Introduction
The islands of the South Pacific stretch across a vast expanse of ocean. The region has fulfilled dreams of remote island paradise since Western explorers first visited. Today, South Pacific cruises remain a popular means of travel, allowing visitors the chance to expereince several different regions.

Thousands of islands, some developed, some deserted, dot the ocean. Warm Pacific waters, full of coral and marine life, lap the shores. And in many places life proceeds at the same relaxed pace it has for generations.

The South Pacific generally connotes the region south of Hawaii. Some islands north of the equator are typically included in the South Pacific.

Given the sheer scale of the Pacific, further divisions of the islands make matters easier. In the northwest, east of the Philippines, lies Micronesia (“Small Islands”). Micronesia includes Guam and the Marshall Islands. Southward lies Melanesia (“Black Islands”). Melanesia includes Fiji and Vanuatu. Eastward from Melanesia is Polynesia (“Many Islands”), including Tahiti and Tonga.

The people and cultures of the South Pacific are diverse but islands share many significant characteristics. Most are isolated, surrounded by large areas of open ocean. Many are resource scarce. And all became colonies for periods of their recent history.

Small ship travel is an ideal way to experience the beautiful, far-flung islands. Cruise to the South Pacific and visit new islands in the way the islanders themselves have done for thousands of years.
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Natural History
The ecosystems of the South Pacific reflect the isolation of the islands and the great distances between them. Many flora and fauna are not indigenous but were introduced by settlers. As human settlement proceeded from west to east, so too did migration of plants and animals.

Perhaps the quintessential introduced species is the coconut palm. This beneficial tree originated in Southeast Asia and was carried eastward by waves of migration. It broke ground on sandy atolls, making habitation and crop cultivation possible. The great ocean-going canoes, which allowed the Polynesians to travel enormous distances, were fashioned from coconut wood.

Other introduced species were not so beneficial. Pacific islands typically lack indigenous predators. New animals frequently wrought devastating effects on fragile ecosystems.

Guam, in Micronesia, is one example. The brown tree snake arrived as a stowaway on World War II military ships. Now they number in the millions. While the snakes’ venom poses little threat to humans, they have decimated the local bird population.

Indeed, birds now face numerous adversaries where before there were none. Cats, highly efficient predators, have literally made a killing on many islands causing numerous extinctions.

While land mammals are scarce in the Pacific, the warm seas teem with life. For instance, the South Pacific is home to many whale species.

Tonga, in Polynesia, is one of the world’s best places to see that most beloved of whales, the humpback. The haunting low frequency song of the male humpback can be heard at distances up to 70 miles. These fun-loving giants can readily be seen breaking the ocean surface as they roll and even stand vertically on the water.

Income from whales presents a dilemma for Pacific nations. On the one hand, the remaining whaling nations Japan and Norway provide income for the islands via lucrative whaling licenses. But now nations such as Tonga are realizing that valuable tourist income is derived from whale watching.

Diving is one of the paramount attractions for South Pacific visitors. Coral reefs abound and in particular the Cook Islands, Tonga and Fiji offer spectacular coral diving.

Divers off Niue, in Polynesia, may encounter what at first glance looks alarming: the waters teem with katuali sea snakes. However this black and gray striped snake is merely curious and not dangerous. While venomous, their mouths are simply too small to bite humans.

One of the Pacific’s most endearing sea animals is the playful dugong or sea cow. Up to ten feet long and tipping the scales at an impressive 900 pounds, dugongs feed on sea grass and inhabit shallow, sheltered waters.

Dugongs are hunted in Melanesia’s Vanuatu and the hunt is subject to strict rituals. In the months preceding the hunt, women may not enter the water and men may not throw spears or arrows into the water.

Geologically the South Pacific is young and volatile. Earthquakes and volcanic activity are the consequences of a region still in formation. Vanuatu rumbles with frequent tremors. Nine active volcanoes loom large over the island nation.

Guam was the site of the most powerful Pacific earthquake of recent times, a magnitude 8.2 quake in 1993. Remarkably no one was killed but property damage was extensive.

For more information on the natural history of the South Pacific, see book selections below.
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History
The early history of the South Pacific was constrained by vast ocean distances. Papuans were the first to venture out on the open seas, arriving in the Solomon Islands about 23,000 BC. Subsequent groups, later known as the Lapita, arrived to mingle with the Papuans.

Both groups lacked the seafaring capability to forge outward beyond the Solomons until about 1,500 BC At this time the Lapita built vessels which carried them to Fiji, New Caledonia, Vanuatu, Tonga and Samoa.

Still many more centuries elapsed before the now Polynesians crossed the final expanses of ocean to reach French Polynesia in 200 BC.

The Polynesians were the greatest seafarers of their day. Navigating by the stars and by wave patterns emanating from islands, they traversed the Pacific at a time when Europeans still stayed close to home.

European explorers came to the South Pacific in search of both natural resources and Terra Australis Incognita, the Great Southern Continent.

Circumnavigator Ferdinand Magellan was the first to cross the Pacific, entering at Cape Horn. However Magellan only encountered a few small islands on his transpacific voyage. Subsequent expeditions, both Spanish and Dutch, had greater island-finding success than Magellan’s hapless traversal.

Captain Cook was the Pacific’s most successful explorers. Cook came not in search of islands but again seeking Terra Australis Incognita. He would finally prove that land to be myth. During three voyages to the South Pacific, from 1768 to 1779, he mapped most of the islands as we know them today.

With the South Pacific now mapped and “discovered”, the next wave of Europeans soon followed. Traders arrived to exploit the resources of the islands. Missionaries arrived to convert islanders to Christianity.

These early groups called upon the European powers to colonize the islands for protection. European nations acceded reluctantly. Annexing these widely scattered islands was an expensive proposition.

The Europeans also brought with them diseases to which Pacific islanders had no natural immunity. The results were disastrous. Most Pacific islands lost half of their population to disease.

By World War I, the Pacific was divided between Britain, France and Germany. Britain ended up with the largest territory including Fiji, the Cook Islands, Kiribati, the southern Solomons and Vanuatu.

France held French Polynesia and New Caledonia. Germany had annexed parts of Micronesia and Samoa. World War I did not involve the Pacific directly but as a result Germany lost its territories to Japan.

During World War II however, the Pacific was a major arena of conflict. Japan expanded southward from Micronesia until the Battle of Midway in 1942 became the turning point of the Pacific War. The Japanese stubbornly defended island after island against advancing US forces. Eventually the Japanese were pushed out of Micronesia before ultimate defeat in 1945.

The postwar era in the South Pacific brought independence for many islands as European powers sought to offload their costly acquisitions. Western Samoa gained independence first in 1962, while most recently Vanuatu became independent in 1980. France still administers French Polynesia and New Caledonia. Guam and American Samoa are U.S. territories.

For more information on the history of the South Pacific, see book selections below.
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Culture
Pacific island culture is often thought of as homogeneous. But many differences exist between regions, islands and even within islands themselves.

The population of the South Pacific is small and scattered, numbering just over 2.4 million people in total. Of this 1.4 million are Melanesian, 0.5 million are Polynesian and 0.4 million Micronesian.

Western influences have diluted Pacific cultures considerably, particularly in urban areas. But traditional societies remain and have absorbed elements of modern life while retaining their original culture.

Melanesia is probably the most diverse and culturally intact region. The islands are notable for the sheer number of languages spoken, over 1,000. Within individual islands many languages were often spoken as groups were isolated from each other by difficult or impassable terrain.

Language determined group allegiance in Melanesia. Speakers of a language formed a sort of extended family with a complex system of obligations and duty.

Like many Pacific cultures, ancestor worship is practiced in Melanesia. Appeals to ancestors determine success in all areas of life.

Cannibalism was practiced in Melanesia also, until quite recently in many areas. This extended the notion of obligation to revenge for wrongs and was heavily ritualized. Cannibalism also became part of Melanesian art. Skulls were elaborately decorated and used to bless houses and sea vessels.

In Polynesia, on the other hand, languages are related and much fewer in number. Like most of the Pacific, written language did not exist prior to the arrival of Europeans. Great emphasis is placed on oral tradition. For example it’s not unusual for individuals to be able to readily recite their lineage stretching back many hundreds of years.

Polynesia is perhaps the most egalitarian of the regions, with men and women having equal opportunity to hold high office in village life. Yap, in Micronesia, on the other hand, is a male-dominated society. For example, men and women do not share food and indeed food for men and women must be prepared separately.

Polynesian religion was sophisticated with a rich set of gods. The people of the Cook Islands worshipped over 70 gods. Contrast this with contemporary Polynesia, which is fervently Christian.

Early missionaries eventually achieved great success in the South Pacific. Christianity now dominates religious life in the islands, with Protestant faiths enjoying a numerical advantage over Catholicism. Even Mormonism has many adherents in the Pacific.

The South Pacific has a rich artistic heritage. But art in the region was functional, not recreational, existing for ancestor worship and warfare purposes.

One such art form was tatau (tattoo), where warriors would often completely decorate their skin to inspire terror in their enemies. Tattooing was introduced to the West by sailors returning from South Pacific voyages.

Money also reached high art form on the island of Yap. Yapese money was carved from stone up 10 feet wide and weighing up to three tons.

For more information on South Pacific cultures, see book selections below.
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Dos and Don'ts
South Pacific Travel Tips:

Ask permission before photographing people. Some may not wish to be photographed and your respect will be appreciated.

Avoid arriving in traditional villages on Sunday. In many such villages all activity ceases on Sunday and a new arrival could be disruptive.

Be gentle when diving or snorkeling in coral reef areas. Living corals are easily damaged by coming in contact with divers and their equipment.
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Weather
The South Pacific climate is tropical but more temperate than other world tropical zones. Temperatures are consistently high, with little seasonal variation. Dry and wet seasons are the main distinguishing feature. South of the equator, the dry season runs from May to October, the wet from November to April. This pattern is reversed north of the equator.

For most islands the windward (wet) side is on the east, the leeward side to the west. Coral atolls may experience little precipitation as they are so low-lying. Atolls will also become increasingly vulnerable to rising sea levels, if global warming continues.

The main weather threat in the South Pacific is cyclones, particularly in Melanesia, western Micronesia and western Polynesia. The highest ever recorded wind speed was 235 mph on Guam in December 1997 when Supertyphoon Paka struck the island.
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Best Time to Go
May to October, except November to April in northern Micronesia.
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Temperature Range
54F (12C) – 90F (32C)
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Books
Marine Life of the Pacific and Indian Oceans, by Gerald Allen
Field Guide
This handy reference guide beautifully illustrates 350 marine species found in the Indo-Pacific.

The Fragile South Pacific: An Ecological Odyssey, by Andrew Mitchell
Natural History
This book details a journey through the South Pacific in search of unique and endangered species.

Ahab's Trade : The Saga of South Sea Whaling, by Granville Allan Mawer
History
Australian maritime historian Mawer traces the rise and fall of the whaling trade, which in two centuries decimated the spermaceti whale but also charted much of the South Pacific.

In the South Seas, by Robert Louis Stevenson
Literature
Stevenson draws from his 2-year journey for an accurate and in-depth portrayal of the people and culture of the breathtaking islands of the South Pacific.

The Happy Isles of Oceania : Paddling the Pacific, by Paul Theroux
Travel Narrative
This book is a terrific introduction to the region, a well-informed account that combines history, amusing anecdotes and observations on the people and places of the South Pacific.

Adventuring in the Pacific, by Susanna Margolis
Guide Book
An excellent guide to Polynesia, Melanesia, and Micronesia, featuring clear, straightforward descriptions of the land, culture, and important sites of over 50 islands, with a special focus on nature.

We, The Navigators: The Ancient Art of Landfinding in the Pacific, by David Lewis
History
David Lewis’s book is a comprehensive work of the study of Micronesia's rich history of navigation.

Growing Up in New Guinea, by Margaret Mead
Culture
This anthropological study of Manus Island by Margaret Mead was first published in 1942, but still makes for good reading.

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