Tours & Attractions For Honeymooners

Vanuatu

Most visitors to Vanuatu stay in or around Port Vila on the island of Efate. It’s easy to get about using the public bus system (just flag down a van with a ‘B’ on the number plate). For divers, the island of Santo will reward with the wreck of the Coolidge and Million Dollar Point. Tanna Island has Mt Yasur, one of the world’s most accessible active volcano and traditional Melanesian culture. There are a number of tour operators in Vila and there are lots of attractions you can explore independently.

For a comprehensive guide to Vanuatu, check out Vanuatu A to Z.

• Hideaway Island Marine Sanctuary has fantastic snorkelling and the world’s only underwater post office. Nearby are Mele Cascades Waterfall and Mele Cultural Centre and Nature Reserve.
• You can take a tour or self-drive around Efate - allow a day as the road can be a bit rough in parts. Heading anti-clockwise, Eton Beach is a delightful spot for a swim, snorkel, picnic. The quirky little War Museum on north Efate is also worth a stop - you can take a boat to the wrecks of two WWII planes. Perhaps a stop at Nagar Resort for lunch, on to Undine Bay and Havannah Harbour and then down Klem’s Hill to Cascades Waterfall and back top town.
• An excellent day out from Havannah Harbour is the the Coongoola Cruise. Lelepa Island day tours are also rewarding and there are Sunset Cruises on Port Vila Harbour.
• Visit the Cultural Centre, take a Port Vila Discovery Tour or one of the traditional village tours.
• For golfers there are two good 18 hole courses, the scuba diving and game fishing are excellent and there’s horse riding, parasailing, jet skiing and duty free shopping.
• Dine out! There are so many great restaurants in Vila it will be hard to decide. Some of the best are The Rossi, Tilly’s, Vila Chaumieres, the Officer’s Club, Tamanu on the Beach, Café du Village and Roxy’s on the Lagoon. The larger resorts also offer Melanesian feasts.

Fiji

Most visitors to Fiji tend to base their holiday in one or two resorts and many attractions will be on the doorstep - golf, diving, fishing, parasailing, snorkelling, lovos, mekes, kava ceremonies etc - but, there are things to do and see away from where you are staying.

• There are tours around Viti Levu, inland outings and day trips to Suva. From Nadi you can take a tour to The Garden of the Sleeping Giant (orchids), village tours and tours of the markets. Reception or your resort’s Tour Desk will make arrangements for you.
• If you are invited to a village, it will be an experience. You should take a gift (sevusevu) of kava, which will be prepared and shared with you as a way of welcoming you.
• Some of the resorts in the Mamanuca islands offer day trips with picnics to your own island beach.
• The game fishing and diving are excellent. On Viti Levu, the best golf course if the Denarau Golf and Racquet Club (Sheraton Resorts)

Tonga

There are a number of tour operators on Tongatapu, Ha’apai and Vava’u and it is easy to explore independently. Hiring a bike is a great way to get around. Just keep in mind that pretty much everything closes on a Sunday. There’s some of the world’s best scuba diving, game fishing, yachting, snorkelling and whale watching here as well as white sand beaches, magnificent blowholes and lush rainforests.

Nuku’alofa is an easy place to explore on foot. Start at Vuna Wharf… opposite is the Treasury Biuilding (1928). Head up Railway Road (the only one-way street) for the House of Parliament (like the Royal Palace, it was built in New Zealand and reassembled, in 1894). Cut through the park across the raod to the Tongan War Memorial then turn left on Taufa’ahau Road to the Primje Minister’s Office. Continue west to the Victorian Royal Palace. Back on Vuna Road (west) there are many fine colonial-style residences. Mt Zion is the site of an 18th Century Tongan fortress and the first missionary chapel. South from here is Centenary Church (can seat 2000 people!). The mansion next to the church was the residence of missionary and Tongan premier, Rev. Shirley Baker (the church’s president lives there today). Continue to Laifone Road for the Royal Tombs and the nearby Catholic Basilica of St Anthony of Padua (impressive two-storey church with arched roof and soaring interior). The Tonga National Centre is also pretty much a must-do. There are handicraft demonstrations (tapa, canoe making, carving, weaving) as well as art and historical displays. Weekdays there’s a BBQ lunch and fashion show (12:30pm) and at 2:00pm a two-hour guided cultural tour including story-telling, kava ceremony and traditional dancing. Tuesdays and Thursdays are usually the best days to visit because of the dinner show (T$20) – a huge buffet dinner, kava, traditional dancing, string band etc.

On Vava’u (Neiafu) it is even easier to explore on foot, taking time to simply soak in the character of the town. The cemetery between the Bank of Tonga and the Mormon church is an excellent example of the traditional langi type (burial mounds). The old fig tree in front of the post office is the local meeting place. For a panoramic view of Port of Refuge and the islands, climb Mt Talau (131 metres).

Email us for itinerary suggestions and check out our info site, Tonga A to Z.

Samoa

There are a number of tour operators in Samoa and both islands (Upolu and Savai’i) are easy to explore independently. There’s some of the world’s best scuba diving, game fishing, snorkelling and surfing here as well as white sand beaches and lush rainforests with stunning waterfalls. On your list should be:

• a look around Apia
• a ‘must’ is a visit to the Robert Louis Stevenson Museum
• another must – a fia fia night (song, dance feast and the incredible knife-fire dance)
• stay in a village or traditional beach fale
• have a night on the town – ask around and find out where the fa’fafine (transvesities) are partying – that’s always lively!

Email us for itinerary suggestions and check out our info site, Samoa A to Z.

The Cook Islands

It’s pretty easy to let Rarotonga unfold before you - it only takes 45 minutes to travel around the island (there are two large, modern buses that travel clockwise and anti-clockwise. The main town of Avarua is on the north of the island for shopping, the markets, banks etc.

• Take a guided tour around the island. It will take you on the coastal and inland road with an informative commentary.
• Snorkel or scuba dive or go game fishing. The sand beaches and best snorkelling are away from the north coast, which is rocky looking out to the reef. The finest snorkelling is just off the white sands along Tikioki (Takitumu Villas) and Titikaveka (south part of Rarotonga). Ask your bus driver to drop you at Fruits of Rarotonga. The south end of Muri Beach is also excellent. The best spot in the lagoon is between Ta'akoka islet and the barrier reef.
• For sunsets, naturally, head to the western part of Rarotonga. There is also good bush walking inland.
• Dine out - there are many fantastic dining options including the Flame Tree, Sails, Windjammer, Portofino and Trader Jack’s. There are also a couple of good nightspots. Take in an Island Night - the food will be wonderful and the music and dance vibrant and exciting.
• While more than a day trip is recommended, couples should get to the island of Aitutaki for the most wonderful lagoon - pure romance.

New Caledonia

This little part of France in the Pacific also has Melanesian culture to discover. Most visitors will stay in Noumea and probably around Anse Vata or the Baie des Citrons and some will include a stay on the Isle of Pines - this is also a rewarding day trip.

• Take the local bus into town for shopping, looking at markets etc. Take Le Petit Train… visit Tjibaou Cultural Centre and do the Kanak Path Tour.
• Day trip to Amedee - a brilliant day trip with lunch including Convict Tour.
• Hire a car and drive out up north for a picnic - you’re on the ‘wrong’ side of the road but the roads are excellent, in fact better than Australia and New Zealand.
• Other days tours worth considering are Parc Forestier (nature reserve) and Down South to Yate (the old capital), to Duck Island for snorkelling and lunch and, as mentioned, the Isle of Pines.
• Play Golf at Tina Sur Mer (brilliant golf course), play petanque, take the Ocean Walk tour off Anse Vata.
• Take coffee, breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner - with 130 restaurants and French chefs - eat drink and be merry!

Australia

It’s pretty hard to list all the attractions for Australia in a paragraph or two - for a detailed guide to travelling in Australia, check out The Small Guide to A Big Country. As we have featured North Queensland as our focal destination for Australian tropical honeymoons, here are a few suggestions for things to do and see up north if you want to get away from your resort.

• Cairns is a modern, cosmopolitan city - the Red Explorer Bus from Lake Street will give you a good feel for the place. Major attractions include the Skyrail Rainforest Cableway and the excellent Tjapukai Aboriginal Cultural Park. You can also take day trips to Green Island and Fitzroy Island National Parks.
• Heading north, it’s an hour’s coastal drive to Port Douglas. On the way Palm Cove is worth a stop for the beach, boutiques and art galleries. In Port Douglas there are some great eating options (Macrossan Street and along the Marina), Four Mile Beach, the Rainforest Habitat and Ben Cropp’s Shipwreck Museum.
• From the Marina, take a Quicksilver cruise to the Outer Barrier Reef and Low Isles or a day out with one of the smaller dive operators. Or take a 4WD tour north (or do it at your own pace) to Mossman Gorge, the Daintree Rainforst and Cape Tribulation.