bigger ones

The smaller islands responded much quicker than the bigger ones

prepared for them. What I did receive was an interesting but matter-of-fact document, “Report of the Administrator of Tokelau for the year ended 30 June 1991, presented to the [New Zealand] House of Representatives.”

In the report there was a mention of the island government’s personnel policy which was both new to me and in triguing; “... the Tokelau Public Service totalled 374 comprising 172 established positions, 23 temporary employees, seven expatriates and 172 casual staff. Casual employees are employed on a rotational basis. Employment in the Tokelau Public Service is the main source of regular income in Tokelau ...”.

Many of the island brochures make specialised appeals, beyond pleasant weather and lovely beaches. Norfolk

Island (apparently thinking it terms of British tourists) calls itself “The Madeira of the Pacific,” a reference to the Portuguese islands off the coast of Morocco.

Norfolk also plays up its role as a home to some of the descendants of those

involved in the mutiny on the Bounty. In fact its brochure promotes a stage show on that subject which occurs at Bpm Tuesdays and “Thursday Bpm if Tues day wet” suggesting frequent rains.

Nearby Lord Howe, apparently look ing for bidders among its tourists, provides detailed descriptions of terns, petrels, boobies and shearwaters. Re garding the last named, the brochure goes on “... the fleshfooted shearwear, or muttonbird ... returns ... each year ... from the seas off Japan and Siberia to their same nesting burrow on Lord Howe Island ...”.

The island specialty on Johnston Atoll, the US military installation some 800 miles from Hawaii, is a grim one. It is the destruction of excess US chemical weapons. We sent out tourist inquiry to the commanders of Johnston, Wake and Midway Islands, all US military hold ings, to see if we could get a reaction from any of them.

Lt. Col. Robert Sutton, USAF, direc tor of operations on Johnston, obliged “Johnston Atoll is an official-business only island. There is no indigenous population and non-official visits are not permitted. Sorry we cannot be of assist ance but I do hope the remainder of your trip is very enjoyable.”

I suspect the Americans on Johnston drive on the right side of the road but perhaps that’s a military secret. My inquiry sheet was returned unmarked. □

Tahiti: most spectacular brochure