Keep fighting for a nuclear-free Pacific, Helen Clark warns Greenpeace over global storm clouds

Asia Pacific Report Former New Zealand prime minister Helen Clark warned activists and campaigners in a speech on the deck of the Greenpeace environmental flagship Rainbow Warrior III last night to be wary of global “storm clouds” and the renewed...

Save hundreds on a South Korea holiday, plus more travel deals

South Korea is fast becoming a hot destination for Aussie travellers seeking a fun, fulfilling holiday without having to fly too far. It's got delicious food, a staggering amount of history, a fascinating modern culture, great nature experiences,...

News of the Weird: Week of June 5, 2025

Awesome! Twenty-nine-year-old Oliver Widger arrived on May 24 in Waikiki, Hawaii, with his cat in tow, the Associated Press reported. But he didn't fly there. Widger and Phoenix sailed from the Oregon coast in a boat he bought without knowing how...

ABC Radio Australia photo competition is back!

We're looking for photos that showcase the beauty, diverse cultures, and stunning landscapes of the Pacific Islands. Submit your best photo from wherever you are in the Pacific and each week, our judges panel will be choosing our favourite. Weekly...

News Of The Weird 6/5/25

By the Editors at Andrews McMeel Awesome! Twenty-nine-year-old Oliver Widger arrived on May 24 in Waikiki, Hawaii, with his cat in tow, the Associated Press reported. But he didn’t fly there. Widger and Phoenix sailed from the Oregon coast in a...

Luxury cruises just got more affordable – with a $1,500 flight credit, this small-ship cruise is unlocking travel to French Polynesia!

Paul Gauguin Cruises, part of the PONANT Explorations Group, is offering Australian travellers an AUD1,500 per person flight credit* on select 2025 and 2026 voyages aboard the newly refurbished m/s Paul Gauguin. “We are delighted to extend this...

Pacific news in brief for 17 July

Fiji, Cook Islands, Kiribati, Tonga, French Polynesia and American Sāmoa have also declared dengue outbreaks. Photo: SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY Samoa - dengue A dengue fever outbreak in Samoa has claimed the life of a second child. The Sāmoa Observer...

Avaroa taps Hawaiki to boost Pacific communications, connect Samoa and Australia

Avaroa Cable Limited (ACL) has today announced the selection of Hawaiki Submarine Cable LP (Hawaiki) for the turnkey provision of international capacity from Samoa to Australia. A state-owned enterprise of the Cooks Islands Government, and funded...

8-year-old boy dies in quicksand in French Polynesia

Ambulance Photo: AFP Three people are dead, two of them children, following two separate fishing incidents in French Polynesia. In Huahine, about 150 Km North-west of the main island of Tahiti, a fishing party involving children turned tragic...

Hōkūleʻa and Hikianalia arrive in Moʻorea to a week of cultural engagements

Hōkūleʻa and Hikianalia arrive to Moʻorea, July 10, 2025. (Courtesy: Danee Hazama) Hōkūleʻa and Hikianalia continued the French Polynesia leg of the Moananuiākea Voyage and 50th birthday celebrations of Hōkūleʻa this past week, sailing from the...

Mataiea stop offers profound reconnection with ʻohana, place for Hōkūleʻa, Hikianalia crews

Photo Courtesy: Danee Hazama Crews of traditional voyaging canoes Hōkūleʻa and Hikianalia resumed their journey through French Polynesia this week, beginning with a meaningful and emotional 4-day stop in Mataiea, Tahiti. The double-hulled waʻa...

Cook Islands and French Polynesia look to strengthen cooperation

RAROTONGA (COOK ISLANDS GOVT) — Cook Islands Prime Minister Mark Brown, met virtually with Moetai Brotherson, President of French Polynesia, last week reaffirming the historical ties between their peoples and to discuss opportunities for enhanced...

In ‘Afternoons of Solitude,’ bullfighting is presented both spiritually and as a blood sport

In the hands of great filmmakers, a documentary can render something that your sensibilities might willfully ignore — even condemn. Such is the rub you may find yourself in with iconoclastic Spanish director Albert Serra’s “Afternoons of...

‘Playing gods with the cradle of life’: French Polynesia’s president issues warning over deep-sea mining

French Polynesia’s president has issued a stark warning over the risks of deep-sea mining, saying it will be allowed in his territory “over my dead body” as he argues the potential for environmental damage outweighs any benefits. Moetai...

David Robie: New Zealand Must Do More For Pacific And Confront Nuclear Powers

Susana Suisuiki, Pacific Waves presenter/producer Lydia Lewis, RNZ Pacific presenter/bulletin editor The New Zealand government needs to do more for its Pacific Island neighbours and stand up to nuclear powers, a distinguished journalist, media...

Fiji Unveils Loloma Hour, For Sustainability And For Happiness

Earth Hour was March 28, 2025, and Earth Day is April 22, 2025. Launching in between these two dates—on April 7, 2025—is Fiji’s new Loloma Hour, a practice encouraged for every visitor to Fiji’s 333 islands on any day of the year. Taveuni Island,...

Cook Islands, French Polynesia strengthen bilateral relations,eye key agreements

Prime Minister Mark Brown and the President of French Polynesia, Moetai Brotherson, pictured in 2023 during the Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Meeting in Rarotonga. LOSIRENE LACANIVALU/23116062 The Cook Islands has strengthened its relations with...

Aranui Cruises’ new cargo-cruise ship fusion will sail French Polynesia’s south from 2027

Aranui Cruises announced it is adding a second ship to its fleet for the first time. The new ship, Aranoa, will cruise French Polynesia’s south in 2027, bringing tourists and cargo to remote islands. The ship will accommodate 198 passengers and...

The Rainbow Warrior bombing 40 years on: re-energising for global peace

The bombing of the Rainbow Warrior on 10 July 1985, with the death of Greenpeace photographer Fernando Pereira, was a terrible tragedy. But a greater tragedy is the horrendous legacy of Pacific nuclear testing for the people of Rongelap, the...

Pacific Islands focus: deep sea mining, reproductive injustice and a new breast screen campaign

Introduction by Croakey: World leaders are calling for a moratorium on deep sea mining to prevent devastating and irreversible environmental harm. This week, governments are meeting in Jamaica at the 30th Session of the International Seabed...