Are any of the pacific islands worth a visit? Are they pretty much all the same as each other or are the Melanesians, Micronesians and Polynesians noticeably different? It's a rare part of the world I don't know much about
Are any of the pacific islands worth a visit?
You can swim with humpback whales around Tonga, if you care about whales.
Would they go for you?
Interesting
>Melanesia: grouped together by skin color but not by culture, and consist of hundreds of distinct tribes who are quite primitive and un-Westernized + the area is one of the least explored
I get that for New Guinea but I thought Fiji, New Caledonia and Vanuatu would be as civilised as, say, Tonga or Samoa. Or perhaps they are but they just aren't grouped in with them because of ethnicity if they're darker?
>Micronesia: not grouped by culture or skin color but rather geography. It consists of tiny 'atolls' which are exposed coral reefs that are barely above sea level. Most of this region has a strong relationship with the United States post-WW2 so they really are just de facto American colonies. This region is out of the way and quite expensive to visit.
These islands do look smaller alright and I know Marshall Islands and Palau were previously occupied by the US. I would've imagined Kiribati being more similar to the Polynesians though
nta but Fiji is 50% Pajeet, due to 1800s British notions about cheap agricultural labor. Vanuatu is definitely something else, they still have people who practice cargo cults and woowoo shake stick at sky religions. And Caledonia I haven't been to but it's strongly French influenced and I've heard the further away from the capital you go, the more tribal and stone age it gets. PNG and the Solomon Islands are definitely backwards as all frick.
Fijian Indians are noticeably cuter than normal Indians though, I guess it's the blood mixing over the years
For instance miaz
I've only ever been to Vanuatu, Fiji and Tonga, definitely preferred Vanuatu, the others were cool too though I guess.
Fiji and New Caledonia are the least tribal in Melanesia. Fiji is 1/3 Indian and New Caledonia is 1/4th French and 10% mix between indigenous and French. Those two are the most developed in the region; Fiji outside of the Indian influence, is tied culturally to Samoa and Tonga in Polynesia but ethnically are Melanesian and they have more Melanesian features.
Kiribati is a weird one because it sprawls so far that it is in 4 different hemispheres (and has a uniquely strange time zone problem due to the international date line) but it is considered Micronesia even though part of it closer to Polynesia than the rest of Micronesia.
There is also the Federated States of Micronesia which is a country that is part of Micronesia, the region. They also sprawl quite far and have 4 island groups that are culturally similar on a generic level but they're distinct from one another (Kosrae, Pohnpei, Chuuk, and Yap). Like Palau and Marshall Islands, they are in free association with the United States, but Kiribati is the only one in the region that isn't and actually it seems like China is trying to establish itself there.
As for Vanuatu, it is closer to Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea in that it is quite tribal and 'primitive' as you'd say.
Personally, I find Vanuatu to be the most interesting in all of Oceania.
It can be confusing because all 3 of these regions are named for different reasons:
Polynesia: grouped together by a shared culture. They are the quintessential Pacific Islanders that most people are familiar with. This covers a large area with a mixture of small volcanic islands + atolls
Melanesia: grouped together by skin color but not by culture, and consist of hundreds of distinct tribes who are quite primitive and un-Westernized + the area is one of the least explored / . They have dark skin, sometimes combined with natural blonde or red hair so pretty interesting. They are also volcanic islands but much larger
Micronesia: not grouped by culture or skin color but rather geography. It consists of tiny 'atolls' which are exposed coral reefs that are barely above sea level. Most of this region has a strong relationship with the United States post-WW2 so they really are just de facto American colonies. This region is out of the way and quite expensive to visit.
Here in Australia they're common resort destinations for families, but I think they're not very conducive towards backpacker travelling due to cost and all the different islands, unless you have a boat.
I've been going to Hawaii every year since 1960. This pic is from my first visit. She was totally into me. Can't beat Hawaii. hula dancers everywhere!
Holy shit get the frick out of here you pedo boomer.
I really want to visit this part of the world and see things like bikini atoll, the palau rock islands, cute naked tribal girls and pristine coral reefs. Shame it takes 40 hours and costs thousands of dollars to get there.
I went to Fiji, Vanuatu and New Caledonia on a cruise with my parents when I was little. If you live in NZ or Aus flights are very cheap so it's an easy trip.
I wouldn't spend a significant amount of money flying there from across the world unless you want to relaxmax. The Capitols are shit holes and the smaller islands are deceptively expensive for third-world countries.
Vanautu doesnt look that shitholeish. At least jot as much as i expected. Are they as bad as "scholars and doctors" in other countries? But the population is so small i am sure you will bored within a week
Tell us more anon
The beaches/islands in Vanuatu are delightful, but the cities are pretty run-down. Also the cities in the French colonies are full of dickhead Frenchmen.
Keep in mind this is from the perspective of an 11 year old, were I to go there as an adult I would likely find interesting things to do.
Isle of Pines in New Caledonia is GOAT in terms of tropical beaches and snorkling/diving (to an 11 year old at least)
i've been to vanuatu and it was great
very picturesque islands
locals very friendly, especially on the smaller islands where you might be the first foreigner they've seen in a long time
very unique cultures
a very simple way of life but actually far more like ours that it would appear at first, you'll get what i mean if you go there