the air, Bora Bora has been compared to that of “a tiny emerald in a setting of turquoise, encircled by a sheltering necklace of sparkling pearls”.

Continue reading Best Beaches Bora Bora

The ceremonial Men’s House is the sacred dwelling of the initiated men and of the spirits. This kind of building is found in many cultures of Oceania, but those of the Middle Sepik are the most elaborate from an aesthetic viewpoint. Called tambaran, these constructions can reach 25 metres in length and exceed 18 metres in height. They occupy a central position in the villages and are built in the area reserved for ceremonies. The Men’s House is usually built on two levels. On the ground floor it is surrounded by large sculpted poles, decorated with totem symbols, and it is divided into spaces with hearths, each of which is assigned to a single clan. Here also are the huge slit drums, the small stools and the hooks sculpted and painted with anthropomorphic illustrations, which are hung from the beams to hold the food baskets.

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Teahupoo (pronounced Cho-poo) is a world-renowned surfing location off the south-east of Tahiti, located in Papeete Island, French Polynesia, southern Pacific Ocean. It is known for its heavy, glassy waves, often reaching 2-3m (7-10ft) and higher. It is the site of the annual Billabong Pro Tahiti surf competition, part of the World Championship Tour (WCT) of the ASP World Tour professional surfing circuit and used to be one stop in the World Tour of the International Bodyboarding Association.

Tahiti’s Teahupoo is essentially a glorified closeout – a hideous, deadly barrel promising a heap of trouble for even the most capable of surfers. No other surf spot extracts a higher toll than Teahupoo, the heaviest wave in the world.

Continue reading Are you ready for some surfing at Teahupoo