SOUTH PACIFIC PORTS AND CITIES
SOUTH PACIFIC PORTS AND CITIES
| Apia | Guam | Papeete |
Apia
From your Cruise to Apia, Step Straight into a Film Set for 'South Pacific' - Pacific islands
It's a magical first impression. On the main Samoan island of Upolu, there's an intriguing mix of historic churches and monuments, bustling flea and fish markets and laid-back residential districts that have a welcoming, traditional village feel to them. Around the island are some of the South Pacifics best (black sand) beaches. And to prove this really is a 'Treasure Island', visit Vallima just outside Apia, where Robert Louis Stevenson settled and spent the last five years of his life. There is an excellent museum nearby, dedicated to this splendid storyteller.
Guam
Pacific Cruise to the Beautiful Waters of Guam - Mariana islands
This most southerly of the Mariana islands once gave food and shelter to the explorer Ferdinand Magellan. Since then the island has had something of a chequered past with the Second World War among the more harrowing chapters. Today its crystal clear waters, colourful coral, plentiful wrecks and an extraordinary diversity of fish make it a popular place for divers.
Papeete
Pacific Cruise to Flashy Papeete, Explore Beyond to Find the Unspoilt Landscapes - Tahiti
Although this gorgeous South Pacific island of Tahiti has its share of beautiful coves, black sand, and lush, unspoilt mountainous landscapes full of cascading waterfalls and dramatic coastal blowholes, do not expect some kind of laid-back desert(ed) island settlement when you cruise into the main port and capital, Papeete. One stroll around its harbour-full of private yachts, across roads packed with expensive cars, or past its streets-full of chic boutiques, designer label stores and pulsating bars and nightclubs, and you could believe yourself to be in the French Caribbean or even the French Riviera. It is a lot of fun, though. Especially around the cosmopolitan city market which is permanently busy with Tahitian, French, Indian, and Chinese furiously trading their wares. As it was his enthusiastic portrayal of Polynesian beauty that contributed so much to our knowledge and appreciation of Tahiti, a visit to the Paul Gauguin museum (and botanical garden) in Port Phaeton is always popular.
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