South Seas Islands

Following the trail taken by Captain

James Cook

Our voyage was a fascinating mix of islands all the way from the northernmost reaches of New Zealand to Melanesia, taking in remote, but splendid Norfolk Island and Iles des Pins in the French Collectivity of New Caledonia. From there we followed the chain of Melanesian islands through Vanuatu, the Solomon Islands and finally to the islands of Papua New Guinea. We sailed in a northerly direction through the South Pacific along much of the same route as Captain James Cook. The maritime history of the region is from the early explorers and native migrations to the fierce battles of World War II. Many of the islands still possess a pristine beauty, much the same as they were when first discovered by the great explorers. We landed on many inaccessible beaches and explored lagoons and coral reefs and met with many remote communities. At New Georgia on the outer reaches of the Solomon’s we snorkelled in the beautiful Marovo Lagoon, the world’s largest double barrier lagoon, a truly awe inspiring place. Many of the islands that we visited are very remote and way off the tourism circuit. The islands are all beautiful in their different ways and all have unique features and cultures forming one of the most culturally complex regions of the entire world, with 1293 languages spoken across the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, New Caledonia and the island of New Guinea. It is also a region of great antiquity; New Guinea has been settled for around 45,000 years, the Solomon Islands for 35,000 years, and Vanuatu and New Caledonia for about 4,000.

Welcome

Our South Seas voyage was a fascinating mix of islands all the way from the northern Bay of Islands of New Zealand to Papua New Guinea, Melanesia. Our visit to New Zealand South Island took us through fertile, green, beautiful lands with spectacular scenery, especially in the mountains and sea inlets known as Sounds.

People of the Islands

The people of the South Seas Islands originated from the Melanesian settlers and it was only later that the Polynesians arrived to settle in these Islands. In the Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea you can’t fail to notice the dark-skinned locals with bright blond afros. Hypotheses about the origins of this golden hair have included bleaching by sun and saltwater, a diet rich in fish, and the genetic legacy of Europeans or Americans. But studies suggest a random mutation instead, in that the blond hair evolved independently at least twice in human history.