South Pacific Ports of Call...

**Ally** · 08-13-2006, 03:28 PM

The capital of the tranquil Northern Marianas Islands, Saipan lies to the north of Guam and at the southern end of the Marianas chain of islands. It is the site of the American Memorial Park commemorating the Americans who died in the US invasions of Saipan and Tinian. This small island (14 miles/22 km long and 5 miles/8 km wide) is a jumble of Micronesian, Spanish, Japanese and U.S. influences. Each of Saipan's eight towns has a different feel from the others.

Chalan Kanoa has a Spanish feel, yet it has Japanese Shinto shrines, and the people use traditional Micronesian water cisterns. In seaside Garapan, you'll find a few historical sights. Visit the old Japanese prison, the red sugarcane locomotive (once used for hauling cane to the sugar mill in Chalan Kanoa), the bell tower and the ruins of a Japanese hospital. Also worth a visit are the two botanical gardens and the Saipan International House of Prayer, crafted in Japan and brought to the island. You can also go windsurfing on Micro Beach and swimming at the Blue Grotto.

With various battle shrines scattered about and rusted U.S. tanks still stuck on the beach, Saipan has been the focus of pilgrimages by both U.S. and Japanese war veterans. Banzai Cliff is where many Japanese families, some pushing their children before them, committed suicide rather than be captured at the end of World War II. At nearby Suicide Cliff, hundreds of Japanese soldiers plunged to their deaths rather than surrender.

Excursions can be made to Bird Island and Managaha Island. Both islets have good spots for swimming, diving and snorkeling, and Managaha's lagoon is littered with war wreckage: planes, ships and guns. Also on Managaha are some Japanese guns used for coastal defense and the grave of Chief Aghurub, an important Chamorro chieftain.

**Ally** · 08-13-2006, 03:31 PM

Divine Island is a rare tropical paradise near Poum on the northern tip of Grande Terre island, New Caledonia. It offers white beaches lined by eucalypt trees and crystal clear water in the world’s biggest lagoon featuring an amazing underwater “Neptune’s Garden”.

Hienghène is on the northeast coast of Grande Terre Island, New Caledonia, an overseas territory of France, in the south-west Pacific Ocean. Located in a spectacular coastal landscape, Hienghène has two main attractions - the site of the massacre of 10 indépendantistes in 1984 and the Lindéralique Cliffs - dramatic, black limestone cliffs topped by razor-sharp pinnacles, rising in some places to 200ft above the sea. There is a replica Melanesian village at Club Med to the south and the Goa Ma Bwarhat Cultural Centre contains a small museum and a performance room, where there are occasional theatrical, musical and legend-telling performances. The symbol of Hienghene is its "hen"; the large mass of rock in the bay whose silhouette very closely resembles the farmyard animal.

The Isle of Pines, known for its white beaches and tall narrow pine trees, is part of New Caledonia and is situated 30 miles (50km) south east of the the main Grand Terre Island. " Kunié ", as it is still called by the inhabitants, is a beautiful under water as it is on land and a favourite spot for divers. But this small piece of paradise also bears witness to a stormy and painful past when the people were convicted for stealing.

In the south-east of the island near Vao you will find Upi Bay and Saint-Joseph Beach almost enclosed by the Oro peninsula and dotted with coral heads and teeming with fish. Oro Bay is an exceptional place reached by sea on foot along a small narrow path with two superb beaches of incredibly fine white sand, crystal water and a natural swimming pool carved out of the coral limestone. You can also visit Queen Hortense Cave and Oumagne Cave -limestone caves with a beautiful entrances.

Near Kuto in the south west of the island you can visit Kuto and Kanumera Bays, linked by a narrow isthmus, with long beaches of very fine white sand and the ruins of the Convict Prison: located at Ouro, which numbered over 2000 deported prisoners in the 1870s.

Lifou Island is one of the Loyalty Islands part of New Caledonia and Dependencies (an overseas territory of France), located in the southern Pacific Ocean. Lifou is a coral island where wild or terraced cliffs plunge into the sea, alternating with long white sandy beaches. The Bay of Chateaubriand, on the eastern coast is home to the coral outcrop of We, the largest in the archipelago and the village of Wé, the main administrative and commercial centre. Nearby is Jinek Bay for diving and snorkelling and Easo village, a replica of local life.

In the south the coast is studded with caves and at the Bay of Wanda there is a marine turtle park. In the west is Sandalwood Bay, named after the early sandalwood merchants and in the north, Doking where a tribe lives on the side of a 40 m high cliff overhanging extremely beautiful sea bed of coral. During their annual migrations (from August to September) it is along these cliffs that whales come to scratch off their back on the many small shells that have accumulated on their skin.

The Loyalty Islands consist of three large islands (Maré, Lifou, and Uvéa), and numerous small islands, totalling about 760 sq miles in area. Copra, rubber, and sugar cane are the chief exports.

Nouméa is a town in New Caledonia, an overseas territory of France, on the island of Grande Terre, in the south-west Pacific Ocean. Located on the protected harbour in the south-western part of the island, it is the territory's capital, chief port, and administrative and economic centre. The city centre spreads along Baie de la Moselle to the west, a fine harbour with good shelter for cruise liners, fishing boats and yachts. With its Cannes-like casino, charming bistros, Parisian boutiques, and Cotes d'Azur shoreline, Noumea is not surprisingly called the St. Tropez of the Pacific. It is a bastion of French culture and yet just down the road, the indigenous Kanaks dress in colorful ankle-length dresses while their sarong-clad husbands fish the reef with spears for the evening's meal.

Places to visit include the colonial-style Bibliothèque Bernheim (Library) and the Jean-Marie Tjibaou Cultural Centre reflecting the Kanaks' integral ties to the land and displaying items of Kanak heritage and the cultures of Oceania. At Anse Vata, Noumea's most prestigious beach, is the Noumea Aquarium containing rare and unusual marine life, from sponges and coral through to sharks. Nouville is also worth a visit for its convict ruins and the secluded Kuendu Bay, an ideal spot for swimming and snorkelling.

Just off the coast, the longest barrier reef in the world shelters 350 species of coral and 1,500 species of fish. Yet Inland, a full third of the world's reserves of nickel is mined as evidenced by the Doniambo Nickel Smelter, the 'furnace of Doniambo', a multi-chimney eyesore north of the city centre.

Between 7000 and 5000 BC migrants from southeast Asia left burial mounds on Grande Terre and Île des Pins and petroglyphs on Grande Terre. Captain Cook was the first European on the island, arriving in 1774. However, the town was founded by the French in 1854 (then called Port-de-France) and was a penal colony from 1864 to 1897. Nouméa developed rapidly after it became the site of a United States air base during World War II.

Ouvea (Uvea) Island is one of the Loyalty Islands part of New Caledonia and Dependencies (an overseas territory of France), located in the southern Pacific Ocean. The smallest of the three main Islands in the Loyalties, it is a superb atoll where fish are abundant and are the principal source of income for the local people. At Fayaoué there is a 16 mile ( 25 km) long, magnificient white sand beach bordered with coconut palms.

Sights on the island include Les Falaise de Lekine (Cliffs at Lekine) - grey cliffs dotted with caves overlooking the bay, Le Pont de Mouli (Mouli bridge) with a splendid view of Lékine Bay and Mouli Island, Le Trou Bleu d'Anawa (Blue Hole of Anawa) where there are a series of waterholes where the fresh water and the salt water remain separate and La Grotte de Cong-Ouloup (Cong-Ouloup cave). At Saint-Joseph the Church is famous for its arched wooden ceiling and its kohu (local wood) pulpit.

The Loyalty Islands consist of three large islands (Maré, Lifou, and Uvéa), and numerous small islands, totalling about 760 sq miles in area. Copra, rubber, and sugar cane are the chief exports.

Poum sits on the northern tip of Grande Terre island, New Caledonia within the world's largest lagoon. This sometimes windswept community is rich in remote Kanak culture but with its neighbouring isle it offers a choice of four white beaches and clear waters. You can also visit Boat-Pass, also known as Pointe Nahârian. This wild and desolate peninsula is exposed to the sea and bordered by palms, grasslands and araucaria pines. Along the Baie Banare you pass excellent but desolate beaches at Nennon and Kejaon.

**Ally** · 08-13-2006, 03:32 PM

Alotau, the capital of the Milne Bay Province, is spectacularly sited on the edge of the Bay on the eastern tip of Papua New Guinea. Alotau is within the area in which the invading Japanese army suffered their first land defeat in the Pacific war in 1942, before the Kokoda Trail battle. A memorial park at the old battle site commemorates this historic fact. It is also a good base for visiting the outlying islands. Fergusson Island has an active thermal region, hot springs, bubbling mud pools, spouting geysers and volcanoes. Misima Island was the scene of a 1930' gold rush from which a major mine has now been developed. Woodlark Island is populated by people of Melanesian ancestry. The islanders are renowned for their expertly crafted wood carvings.

Bougainville is the largest of the Solomon Islands, near the northern end of that chain, in southwestern Pacific. It is part of Papua New Guinea. Surrounded by cora reefs, Bougainville is 75 miles (120 km) long and 40-60 miles (65-95 km) wide and the northern half of the island is dominated by the Emperor Range, with two active volcanoes reaching 9000ft. The Crown Prince Range occupies the southern half.

Discovered in 1768 and named after its French explorer, it came under German occupation until captured by the Australians in 1914. The Japanese occupied the island early in 1942 and although U.S. troops landing at Kangu Beach had essentially captured it by March 1944, remnants of the Japanese garrison remained until the end of the war.

The D'Entrecasteaux Islands lie off Milne Bay, on the eastern tip of Papua New Guinea. Comprising the Fergusson, Goodenough, and Normanby islands, the group, with a total land area of c.1,200 sq miles (3,110 sq km), is mountainous and has several extinct volcanoes, hot springs, and geysers. Coconuts and pearl shells are the chief products. In the centre of Goodenough Island there is a large stone decorated with mysterious paintings. In Deboyne Atoll is Panniet Island - good for nature hikes and snorkelling and diving. At Nivani, you can snorkel near the wreck of a Japanese Zero. The islands were named after the French navigator Joseph-Antoine Raymond D'Entrecasteaux.

The port of Lae is located on Paga Point in the Huon Gulf on the eastern coast of New Guinea island. It is the capital of Morobe Province and is the gateway to the Highlands and the Islands in the Huon Gulf. Lae was a strategic base for the Japanese during World War II and the graves of thousands of allied soldiers killed in battle can be visited at the Lae War Cemetery, situated within the grounds of Lae's Botanical Gardens. Here huge trees smothered in vines and creepers are home to brightly coloured birds and lizards and a display of exotic orchids. More recently the Rainforest Habitat, occupying an area of over 3,000 square metres, has been purpose built to create a display of some 15,000 native and exotic plants, 21 species of birds including the magnificent Raggiana Bird of Paradise as well as crocodiles, lizards, butterflies, turtles, frogs and fish.

As the second largest city in Papua New Guinea, Lae was a tiny mission station before the 1920's gold rush at Wau. It has now been transformed into a major port and industrial centre. It was the last place to farewell the famous pioneering American aviator Emelia Earhart, as she took off on one of the final legs of her round the world flight before disappearing without a trace.

Morobe Province is a beautiful region,containing century-old rainforests, pine trees, the remnants of WW2 artillery, volcanoes, fertile valleys and cattle farms. The Saruwaged Mountains, rising from the sea at the tip of the Huon Peninsula are blanketed by tangled and impenetrable rainforest. The Hinterland and coast of Morobe Province offers spectacular sightseeing, a wonderland of flora and fauna and numerous walking tracks, particularly near the Wau and Bulolo areas.

**Ally** · 08-13-2006, 03:34 PM

The Laughlan Islands are an archipelago of several low-lying coral islands situated off Milne Bay, on the eastern tip of Papua New Guinea comprising Wabola and Bolaluna Islands. Traditional canoe building is a specialty of the Laughlan islanders and in this very remote corner of eastern Papua New Guinea, you will find seagoing canoes in various stages of construction. Stroll through the village of Bodaluna, with palm-thatched housesand learn the islanders’ subsistence gardening, fishing and participation in the Kula Ring of trading. Enjoy an afternoon snorkel off a pristine sandbar or an adventurous dive off the outer reef, where you may see turtles, groupers, wrasses and spinner dolphins.

The Louisiade Archilpelago lies off Milne Bay, on the eastern tip of Papua New Guinea. It includes Tagula, Misima, and Rossel islands and numerous other small volcanic islands and coral reefs. The chief village in the archipelago, Bwagaoia, is situated on the eastern coast of Misima Island. The Spanish navigator Luis Vaez de Torres visited the island group in 1606; it was named after Louis XV of France in 1768.

Madang is a colourful port on the northeastern coast of New Guinea lying on Astrolabe Bay near the mouth of the Gogol River. Its peninsula setting is a show-place of parks, waterways, luxuriant shady trees and tropical islands. Although small, the town has modern urban facilities, including hotels, department stores, markets and artefacts shops. Nearby is an island studded lagoon, coral reefs and a rainforest with fruit bats. Two volcanic islands offshore from Bogia have volcanic cones rising 1,800 metres above sea level which provide a spectacular sight for visitors, and the South East Coast road which leads to Balek Wildlife Sanctuary has strange fish-filled sulphurous caves, jungle walks and hot springs.

Milne Bay is the easternmost inlet on the coast of Papua New Guinea and gives good access to coral reefs and diving. The Gummi River runs into the Bay which has plantations on its south and west shores while the north shore is steep and rugged. Alotau is the capital of the Milne Bay Province located on the north shore of the Bay. The Bay contains many islands and there are seven groups of islands offshore, the Trobriand Islands, Woodlark, Laughlan Islands, Louisiade Archipelago, the Conflict Group, the Samarai Group and the D Entrecasteaux Islands.

Originally charted in 1606 by the Spanish it was named in 1873 by the British navigator Captain John Moresby. During WW2 it was a base for the Japanese and later an allied base following a battle fought in August 1942. Over the years, Milne Bay Province has been visited by missionaries, miners, traders in pearls, scientists and Japanese and American warships. During the war Milne Bay was a base for the Japanese and then became a huge Allied naval base through which hundreds of thousands of servicemen passed.

**Ally** · 08-13-2006, 03:35 PM

Port Moresby, the capital city of Papua New Guinea, is located on Paga Point on the south coast of New Guinea island. Moresby fluctuates from the hustle of commercialisation to the serenity of a country town. Downtown at the waterside is the nostalgic Moresby, of narrow streets and historical street signs. At the entrance of Fairfax Harbour lies Lolorua and Fishermens' Island, favourite picnic areas for sailors. Beautiful views from Paga Point overlook Ela Beach (good bathing) and Koki Bay. It is also the site of government offices, the National Museum and Art Gallery and the University of Papua New Guinea.

Near the city is the partly stilt-based Hanuabada Village, home of the traditional Motuan landowners of Moresby. Burnt after WW2, the big village was rebuilt by the Australian Administration. Despite cosmetic changes, the character of the village is still there and it is renowned for its elaborate and expensive bridal ceremonies. Koki market at the waterfront is a favourite for trade in seafood brought in daily by local fishermen.

The region that became Port Moresby was explored in 1873 by the British Captain John Moresby, who named the port after his father, Admiral Sir Fairfax Moresby. Great Britain annexed the area in 1883. Port Moresby was an important Allied military base during World War II.

The town and port of Rabaul lies in Simpson Harbour, on the northern end of the island of New Britain. Mounts Vulcan and Tavurvur loom above the port. Deep ravines carved into its slopes by post-eruption floods created by the still considerably active Mount Tavurvur, the source of the town's destruction in September 1994. The scenery surrounding Rabaul is lush as you will see when you take the drive up Tunnel Hill past the Volcano Observatory to the north coast road leading to Kerevat. Cocoa, balsa wood and coconut plantations abound, and the rainforest is thick and green.

The volcanoes are not the sole source of fascination in Rabaul. As the place where the Japanese invaded Papua New Guinea in January 1942, it abounds in fascinating World War Two history. Cave systems honeycomb the hills, created for use as hospitals and storage areas. At Karavia Barge tunnel there are five Japanese landing barges still hidden within the hillside and torpedoes and other equipment lie dormant within the bush. There is an excellent war museum at Kokopo, a huge white memorial to Japanese soldiers, and of course your historical tour is not complete without a peaceful and thoughtful visit to the Bitapaka War Cemetery, to honour the many hundreds who gave their lives in the course of duty.

In 1878 the Rev George Brown arrived in Rabaul to establish Methodism, and as a result each village boasts a quaint and well maintained church of its own. At Ralum you can view a set of white steps which lead down to a vista of lawn that sweeps to the sea. These steps are all that remain of the once fabulous homestead belonging to Emma Forsyth, or 'Queen Emma', as she was called. This famous American-Samoan founder of the Trading and Plantation Company also arrived in 1878, bought land and built a large home at Gunantambu, and built an empire.

**Ally** · 08-13-2006, 03:36 PM

Samarai Island is an island in the China Strait located in Milne Bay, the easternmost inlet on the coast of Papua New Guinea. It gives good access to coral reefs and diving. During the gold-rush years of 1889-99, Samarai became a boom town from which prospectors spread through the islands of Milne Bay and to the mainland. The Bay has plantations on its south and west shores while the north shore is steep and rugged. Originally charted in 1606 by the Spanish Milne Bay was named in 1873 by the British navigator Captain John Moresby. During WW2 it was a base for the Japanese and later an allied base following a battle fought in August 1942.

Suau Island is located off the southern shore of off Milne Bay Province, on the eastern tip of Papua New Guinea. Here you may visit the village and watch a fascinating dance by locals or visit Argyle Bay with its dense, cool forestand great for hikes. The bay is also ideal for snorkelling.

The Trobriand Islands are an archipelago of several low-lying coral islands situated off Milne Bay, on the eastern tip of Papua New Guinea. Here you will discover the cultural history of the Kula Ring, a circular pattern of ceremonial trade relationships that binds the islands of Milne Bay and eastern Papua New Guinea together in a long-established network of friendship. Visit the island of Kitava with villagers’ traditional houses and yam storage huts, as well as beautiful handicrafts. View energetic and time-honoured dances that celebrate fishing and the seasonal yam harvest, which is imbued with ritualistic significance. These islanders are also renowned for their exquisite, ebony woodcarvings, often decorated with mother-of-pearl shell inlays.The islands also provide opportunities for beachcombing, swimming and snorkelling from the sandy beaches of nearby Narutu (Uratu) Island.

The first European contact with Trobriand Islanders was in 1793 by the French vessel Esperance. Bruni d'Entrecasteaux, a navigator from France, named the islands after his first lieutenant: Denis de Trobriand. The waters surrounding their islands were soon filled with ships from all over Europe. American whaling ships made frequent stops there, as did German ships, who were in search of yams. Contact with Europeans affected the inhabitants of the Trobriand Islands in many ways. Many Trobrianders were kidnapped by Australian ships in order to be sold into slavery. All these contacts had great influence on the culture of the indigenous population. New technology and materials were introduced into the culture, which changed their traditions and their art.

**Ally** · 08-13-2006, 03:37 PM

Palau Islands are the Republic of Palau in a part of the western Pacific Ocean known as Micronesia. Made up of about 200 of the Caroline Islands, the group includes the islands of Koror (the administrative centre), Babelthuap (the largest island,), Arakabesan, Malakal, and Peleliu, spread in a chain about 400 miles long. The islands are of mixed formation: some of volcanic origin, some coral. The highest point is 628 m (2,061 ft) on Koror. The capital is currently on Koror, but a new capital is being built in eastern Babelthuap. The inhabitants are of mixed Malay, Melanesian, Filipino, and Polynesian descent.

The islands' location between several other land masses means they were settled by several distinct groups over the past 3,000 years. The first Europeans to visit the islands were Spanish sailors under Ruy Lopez de Villalobos; Spain retained control until 1899 when it sold them to Germany. Japan, as an allied power, seized the islands in 1914 at the outbreak of World War I, and they were formally mandated to Japan by the League of Nations in 1922. They established a naval base on the islands, which was seized by US forces in 1944, during World War II. It became independent of the United States in 1994, although remaing under its defence umbrella.

**Ally** · 08-13-2006, 03:40 PM

Ghizo Island, one of the New Georgia Islands, is home to the town of Gizo, provincial capital of the Western Province of the Solomon Islands in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. Gizo is the second largest town in the Solomon Islands, although it has the appearance of a shanty town. The main street runs along the waterfront lined with small stores and an open air market. Views in most directions show palm tree studded islands ringed by coral reef and clear waters. Diving hightlights are the intact Japanese transport Toa Maru, and three WWII aircraft.

Bush walks can be arranged to WWII land sites or to Saeraghi village along a scenic coast line to Gizo's most famous beach. Stop at Gilbertese and Melanesian villages along the way, where traditional life still continues. Alternatively visit Skull Island - step back in time to the days of head hunting, where you will visit a shrine composed of the skulls of chiefs and warriors, travel through the picturesque Vona Vona Lagoon. At Simbo Island you can take a bush walk, climbing the volcanic crater, and watch the locals cooking megadpode eggs in thermal ponds or a boat trip to Nusa Simbo to view cascading vines and ferns down dramatic volcanic cliffs.

Western Province is perhaps the most visited region of the Solomons. It is home to many Melanesian and some I-Kiribati (settlers from the Gilbert Islands in the 1950's and 60's) tribes who appreciate and welcome visitors. The main two languages are Marovo and Roviana, although there are many other languages spoken, too. The people of the Western Province produce famous carvings from various woods and stone. Woven bags, baskets and mats are also ancient village arts and are available for purchase.

The Western Province was also an area feared for head hunting in the 19th Century. The use of human heads or skulls was central in the burial customs and death beliefs of many of the Marovo Lagoon islands' people. Frequent raiding took place between islands in search of heads which were used in many rituals including burials and the launching of new Tomoko (war canoes).

The largest of the Solomon Islands, Guadalcanal is a high, rugged island with mountains reaching up to 2400m and, of course, the setting for one of the most fiercely fought battles of WW2. The Guadalcanal Campaign of 1942-3 is regarded as one of the most crucial Allied victories, if not the actual turning point of the war in the Pacific. The evidence of this campaign can be seen in many sights on and around Guadalcanal, including Bloody Ridge, Henderson Field (now the Solomon's international airport), Mataniko River, Red Beach, Western and Eastern Battlefields, and the huge number of divable shipwrecks and aircraft. In addition to the being the subject of numerous books, the battle featured in the film "The Thin Red Line", which was shot partly on Guadalcanal.

Honiara/a>, on the northwest coast of the island, is the capital and largest city of the Solomon Islands. In Honiara, backstreet quonset huts and an occasional, rusty wreckage provide grim reminders of World War II; over 25,000 Japanese and American soldiers were killed or wounded on Guadalcanal.

Honiara, on the northwest coast of Guadalcanal Island, is the capital and largest city of the Solomon Islands. In Honiara, backstreet quonset huts and an occasional, rusty wreckage provide grim reminders of World War II; over 25,000 Japanese and American soldiers were killed or wounded on Guadalcanal. Honiara has been the capital of the Solomon Islands since Tulagi was devastated during World War II.

You can visit the sites of the most fiercely fought battles of WW2 including Bloody Ridge, Henderson Field (now the Solomon's international airport), Mataniko River, Red Beach, Western and Eastern Battlefields, and the huge number of divable shipwrecks and aircraft.

Kennedy Island was named after John F. Kennedy, the late US President who captained the PT109 during the Pacific War and who swam ashore here with ten shipmates after the Japanese sank their patrol boat. Also called Plum Pudding Island, it is located close to Ghizo in the Western Province of the Solomon Islands in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It is great for snorkelling and beachcombing.

**Ally** · 08-13-2006, 03:42 PM

New Georgia is a volcanic island group in the Solomon Islands, southwestern Pacific Ocean, 90 miles (145 km) northwest of Guadalcanal. The main islands are Vella Lavella, Ranongga, Ghizo, Kolombangara , Vona Vona, New Georgia (the largest), Rendova, Tetepare, Vangunu, and Nggatokae. These rugged islands are picturesque, surrounded by extensive reefs and lagoons and well forested, with a virtual absence of animal life and an abundance of rivers. During World War II, Japanese airfields were established at several places on New Georgia. U.S. forces took the islands from the Japanese on Oct. 7, 1943, after an intense struggle that began on June 29.

Santa Ana Island is part of Makira Province, in the easterly part of the Solomon Islands in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. Santa Ana is a seldom visited. Land at the village of Port Mary and be welcomed by a stunning dance by the villagers with spears and mud face masks. The island is also good for snorkelling, nature walks and local handicrafts. The people are Melanesians. The province main island is Makira but also includes the island of Ulawa and the smaller island Santa Catalina.

The Santa Cruz Islands are volcanically derived and part of Temotu Province, the most easterly part of the Solomon Islands in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. The main islands of Tinakula, Utupua, Nendo and Vanikoro are contrasted by low coral terraces and sandy atolls of the nearby Reef Islands. At the NW end of the Santa Cruz islands is the small island of Tinakula - this is the exposed summit of a massive stratovolcano that rises 3-4 km from the sea floor. Tinakula resembles Stromboli volcano in containing a breached summit crater that extends from the summit to below sea level.

Settlement of Santa Cruz first took place between 1500 and 1400BC and the first European contact was made in 1595 by Spanish explorer Alvaro-de Mendana, after several skirmishes with the natives. The people of Santa Cruz Islands and the majority of the Reef Islanders are non Austronesian Papuan speaking like the people of Papua New Guinea, and differ linguistically from most other Solomon Islanders.

Santa Isabel is in the north of the Solomon Islands in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. The island, the Solomons Islands' longest, is a high, rugged one with a sharp spine of almost impenetrable mountains (there are some inland villages in the flatter parts of the south east). It is surrounded by a fringing reef and has some of the most pristine and luxuriously rich waters and coral reefs anywhere on earth. The waters teem with fish and turtles , the coconut plantations throng with parrots and eagles and frigate birds appear in the skies. There are crocodiles in the many deep rivers.

It is home to a very friendly and peace-loving Melanesian people, but there is very little development on the island and no roads beyond the towns of Buala, the provincial capital and Kaevanga on the south coast. Villages are all traditional, with beautifully kept leaf houses and gardens and all transport is by canoe, outboard or dugout. The village of Kia in the north is of especial interest, as it is built mainly on stilts over the clear lagoon waters. The rich history here includes a legacy of matrilineal inheritance, developed during headhunting days when women were usually spared but men were not. Other enduring traditions include a unique way of making tapa cloth from the bark of the paper-mulberry tree and tinting it a pale blue using a dye made of crushed orchid leaves.

In the far north are the Arnarvon Islands, protected as a conservation area noted for a breeding area of rare green and leatherback turtles. To the south west, the island of San Jorge is known as a place of the dead, where spirits reside, and strange phenomena are observed by overnight visitors.

Known as the "Happy Isles," the Solomons are one of the best-kept secrets in the Pacific. These are islands of great natural beauty from jungle-clad peaks and active volcanoes to dashing waterfalls, misty rainforests, turquoise lagoons, and brilliant coral reefs. The islands' variety of cultures and customs is also striking. One of the last corners of the world to fall under European religious and political control, the Solomon Islands were discovered in 1568 by Mendana, the European explorer, who raised a cross and claimed the island for Spain. The Spaniard found no gold here, but he gave the islands their exotic name to persuade his royal patrons that the islands he had claimed were as rich as King Solomon's treasure. After his death the islands were virtually forgotten for 200 years until the beginning of the 19th century, when traders began to export mother-of-pearl, turtle shell, sandalwood and copra. The islands gained full independence from Great Britain in 1978. Today 85% of the islanders continue to rely on subsistence agriculture.

Tikopia Island is an extinct volcano and part of Temotu Province, the most easterly part of the Solomon Islands in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It is a remote society that has changed very little with the times. The people have tremendous pride in their customs and see themselves as holding their customs while the Melanesians around them had lost theirs. Four chiefs rule the island of Tikopia and the neighbouring islands of Anuta and Fatutaka. The chiefs hold their court in their huts and they could only be approached by crawling. Anyone wishing to see a chief would crawl up on all fours and touch their nose to their knee, only raising their head once they were acknowledged by the chief. To leave the presence of the chief, the person would crawl away