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The Islands of the PacificStretching from the Arctic to the Antarctic, from Australia to the Americas, the Pacific Ocean is one of the planet's most dramatic features. Islands large and small dot the seas, representing a myriad cultures and traditions. Nowhere on earth is there such a variety. Japan, New Zealand and Australia are significant world powers with populations in the millions while some tiny island nations are facing extinction as the seas rise with global warming. Easter Island, one of the most remote of the Pacific Islands, is the fascinating home of giant statues built by a vanished civilization. But when most people think of this ocean, they think of palm-fringed islands in the South Pacific. Alain de Botton (The Art of Travel, 2002: 8) discusses those brochure covers displaying 'a row of palm trees, many of them growing at an angle, on a sandy beach fringed by a turquoise sea, set against a background of hills where I imagined there to be waterfalls and relief from the heat in the shade of sweet-smelling fruit trees.' ![]() He is reminded of 'the paintings of Tahiti that William Hodges had brought back from his journey with Captain Cook, showing a typical lagoon in soft evening light, where smiling local girls cavorted carefree (and barefoot) through luxuriant foliage ... that continued to provide a model for subsequent depictions of tropical idylls...' Fiji has settled down after inter-racial conflict, and is increasing in popularity. Less well-known are the islands of Samoa, emerging as a new travel destination between Hawaii and New Zealand. Articles:
Fiji - Backpackers and Billionaires
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![]() Hawaii the Big Island Revealed: The Ultimate Guidebook by Andrew Doughty, Harriett Friedman Claims to be the most comprehensive yet easy to use guidebook ever written for the Big Island. This island is so big and diverse that many visitors never realize all that it has to offer. This book unlocks its secrets. The third edition has more useful information, the most up to date maps, and scores of hidden gems listed nowhere else. This book and a rental car are all you need to discover what makes the Big Island so exciting. More information and prices from: Amazon.com - US dollars SeekBooks.com.au - Australian dollars Amazon.ca - Canadian dollars Amazon.co.uk - British pounds Amazon.de - Euros Amazon.fr - Euros ![]() The Art of Travel by Alain de Botton Aside from love, few actvities seem to promise us as much happiness as going traveling: taking off for somewhere else, somewhere far from home, a place with more interesting weather, customs, and landscapes. But although we are inundated with advice on where to travel, few people seem to talk about why we should go and how we can become more fulfilled by doing so. In The Art of Travel, Alain de Botton, author of How Proust Can Change Your Life, explores what the point of travel might be and modestly suggets how we can learn to be a little happier in our travels. More information and prices from: Amazon.com - US dollars Amazon.ca - Canadian dollars Amazon.co.uk - British pounds Amazon.de - Euros Amazon.fr - Euros Photographers rave about it - a certain quality of the light in Tasmania. Craggy mountains loom closer, seas carve out a deeper coastline drama along wild beaches, blue sky has a wider reach. The island has the cleanest air in the world, so nature’s palette shows through without the contamination of urban pollution. And for colour, nothing beats Tasmania in spring. For more information go to: Tasmania |
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| Copyright © 2002-2012 Alan Price and Island Guide contributors. All rights reserved. |