South Pacific Travel

About South Pacific Travel

Welcome to South Pacific Travel, your essential podcast for exploring the beauty and diversity of the South Pacific islands. From the pristine beaches of Fiji and the overwater bungalows of Tahiti to the hidden gems of the Cook Islands and Vanuatu, we bring you insider tips, expert guides, and must-see experiences. Discover the best activities, cultural insights, and travel tips to plan your perfect island getaway. Whether you're seeking adventure, relaxation, or cultural exploration, join us and start your journey through the South Pacific's paradise!

Publisher

Normand Schafer

Category

society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

20 Jul 2023

Latest episode

31 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

138 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   31 Oct 2026

   Aitutaki, Cook Islands: Heidi Rose on Village Celebrations and Lagoon Life

   Aitutaki is often called one of the most beautiful lagoon islands in the South Pacific, but its people are what make it special. Normand Schafer of Far and Away Adventures.com (https://farandawayadventures.com/) talks with Heidi Rose, a local islander who settled there with her family. Heidi's father is from Aitutaki, from a family of 16. Raised in Rarotonga, she spent school holidays with her Auntie Rima on Aitutaki before moving there for a slower pace of life. She describes a culture where everyone looks after one another, a Cook Islands value she says is even more evident on Aitutaki. One highlight is the end-of-year round-the-island village celebration. Villages dress in uniform and travel around the island performing at each village from morning until late afternoon, and are welcomed with lollies and flower ei. Many Cook Islanders living overseas return home for it. Plan your Cook Islands and South Pacific island journey with a Far and Away Adventures specialist. Heidi adds that her own family's story reflects the wider Pacific. Many of her father's siblings live in New Zealand, and when it is reunion time, relatives fly in from overseas. The last reunion was held on Aitutaki. Those strong ties between the islands and the wider Cook Islands community overseas are part of what keeps local traditions so vibrant. During COVID, households received seedlings to grow food, and the island fed and supported itself. It is a rich portrait of Polynesian community life. Heidi also talks about life on and around the famous lagoon: motu trips, fishing charters, whale watching, and the One Foot Island passport stamp. She explains how a Survivor season brought exposure and jobs, and how tourism employs most locals. Get a free trip quote from Far and Away Adventures: https://farandawayadventures.com/form/quick-trip-request/?dest=Cook%20Islands&src=spotify

2. 

   28 Oct 2026

   Tahiti Nui to Tahiti Iti: Exploring the Heart of French Polynesia

   What makes Tahiti such a rewarding place to explore within the South Pacific? Natalia of Tahiti Welcome Tours joins Normand Schafer to describe the island's dramatic geography, local hospitality, and private sightseeing experiences. Far and Away Adventures.com (https://farandawayadventures.com/) helps travelers plan French Polynesia journeys that connect individual island experiences with the larger vacation. Tahiti's landscape provides the starting point. Natalia explains the distinction between Tahiti Nui, the larger part of the island, and Tahiti Iti, its smaller counterpart. Her company's eight-hour private tours allow more time to explore scenic lookouts, enjoy a Polynesian lunch, and potentially reach the Teahupo'o area, famous for its powerful surf and Olympic competition. The conversation also shows how island knowledge transforms a tour. Natalia describes introducing visitors to ordinary roadside encounters where someone selling fruit or juice may share a personal perspective on local life. Polynesian hospitality, she explains, is something travelers can experience directly rather than simply read about beforehand. Nature becomes another major topic. One waterfall is so striking that Natalia considers it among her most memorable sightseeing highlights. She also recounts how questions about whether coral barrier reefs are man-made can lead to conversations about reef formation, geology, ecological awareness, and marine environments. For visitors combining Tahiti with other South Pacific travel plans, timing is important. Natalia discusses accommodating cruise ship passengers and travelers with flights or other commitments. Her experience illustrates the need to balance an engaging excursion with dependable transportation and realistic schedules. The larger lesson is that Tahiti deserves attention beyond its role as a travel gateway. Its people, landscapes, and stories provide compelling reasons to spend time exploring the island itself. Work with a Far and Away Adventures South Pacific specialist to build Tahiti into your travel plans. Get a free trip quote from Far and Away Adventures: https://farandawayadventures.com/form/quick-trip-request/?dest=French%20Polynesia&src=spotify

3. 

   24 Oct 2026

   Air Rarotonga's Ewan Smith: Lifeline Flights Across the Cook Islands

   In the South Pacific, an airline is often far more than a way to travel. Normand Schafer of Far and Away Adventures.com (https://farandawayadventures.com/) speaks with Ewan Smith, founder and managing director of Air Rarotonga, about flying the Cook Islands for nearly five decades.Ewan arrived in 1973, aged 22, when Rarotonga's international airport opened, and founded Air Rarotonga about four years later with one Britten-Norman Islander. He describes flying the first aircraft into newly built outer-island airstrips, where entire villages turned out, and how air access changed life through health services and economic opportunity. Ewan also looks back on the era when an airline route across the Pacific let travellers add island stops to long-haul tickets, and how restructuring after 9/11 ended many multi-stop itineraries. That history explains why connections between island nations remain limited today, and why Air Rarotonga's Tahiti link matters for South Pacific travellers. As chairman of Cook Islands Tourism, he says visitors come for two things: the lagoon and connecting with Cook Islanders. The conversation crosses Polynesia too. After COVID, Air Rarotonga began scheduled flights between Rarotonga and Tahiti, with onward connections beyond. Ewan explains why travelling within the Pacific Islands is hard, and why remote islands are moving onto travellers' bucket lists. He also shares his documentary on moving the kura, the Rimatara lorikeet, from French Polynesia's Rimatara to the Cook Islands, with Gerald McCormack. He calls aircraft the lifeline of the outer islands, where a trip by sea is long. He recalls pre-GPS flights of about 1,300 km north to the Northern Group, past the point of no return, and a recent medevac from Pukapuka, completed in a single day. Plan your South Pacific island hopping with a Far and Away Adventures specialist. Get a free trip quote from Far and Away Adventures: https://farandawayadventures.com/form/quick-trip-request/?dest=Cook%20Islands&src=spotify

Who has been a guest on South Pacific Travel

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Rob
• Barefoot Kuata Island Resort Biologist and Photographer
• Ahura Resorts team

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Spotify

5.0 / 5

1 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 35 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

57

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

32

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Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.

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