|
A trip to the South Pacific can be enriched with some prior education, which means you might want to read a book and/or map to get a better sense of what to expect.
While independent vacations to the South Pacific can be done with some careful research and a willingness to rough it, the vast majority of visitors buy packaged tours, which tend to work out best because travel agents can negotiate contracted rates and pass on the savings to customers. Below are books and maps that we've used. We've also included other books in the literature that may help you find what you need or inspire you about the tropical paradises down under. The list is by no means complete, but hopefully it is enough to get you going on your quest to inform yourself on your travels. Books
Tahiti & French Polynesia (Lonely Planet): We've been fans of Lonely Planet books for their thoroughness and organization. They make for great resources when you're just starting out on your trip planning, figuring out which local restaurants to go to, studying detailed maps, and even finding budget accommodations. And for the country of French Polynesia, this is no exception. You do want to get the latest book because their info on food and accommodations gets outdated very fast. However, we used their 5th edition and found it quite useful on our first trip to the islands back in 2002.
Fiji (Lonely Planet): Like the Lonely Planet Tahiti book, the Lonely Planet rendition of Fiji was just as thorough and useful. We studied this guide prior to our Fiji trip back in 2005 and used it with great success to find waterfalls and get oriented with the country (especially on Viti Levu and Taveuni).
Fiji Islands: A Gift of the Sea (Caines Jannif Group): This full-color coffee table book was basically a souvenir we bought from a gift shop at our resort on Taveuni Island. It has since been sitting on our coffee table (where else?) where guests flip it open and take a look or I might read some of the prose while staring at the well-taken photographs by author James Siers.
[Back to top]
Maps
Besides the maps that come with the Lonely Planet guides, we haven't really been successful finding a decent topographic or detailed regular map of any of the South Pacific Islands. But to be honest, we haven't looked hard enough for them. We'll see if we can find and purchase some good ones to validate our GPS recordings while learning much more about paradise.
Tell us about your experiences. Click on the following link...
[Back to top]
[Go to The Library Page]
[Return from South Pacific Books and Maps to the South Pacific Page]
|
