By LYNNE WHILEY
Vanuatu.Credit: Shutterstock
A SHORT flight, a genuine welcome and soon you're dropping your bag in a room with a view of the reef, beach or lagoon. The water beckons, bar and spa are open and the heat conspires to make you consider lying in the shade — for a week.
Yet Australians seeking adventure are increasingly being drawn to the shores of our near neighbours, to abseil a waterfall, walk in ancient rainforests or learn about the layers of custom and kinship that connect generations of people to dots of land scattered across the ocean.
NEW CALEDONIA
New Caledonia's mood of self-reliance means the country is opening up its islands to eco-tourism and trekking, alongside the more traditional lures of fishing, diving, scuba diving and sailing.
Nickel mining still underpins the country's economy but with 100,000 tourists a year flying or cruising in to enjoy a unique Pacific culture and a world-class mix of French and indigenous cuisine, new developments are up and running.
Fast ferry services are available to both the Loyalty Isles to the east of the mainland and the Isle of Pines to the south, making the latter a comfortable day trip from the capital, Noumea.
At Poindimie, on the east coast, the 50-room Tieti Tera Beach Resort opened recently, offering guests upscale facilities in a remote region where the locals share their insights into a life rich in ancestral culture.
The Sheraton group is also planning an ocean-front resort at a secluded island site near Bourail, an hour north of Noumea, where guests can combine sea and mountain ventures.
See newcaledonia.com.au.
SAMOA
The last place in the world to see the sun set each day is also a warren of caves and blowholes, rainforests teeming with birds and health-giving plants. Savai'i is Samoa's big, less-developed island to the north, home to the Saleaula lava fields (and volcanic rock-oven cooking) as well as lagoons and beaches. This month and next, Savai'i catches the northern swell and the best breaks in the South Pacific.
The shallow reefs close to the shore are surf-free, so guides take riders out to the best breaks. Savai'i's Tafua Peninsula has a rainforest reserve and a crater rim worth hiking to for the views, the birds and the sense of being wonderfully lost.
Beach fales and resorts on Samoa's tsunami-affected south coast are being rebuilt or restored at a brisk pace; many will be taking bookings from March. On the north coast of the main island and in the capital, Apia, it's Polynesian hospitality as usual. The buildings and infrastructure of these regions were left untouched by the tragedy of September 29. See samoa.travel.
VANUATU
Upmarket boutique accommodation, anyone? Vanuatu's leading the way with bungalow stays, especially on its smaller islands, as an alternative to the big resorts of the capital, Port Vila. In the past year Eratap Beach Resort opened with 12 private beachfront villas and Tamanu on the Beach opened five cottages on a secluded island.
On Vanuatu's Santo island, the Ratua Private Island offers guests a choice of 12 handcrafted Indo-Oceania-inspired villas. On Tanna island, the Tanna Lodge has 13 new, private bungalows.
Airstrips are being upgraded, making flights from Port Vila more reliable and extending dry season land-diving opportunities beyond the traditional April-June dates. On Vanuatu's collection of islands, locals will take you fishing or for a swim at a waterfall. Boat-based tours are now visiting Vanuatu's first World Heritage site: Chief Roi Mata's Domain, near Vila, which includes a 400-year-old mass burial site.
See vanuatu.travel.
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