| Today Norm Goldman, Editor of and is honored to | | | | agent's licence to specialize in taking people, |
| have as a guest, Ian Heydon, author, travel | | | | particularly honeymooners to this fascinating and |
| writer, award- winning comedy writer, artist and | | | | rewarding part of the world. What I thought |
| expert on Vanuatu, Fiji and Cook IslandsIan is | | | | would be a hobby quickly became a business and |
| here to talk to us today about his expertise | | | | in early 2004 I visited the Cook Islands and fell in |
| pertaining to these exotic islands.Good day Ian | | | | love with another Pacific destination.2004 also saw |
| and it is great to have you accept our invitation | | | | visits to New Caledonia, Fiji and three trips to |
| to participate in this interview!NORM:Can you tell | | | | Vanuatu. And I'm really excited about my first trip |
| our readers something about yourself and your | | | | to Samoa this year. While I don't have any actual |
| expertise pertaining to Vanuatu, Fiji and Cook | | | | publications on the Pacific islands, I have three |
| Islands.IAN:I first went to Fiji in 1993 and simply | | | | comprehensive information websites, Vanuatu A |
| fell in love with the tropics, the warm, | | | | to Z, Fiji A to Zand Cook Islands A to |
| picture-postcard waters and the relaxed rhythm | | | | Z.NORM:Could you tell our readers where these |
| of life in general. I went back the following year | | | | islands are located and an idea as to what |
| and got my PADI Open Water Dive accreditation | | | | differentiates one island from another from the |
| and, after another couple of trips realised I was | | | | point of view of topography, climate, and anything |
| working pretty much with a goal to travel | | | | else you consider different?IAN:For me, living in |
| more.As I had a fairly successful career as a | | | | Australia, Vanuatu and Fiji are so accessible, being |
| writer, I decided to see if I could write about | | | | just a few hours away. Visiting the Cook Islands |
| travel and kill two birds with the one pen. In 1999, | | | | means a stopover in New Zealand, but it is still |
| we took a family holiday to Vanuatu, where my | | | | just two meals and two movies. For Americans, |
| wife Annie and I gave each other a Renewal of | | | | the Cook Islands and Fiji are more accessible than |
| Vows' ceremony as an anniversary gift.I felt | | | | Vanuatu (requires a stop in Fiji to connect or to |
| automatically at home in Vanuatu and, as luck | | | | be taken as a side trip from Australia or New |
| would have it, Annie was offered a job teaching | | | | Zealand). The climate in all destinations is similar, |
| at Port Vila International School. We decided that | | | | tropical with no great range in temperatures but it |
| it would be an adventure, especially for the kids | | | | can get very humid in the summer months. |
| (then aged 7 and 3). Our 12-month contract | | | | These months are traditionally wet but El Nino |
| extended to three fantastic years, during which | | | | seems to have changed that. In the Cook Islands, |
| time I got to write a lot, including my travel book | | | | when it rains, they call it liquid sunshine. The warm |
| on Australia, The Small Guide to A Big | | | | water temperatures mean swimming is possible all |
| Country.After leaving Vanuatu I bought a travel | | | | year round. |