In the previous post I used the terms “Polynesia” and “Melanesia,” because I love geography. It occurs to me you may not be into Pacific geographic terminology so I’ll take a stab at definitions.
Not counting the big archipelagos (Japan, the Philippines, Indonesia) hugging the Asian landmass, the Pacific islands are roughly grouped into three categories: Polynesia, Melanesia, and Micronesia. Micronesia is the small islands north of the equator and west of Midway Island. These include the Marianas plus Guam, the Marshalls, Palau, and FSM.
Polynesia includes French Polynesia (Tahiti, etc.), the Cook Islands, Easter Island, Samoa, Tonga, New Zealand and the Hawaiian Islands. Melanesia includes New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Fiji, and New Caledonia.
In the opinion of the DrsC, Rarotonga in the Cook Islands may be the nicest of the bunch. Polynesian charm with a bit of New Zealand order. In French Polynesia, I prefer Moorea and Tahaa; Tahiti and Bora Bora are overdeveloped. On Tahaa buy the vanilla liqueur … as smooth as silk.
From the Kona Coast of the Big Island, happy Halloween.
