The Islands of the South Pacific

Tahiti, Moorea, Bora Bora, the Marquesas, the Cook Islands, Tonga and Beyond

By: Thomas Booth

Narrated by: John Shelton

Tahiti is one of the Society Islands which, with the Gambiers, the Tuamotus, the Australs, and the Marquesas, make up French Polynesia. This archipelago spread out over several million square miles of the south central Pacific is a mixture of high volcanic islands and low coral atolls.

Moorea is the second-most popular destination in French Polynesia and with good reason. The most dramatic way to see Moorea is by hiking. The footpaths among the Marae of Opunohu are excellent, but the best walk is the trek from Vaiare west across to Pao Pao at the bottom of Cook's Bay. It's a longish trek, but the abundant flora are delightful and the views magnificent.

Bora Bora - you can see it like a stage drop in the distance from Raiatea - is 160 miles from Tahiti. The pearl of all islands, it has a beauty borne of lagoon, reef, and green mountains. Bora Bora is the scene of paddling, peddling, snorkeling, walking, climbing, dancing, drinking and eating well.

In the Marquesas, Nuku Hiva Island with a population of 1,800 is the administrative center for these 12 islands. Nuku Hiva, like most of the others, is majestically mountainous and beautiful. Growing and export of oranges is the main activity. Hiva Oa, according to Robert Louis Stevenson, was the loveliest and most ominous spot on earth.

The Cook Islands, named after the British Captain who seems to have been everywhere in the Pacific, are scattered like tiny jewels over a large stretch of sea between Tahiti and Samoa.

Tonga too has many attractions – the king's palace, the beaches, lagoons, flying foxes, blowholes, ruins, exquisite outer islands, and convenient transport. There's good food, perhaps the best in the Pacific, and the weather is cooler than many other Pacific islands.

All the detail you will need about these Pacific islands is in the guide - the hotels, restaurants, what to see and do, how to get around, the history and the culture.

©2013 Hunter Publishing (P)2014 Hunter Publishing

Lot's of great info here!

Where does The Islands of the South Pacific rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Of all the travel audiobooks that I've listened to, this one ranks near the top due to the large volume of information and recommendations it contains regarding hotels, restaurants, and sightseeing locations on each of the islands it covers.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Islands of the South Pacific?

The story about the few isolated islanders still living on Pitcairn Island who are the descendants of the sailors from the Mutiny on the Bounty!

Which scene was your favorite?

There was some interesting info regarding the private island owned by Marlon Brando.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

I really enjoyed the stories and descriptions of the royal family of Tonga.

Any additional comments?

If you're looking for travel information regarding any of these South Pacific islands, I definitely recommend giving this a listen.

The Worst

Not only was this book a waste of money, it was a total waste of time. The book provided very little info on each island group and no info you couldn't easily find on the Internet. And to top it off, you're listening to addresses of hotels and restaurants being read to you. Painful.