Family-friendly holidays in the South Pacific
South Pacific
Explore the South Pacific with your family
The Pacific Islands – Fiji, Vanuatu, Samoa, the Cook Islands, and closer to home, Norfolk Island – are renowned not only for their fabulous year-round climates, but also for the welcoming friendliness of their people and an abundance of great resort options with a firm focus on family comfort, fun and entertainment.
What could be more appealing than packing for a family trip only a few short hours’ flying time from Australia, when the promise is a dream island holiday with plenty of warm sunshine, palm tree-fringed lagoons or crystal clear water, relaxed parents and happy kids?
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Your South Pacific family travel guide
While they are all ringed by shimmering seas, individually, each Pacific Island destination has its own unique heritage, customs and landscapes. From pristine blue waters, white sandy beaches and swaying palms to jungle waterfalls, volcanic peaks and coral reefs, each is equally breathtaking.
Wherever your island interlude takes you, you will be surrounded by lagoons or ocean beaches. You’ll engage in local culture, dancing and singing, see spectacular marine life, swim in beautifully-landscaped pools, find relaxation and create amazing family memories.
Fiji
Fiji is an island nation comprised of over 300 tropical islands, and replete with brilliantly colourful soft coral reefs, lagoons, white sands, aquamarine ocean as far as the eye can see, and a balmy year-round climate perfect for sunning, swimming, snorkelling and shady siestas. Many of the islands are uninhabited and others are home to local villages, but scattered across the stunning seascape are islands that range in size and shape – from coral atolls to small volcanic islands – with family-friendly, Fijian-flavoured resorts within, and all you have to do is take your pick!
The largest, and most populous, island is Viti Levu (home to Nadi and Suva). Fly into Nadi and choose from any number of fabulous water’s edge resorts in Denarau, and along the beautiful Coral Coast, south towards Sigatoka and Suva.
The second largest island, Vanua Levu, is home to the lush and beautiful town of Savusavu and, dotting the Koro Sea, northeast of Suva, are a handful of islands, where holidaymakers can find a slice of paradise, like Toberua, and Taveuni. The most popular holiday islands extend in a northwesterly arc from Viti Levu, in the spectacular Mamanuca and Yasawa Islands chains. Resorts here are easily reached by water, seaplane, and helicopter from Viti Levu.
Vanuatu
Vanuatu offers the perfect blend of sunshine, sand and smiles for a happy family break. It only takes around three hours to fly from Australia’s east coast to Vanuatu but, once you arrive, you’ll feel like you’re on the other side of the world.
The Republic of Vanuatu is actually a ‘Y’ shaped volcanic Pacific archipelago made up of some 80 islands, many of which are uninhabited, but others like Efate, Espiritu Santo and Tanna are welcoming destinations where a fun-and-adventure-filled island holiday is guaranteed. A warm Vanuatu ‘Welkam’ awaits you!
Although there are over 120 distinct languages (and many more dialects) spoken in Vanuatu, the three official languages are English, French and Bislama (pidgin English). The Ni-Vanuatu are a beautiful people – their strong sense of community and culture offers a spirit of friendliness that extends to visitors, and in particular to children.
Cook Islands
Kids will be saying ‘Kia Orana’ before you’ve even unpacked! The islands of Rarotonga and Aitutaki are rated as two of the most beautiful in the world, and they are both part of the stunning archipelago that is known as The Cook Islands, located north of New Zealand and southwest of Tahiti, just six hours flying time from Sydney.
Families are important in the Cooks, and child-friendly activities are abundant. These Polynesian islands are incredible places to holiday and so easy to explore. It only takes 45 minutes by car to travel around the whole island of Rarotonga but it will take at least a week to experience all of the fun adventures on offer! And a 50-minute flight from Rarotonga will find you at the bluest of blue lagoons in Aitutaki.
Getting there: Jetstar flies direct from Sydney to Rarotonga in six hours, as well as via Auckland. Air New Zealand also offers flights via Auckland.
Where to stay: The Cook Islands offer a great range of family-friendly accommodation options, including resorts like the Rarotongan Beach Resort and Lagoonarium with fun kids clubs and self-contained beach houses.
Samoa
Australian families have begun to discover the ‘Treasured Islands’ of Samoa and, with an average year-round temperature of 30°C, and its reputation as ‘the adventure-seeker’s paradise’, it’s no surprise this unspoiled Pacific paradise keeps finding itself at the very top of world travel lists as a must-visit destination!
Located halfway between New Zealand and Hawaii, Samoa’s main island is Upolu where the capital, Apia, is found. Volcanic mountain peaks, rainforests, fabulous waterfalls and lagoons, amazing beaches with white sand and the lure of the waters of the Pacific Ocean make Samoa a holiday paradise for all ages.
Getting there: Fly direct from Brisbane or Sydney to Apia with Virgin Australia – flight times are around five to six hours. Qantas also flies direct from Brisbane to Apia.
Where to stay: Resorts like Saletoga Sands Resort & Spa and Sheraton Samoa Aggie Grey’s Hotel & Bungalows are perfect for families – but you might also like to try sleeping out in a Samoan fale for a real Swiss Family Robinson experience!
Fales are open-air huts on the beach designed for chilling by day and comfortable sleeping with the sea breeze and the sounds of the ocean by night, and Samoa offers a range of fabulous family-friendly beach fale accommodation to suit all families.
New Caledonia
New Caledonia is a French territory in the Pacific, just three hours flight time from Sydney and made up of – you guessed it – lots of small islands!
The capital, Noumea, is on the main island, La Grand Terre, and nearby are the famous Loyalty Islands of Lifou, Maré, Tiga and Ouvéa. South of La Grand Terre is the untouched paradise of the Isle of Pines (L’Ile-des-Pins), a 20-minute flight south of Noumea. If you’re looking for deserted beaches, natural pools and shady banyan and pine trees for your island holiday, this is the place to be!
Although the Kanaks are the indigenous Melanesian inhabitants, French is the official language of New Caledonia, and the Gallic influence is most evident in Noumea, with its fabulous shopping and dining and blend of Melanesian and French culture.
Getting there: Qantas and New Caledonia’s national carrier, Aircalin, fly to Noumea’s La Tontouta Airport from Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne. Flight times are around two to three hours.
Where to stay: You’ll find a great selection of family accommodation in New Caledonia – ranging from Le Méridien to Hilton and Best Western, and everything in between – with the greatest choice in and around Noumea. Le Meridien Ile Des Pins is a fantastic resort for families!
Solomon Islands
If you have a family of marine-loving, adventurous teens, then a holiday in ‘the Solomons’ is about as back-to-nature, Swiss Family Robinson-esque as you will find in the South Pacific! And what an adventure!
The archipelago of 992 tropical islands and atolls, lies between Papua New Guinea and Vanuatu, in an area known as the Coral Triangle, where the waters are so pristine, and abundant with a huge diversity of corals and tropical marine life, that they have been described as the ‘Amazon of the Ocean’.
Titan trigger fish, green and orange neon slugs, superbly-coloured sea fans, large schools of jacks and barracuda, and grey reef sharks share the ocean with the migratory routes and spawning grounds of over 1000 reef fish species, dolphins, rays, sharks, and six of the world’s seven species of marine turtles!
Music, art, local traditions and customs infuse an exotic Melanesian flavour into daily life and, coupled with phenomenal land and sea adventures, the Solomon Islands are really quite remarkable.
Getting there: Fly direct to Honiara from Brisbane with Virgin Australia or Solomon Airlines, which has a codeshare agreement with Qantas. Flight time is just three hours.
Where to stay: Accommodation ranges from authentic village stays and eco-lodges to small-scale hotels, motels and resorts.
Tonga
The Kingdom of Tonga may be in the Pacific but it has a hierarchal system of monarchy very similar to the royal houses of Europe! Family values are and extension of that, and lie at the core of Tongan Society, intertwined with a deeply ingrained Christian Faith. Sundays are devoted to family, community and Church, and there are no flights scheduled on the Sabbath! Visitors (and especially children!) are made welcome and invited to share the legendary Tongan hospitality and warmth.
Tongans proudly retain a very authentic Polynesian culture and commitment to traditions, and that loyalty to their heritage in an unspoiled paradise (and observance of an unhurried and uncomplicated lifestyle based on ‘Island Time’) is what provides the unique, ‘real’ Pacific island experience for holidaymakers.
Wherever you stay, you’ll have pristine beaches and sensational marine-based adventures, including amazing snorkelling and diving at your fingertips. You may also catch some of Tonga’s regular visitors – majestic humpback whales! And because Tonga’s 170 islands lie just east of the International Date Line, you can greet each new dawn before anyone else in the world.
How to get there: Qantas flies direct to Tonga from Sydney in under five hours.
Where to stay: Most of the accommodation in Tonga is locally-owned and ranges from village homestays and guesthouses to boutique resorts and eco-lodges.
Tahiti & Bora Bora
There are 118 spectacular islands in the ‘Tahiti Islands’ archipelago, which is spread across five distinct island groups – The Society Islands, The Austral Islands, The Tuamotu Islands, The Marquesas Islands and The Gambier Islands. Tahiti is the largest of the islands and is part of the popular Society Islands archipelago, along with Moorea, Bora Bora, Huahine, Raiatea and Taha’a.
Tahiti’s capital, Papeete, was once a gathering place where Tahitians came to fill their calabashes (gourds fashioned into bottles) with fresh water. Now it is the gateway of the country, via Fa’a’ā International Airport, with world-class resorts and restaurants, and vibrant markets, entertainment and boutique shopping.
Moorea, 30 minutes by catamaran from Papeete, is great for families, with plenty of fun activities happening place in the pristine, aquamarine waters of the island’s wide, tranquil lagoon. In just an hour’s flying time, from either Papeete or Moorea, the tropical slopes flowering with hibiscus, shimmering lagoons and gorgeous over-water villas, bountiful coral gardens and pure-white sand beaches of the stunning volcanic island of Bora Bora will take your breath away!
Getting there: Air Tahiti Nui flies to Tahiti from Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. Flight time is approximately seven to nine hours, depending on city of departure and destination in Tahiti.
Where to stay: Familiar luxury and family-friendly resort and hotel names are here – Le Meridien, Four Seasons, InterContinental and St. Regis – but you won’t find any high-rises. Accommodation is in superb low-rise overwater bungalows and villas, on sparkling lagoons!
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Opening image: A girl hugging a local woman in Vanuatu.