Cruise/Tour Start Dates:
- January 2, 2007*
- February 3, 2007
Date indicated with * is reverse itinerary.
Pearls of Polynesia -Islands, Atolls and Motus: This comprehensive small ship voyage explores the vastly different cultures of the South Pacific, crossing the International Date Line, and sailing from the legendary islands of Polynesia into the mysteries of Melanesia. From the Polynesian paradises of Tahiti and Bora Bora to the seldom-visited islands of Western Samoa and Tonga, we experience a wide range of unique flora, fauna, and cultural interaction.
Tour Itinerary:
Day 1 - Depart For Tahiti, French Polynesia on an overnight flight.
Day 2 - Tahiti, French Polynesia. Enjoy a tour of Tahiti. Enjoy the afternoon at leisure in individual dayrooms at the InterContinental Resort Tahiti. B/D
Day 3 - Huahine, French Polynesia. Huahine is known as “The Garden Island” due to its lush green tropical foliage and wild jungle-like scenery. We’ll disembark for a tour of well-preserved ancient maraes, or platforms where rituals were once performed. B/L/D
Day 4 - At Sea. B/L/D
Day 5 - Atiu, Cook Islands. Atiu is known as “Land of the Birds,” and you’ll find out why. Participate in a birding excursion. You’ll have an up-close view of nesting birds and with luck, you may spot one of the very rare Kakerori (Rarotongan flycatcher) now being re-established. Explore the island by local truck, and meet the local villagers, watching them perform traditional dances, and visiting their ancient marae sites. B/L/D
Day 6 - Palmerston, Cook Islands. This tiny island, only one square mile in size, was settled by Englishman William Marsters in 1863, and its population of 50 are all descendants of him and his three Polynesian wives. Olde English – with a distinct Gloucestershire accent – is still spoken on the island. Visit with island residents enjoying a barbeque, weather permitting. B/L/D
Day 7 - At Sea. B/L/D
Day 8 - Apia. In Apia, you’ll have time to visit Vailima, the home built by Robert Louis Stevenson, where he lived his last years. See the Botanical Garden Reserve and take tea at Aggie Grey’s Hotel, that catered to American soldiers during World War II. B/L/D
Day 9 - Savai'i, Western Samoa. Savai’i is one of the largest islands in Polynesia but also one of its least populated. Here nature rules, and you’ll delight in the rainforests, lava coast, caves, and blowholes. An excursion to the Falealupo Preserve lets you view the most biodiverse part of the rainforest as you stroll along a walkway through the forest canopy. B/L/D
Day 10 - Niuatoputapu, Tonga/Cross International Date Line. The Tongan people have a reputation for being the friendliest South Sea Islanders, and you’ll have a chance to decide for yourself as we visit their village and meet the people. If you like, hike around the barren lava flows, or swim or snorkel in the pristine waters. B/L/D
Day 11 - At Sea. As we cruise between islands, your Exploration Leader and other experts will brief you on the natural history and cultures you are about to visit. B/L/D
Day 12 - Taveuni/Kioa, Fiji. A breathtakingly beautiful island, Taveuni has a rich natural history including plentiful birdlife and a coral reef nourished by strong currents. Hundreds of waterfalls crash down the coastline, and you’ll see three of the finest in Bouma National Heritage Park. This pristine rainforest is the best in all Fiji. Stop on privately-owned Kioa Island to visit with the 300 inhabitants of this unique, isolated community. B/L/D
Day 13 - Beqa, Fiji. Beqa is the island of the firewalkers – the Sawau tribesmen who carry on the tradition passed down to them through generations. For two weeks before the event, the chosen participants observe special prohibitions to purify themselves to walk on the stones, which have recorded temperatures of over 1200 degrees Fahrenheit. View an authentic firewalking ceremony, snorkel, or dive in the beautiful waters. B/L/D
Day 14 - Viti Levu, Fiji. Transfer to the airport for your overnight flight home. B
Trip Notes:
Papeete, Tahiti, French Polynesia
The largest of the 118 Society Islands, the lush island of Tahiti is host to Papeete (pa-pay-EH-tay), the political, cultural, economic and communications capital of French Polynesia. Immortalized by Gauguin’s paintings and James Michener’s words, Papeete is a place of romance and seduction. Meaning ‘water basket’, Papeete is likely named for the islanders who originally used calabashes enclosed in baskets to fetch water at a spring behind the present Territorial Assembly. Now home to 100,000 people, this bustling cosmopolitan city on Tahiti’s north coast is crowded between the mountains, the sea, and its satellite towns of Faa’a, Pirae, and Arue.
Since the opening of Fa’a international airport in 1961, Papeete has blossomed with a fanfare of hotels, expensive restaurants, French boutiques, and a fanfare of teeming markets. Yet the along the waterfront a different pace resides, as yachts of many sizes bring visitors in from around the world or provide permanent homes for ex-patriate French working in the city. A sightseeing tour introduces you to the charms of this delightful city and visits the James Norman Hall home, the ancient marae of Arahurahu, and the Paul Gauguin Museum.
Huahine, French Polynesia - On the friendly, inviting island of Huahine (WHO-ah-Hee-nay), the people have maintained a traditional lifestyle of fishing and farming. Here, friends and family are more important than television and internet. Lush, mountainous Huahine is 110 miles northwest of Tahiti, and comprised of two islands, Huahine-Nui and Huahine-Iti. These translate to ‘big’ and ‘little’ Huahine, which have a combined surface area of 28 square miles and are connected by bridge.
Many comment that the mountains of Huahine form the shape of a beautiful Tahitian woman when seen from the sea in moonlight. All around both islands are plantations of vanilla, coffee and taro, and groves of breadfruit, mango, banana and papaya. Watermelons and cantaloupe grow on white coral sand beaches surrounded by living coral gardens.
The gardens give way to a sapphire and emerald lagoon, along which the Island’s modest 5,500 residents reside. At 1, 407 ft high, Mou’a Tapu is the sacred mountain overlooking the prehistoric village of Maeva. According to ethnohistory, Maeva was the ancient capital of Huahine. All its ruling families lived there and worshipped in their individual marae temples of coral or basaltic stone. Over 200 archaeological sites have been restored on the island, including 35 marae temples. We’ll meet a local archaeologist for a tour of well-preserved ancient maraes, or platforms, where rituals were once performed. You will later have an opportunity to snorkel in Huahine’s picturesque lagoon.
Atiu, Cook Islands - The Cook Islands, in the heart of the South Pacific, are made up of 15 islands spread over an area the size of India, with a population of 14,000. These unique and friendly Polynesians have developed their own language and government. They also enjoy a vigorous and diverse culture, with significant differences between each island.
Atiu Island, with a population of 600, is an eroded volcanic island. It’s divided into 5 villages that radiate out from the center of the island on a flat-topped central plateau. Surrounding the plateau is a ring of taro water gardens and jungle-clad makatea (fossil coral reef). Notched into the cliffs of makatea are over 28 beaches untouched and virtually unvisited, except by those seeking a beautiful, quiet, and secluded spot.
The Atiuans were a fierce warrior people and before the arrival of the missionaries they frequently attacked their neighbors, slaughtering and eating significant numbers of them in cannibalistic rituals. Today the cuisine is more traditional – bananas, citrus fruits, papaya, breadfruit, coconuts, and fish. Atiu is also renowned for its bush beer, a tradition from the days of old when missionaries banned the drinking of Kava. Atiu is known as “Land of the Birds.” You may have an up-close view of nesting birds and with luck, you may spot one of the very rare Kakerori (Rarotongan flycatcher) now being reestablished. Meet the local villagers, watching them perform traditional dances, and visiting their ancient marae sites.
Palmerston, Cook Islands - An atoll with a land area of one square mile, Palmerston is the only true atoll in the southern Cook group. It consists of six sandy motu (islets) scattered around a coral reef and surrounding a lagoon about seven miles across. When Captain Cook landed on Palmerston on June 16, 1777, the island was then uninhabited. Cook named the island in honor of the First Lord of the Admiralty, Lord Palmerston. Tradition has it that an ancient name for the island was Avarau, meaning "two hundred harbors."
In 1863 a ship's carpenter and barrelmaker (cooper) named William Masters arrived from Manuae with two Polynesian wives and annexed the island. He shortly added a third wife and from this harem he propagated a large family and settled in firmly as virtual king and autocrat of the community until his death in 1899. Palmerston’s current population of 50 is descended from him and his three Polynesian wives. Masters is said to have originated from Gloucestershire and the island’s population speak excellent English with a distinct Gloucestershire accent. William's descendants now spell their name "Marsters."
Two years after Masters’ death, disputes rose about the succession of the leader. In 1901, the British Resident at Rarotonga, Colonel W.E. Gudgeon, appointed William's eldest son, Joel, agent to the British Resident and Magistrate for the island. You’ll meet many of the Marsters families, and have an opportunity to visit with them.
Apia, Samoa - The capital and only city of Samoa is where writer Robert Louis Stevenson spent the last few years of his life. Fish and copra are their major exports.
Savai’i, Western Samoa - Savai’i is the largest Polynesian island outside of Hawai’i or New Zealand, but also one of its least populated. Here, one can view volcanic craters and lava tubes, witness dramatic blowholes, and enjoy traditional Polynesian villages. Savai'i is just 10 miles to the west of Western Samoa’s smaller, “main island” of Upolu and its capital town of Apia. Both islands are dormant volcanic islands, covered in tropical rainforest, which are home to many exotic birds.
The last eruption lasted from 1905 to 1911, when huge volumes of lava trickled from inconspicuous Mt. Matavanu towards the coast, burying villages and filling in the lagoon. Traditional Samoan villages, many comprising open-air Fale houses, now line the coast of the island. A typical Samoan village is made up of a series of families called an aiga. A matai is voted to lead the aiga, and is also responsible for the labor, activities, well-being, and housing of his family.
Niuatoputapu, Tonga - Niuatoputapu is probably the most remote destination you will ever visit. A dot in the middle of the Pacific, it’s a part of Tonga, yet closer to the border of Samoa. Niuatoputapu is as the South Pacific used to be. Its attractions are its isolation, the wonderful scenery, and the friendly people.
Tongans have a reputation as the “friendliest South Sea Islanders.” You’ll have a chance to decide this for yourself when we visit a Tongan village. The 176 islands of Tonga range from high volcanic to low coral terrain and create scenic variety seldom matched elsewhere in the world.
The islands are divided into four groups and bordered on the east by the deep Tongan Trench. Of volcanic origin, Niuatoputapu covers an area of seven square miles and rises to 350 feet, with a population of about 1,200. The inhabitants spoke formerly the Niuatoputapu language, but it has now been extinct for centuries and the inhabitants speak mainly Tongan. If you like, hike around the barren lava flows, or swim or snorkel in the pristine waters. Watch horses haul wet pandanus leaves from the lagoon, where they are soaked in preparation for making tapa cloth. Listen to the gorgeous singing for which Tonga is famous.
Taveuni, Fiji - Taveuni (pronounced Tah-vee-ew-nee), the “Garden Isle” of Fiji, is rugged, wet, verdant, and pristine. It lies only 4.3 miles off the southeast coast of Vanua Levu (Fiji’s second largest Island), and is 26 miles long and averages about seven miles wide. Taveuni is an archetypically beautiful tropical island, thick with vegetation and resplendent with tropical flowers. Fortunately, the mongoose was never introduced to Taveuni, so many of the birds that have vanished on neighboring islands still thrive on the Garden Isle. Big pigeons and parrots are easy to see, and among the birds on everyone's wish list, the Azure Crowned Flycatcher.
The inhabitants of Bouma Village, where waterfalls have been a major tourist attraction for many years, were offered money to log their communal land. Instead of selling their birthright, at the behest of the New Zealand Government they were offered a grant to improve the land and create a park centered on the waterfalls.
You’ll see three of the Island’s finest waterfalls at Bouma National Heritage Park. In total, hundreds of waterfalls crash down around the coastline, their waters so clean it is said that in the days of the sailing ships, they would back up to the falls to refill their water tanks. With a population of around 12,000 inhabitants, Taveuni is sparsely populated. Once the home of fierce warriors, Taveuni residents still exude pride and confidence in their step.
Kioa, Fiji - This privately owned island was purchased by the people of Vaitupu for around $5,000 in 1947. The 300 Polynesian inhabitants have a unique culture all their own.
Beqa, Fiji - Beqa is the island of the firewalkers – the Sawau tribesmen carry on the tradition passed down to them through generations. For two weeks before the event, the chosen participants observe special prohibitions to purify themselves to walk on the stones, which have recorded temperatures of over 1200º F. Visit with islanders who still practice this ancient art without coming to any apparent harm.
View an authentic firewalking ceremony, snorkel, or dive in the beautiful waters. Beqa (pronounced M-bengga) was formed as a strato-volcano 5 million years ago, and its conical form can still be seen by satellite or air photograph. There is a fringing reef around both the 42-mile barrier reef of the lagoon, and the island of Beqa itself. They’re comprised of colorful coral, developed over thousands of years. The conditions for coral reef are excellent: light and shallow water, water temperatures never below 18 °C, and a supply of zooplankton food for these plant-like animals.
Additionally, a wide variety of fish, dolphins, turtles, all sort of crustaceans, and shellfish all make their home in the waters surrounding Beqa. Where the reef is broken and the corals are eroded to sand, sand clays are formed and surface as little sandy islands during low tide. All nine villages that form the District of Beqa are located along the coast. Some have a communal generator, while all have a water supply. There are no roads, and the narrow footpath winds around parts of the island. All transportation is done by boat.
Lautoka, Viti Levu, Fiji - Legend has it that within the bounds of today’s Lautoka town there lived two tribes each with a chief. As a result of an argument one day, a fight broke out between the two chiefs at a spot, which is now known as “Farquhar’s point.” As one chief speared the other he screamed “LAU-TOKA” meaning “spear-hit” or ‘hit to win”. And so, Lautoka acquired a name. Lautoka is the sugar city as many people describe. Sugar cane has been the major industry of Fiji and Lautoka is the Base. Here, one finds the industries, head quarters, the largest sugar mill, central sugar bulk, modern loading facilities and a large wharf.
The Lautoka Sugar Mill itself employs about 1300 people and majority of them are the ratepayers and residents of Lautoka. Apart from this there are a number of other industries such as timber, pine chips, garment, distillery, brewery, jewelry, steel, fishing, hatchery, and many more. The blue Pacific Ocean on the western side and green-gold sugar cane and pine trees on the others surround Lautoka. Centuries-old banyan trees and colonial residences line Mill View Road. Disembark the Spirit of Oceanus in Lautoka, and spend the morning exploring the sites.
Learn about the sugar cane industry, stroll down the main street, Vitogo Parade, shop in the municipal market. Transfer to your individual day room at the hotel to freshen up and enjoy the morning and lunch at leisure. In the afternoon, tour highlights of the island before embarking on your ship and sail at sunset.
Notes:
Airfare is not included in the tour price.
- Pricing shown is based on the minimum category cabin and includes cruise, meals and land excursions as noted, inclusive of all taxes, fees and gratuities.
- The staterooms available at these prices are limited.
- All itineraries and prices are current at time of posting and subject to change without notice.
- Pre and post-cruise land packages are available at additional cost.
Also see tour packages in:
Australia and Oceania
Fiji
Tokelau
Tahiti
Outdoor: Water Drifter
Boating and Sailing
Cultural Journey
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