Bill Goodwin's Travel Guides

French Polynesia has experienced 10 changes of government since 2004, with power shifting among those who favor independence from France, those who prefer local autonomy within the French system, and various coalitions. The changes have had no impact on visitors.

One of the France-leaning governments reinstituted June 29 as Internal Autonomy Day, a public holiday.

France has officially designated French Polynesia and its other possessions as "overseas communities", as opposed to overseas departments, territories, or countries. The move allows the French government to enact laws specific to each, rather than being bound by national standards.

Books about French Polynesia and other Pacific islands are available from Editions Hare Po in Papeete (tel. 689/58 26 36; www.harepo.com). Some are republications of out-of-print books, and many are in both French and English.

Air Tahiti has installed self-service check-in kiosks at Tahiti-Faaa International Airport. Passengers with e-tickets can get their boarding passes from the automated machines rather than stand in line at the check-in counters. The airline plans to install kiosks at the airports on Bora Bora and Raiatea.

Air Tahiti now has a "Z" class fare which allows passengers to carry up to 50kg (110 lbs) of luggage, as opposed to 20kg (44 lbs) under its Y class economy fare.

Air Tahiti also has a department known as Islands Adventures specializing in tour packages to French Polynesia, including stays at small hotels and family pensions.

Many stores in Papeete now open on Sunday when cruise ships are in port. Tahiti Tourisme has a list available in its visitor information center.

CRUISING AND SAILING

The Aranui 3 (www.aranui.com) has added sport fishing to the list of activities on its 14-day cruises from Papeete to the Marquesas Islands. Ranging from three- to eight hours, the expeditions go after wahoo, tuna, marlin, mahi-mahi at sea and various species in the lagoons.

The luxurious, 318-passenger Paul Gauguin is now owned by Pacific Beachcomber, the same company which operates the InterContinental resorts in French Polynesia. It has a new website (www.pgcruises.com) and toll-free number in the United States (800/848-6172). Refurbished in 2009, the ship will make 38 cruises in 2010 from Tahiti to the Society, Tuamotu, and Marquesas islands in French Polynesia as well as to the Cook Islands, Tonga, Fiji, and New Zealand.

Princess Cruises (www.princess.com) has scrapped plans to have the 710-passenger Royal Princess sail in French Polynesian during 2010. Instead, the ship will make a 26-day cruise from Papeete to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, via the Panama Canal.

The 170-passenger tall ship Star Flyer (tel. 800/442-0552; www.starclippers.com), which makes 7- 10- and 11-day cruises from Papeete through the Society and Tuamotu islands, will desert the territory in at the end of February 2010.

The French firm Dream Yacht Charter (www.dreamyachtcharter.com) has taken over Archipels Croisières on Moorea and plans to establish a base in June 2009 on Raiatea, French Polynesia's sailing capital.

TRAVELING WITH CHILDREN

It's getting easier to take your kids to French Polynesia. Le Taha'a Private Island & Spa off Tahaa and the Pearl Resorts on Moorea, Bora Bora, Manihi, Tikehau, and Nuku Hiva now welcome children with such features as a cartoon TV channel and age-appropriate DVDs in each unit. While adults continue to get their welcome baskets full of tropical fruits, youngsters now get their own stash of candies.

The Radisson Plaza Resort Tahiti (www.radisson.com/aruefrp) allows kids under 16 to stay free and dine for 50% off. It's a welcomed money-saver.

TAHITI

In Marina Taina on the west coast is the Pink Coconut (tel 41.22.23), an open-air restaurant with a terrific view of Moorea. It's owned by Steven Baker, son of an American father and Chinese-Tahitian mother, so English is not a problem. The French and Tahitian fare is very good.

In my Tahiti chapters I mention that a Paul Gauguin painting fetches in excess of US$6 million on the rare occasion when one goes on sale. Make that US$43 million, the price paid recently at a Christie's auction for Gauguin's "Man With an Ax."

A multi-year project to improve Papeete's ferry docks is underway. When completed, a bridge will connect the new terminal with a parking garage on the mainland side of Boulevard Pomare.

MOOREA

Tahiti Expeditions (tel. 28.37.22; www.tahitiexpeditions.com) has a variety of adventures led by Frank Murphy, an American biologist who moved to Moorea in the early 1990s as manager of the University of California's Gump Research Station. The expeditions range from one-day coral reef excursions to extended sailing trips to the Tuamotu Archipelago. Emphasis is on the ecology and history of the islands.

The Sheraton Moorea Lagoon Resort & Spa is now Hilton Moorea Lagoon Resort & Spa (tel 800-HILTONS; www.hiltonworldresorts.com). All of its bungalows are receiving a make-over with new furniture and bathrooms. While the overwater bungalows are open, the garden units will be closed until the end of 2009.

The InterContinental Moorea Resort & Spa has begun a renovation which include a new infinity swimming pool. The bungalows are being spiffed up and their patios or balconies expanded.

The Moorea Pearl Resort & Spa now has a coral nursery consisting of 63 artificial reefs in its lagoon. The project is designed to repopulate the lagoon and to educate guests about the fragile lagoon ecosystem.

The Moorea Green Pearl Golf Club, at Temae near the airport (tel 56.27.32; www.mooreagolf-resort.com), has opened all of its 18 holes. The Jack Nicklaus Design course is French Polynesia's second links, joining the Olivier Bréaud International Golf Course on Tahiti. Greens fees including cart are 12,000 CFP for 9 holes, 18,000 CFP for 18 holes.

BORA BORA

Vince Vaughn's new comedy "Couples Retreat" was filmed at the St. Regis Bora Bora Resort.

With the Hotel Bora Bora closed for extensive renovations until 2011, its many repeat guests can opt to stay at the over-the-top Four Seasons Bora Bora (www.fourseasons.com), on Motu Tehotu, a long island on the northeastern side of the lagoon.

The Bora Bora Nui Resort & Spa is now the Hilton Bora Bora Nui Resort & Spa (tel 800-HILTONS; www.hiltonworldresorts.com). It has added two new presidential overwater villas, each with two bedrooms, three bathrooms, and a large deck around its own swimming pool.

Long managed jointly, the Sofitel Marara and the Sofitel Motu have officially merged into one resort known as the Sofitel Bora Bora Marara Beach & Private Island. The Marara on the main island has the best beach, while the Motu is more private and intimate.

Le Meridien Bora Bora has added an over-water wedding chapel, a large infinity-edge swimming pool with its own bar and sun deck, and an ecological education center near the resort's award-winning sea turtle sanctuary and nursery. Eight of its beachside bungalows will be combined into four two-bedroom, two-bathroom villas with plunge pools. Decks of the premium over-water bungalows will be enlarged, and all units will have 32-inch flat screen TVs and wireless Internet access.

Le Meridien's award-winning Turtle Sanctuary has been cited again, this time by Green Hotelier magazine, which named it as one of the world's most eco-friendly resort practices. It's also the most child-friendly resort in French Polynesia.

The Fiji Visitors Bureau has changed its name to Tourism Fiji All else remains the same except that the information office in Suva is now closed. It still does not have a visitor information office at Nadi International Airport, and its main office is not set up for visitors, so request information before leaving home.

Tourism Fiji's website now has a page devoted to romance in the islands. It has a link to a downloadable guide to getting married in Fiji, including legal requirements and fees

Despite travel warnings issued by Australia, New Zealand and other countries as a result of a military coup which deposed Fiji's elected government 2006, I found everything to be operating as usual during my visit to prepare the new Frommer's Fiji.

The coup leader, Commodore Frank Bainimarama, had agreed in principle to hold elections in 2010, but those plans were quashed in April 2009, when Fiji's president, Ratu Josefa Iloilo, abrogated the country's 1997 constitution and declared himself to be head of state under a new legal order. He did so in the wake of a Fiji High Court decision that the 2006 coup was unconstitutional. Ratu Ilioilo fired the judges and reappointed Bainimarama to head an interim government to serve until elections can be held by September 2014. Bainimarama later rehired most of the judges, but he also has cracked down on media freedoms.

My friends in Fiji report that ordinary life is continuing as usual, and Joe Tuamoto, head of Tourisme Fiji, said "it is very much a case of business as usual" in Fiji.

The new government quickly devalued the Fiji dollar by 20%. According to xe.com, the Fiji dollar dropped from about US57¢ to US45¢. The move will make travel to Fiji less expensive, at least for the time being since eventually inflation will drive up local prices.

Many hotels and resorts are offering special deals including as much as 50% off hotel rooms and cruises. Check with Tourism Fiji and contact travel agents who specialize in package tours and independent travel to Fiji. I list some of the best on Frommers.com. Tourisme Fiji lists specialist travel agents on its website

Although the interim government cracked down on Fiji's media, you can still get the news at Fiji Times, Fiji Live, and Fiji TV. Radio New Zealand International is not subject to censorship.

On Denarau Island, the Sheraton Fiji Resort (www.sheraton.com/fiji) has reopened after a thorough renovation. The non-descript pool has been completely rebuilt, and the resort now has its own spa and fitness center.

The InterContinental Fiji Golf Resort & Spa (www.ichotelsgroup.com) opened in May 2009 beside Natadola Beach, one of Fiji's finest. Located 40 minutes south of Nadi via the Queen's Road, the resort has 216 rooms, 55 bungalows, a spa, and 18-hole golf course.

Fire destroyed the central building at Yasawa Island Resort on December 24, 2009. No one was hurt, and the accommodations escaped the blaze. Nevertheless, the resort will be closed until October 2010 while a new central complex is constructed.

On the Coral Coast, the new Matanivusi Surf Fiji resort (www.surfingfiji.com) appeals to surfers but everyone is welcome to stay in its bures.

Out on Beqa Island, Lalati Resort & Spa is now being operated by Brad and Susan DeGeus. The new address is P.O. Box 461, Pacific Harbour (tel. 679/368-0453 in Fiji, 877/750-0233 in the U.S., or 41676-4649 in Australia).

Down on Kadavu, Australians Rob and Rena Forster have sold Dive Kadavu/Matana Beach Resort. They had lived next to its fabulous beach since 1987.

In Suva, the Tradewinds Hotel & Conference Centre has been renovated and reopened as the Novotel Suva Lami Bay (www.novotel.com).

Fire also destroyed the main building at Koro Sun Resort & Spa near Savusavu in northern Fiji. As at Yasawa Island Resort, none of the accommodations were damaged, and no one was hurt in the blaze, but the resort is closed indefinitely for repairs.

In my books I say that the Papaya bure is the most private unit at Coconut Grove Beachfront Cottages on Taveuni (www.coconutgrovefiji.com). As owner Ronna Goldstein points out, that title belongs to her Banana bure.

Also on Taveuni, Maravu Plantation Beach Resort & Spa (www.maravu.com) has added a luxurious one-bedroom guest bungalow up in a huge rain tree. Known appropriately as "The Treehouse," it has a Jacuzzi in its large deck overlooking the sea, and two bathrooms inside and another outdoors.

Several expatriates have built lovely homes on Taveuni, and you can rent them when they're away through Taveuni Rental Accommodations (www.fiji-rental-accommodations.com).

Off Taveuni, Qamea Resort & Spa (www.qamea.com) has surrounded its pool with a 1,500-square-foot deck with covered daybeds. Nearby Matangi Island Resort (www.matangiisland.com) has added a new central building and an outdoor pool.

The American dive company Aqua-Trek has sold the Garden Island Resort on Taveuni (www.gardenislandresort.com) to CHI International, a Hong Kong-based company. The hotel was closed for several months for improvements, including the addition of outdoor spa tubs in 15 of its 30 rooms.

The New Zealand dollar, the coin of the realm in the Cook Islands, has dropped from US80¢ to about US57¢ since I prepared the eleventh edition of Frommer's South Pacific, with similar decreases against other major currencies.

Australians and New Zealanders can save by buying special add-on packages to Aitutaki through June 2009. Contact the Cook Islands Tourism Corporation (www.cookislands.travel).

The Cook Islands departure tax will be included in the price of airline tickets beginning in September 2009. You won't have to worry about saving enough New Zealand dollars to pay the tax in cash at the airport before departing.

Sunday is no longer a day of rest for Air Rarotonga (www.airraro.com), which is flying between Rarotonga and Aitutaki on the Christian Sabbath. The Sunday flights are in demand, so reserve as early as possible.

After getting your local drivers license at the new Avarua police station, a modern facility funded by the People's Republic of China, do not ride two abreast on your motorbike. The local traffic cops have been cracking down on bike riders who ride side-by-side, which is illegal.

Digicell, the Caribbean-based mobile phone company which already has moved into Fiji, Samoa and Tonga, has announced plans to buy Telekom Cook Islands, the local phone company.

Telecom Cook Islands already had announced international cell phone roaming agreements with T-Mobile USA, Vodafone New Zealand, and Telstra Australia. Similar arrangements were in the works with Optus/Sing Tel of Australia, 02 of Germany, SingTel of Singapore, and Orange and T Mobile of the U.K.

And it already costs less to call home from the Cook Islands. It's a bit complicated, but you can make international calls from 10 minutes to 1 hour to the U.S., the U.K., Australia, and Fiji for NZ$10, or to New Zealand for NZ$5. You still must pay by the minute for calls of less than 10 or 5 minutes, respectively.

Rarotonga Brewery has gone out of business, putting an end to Cooks Lager, the local brew.

The Cook Islands Parliament has proposed to completely ban smoking on the premises of all hotels, restaurants, bars, including their beaches and other outdoor areas. Fines would be NZ$2,000 per violation, prompting Jack Cooper of Trader Jack's Restaurant and Bar to predict "it would be cheaper to smoke dope."

Formerly known as Tamanu Beach Village, Aitutaki's Tamanu Beach (www.tamanubeach.com) has opened a new beachside restaurant and bar serving breakfast, lunch and dinner daily and staging an island night feast and dance show on Thursday evening. The building is trimmed with local tamanu (mahogany) timber.

Also on Aitutaki, the phone number for Tuano's Garden Cafe is now 31-562. Tuano and Sonja Raela have stopped serving dinner but they still open 3 to 5pm Monday, Wednesday, and Friday for afternoon tea. Their fruit and vegetable market and souvenir shop (featuring Tuano's woodcarvings and Sonja's paintings and pareus) are open daily 10am to 5pm. They also conduct plantation tours daily with prior reservations.

The tsunami which struck the Samoas and the remote northern islands of Tonga on September 29, 2009, caused extensive damage on the south coasts of the islands in both Samoa and American Samoa. The death toll for Samoa alone exceeded 140.

Much of Coconuts Beach Club Resort & Spa (www.coconutsbeachclubsamoa.com) was leveled, and Sinalei Reef Resort & Spa (www.sinalei.ws) lost its marina and honeymoon bungalows. Coconuts plans to rebuild and reopen in February 2010, while Sinalei is slated to be back in business in April 2010.

The southeastern coast of Upolu was devastated. At the great Lalomanu Beach (see photo at right), Boomerang Creek Beach Bungalows and scores of popular beach fales were demolished.

The "Survivor Samoa" television series had completed filming on the south coast a few days before the waves hit.

Earlier, fire destroyed the main buildings at Apia's Hotel Tusitala, which was already closed for major renovations. Fiji's Tanoa Hotel Group, the Tusitala's new owner, has promised to rebuilt.

In a controversial move, Samoa has switched from driving on the right side of the road to the left side, as in the U.K., Australia, and New Zealand.

The Samoa Shipping Corporation is operating Talofa Cruises (tel. 26695; www.talofacruises.com) out of Apia on the Lady Filifilia, a 150-passenger fast catamaran. Four cruises are offered including one around Upolu Island and another to the east coast of Savai'i. Prices range from US$115 to US$150 per adult, less for children 5 to 12.

The corporation also has hiked fares on the Lady Naomi ferry between Apia and Pago Pago by an average of US$30.

Captain Chris Donato's Samoa Sport Fishing Adventures (tel. 41-069; www.samoasportfishing.com) now goes offshore in search of blue marlin, sailfish, mahimahi, tuna, wahoo and other species. Fishing is from the Black Pearl, a 31-foot Ocean Master.

Built with aid from Japan, a new visitor center has opened at O Le Pupu-Pu’e National Park on Upolu's south coast. The parks' hiking trail to Togitogiga Waterfalls has been upgraded, and toilets and changing rooms have been added.

Samoa is observing Daylight Savings Time from the first Sunday in October until the last Sunday in March.

Planning a trip is easier now that the Samoa Hotel Association has its own website, www.samoa-hotels.ws. You can search for hotels by price range and by date.

The Apia area has two new hotels. Manumea Resort (tel. 685/27-755; www.samoa-hotels.ws/Manumea_Resort; manumea@ipasifica.net) is on the Cross Island Road in Vailima. Its 12 suites have ocean views from this refreshingly cool perch near the Robert Louis Stevenson Museum.

Closer to the central business district, the boutique-style Samoa Marina Hotel (www.samoa-hotels.ws/Samoa_Marina_Hotel) occupies a century-old home opposite the yacht harbor and main wharf. Opened in February 2009, it will have 14 rooms when completed.

Ian and Lyvia Black have relocated their terrific Sails Restaurant and Bar from the old building where Robert Louis Stevenson once lived to new quarters on the seawall near the Apia Yacht Club on the Mulinu'u Peninsula.

Samoa has new TV and radio stations. Star Television broadcasts over-the-air, as does FETU FM, which emphasizes original music by local performers.


Savai'i

Over on pristine Savai'i, Kuki and Sara Retzlaff have completely rebuilt their Le Lagoto Beach Resort (www.lelagoto.ws) into a terrific boutique hotel. Most of their 12 units are in Samoan-style fales with intricately lashed ceilings. An infinity pool augments the fine beach.

Warren Jopling of Safua Tours is now charging US$50 per person for his fabulous guided excursions around Samoa's big island. They are worth every cent and more.

Vailoa village has built a road to Olemoe Waterfall, near the historic Pulemelei Mound near the island's south coast. The village charges a small admission to use the road and visit the falls. Unfortunately there is no longer a track from Pulemelei Mound to the falls.

Green Turtle Tours and Ecotour Samoa have both ceased operations.

The tsunami of September 29, 2009, swept onto the south coast of Tutuila Island and into Pago Pago Harbor. Damage was extensive. Reports are sketchy, but Sadie's by the Sea sits beside the harbor so I must assume it was damaged. As you can see from the photo at right, nothing blocks the hotel from the sea.

The local government has changed the territory's Tourism Office, formerly a division of the Commerce Department, into a quasi-independent authority known as the American Samoa Visitors Bureau. The bureau has been slow to get off the ground, however, and does not have an official website. In the meantime, information is available at American Samoa Tourism.

Chicken of the Sea has announced that it will close one of the two tuna canneries in Pago Pago at the end of September 2009.

The American-based fast food chain Checkers has joined McDonald's, Pizza Hut, and Kentucky Fried Chicken in American Samoa. The new drive-through restaurant is in the Sen. Daniel Inoye Industrial Park on the airport road in Tafuna. And McDonald's has added an outlet in Pago Pago.

More than 90 passengers died when the ferry Princess Ashika sank off the Ha'apai Islands on August 5, 2009. More than 50 people survived. The Princess Ashika operated in Fiji for 20 years before moving to Tonga.

An undersea volcano erupted just 7 miles (12km) north of Tongatapu on March 17, 2009. Smoke and ash could be seen belching out of the sea from the town of Nuku'alofa. No damage was done on Tongatapu. Air New Zealand switched its night flights to daylight hours so its pilots could see and avoid the plume.

Chathams Pacific: The Friendly Islands Airline (www.chathamspacific.com) is the only airline flying between Tongatapu, Hapai'i, and Vava'u. It is operated by Air Chathams (www.airchathams.co.nz), which has flown between mainland New Zealand and the Chatham Islands for 20 years. Airlines Tonga and Peau Vava'u have both gone out of business.

Tonga is issuing new currency notes bearing the image of King George Tupou IV, who assumed the throne when his father, King Taufa'ahau Tupou IV, died on September 10, 2006, at age 88.

Henceforth August 1st will be observed as a public holiday in honor of King George's proclaimed birthday. His actual birthday, May 4, is no longer a national holiday. The annual Heilala Festival, which marked the late King Taufa'ahau Tupou's birthday on July 4, continues as the country's premier event.

Also, the country will take off July 12 to honor the birthday of Prince Tupouto'a Lavaka, the childless, bachelor king's younger brother and now heir to the throne.

Reconstruction of downtown Nuku'alofa, which was severely damaged during riots in 2006, is underway.

Downtown Nuku'alofa already has a new hotel, the 24-room Loumaile Lodge (www.loumaile.com), on Taufa'ahau Road opposite the Royal Tombs. The rooms are on the top two floors of the building, above a Chinese restaurant and bar, a massage parlor, and shops. It was built by Siosaia Moehau, a successful Tonga businessman who also owns the Black Pearl Suites.

Another newbie is the 11-room Little Italy Hotel & Restaurant (tel/fax 676/25-053; www.littleitalytonga.com), on Vuna Road a 15-minute walk west of the Royal Palace. It's the creation of Angelo Carpanzano, a Milan native, who with his Tongan wife Meleseini founded Little Italy Pizzeria in 1996. The restaurant is now on the ground floor of the hotel. Upstairs, half the rooms have balconies overlooking the lagoon across Vuna Road, while the other half face the swimming pool out back.

The long-delayed Royal International Hotel has opened near Fua'amotu International Airport. It's handy if you arrive in the middle of the night and must wait for a flight to Vava'u the next morning. Otherwise, I cannot imagine staying in the middle of Tongatapu Island.

In other news, Japan has announced plans to open an embassy in Tonga, and the United States will begin processing visa applications in Nuku'alofa.