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School holidays may be underway right now, but if you are thinking of a Pacific Island escape as we get further into winter – you may want to rethink your plans.

On this week’s episode of Trip Notes, the NZ Herald’s travel podcast, host Lorna Riley is talking what you need to know about the Pacific Islands with Jo Coolen, the owner-operator of House of Travel Kāpiti Coast.

She recommends that people look at seven to 10 days for their holiday, particularly if you want to explore more than one island.

And there are some specific times to look at if you want to save money.

“For Kiwis, we like to escape our winter. If you go in our summer, it’s the rainy season, which a lot of people thinks ‘meh’, but there’s less people. It might have a big shower and then warm up again straight away, so not too bad at all. Your prices might be a little bit better too.

And the busiest season?

“Definitely school holidays. School holidays are tricky.”

With so many islands on our doorstep to choose from, you might think you can do it without seeing your travel agent, but Coolen said that people can sometimes make mistakes when booking.

“Probably one of the biggest mistakes we see people make with the time zone for the Cook Islands, so people have got their flight arriving and they haven’t gotten anywhere to sleep. Or you might book an extra night at the other end not realising, so it is tricky.

“We know our places inside out and I think it’s about matching the right island to the right customer. We’re not gonna send somebody that’s looking for Gucci shopping for example to Samoa.

Photo / Samoa Tourism Authority

“You’ve just got to qualify your customers and understand what it is they’re really after. And sometimes they don’t know themselves ‘cause they dunno the options. They keep going back to the same place, because that’s what they know.”

Throughout the podcast, Coolen shared her tips for visiting some of the islands in the South Pacific:

Niue: “ If you are wanting a nice golden sandy beach holiday, it’s not the place to go. But if you’re wanting beautiful caves, gin, clear water. You know, lots of seafood, lots of fishing, swimming with whales, swimming with dolphins, all that sort of stuff, it’s your place. Very laid back mindset.”

Swim in crystal-clear waters, snorkel with dolphins, and try fresh island cuisine. Photo / Niue Tourism

Samoa: “ I would say it’s probably like the Cook Islands was 20, 50 years ago. The infrastructure’s not quite as good or as busy as perhaps the Cook Islands.

“[We’re] sending people out to Savai’i, which is the outer island, which is quite popular and it’s just a step back again in busyness. so you can go and flop and drop.

Vanuatu: “They had the big earthquake in December and they’re just sort of rebuilding, but they are welcoming visitors with open arms, so we are really excited to see that back.

“ I think like anywhere, just go with the flow, get friendly with the locals. One thing I always say to people, try and learn a little bit of a local saying – try and learn something that’s a little bit more local and you win friends.”

Vanuatu is a great spot for Kiwi travellers. Photo / 123rf

Fiji: “There’s heaps of adventure stuff starting in Fiji now. Towards the Coral Coast, you’ve got some zip lining, you’ve got jet boating on the Sigatoka River.

“I think one of a really lovely thing to do is either a Blue Lagoon cruise. or island hopping around the Yasawas. So they’re about a four-hour ferry ride from the mainland.”

 for more advice and tips for travel in the South Pacific.

Trip Notes is an NZ Herald podcast hosted by Lorna Riley, a keen travel writer and enthusiast and host of Coast Days. New episodes are available every Tuesday.