travel

A Regular Piaa Department

Reporting News Of South

Seas Tourism And Travel

From The Inside

Around The Islands

IT’S really a matter of taste whether you travel about the South Pacific by plane or by ship.

Above, the Matua enters Suva’s magnificent, moun tain-flanked harbour, with Joske’s Thumb and the Cockcomb peaks in the background. Right, a Landrover awaits passen gers at Bonriki Interna tional Airport, Gilbert and Ellice Islands. Visitors always admire the authentic Islands atmosphere of the airport, even though they do have to go without cock tails!

Left, a jet’s-eye view of Vatoa Island, the only island in the Fiji group dis covered by Captain James Cook. (He discovered it in 1774, and named it Turtle Island.) Vatoa Island is about halfway between Fiji and Tonga on the direct air-route between the two

groups. . . . Meanwhile,

back on the ground— almost. Below left, a tri cycle cab takes a young fare down a street in Nukualofa, Tonga. Below, swoooosh! A water skier enjoys the action in Suva, Fiji.

Fiji—from mangroves to bluewater. Above, an out board craft churns up a white wake as it rounds a bend in the delta of the Rewa River. Thickets of mangroves on either side of the river give it an Amazonian appearance.

Left, spearfishermen relax as they reload for another dive into Suva harbour, with one of the local tourist operators, Ski-Dives.

Pictures on these pages by: P-NG Dept, of Information, Rob Wright, PIM and A. G. Shearer.