South Pacific: When is the best time to visit?

When is the best time to visit the

When it comes to waterfalling, April through June (the start of the dry season) is probably the most optimal time to take advantage of the relatively lower humidity while benefiting from the effects of the end of the wet season rains. Thus, waterfalls would be most likely to flow with vigor at this time. However, some waterfalls will still flow towards the latter part of the dry season, which was the case when we first went to Tahiti back in September 2002.

November to March is summer. However, at that time, easterly trade winds are not present, the humidity is stifling, and temperatures are highest. As a result, tropical thunderstorms build up with higher frequency and hence you get the monsoonal wet season (interestingly, this role reversal of precipitating trade winds is opposite that in Hawaii). While this should be great for waterfalls, you have to consider the heat and humidity when participating in a strenuous outdoor excursion. But before you blow off the wet season for a visit, it doesn't mean there won't be sunny days and a chance to enjoy the slower pace of paradise. In fact, the picture at the top of this page was taken in February (yep, the wet season). Our trip to Fiji occurred between Christmas and New Years and was a mix of sunny weather and only two days of rain; we did adapt to the humidity.

The wet season is also the time where rates are considerably lower (except for holidays). So if you're willing to rough out some of the inconveniences of the wet season, you could find your stay in the South Pacific rewarding with significant savings.

Depending on which country you're visiting, hurricanes could be very rare (such as Tahiti) or more frequent (such as Fiji). They generally occur during the summer months but to my understanding, they're not with the frequency of the Caribbean area.

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