South Pacific
South Pacific: Culture, Food & Wine, Out & About.
Picking the most perfect spot in the galaxy of islands, atolls and archipelagos in the South Pacific is almost impossible. From coral reefs, to jungle rainforests and even active volcanoes, the spectacular beauty is beyond compare.
The word’s largest coral lagoon is in New Caledonia. The Isle of Pines, a short flight from the capital, or two hours by high-speed catamaran, is a paradise of luxe accommodation and rustic seclusion. Lifou (part of The Loyalty Islands) is a short flight from Noumea where you can explore caves, cliffs, deserted white beaches (such as Chateaubriand), vanilla plantations and village churches, then idle by the pool at Drehu Village Resort’s thatch-roofed bar.
The pizza restaurant at the end of the world
If wood fired Italian pizza and an internationally stocked bar are the perfect accompaniment to 360 degree views of turquoise waters, then Cloud 9 restaurant in in the Mamanuca Islands is going to be your slice of heaven. Forty-five minutes by boat from Fiji’s Port Denarau, the reason to visit is as clear as the water of the surrounding Ro Ro Reef.
Return to the blue lagoon
Vanuatu has hot mineral springs, tropical forest and waterfalls but drive 45 minutes from the capital Vila and you’ll come upon the Blue Hole, a local swimming spot. Shaded by old trees, their roots knotted in the sand, this corner of paradise is also home to a turtle-breeding program.
See how how the 0.01 per cent live
Across the Pacific a space race is taking place for the ‘money is no object set’. A front runner is the newly opened Brando resort 50 kilometres from Tahiti in French Polynesia. The ‘Wild One’ himself bought the island after filming Mutiny on the Bounty and after a long negotiation with a US hotelier, 35 bungalows have been built on the secluded atoll. The resort features a restaurant with a menu designed by a Michelin-starred chef, and Brando’s own granddaughter is a nature guide there.
But if you are really looking for the extreme luxury then extreme sport king and Red Bull owner, Dietrich Mateschitz, has built the perfect island getaway. Laucala is a 3,500 acre private island an hour’s flight from Nadi International airport in Fiji. With a staff ratio of 8 to 1 (someone has to maintain the 18 hole golf course and 240 acre farm) servicing 25 villas and five restaurants, Laucala is definitely aimed at the crème de la crème. For the entry-level one per centers, the rate is $6300 a night but if you’d rather not mix with the hoi polloi, then plump for the $60,000 three-bedroom Hilltop Residence.
And if you are going to be a multibillionaire with a private island, you should at the least have a submarine no?
Yes.
Underwater universe
The beauty of the Pacific islands is not just above the water. The coral reefs and atolls are the breeding grounds for thousands of species of fish, mammals and turtles.
The island of Yap in Micronesia is classified as diver heaven when it comes to spotting manta rays, and you’ll see plenty of sharks and turtles too. Humpback whales use the warm waters of the world’s smallest independent nation, Nieu (near Tonga) to calve and nurse their young between July and October. Displays and calls can be seen or heard from the beach and there is an opportunity for lucky swimmers to come face to face with these giants if the conditions are right.
Designed by Pritzker Prize winning architecht Renzo Piano, the Jean-Marie Tjibaou Cultural Centre emerges spectacularly from the forest on the edge of the water just minutes from downtown Noumea. Named after the assassinated independence leader, the centre is based on traditional building design and showcases Kanak art and culture. Among the permanent exhibitions are six monumental works recounting the origin of the world in Melanesian culture, and temporary exhibits in sculpture, photography and film occur throughout the year.
Dance like everyone’s watching
While it is possible to see examples of traditional South Pacific dance and music throughout the region, to really get a sense of its cultural significance, time your visit to Vanuatu around the Toka festival. Held on remote Tanna Island in the southern part of the archipelago, the Toka festival is three days of ceremony revolving around peace and forgiveness, where up to 2000 participants from various tribes try to outdo each other with dance, gift giving and elaborate costumes. Held every few years, the last festival was in October 2012. No official dates yet (the tribal chiefs decide when it should be) but check Vanuatu tourism’s website for details.
Eine kleine morgenmusik
Not many visitors to Samoa are aware of the country’s German heritage -- it can however be spied in the perfectly neat rows of coconut plantations, and tasted via the German buns filled with shredded coconut. From 1900 to 1914 German Samoa (as it was then called) was the last colonial acquisition in an expansionist policy that included the ‘Imperial German Pacific Protectorates of German New Guinea, the German Solomon Islands, the Carolines, Palau, the Marianas, the Marshall Islands, and Nauru. That legacy wafts through the capital Apia every morning in the refrains of Viennese brass band music played by the Royal Samoan Police Band. At 8.45 Monday to Fridays, the band marches from the station to government house to raise the national flag.
The most colourful agricultural show in the world
This October will be the 54th time the annual Morobe agricultural show takes place at the gateway to the Papua New Guinean highlands. Alongside the usual agricultural show activities, the Morobe show also features traditional archery tournaments, a beauty queen contest and a mock battle staged by the PNG army. The event culminates in a sing sing, where tribespeople from throughout the highlands showcase the extraordinarily diverse range of traditional dress.
South Pacific ports bubble with diverse cuisines, unique to their region. Fiji, Samoa, Tahiti and New Caledonia still celebrate with communal village feasts of pit-roasted meats and vegetables. Meanwhile a rich parallel tradition of colonial and expatriate influences flourishes in French Polynesia, Tahiti, Vanuatu and New Caledonia.
Catch of the day
The waters of the South Pacific abound with all kinds of seafood who use the islands, lagoons and atolls to breed.
Throughout Tahiti, Moorea and Bora Bora, fish is the staple; lagoon and deep-sea fish appear on every menu. Try local favourite ia ofa (poisson cru), raw red tuna marinated in lime juice and coconut milk. In Moorea dig your toes in the sand and watch fish swim by at Snack Mahan while dining on the freshest selection of tuna, mahi mahi and shrimp. Don’t let the plastic chairs and tables dissuade you, this a travellers top pick.
Things spice up a little in Samoa where yellow fin tuna is served sashimi style as a starter accompanied by chilled young coconut milk and chilli. In the capital Apia, recently returned New Zealand star chef Joe Lam’s Scalinis is winning awards and plaudits alike.
A short drive from Vanuatu’s harbourside capital Port Vila (Efate island) lies The Wahoo Bar, where the fishermen-owners serve the local catch of coconut crab above the waters of Havannah Harbour.
In multicultural Fiji, where there’s a near 50-50 ethnic Fijian and Indian split (plus a few Pacific Islanders, Chinese and Europeans), fresh seafood can be enjoyed with Indian inspiration via curries such as prawns in coconut milk, or crab curries rich in garlic, ginger, turmeric, chilli and coriander.
Allez filet!
The outposts of Noumea and Papeete may be far from France, but the regular visits by discerning Parisiens means there is no shortage of haute cuisine. Sophisticated Noumean restaurants Le 360° at Ramada Plaza, Le Miretti-Gascon, Marmite et Tire Bouchon and L’Hippocampe at Le Méridien are renowned for their sophistication and service and cafes such as Au P’tit Cafe serve French favourites, from crepes, foie gras and roast duck to la patisserie. In Noumea, stock up on French imports to take home (visit Le Pavillon des Vins and Comtesse du Barry).
In Tahiti’s Papaeete, locals and travellers alike rave about Le Grillardin, Le Carre and Le Soufflé, whose selection of the eponymous dish transcends desserts to include typically French ingredients like duck confit and saumon fumé.
If you really want to splash out, find your way to Marlon Brando’s old hideway in Tahiti. A new resort there, The Brando has a menu designed by Michelin two-starred chef Guy Martin of Le Grand Véfour in Paris.
Go Bush
While fish is the staple food of the South Pacific, the verdant islands offer a host of other culinary possibilties.
In New Caledonia, local restaurants specialise in brousse (bush) foods; venison, shrimp, crab, wild boar, coconuts and fruits. Chez Mamie Fogliani (near Farino, Grand Terre) offers traditional Kanak dishes and Noumea hotels present kanak bougna, a feast of lobster, fish, shellfish, snails, pigeons (sometimes, the hazelnut-flavoured candlenut worm), steeped in coconut milk, wrapped in banana leaves and slow-roasted over hot stones.
In Samoa, taro and green bananas are tucked among hot stones, alongside fish in banana leaves dredged with freshly made coconut cream, whole chickens and pork, in the umu, earth oven. Hotel fiafia nights offer palusami and oka (taro leaves and raw fish, each baked in coconut cream). See the abundant local harvest at Apia’s daily produce market, while sampling ice-cold nui (drinking coconut) and cooked specialities.
Tahiti is another paradise for bon vivants. Hima’a, the earth-oven feast Tahitians prepare on Sundays, is offered at resort hotels on Polynesian nights and includes chicken fafa (cooked with coconut milk and spinach), fish, suckling pig, shrimp, lobster, banana, breadfruit, taro and yams.
Get Tipsy
The adventurous traveller shouldn’t go past the chance to try the local tipple, kava. This member of the pepper family has traditionally been cultivated by Pacific Islanders for use as a social and ceremonial drink. The root of the plant is either ground or chewed up and mixed with water or coconut milk into a tea which, drunk in moderation, can have a mildly buzzy or relaxing effect. It varies in strength across the region, and citizens of Vanuatu profess to have ‘stronger stuff’ – the kind that can make the mouth go numb – than neighbouring Fiji. If visiting a village in Fiji to their version yagona, etiquette requires you take some as a gift for the chief.
This content was produced in association with Princess Cruises. Read our policy on commercial content here.
A champion in and out of the ring
His remarkable personality apart, Muhammad Ali was unquestionably one of the greatest talents to grace the boxing ring.
A champion in and out of the ring
Muhammad Ali beat formidable champions as both a young and old fighter, and was universally loved for his wit and courage.