Abemama

Kiribati

　　Abemama, which still has a 'royal family', nearly became the Gilbert Islands' post-war capital, but Tarawa finally won out because of the easier access through its surrounding reef. 　　An unusual species of tiny yellow 'barking' frog is found here, most likely introduced from Tuvalu to keep the mosquito population in...

Alele Museum & Public Library

Marshall Islands

　　Next to the courthouse in Uliga is the Alele Museum & Public Library with small but good-quality exhibits of early Marshallese culture, including stick charts, model canoes and shell tools. Stick charts were tools used by the Marshallese to help them memorise wave patterns, a key to success amongst the...

Arno Atoll

Marshall Islands

　　Arno, with 133 islands, is the closest atoll to Majuro, just 14.5km (9mi) away and the only one served by regular public boats. The Longar area in Arno is famous for its 'love school' where young women were once taught how to perfect their sexual techniques. The waters off Longar...

Laura

Marshall Islands

　　If the heady pace of Marshall Island life is getting too much take a very pleasant drive along the palm-lined road to Laura. Found at the far western end of Majuro, Laura is famed for its quiet beaches. Pick up a picnic and spend the day lolling on the gorgeous...

Balabat Village

Federated States of Micronesia

　　The walk to Balabat is lined with traditional men's houses and rai (stone money). You'll pass Madrich, once a Spanish trading station, and continue to the Rull municipal office, where the road is lined with rai. Eventually you will come upon a seaside faluw (meeting house). ...

Ethnic Art Village

Federated States of Micronesia

　　Yap's capital Colonia does a great job of celebrating and preserving indigenous art. Here, village elders have been invited to teach their craftsmanship and techniques to younger artists; research is conducted to determine the exact form of original idols and to uncover what natural pigments were used before Western contact....

Lelu Ruins

Federated States of Micronesia

　　Lelu Island, connected to the larger island of Kosrae by a causeway, is where a massive walled city was built between the 13th and 14th centuries for Kosraean royalty. Lelu's ruins, including burial mounds and dwellings, are hidden behind thick tropical vegetation, in the kind of isolated setting you might...

Yap Island

Federated States of Micronesia

　　Yap Proper's main island, Yap Island features the tiny capital, Colonia, which wraps around Chamorro Bay, offering sea views most everywhere. Walk to the stone-money bank in the nearby village of Balabat, or visit the Ethnic Art Village, which does a great job of celebrating and preserving indigenous art. 　　Not...

Nan Madol

Federated States of Micronesia

　　For many travellers, Nan Madol is the highlight of their Micronesian odyssey. An important political, social and religious centre built during the Saudeleur dynasty, Nan Madol was a place for ritual activity and the homes of royalty and servants. Comprising 92 artificial islets it's built on the tidal flats and...

Masefau & Sa’ilele

American Samoa

　　A cross-island road leads from the village of Faga’itua up over a pass before winding slowly down to Masefau, a village that looks too idyllic to be true. 　　Back at the pass, a turn-off takes you down a narrow, potholed road to Sa’ilele, which has one of the island’s loveliest...

Saua Site

American Samoa

　　This sacred site is where Tagaloa is said to have created the first humans before sending them out to Polynesia. Its volcanic boulders, wild surf and windswept beach lend it an ancient, supernatural atmosphere. Short trails lead to the main archaeological area and fale have been erected for shelter. It’s...

Leone

American Samoa

　　The village of Leone welcomed the first missionary to Tutuila in 1832. John Williams subsequently erected the island’s first church, garnishing it with three towers, a stunning carved ceiling and stained glass. Try to attend a service here on Sunday morning, when villagers congregate in their best whites to sing...

Turtle & Shark Site

American Samoa

　　The most famous of Tutuila’s legends is set at this dramatic cliff-top site. According to one version, an old lady and her granddaughter were turfed out of their village during a famine, and jumped into the sea. The guilt-ridden villagers went to the shore and called their names; they appeared...

Nu’uuli Falls

American Samoa

　　Standing in stark relief to Nu’uuli’s scruffy strip of restaurants and convenience stores, this secluded waterfall with a deliciously cool swimming hole at its base is a magical place. The surrounding rainforest muffles the sound of the water cascading down 20m of jagged black lava rocks. 　　It's a little hard...

Ofu Beach

American Samoa

　　Ofu island's crown jewel is the beach along the south coast - 4km (2.5mi) of shining, palm-fringed white sand. The offshore waters are deep enough for some excellent viewing of coral and tropical fish. Almost 300 species of fish have been identified and the reef is believed to contain about...

Fatu ma Futi

American Samoa

　　Get your camera ready: you'll spot these iconic offshore rock formations on your drive into Pago Pago from the airport. Legend has it that a couple named Fatu and Futi had sailed from Savai'i (Samoa), looking for Tutuila; their canoe sank, and the pair were transformed into these beautiful tree-topped...

Fagatogo Market

American Samoa

　　This is the town’s social centre on a Friday night. Locals come to gossip, ransack food stalls and pick over fresh coconuts, breadfruit and other produce; there's often live music and entertainment, too. When a cruise ship is in town (as they frequently are), stalls selling souvenirs, locally made crafts...

Kolombangara

Solomon Islands

　　A perfect cone-shaped volcano that rises to 1770m, Kolombangara looms majestically on the horizon, due east of Ghizo island. It's a two-day hike to the top and back. It rises from a 1km-wide coastal plain through flat-topped ridges and increasingly steep escarpments to the rugged crater rim of Mt Veve....

Mataniko Falls

Solomon Islands

　　One of the star attractions in Honiara’s hinterlands is Mataniko Falls, which feature a spectacular thundering of water down a cliff straight into a canyon below. The hike to these waterfalls starts in Lelei village with a steep ascent to a ridge, followed by an easier stretch amid mildly undulating...

WWII Museum

Solomon Islands

　　A few metres before reaching the shore of Tetere Beach, a dirt track to the west leads to 30 or more abandoned amtracks (amphibious troop carriers). Many of these rusty relics are shielded by prickly thorns, which adds to the poignancy of the site. ...

Skull Island

Solomon Islands

　　A 30-minute boat ride from Munda, this tiny islet on Vonavona Lagoon is the final resting place for the skulls of countless vanquished warriors, as well as a shrine for the skulls of Rendovan chiefs. They date from the 1920s. The skull house is a small, triangular-shaped casket which also...

Vilu War Museum

Solomon Islands

　　About 25km from Honiara, a turn to the south from the coastal road brings you to this great open-air museum. Here there are US, Japanese, Australian, Fijian and New Zealand memorials, four large Japanese field guns and the remains of several US and Japanese aircraft, including a Betty bomber, a...

Bonegi

Solomon Islands

　　About 12km west from Honiara, Bonegi is music to the ears of divers, snorkellers and sunbathers. Two large Japanese freighters sank just offshore on the night of 13 November 1942, and make for a magnificent playground for scuba divers, who call them Bonegi I and Bonegi II. As the upper...

Swallows' Cave

Tonga

　　Cave. ...

Mariner's Cave

Tonga

　　Cave. ...

Hufangalupe Archway

Tonga

　　Near nowhere in particular is this impressive arch, aka ‘the pigeon’s doorway’ – a natural land bridge over the pounding Pacific waves, formed when the roof of a sea cave collapsed. Walk across the top and peer into the pit, then gaze west along the craggy coast. No fences –...

Ha’atafu Beach

Tonga

　　On the sunset side of the island, Ha’atafu Beach is a sandy slice protected by a reef, where some of Tonga's best surf peels in (experienced surfers only need apply). There’s sheltered swimming and snorkelling at high tide in the broad lagoon. If your timing is good (June to November),...

St Joseph’s Cathedral

Tonga

　　A vision of colonial piety above Port of Refuge, St Joe's is Neiafu’s defining piece of archiecture. Inside, the hypercoloured crucifixion scene behind the altar is something to behold. The stretch of Fatafehi Rd below the cathedral is called Hala Lupe (Way of Doves), named for the mournful singing of...

Talamahu Market

Tonga

　　Want to see the real of Nuku’alofa? Wander through the aisles at Talamahu, Tonga's main fresh-produce hub. You’ll find produce piled into handmade woven-frond baskets, branches of bananas, colourful pyramids of fruit and a few cooked-food stalls – plus outstanding (and affordable) Tongan arts and crafts. The whole place buzzes...

Ha’amonga ‘a Maui Trilithon

Tonga

　　The South Pacific’s equivalent of Stonehenge, the Ha’amonga ‘a Maui (Maui’s Burden) trilithon near Niutoua, is one of ancient Polynesia’s most intriguing monuments. Archaeologists and oral history credit its construction to Tu’itatui, the 11th Tu’i Tonga. Others say it was built by ancient Chinese explorers. Either way, the structure consists...

Mapu’a ‘a Vaea Blowholes

Tonga

　　On an especially good day at Mapu’a ‘a Vaea (Chief’s Whistles), hundreds of blowholes spurt skywards at once. Time your visit for a windy day with a strong swell, when the surf, forced up through eroded vents in the coralline limestone, jets 30m into the air. The blowhole-riddled rocks stretch...

Pont de Mouli

New Caledonia

　　It may seem unusual to recommend a road bridge as a top sightseeing spot, but at Pont de Mouli, Ouvéa’s tip, Mouli island, is cut off by a wide channel that flows out of Baie de Lékiny into the lagoon. From the bridge, the display of dazzling white sand and...

The Heart of Voh

New Caledonia

　　North of Koné, near the township of Voh, there’s a mangrove swamp which has developed some unusual natural designs. The most intriguing is a perfect heart shape, La Cœur de Voh (The Heart of Voh), which is on the cover of Earth from Above, a book of aerial photography by...

Le Parc des Grandes Fougères

New Caledonia

　　This 4500-hectare park, in the mountains above Farino, features tropical rainforest with rich and varied flora and fauna. As the name suggests, tree ferns are in abundance, and most of Grande Terre's native birdlife can be spotted. A number of well-signposted hiking tracks range from 45 minutes to six hours,...

Fort Téremba

New Caledonia

　　Built in 1871, this historic fort originally held convicts brought to the area to build roads. Following a revolt by local Kanaks against French colonial rule in 1878, the fort was strengthened, then abandoned in 1898 when deportations came to an end. After years of neglect, it was restored from...

Mt Benbow & Mt Marum

Vanuatu

　　The guided climb up these twin volcanoes is reasonably demanding and the view is often obscured by low cloud and volcanic smoke and ash. But on a clear day the reward for your climb will be peering into an active crater and seeing the red-hot magma boiling below like a...

Mt Yasur

Vanuatu

　　Peering down into the rumbling, exploding lava storm of Mt Yasur is a sight you won't soon forget. The active volcano is so accessible that 4WD vehicles can get to within 150m of the crater rim. There are many tours up to see the old man, and although you can...

Port Olry

Vanuatu

　　At the end of the sealed road you come to Port Olry, a small francophone fishing village with a stunning curve of white-sand beach and eye-watering shallow turquoise waters. Three offshore islands can be reached by kayak (500VT) or outrigger canoe (1000VT), where there's good reef snorkelling. There are a...

Marché de Pape’ete

French Polynesia

　　A Pape'ete institution. If you see one site in town, make it this market, which fills an entire city block. Shop for colourful pareu (sarongs), shell necklaces, woven hats and local produce in the main hall. Dotted among the meat and fish sellers are lunchtime hawkers selling takeaway Ma’a Tahiti...

Kamuihei, Tahakia & Teiipoka

French Polynesia

　　About 300m towards Taipivai from the Hikokua site, these three connecting sites make up the largest excavated archaeological area of Nuku Hiva. A team led by the archaeologist Pierre Ottino began restoration in 1998. 　　The importance and sheer number of these structures testify to the dense population this valley once...

Opunohu Bay

French Polynesia

　　Magnificent Opunohu Bay feels wonderfully fresh and isolated. The coastal road rounds Mt Rotui, and at about PK14 turns inland along the eastern side of Opunohu Bay. There is less development along here than around Cook’s Bay, and it’s one of the more tranquil and eye-catching spots on the island....

Les Sables Roses

French Polynesia

　　A double crescent of dreamy beaches split by a narrow spit of white-and-pink coral sands, Les Sables Roses seems to come right out of central casting for tropical ideals. The turquoise water laps both sides of the sandy strip and there’s only one boat: yours. It’s perfect for relaxing, swimming...

Lagon Bleu

French Polynesia

　　This is what many people visualise when imagining a Polynesian paradise: a string of motu and coral reefs has formed a natural pool on the edge of the main reef, a lagoon within a lagoon. You can walk knee-deep across a (mostly dead) coral seabed to visit a bird island...

Île aux Récifs

French Polynesia

　　South of the atoll, an hour by boat from Avatoru, Île aux Récifs is an area dotted with raised feo (coral outcrops), weathered shapes chiselled by erosion into petrified silhouettes on the exterior reef. They stretch for several hundred metres, with basins and channels that make superb natural swimming pools....

Cook’s Bay

French Polynesia

　　The spectacular Cook’s Bay is something of a misnomer because Cook actually anchored in Opunohu Bay. With Mt Rotui as a backdrop, Cook’s Bay is a lovely stretch of water. There’s no real centre to Cook’s Bay; shops, restaurants and hotels are simply dotted along the road. 　　At the base...