The South Pacific Islands conjure dreams of romantic charm and escape from the pressures of modern life - but is this a true picture of real life on the Islands today? Gwenda Cornell sailed to these Islands to discover the quality of life, history and culture of the peoples who inhabit these remote and beautiful places. Sailing with her family on the yacht Aventura, Gwenda explores many corners of the Pacific that can still only be reached by sea. The odyssey takes her to the mysteries of Easter Island, to Samoa and to the descendants of the Bounty mutineers on Pitcairn. Gwenda witnesses history in the making in Tuvalu's birth as a nation and finds the last royal nose-flute player in Tonga. The exuberance with which the Pacific Islanders enjoy their lives bears witness to Gwenda's final analysis that 'the South Pacific remains a peaceful oasis in a troubled world and the "Pacific Way" can serve as an inspiration to those who live in a fast-moving, competitive society.'

A Part Synopsis of Pacific Odyssey Lane The book is something of a Travelogue with a deal of Adventure thrown in. It is also a multi-faceted Love Story. The setting is in the Far East Singapore, Borneo and New Guinea (or more properly today Irian Barat) and briefly in Papua. The period is around 1970 to 1980ish although this is a moveable feast according to the readers preference. The plot concerns Lane Martin, a pretty young English girl, and her husband Paul, an electronics wizard based in the Singapore offices of the British Electronics Corporation, a wholly fictitious business concern. The two are about to embark upon a lengthy holiday aboard the cruise liner Pacific Explorer. There is a lot of eating and drinking of good food, fine wines and - iron rations (!) scattered throughout the story, commencing with the famous Raffles Hotel in Singapore. Paul is an experienced pilot and owns his own Cessna 172, 4-seater aeroplane in which they fly, via Kuching, to join ship in Banjarmasin. Pilots will hopefully fly with them, whereas non-pilots will have an insight into the marvels of aviation and, who knows, some may take up the past-time? Those who have no experience of Maritime voyaging may well enjoy the luxuries of life aboard the Pacific Explorer, perhaps even those who do have the experience might find, somehow, a kinship with the passengers. If you have been crew you will know what it costs to provide both former and latter with the pampering entailed. However, our passengers are clearly enjoying the amenities of the ship and the wonderful ports they visit. Sadly, even the best must bow to the likes of a short, swarthy man of middle-eastern appearance. I wont spoil the fun. Suffice it to say our intrepids, Lane and Paul, find themselves, quite suddenly, in a different sort of boat. Now they must learn the art of survival under extremes of conditions. Lane has lost her sight, how is in the story! And this is where the excitement really begins.....

When the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, James A. Michener was an obscure textbook editor working in New York. Within three years, he was a naval officer stationed in the South Pacific. By the end of the decade, he was an accomplished author, well on the way to worldwide fame. Michener’s first novel, Tales of the South Pacific, won the Pulitzer Prize. Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein used it as the basis for the Broadway musical South Pacific, which also won the Pulitzer. How this all came to be is the subject of Stephen May’s Michener’s South Pacific. An award-winning biographer of Michener, May was a featured interviewee on the fiftieth-anniversary DVD release of the film version of the musical. During taping, he realized there was much he didn’t know about how Michener’s experiences in the South Pacific shaped the man and led to his early work. May delves deeply into this formative and turbulent period in Michener’s life and career, using letters, journal entries, and naval records to examine how a reserved, middle-aged lieutenant known as "Prof" to his fellow officers became one of the most successful writers of the twentieth century.

Travel guide, with brief general studies, for Pacific - covers history under colonialism, traditional culture, entry requirements, leisure and transport facilities, tourist attractions, etc. Bibliography, glossary, illustrations, maps.

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