Islands

The death toll in Samoa and American Samoa rose to 99 early today, according to news reports, after a powerful tsunami triggered by a deep ocean earthquake devastated coastal towns. Dozens of people were still missing. Seventeen hours after the magnitude 8.0 temblor struck, another massive ocean earthquake off the coast of Indonesia's Sumatra island early today killed at least 75 people and trapping thousands under rubble. A tsunami warning was issued in the region but was later lifted.

Anyone who needs a quick, inexpensive getaway that's within an hour of Los Angeles, here's a great idea with a great price: Catalina Island packages that come with ferry ticket and hotel starting at just $59 a night per person.  The deal: These Catalina Express Packages allow you to choose from 20 hotels in Avalon. Each hotel offers a different deal, and best prices are offered for Sunday-Thursday stays. A handy map on the website shows you how close each one is to the beach.

Try: New Zealand's Hauraki Gulf islands Check out: The diverse and ecologically unique wildlife and flora, including the flightless kiwi bird and the kauri tree. Don't forget: Your swimsuit -- the Great Barrier island has some of the world's most stunning beaches and best surfing. Stop by: Waiheke Island and tour some of the native wineries.

Ask a Venturan and he or she will tell you that the city is both the end of Southern California and the beginning of the central part of the state. With a gorgeous coastline, an affinity for agriculture, a happening night life and a healthy enthusiasm for all things vino, this duality isn't just a clever marketing campaign - it's the real deal. The bed. The 76 rooms at Best Western Plus Inn of Ventura (708 E. Thompson Blvd.; [805] 648-3101, http://www.best western.com, doubles from $85.49 in spring)

I walked along a wild, isolated beach, my bare feet sinking into damp sand as I listened to waves tumbling onto the shore. A lone surfer was catching foaming swells and then disappearing into the sea, popping up later in another place with his board. I had seen no one else in the two hours I'd been walking. Earlier that day, a nine-passenger twin-engine Islander had deposited me here, bumping down on the grass runway at Great Barrier Island, 65 miles and a world away from Auckland, New Zealand.

Just a note of appreciation for your many articles about little-known gems such as the islands in Nino Lo Bello's June 15 story. These are the kinds of places I love to visit, especially since they are rarely crowded with other sightseers, like me. You might pass on to Lo Bello, however, that Quessant does not have the distinction of being "the nearest parcel of French soil to the United States," not by a long shot. In fact, not by the width of the Atlantic. That honor goes to the islands of St. Pierre and Miquelon (the latter by a whisper)

More accuracy is needed in the Travel Section. Your Feb. 25 edition contained a photograph whose caption stated that Livorno is on the island of Elba. The town is, in fact, on the mainland. In the same edition, John Haase's article on New Zealand ("Nature Supreme in Bay of Islands") claims the Bay of Islands was discovered by Capt. Cook in 1796. Not easy: the good captain died in 1779. The discovery was made, in fact, in 1769. PETER BARNA Los Angeles

By covering large swaths of land with netting, making lizards jog on treadmills and turning six Caribbean islands into Darwinian laboratories, evolutionary biologists have made important discoveries about what drives the evolution of island lizards. The report, published online Sunday in the journal Nature, has broader implications for the practical study of evolution, researchers said. It serves as a rare demonstration that theories about natural selection can be directly tested in the field.

About 300 Vietnamese Americans from Orange County boarded buses for the Chinese Consulate in Los Angeles on Wednesday to protest China's territorial claims over the Paracel and Spratly islands in the South China Sea. The protesters said the islands had historically belonged to Vietnam. However, the Chinese government recently formed a county government to run a small cluster of the islands.

SUSAN SPANO did a terrific job capturing her experience on the Canary Islands ["New-Wave Canaries," Jan. 29]. I am always intrigued by her articles and adventures. Having been to the islands recently, I too was taken with the topography and dramatic temperatures. I would like to add that while visiting La Palma, I stayed at Santisima Trinidad monastery, close to Santa Cruz de la Palma. It was new, well cared for and inexpensive. (I stayed at quite a few monasteries throughout Spain on my trip.

JEJU ISLAND, South Korea -- To the South Korean military, this picturesque island is the perfect place to build a naval base: a strategic location guarding the country's southern flank from possible invasion. To its residents, its small-town feel, harbor and coral reefs make it close to perfect just the way it is. The conflict between the two visions has turned into a South Korean David and Goliath story, with Mayor Kang Dong-kyun of the town of Gangjeong leading the majority of its 1,930 people in fighting the giant.

'Treasure Island' Where: Syfy When: Parts 1 and 2: 7 and 9 p.m. Saturday Rating: TV-14-LV (may be unsuitable for children under the age of 14 with advisories for coarse language and violence)

VASHON ISLAND, Wash. - It would be hard to imagine a place further removed from the brash intensity of Occupy Wall Street. This secluded island of fir forests and rolling lavender fields - home to 23 organic farms, a tofu factory and a monastery that markets its own gourmet coffee - has always been a counterculture retreat for those who bike to the sound of different drummers. Yet a continent away - a whole world away, really - from New York, this small island of 11,000 residents has become one of the darlings of the Move your Money campaign, an Occupy effort to hit corporate banking where it hurts: the ledgers.

TheU.S. Coast Guardhas temporarily suspended offshore yacht racing in the San Francisco Bay Area after an accident earlier this month killed five of eight crew members near the rugged Farallon Islands. At least two races, one scheduled for Saturday, will be rerouted while US Sailing -  the sport's national governing body - conducts an independent review of Bay Area offshore racing procedures.  Coast Guard officials said they also were  "calling on all offshore race organizers and participants to conduct their own safety stand-downs during this period.

Roberts Hawaii, the state's largest tour and transportation company, has added Roberts Hawaii Express Shuttle service from Kona International Airport on the Big Island to and from select hotels and resorts along the Kailua-Kona, Keauhou and Kohala coastline.  A Roberts rep will greet guests and help with luggage. Roberts Hawaii Express Shuttle guarantees no more than five stops during any trip. The reservation-based shuttle service is available 24 hours a day.  Prices on Kona vary according to distance and the number of passengers in a party.

MANCHESTER, N.H. — Sweeping five contests in Northeastern primary states, Mitt Romney claimed the mantle of Republican presidential nominee — though he has not officially clinched the race — and turned his focus to a general election showdown with President Obama. Romney easily notched wins Tuesday night in Connecticut, Delaware, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania and New York — contests whose outcomes seemed all but assured once his chief rival, former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, suspended his campaign two weeks ago. In remarks in New Hampshire, where his campaign began almost a year ago, Romney thanked his supporters for "a great honor and solemn responsibility.

RE "Against the Flow" [May 11]: The question Lynell George raises of how public this public space is should be looked at from a viewpoint larger than the invoice received [by Highways Performance Space and Gallery for the removal of six "unlawfully posted" signs] from the city of Santa Monica. The question actually ties into 1st Amendment issues of free speech and public assembly. Traffic islands in L.A. and other parts of the country have traditionally been used for assembly and may therefore be public forums -- spaces that receive heightened protection under the 1st Amendment for public assembly and free speech.

THE BEST WAY TO THE BIG ISLAND AND KAUAI From LAX, Delta, United and American offer nonstop service, and Hawaiian offers connecting service (change of plane) to Kauai and the island of Hawaii. Restricted round-trip fares to both islands begin at $852. TO LEARN MORE Slow Food: There are active conviviums of the Slow Food organization on the different islands, and their websites can be great resources for farmers markets and other local food places. http://www.slowfoodhawaii.org ; http://www.slowfoodkauai.blogspot.com ; http://www.slowfoodmaui.org ; http://www.slowfoodoahu.org . Edible Hawaiian Islands: This group of locally produced local food magazines has a strong edition in Hawaii that offers not only a printed magazine but also a good website ( www.ediblecommunities.com/hawaiianislands )

Travelers may think of Hawaii as the land of surfboards, sunsets and mai tais, but there's a lava flow of reasons to go beyond the beaches and discover why residents say they are lucky to live in Hawaii. And, yes, some of the state's best beaches are found on the Big Island. But don't get stuck there. Do what the locals do: Swim with the honu. There are five snorkeling areas along the Big Island's Kohala Coast: Puako Bay, Waialea Beach (Beach 69), Hapuna Beach, Mauna Kea and Mauume.