Tourism South Pacific

Heart-shaped taro leaves glistened in the afternoon sun, waving a welcome as we rattled over the rusting, one-lane bridge to Hanalei. The span, too narrow for the lumbering motor coaches carrying wide-eyed, eager tourists, means the big buses can't come here. That bridge is Hanalei's salvation. And after a mad scramble to find a suitable vacation spot at the last minute, Hanalei proved to be our salvation too.

Of course you know New Caledonia. It's the site of one of the world's largest barrier reefs. Not ringing a bell? Perhaps geography will help: New Caledonia is just north of the Tropic of Capricorn, halfway between Australia and Fiji. Not clear yet? Maybe a history reminder will help: Capt. James Cook named New Caledonia in 1774 for his native Scottish highlands. No? OK, try this: It was the place where the men of "McHale's Navy," the 1960s TV sitcom, talked about going for R&R.

I was having a blissful vacation in the Cayman Islands five years ago when I happened to meet George Nowak, who wrote a book called "Which Way to the Islands." He told me that his favorite tropical island was Rarotonga in the South Pacific. The word-picture he drew of the lush island and its gracious people made me resolve to see Rarotonga before the arrival of golf courses and Big Macs.

Work a little, rest a lot. Don't worry about your weight. Swim with your clothes on and forget about being punctual. Don't ask why. This is just the way things are in the Kingdom of Tonga, a place as topsy-turvy as a book by Dr. Seuss. A tiny island nation with few tourists (mostly New Zealanders) and served by only one major international airline, it is way, way off the beaten path. In fact, I doubt most people could say where Tonga is, even if a million-dollar jackpot depended on it.

Work a little, rest a lot. Don't worry about your weight. Swim with your clothes on and forget about being punctual. Don't ask why. This is just the way things are in the Kingdom of Tonga, a place as topsy-turvy as a book by Dr. Seuss. A tiny island nation with few tourists (mostly New Zealanders) and served by only one major international airline, it is way, way off the beaten path. In fact, I doubt most people could say where Tonga is, even if a million-dollar jackpot depended on it.

Of course you know New Caledonia. It's the site of one of the world's largest barrier reefs. Not ringing a bell? Perhaps geography will help: New Caledonia is just north of the Tropic of Capricorn, halfway between Australia and Fiji. Not clear yet? Maybe a history reminder will help: Capt. James Cook named New Caledonia in 1774 for his native Scottish highlands. No? OK, try this: It was the place where the men of "McHale's Navy," the 1960s TV sitcom, talked about going for R&R.

Heart-shaped taro leaves glistened in the afternoon sun, waving a welcome as we rattled over the rusting, one-lane bridge to Hanalei. The span, too narrow for the lumbering motor coaches carrying wide-eyed, eager tourists, means the big buses can't come here. That bridge is Hanalei's salvation. And after a mad scramble to find a suitable vacation spot at the last minute, Hanalei proved to be our salvation too.

I was having a blissful vacation in the Cayman Islands five years ago when I happened to meet George Nowak, who wrote a book called "Which Way to the Islands." He told me that his favorite tropical island was Rarotonga in the South Pacific. The word-picture he drew of the lush island and its gracious people made me resolve to see Rarotonga before the arrival of golf courses and Big Macs.