I is for Islands

One of the ambitions we set ourselves when arriving in New Zealand was to take advantage of the proximity to other Pacific Islands.  Two factors have helped us achieve this.  The first is an obvious geographical benefit of being closer to the Pacific Islands than Australia = cheaper fares.  The second is the fact that New Zealand has a significant proportion of people from the Pacific Islands living here.  This results in a lot more flights, airlines and options travelling between NZ and The Islands = cheaper fares.  First we went to Samoa, then Niue, most recently Vanuatu and in February we are off to Tahiti.  Each island has been different – culturally, linguistically, geographically and geologically.  Some had ocean caves full of colourful fish like a huge underwater aquarium; others were fringed with reefs in an endless mosaic of patterns.  Others had white sandy beaches fringed with swaying palm trees or black volcanic rocks tumbling into deep ocean cliffs.  Some had volcanoes, spewing lava and ash into the atmosphere; others were clad tightly in dense jungles.  No two islands had the same combination of elements but one thing they ALL had was an exotic charm, feeling of remoteness and loads of friendly smiles.