This time welcomed by all Island Nations on our Pacific itinerary!

13th to 19th February 2026. Blog Post 10

Panorama including Mystery Island, our venue for the day & Silver Dawn ship, from mountain viewpoint on Aneityum Island.

In 2020 Tonga, New Caledonia, Cook Islands closed their borders early as COVID fear crept in. So we spent a little more time in Fiji. Awesome day in Port Vila, Vanuatu, then onboard to sail to Pentecost Island, Vanuatu, but suddenly NO ENTRY. Overnight it and almost all countries closed their borders. Now in 2026 we travelled to all of them.

Difficult to determine in advance which Island experiences will be special. In Tonga, only Pacific Island nation to escape European colonisation, our transport was School Bus number 6. No air conditioning and HOT.  The guide didn’t offer context or historical storyline, just pointed out churches, hospitals, schools as we passed them. To quote our young granddaughter: “We already know that”.

Fiji: memories of its tropical intensity, friendly “bula bula” greetings and staggering beauty flooded back as we drove to Salt Lake on Savu Savu island for our kayaking adventure with “Mangrove Jack”. Imagine our surprise when Jack turns out to be “Jakobus” originally from Pretoria, South Africa! Wonderful kayaking.  Disturbing stories about cannibal history of the place where the enemy king was targeted and, if caught, cooked!

Vanuatu, each visit: 2020, 2023, now 2026, distinctive. Sheryl snorkeled amongst colorful fish and unbleached coral. Raymond hiked into the mountain on Aneityum Island. Beautiful forests, bay view and a special Kauri tree planting ceremony at hike’s end. Tiny now, giants later. They stabilise slopes and prevent erosion. Relaxed swimming and walking around uninhabited Mystery Island.

Then New Caledonia: Another French territory after French Polynesia. Looks more “sophisticated” than other Pacific Islands visited. Our “river kayak”  turned out to be “sea kayaking”, in high winds. Pretty tough but sense of achievement afterwards!

Whether you strike it lucky or unlucky, all excursions are memorable. Each Island is distinctive.

Climate is a big-ticket item, perhaps underestimated? In South Africa we experience occasional extreme climatic events. But listening to fellow travellers’ anxious stories of snowstorms in their home countries, midst the intense tropical humidity of the South Pacific, we reflect on the substantial contribution to quality of life, of South Africa’s relatively temperate climate.

Tongan Dancers after performance on the ship. Red roofed Royal Palace in the Capital Nuku’alofa, pictured in background.
Visiting Ha’amonga ‘a Maui, Tonga’s trilithon, often called: “Stonehenge of the Pacific”, with Tongan woman in front.
Kayaking Salt Lake, Savu Savu Island, Fji through mangroves & tidal waters, on Mangrove Jack’s Kayaks: Jakobus from Pretoria!
Sunset taken from ship as we leave Fiji.
Sheryl and friends embarking on Mystery Island snorkelling experience, taken from boat taking Raymond to Aneityum Island.
Rules on Aneityum in Bislama, Vanuatu’s lingua franca. Rule 5 for example: “RESPECTEM OL PLANTS NO TAJEM” translates to: “Respect all plants. Don’t touch them”.
Massive Pacific Kauri trees, native to Aneityum, endangered due to unsustainable logging.
Hiking on Aneityum Island. Wopa, our guide’s husband, carries the Kauri sapling to plant at hike’s end. Note his bare feet!
Part of circular path, 40-minute walk, around Mystery Island
Finally made it to Sainte-Marie Island protected beach, in Noumea, New Caledonia. High winds and non-calm waters to get there!
A range of standout features at Noumea’s “Aquarium des Lagons”. Here a sample of New Caledonia’s diverse endemic species.