The Kingdom of Tonga is one of the world’s last constitutional monarchies, having declared its independence from the English in 1970. Its population of 120,000 are mostly native Tongans spread over an archipelago of 171 islands, only 36 of which are inhabited, divided into three main groups. […]
Nuie, at forty miles around and 162 square miles, is said to be the world’s smallest sovereign democracy. Monaco, at just a single square mile, is by far the smallest country but a principality. Though self-governing, this tiny island has a defense pact with New Zealand, but what might be gained from invading the place is not apparent to the casual observer. […]
The Cooks are an independent country consisting of fifteen islands of varying size loosely affiliated with New Zealand. Rarotonga, the largest and most economically dominant of the group, is our chosen destination. […]
As our departure was timed for late afternoon, several of us, though still in the grip of the miseries, took the tender and went exploring the circumference of Huahine Iti, the small southern end of the island (and, yes, it means small pussy in Tahitian lingo, and the larger northern end, Huahine Nui, means…). […]
On the morning of Friday, the Ides of March, in the quaint village of Fare on the island of Huahine, all was peaceful and languorous, the essence of bucolic perfection. Birds chirped in the trees, bees buzzed about the flowers, fish schooled in the shallows. […]