Travel Themes South Pacific Travel

South Pacific Islands travel articles about bird and wildlife, freighter travel: Hawaii, Australia, Polynesia, Rarotonga.
Welcome to the Travel with a Challenge South Pacific Theme Page of feature articles that have appeared in past issues of our web magazine. Fully updated with current content and richly-illustrated as well as informative for senior travel readers, we invite you to explore this exciting collection which ranges across the vast Pacific Ocean from the five Hawaiian Islands and French Polynesia to the Cook Islands (Rarotonga) and Australia.

Feature articles on South Pacific travel, appealing to seniors, with bird and nature pictures, to Hawaii, Australia, Polynesia, Rarotonga.

At sunset, pelicans settle along the Kangaroo Island shore. South Australian Tourism Commission

Feel free to explore our other Travel Theme Pages for vacations well suited to senior travelers, their families and friends. Please click on image buttons or titles below to enter each South Pacific article, covering birds and nature on some spectacular islands, freighter cruising in the Marquesas, volunteering on the Great Barrier Reef, and serious wellness vacationing in the Hawaiian Islands, to name some of our topics.

Short (four days) but challenging with significant elevation changes, the Milford Track on New Zealand’s South Island is a trek that is popular with active mature travelers. MaryAnn Gerst, age 72, shares her ups and downs with seven hiking friends, ages 55 to 65, all from Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Have you ever considered trekking with a train of camels across part of the largest dune desert in the world? That would be Australia’s Simpson Desert. Intrepid senior, Trish Clark, describes her hardy adventure, the expected and the unexpected as her journey pushes body and mind to the limit. Button credit: Charles Tait

New Zealand’s “Natural Spa of the South Pacific” is a mecca for visitors looking for unique health and wellness experiences among the hotsprings and bubbling mud. Rotorua is also the heartland of Maori culture and THE place to experience the history, traditions and spectacular music, dance and artistry of these powerful aboriginal people.

Move over Africa’s “Big Five” for an introduction to New Zealand’s own smallest and rarest species of birds, marine mammals and reptiles in the world. Read their unique stories of survival and you will surely want to see these comeback heroes for yourself with a trip to Aotearoa, the land of the long white cloud, as the indigenous Maori have long called it.

South Pacific guidebook author and long time authority on the region, David Stanley, shares little known facts about the black pearls of French Polynesia and the Cook Islands, and offers tips on how to select good quality pearl jewelry.

Sail the South Pacific on a 16-day adventure with travel writer, Margie Goldsmith, as she boards a very modern freighter delivering cargo to the remote Marquesas Islands year round while introducing up to 200 passengers per trip to the best of traditional Polynesian culture and heritage, 900 miles from its home base in Tahiti.

Join Lucia Appleby for an impulsive stopover on the island of Rarotonga in the South Pacific where she finds rare birds, rare people and a fragile environment where a successful transition to tourism will require dedicated community input.

Shirley LaPlanche shares her encounters with nesting turtles and an abundance of other natural residents on a recent visit to this unique coral island ecosystem located on the Great Barrier Reef off the Queensland coast.

Join travel journalist, Alison Gardner, for an exploration of Kangaroo Island, one of Australia’s lesser known ecotourism treasures, where rare animals, sea mammals and birds enjoy a spectacular geological frontier.

Visitors to the Australia’s Great Barrier Reef are choosing to mix their vacation time with a little volunteer time by helping scientists to monitor the environmental impact of coral bleaching on one of the planet’s natural wonders. A huge job where the observations of many people make the difference!

Sign up for a challenging, active, inexpensive holiday in Australia by joining our author and 8,000 other cyclists, from toddlers to seniors, for a nine-day, 580-kilometer ride along Victoria’s picturesque Great Ocean Road.

Definitely our most visited Theme Page any month of the year, the Alternative Hawaii collection takes readers way beyond Waikiki to explore the finest natural treasures, active adventures, educational programs, traditional Hawaiian culture, and a variety of health and wellness options on five Hawaiian islands.

Going for Hawaii cruises and the like will guarantee you and your loved ones an amazing experience. There are plenty of great getaways that you can spend with the people you love, most especially in the South Pacific. The stunning scenery and beautiful places that you visit will surely give you the utmost relaxation. Reading the articles above will reveal more about the various destinations and activities available to you.

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