The current voyage and circumnavigation of the Pacific takes Infinity on a 3 year expedition

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The current Pacific expedition takes us from South East Asia through Micronesia to Hawaii, then through Polynesia and ultimately to Melanesia visiting over 100 communities of respectively:

Atoll

Thailand May 09, Singapore May 09, Malaysia June 09, Philippines July 09, Caroline’s (Palau and Federated States of Micronesia with Pohnpei, Chuuk and Kosrae) Aug. – Sept. 09, Marshall Islands Oct. 09, Hawaii Dec. 09, Marquesas March 2010, Tuamotu April 10, Society Islands (including Tahiti) June 10, Cooks July 10, Tonga Sept. 10, Independent Samoa Nov. 10, Tokelau Dec. 10, Phoenix (Kiribati) Jan. 2011, Wallis and Futuna Feb. 11, Tuvalu March 11, Gilbert (Kiribati) April 11, Fiji May 11, Vanuatu Aug. 11, Solomon’s Nov. 11, Papua New Guinea Jan. 2012, after yet to be decided.

The route may have to be altered and timing may change due to the unpredictability of weather conditions or force majeure.

Micronesia

Polynesia

Melanesia

Origin

Micronesia's tiny islands are the result of volcanic activity millions of years ago and vary in geology and culture. The geological features range from the sprawling atolls of the Marshalls, the steaming volcanic peaks of the Caroline’s, to the uplifted limestone plateaus of the Marianas. The islands are covered by tropical jungles and surrounded by some of the world’s deepest seas. Some of the world's most sought-after diving sites are found around Palau, where three ocean currents converge.

Geography

Micronesia, which means ‘small islands’ is spread over 3 million miles of the Pacific and includes over 2,000 islands. These tropical islands are situated 5,150 km west-southwest of Honolulu, and roughly three-quarters of the way between Hawaii and Indonesia. The area covered is vast. From one end of Micronesia to the other is 2,040 nautical miles, and many islands are so small that they are often not included on world maps.

Political / social history

Micronesians are descended from a mixture of Melanesians, Filipinos and Polynesians. Dance and song are the most important art forms of Micronesia, conveying the legends and history of the people. Because of the generally differentiated roles of men and women in traditional Micronesian cultures, few dances involve men and women dancing together.

They were also masters of seafaring. In the past, they used large canoes up to 100ft long, made from plants and coconut fiber. Without compasses or maps, Micronesians navigated by using the sun and memorizing ancient charts detailing star patterns. Their ocean going vessels were often larger and faster than the ships of the European explorers, and could hold more than a hundred passengers.

Micronesia was under European domination before World War I. After WWII, the USA took over much of the administration of the region. Today, Micronesia is divided into 5 independent nation-states (Kiribati, the Marshall Islands, the Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru and Palau) and 3 U.S. territories (Guam, Wake Island and the Northern Mariana Islands)

Recent history

Tourism has inevitably affected life and traditions on islands such as Guam and Saipan, where one can indulge in every modern comfort and luxury. However, the most traditional lifestyle, characterized by Rai (large stone discs used as currency) grass skirts and ‘men's houses’ may still be found on the idyllic island of Yap. The ruins of the great stone cities of Pohnpei's Nan Madol and Kosrae's Lelu give one a glimpse of the largely unknown and mysterious past.

Origin

Polynesia can be divided into two distinct cultural groups: East Polynesia and West Polynesia. The culture of West Polynesia (comprising the groups of Tonga, Niue, Samoa and the northwestern Polynesian outliers) has high populations with strong institutions of marriage and well-developed judicial, monetary and trading traditions. The culture of Eastern Polynesian (principally the Cook Islands, Tahiti, the Tuamotus, the Marquesas, Hawaii, and Rapa Nui) is more adapted to smaller islands and atolls.

Polynesians are considered to be descendants of a subset of sea-migrating Austronesia people. The tracing of Polynesian languages, which are all members of the Oceanic languages family, places their prehistoric origins in the Malay Archipelago.

Geography

Polynesia or ‘many islands’ is generally defined as the islands within the triangle formed by Hawaii, New Zealand and Easter Island. The main island groups are Samoa, Tonga, the Cook Islands and French Polynesia. Within the Polynesian triangle, the greatest distance from north to south is roughly 5,000 miles. Other Polynesian island groups outside of this triangle include Tuvalu, Wallis and Futuna and a number of outlying small islands of Papua New Guinea, the Solomon’s, the Caroline Islands, and Vanuatu.

In the Pacific region, there is an important distinction between high volcanic islands low coral islands and raised coral islands. A typical high island is relatively large with steep slopes, rich plant life, and many waterfalls and rushing streams. Coastal plains are absent or extremely limited on high islands. Atolls, ring-shaped islands made of coral, are the most common low islands in Polynesia. These are typically ‘desert islands’ that are low-lying, narrow and sandy with few surface streams. As a result, low islands tend to have less biodiversity than high islands.

Political and social patterns

Farming, fishing, out-rigger canoe construction and navigation were highly developed skills. There were nobles as well as commoners, but land was collectively owned. Whilst being great navigators, Polynesians were also great artists and artisans. Their body decoration and jewelry are world-renowned to this day.

The concept of tapu, or ‘taboo’ in English, regulated Polynesian life. It referred to anything forbidden due to sacredness and served to protect people and nature through forbidding certain actions. One example of such a prohibition was to take certain plants or fish that were in danger of extinction.

Polynesian religion changed dramatically with the coming of European missionaries in the early part of the nineteenth century. Before European contact there were considerable variations in religious beliefs throughout Polynesia. In Hawaii for instance, chiefs were genealogically related to gods believed to possess the sacred power called ‘mana’.

In recent times, Polynesians have become followers of Christianity with some traditional beliefs and mythologies incorporated into the Christian ideology. Christian hymns have also had considerable influence in the style of vocal music in Polynesia. The Tahitian vocal music known as ‘himene’ (hymn in English) blends European counterpoint (multiple lines of music sung at the same time) with Tahitian drone-style singing.

The most well known Polynesian musical instrument is the Hawaiian ukulele. It is the Hawaiian equivalent of the Portuguese mandolin, which came to the islands with Portuguese immigrants in the 1870s. The primary use of Hawaiian flute and drums was to accompany the graceful and erotic dance known as the ‘hula’.

Depictions of Polynesian life by contemporary artists such as Gauguin and by tourist iconography, musicals and films spread the notion of an almost blissfully carefree and easy way of life, devoid of harsh extremes, an idea that has persisted into the 21st century.

Recent history

The circumstances of contemporary life reflect more than a century of colonial disruption. For instance, the nuclear-testing program in French Polynesia, which started in 1962 caused devastating environmental damages and changed the economic distribution. Many French Polynesians left their villages for urban areas, causing the previous era’s self-sufficient subsistence economy to shift to a wage-based system.

Many Polynesians have moved to New Zealand (especially Auckland) and the United States (especially Hawaii, California, Washington, and Oregon). By the early 21st century, more Samoans and Cook Islanders were living away from their original islands than on them.

The indigenous peoples of this region are striving to revive their customs and values. Fluency in Polynesian languages and the revival of indigenous literature has been a strong focus area. The Polynesian Voyaging Society was founded in 1973 to evaluate various theories of Polynesian seafaring and settlement and preserve traditional methods of navigation. Festive activities are a significant part of Pacific culture, and provide a vehicle for expressing contemporary indigenous identities.

Origin

Melanesia (or islands of the black-skinned people) refers to some of its inhabitants' skin tones, which were described as 'deep blue black'. The original inhabitants of Melanesia are thought to be ancestors of the present-day Papuan-speaking people, who reached the Pacific islands 35,000 years ago.

Geography

Melanesia is a sub-region of Oceania separated from Polynesia and Micronesia by the Ander site Line. Bound by the Equator and the Tropic of Cancer & Australia; Melanesian islands form an arc from New Guinea to Norfolk Island, spanning the Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, New Caledonia, Fiji, Norfolk Island and numerous smaller islands.

There is a clear distinction between the traits of the Melanesian people. There are those of the ‘bush people’, who remain in the interior, and the ‘salt water’ people of the coast. In all areas, most groups traditionally live in scattered autonomous homesteads and hamlets rather than villages. However, in coastal environments settlements tended to be larger and more permanent while interior areas housing structures were smaller and ephemeral or mobile in nature. Despite their differences, 'interior' and 'coastal' communities were connected by means of trading partnerships and exchange systems.

Political and social history

Such trade and exchange networks carried resources such as salt and shells from the coast to the interior and materials such as black palm, from the interior to the coastline. The interior lifestyle revolved around the ancient root-crop cultivation systems of Papuan and Austronesia peoples. The primary plant cultivation was of yams and taro. Other domesticates included plantains, sago, pandanus, leafy greens and sugarcane.

In traditional Melanesian communities women benefited from a central place in domestic politics. Polygamy was relatively widespread and residential separation of men and women was common. Women and children typically occupied domestic dwellings, while men resided in clubhouses. In the mountainous interior of New Guinea, men’s’ longhouses were also primarily built as a defense against the threat of raiding. The cultural orientations of many Melanesian peoples were shaped by a warrior ethic and religious imperatives that promoted aggression.

Religion and magic were not clearly distinguishable. Similarly, Melanesian art and dance forms were clearly influenced by the overwhelming occurrence of rituals and magical practices. On many islands, carved patterns and other art forms such as mask making had strong religious significance. Some artifacts were created exclusively for ceremonies and discarded afterwards, like the ‘Malanggan carvings’ of New Ireland.

Melanesian dance, music, and oral traditions have been less well documented and preserved due to their immaterial nature. Colonialism also forced native religions and traditions to give way before Christianity and capitalist development.

Recent historyy

Since the 1970s multinational companies have moved into Melanesia bringing additional changes, especially in Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands, where most of the international mining and logging investment in Melanesia is centered. Today, all the countries of Melanesia except New Caledonia are independent. Most of Melanesia's countries have Western-type governments and the formerly classless Melanesian societies have become class-stratified, with an emerging elite constituting politicians, public servants, and entrepreneurs.

Amongst the new elite, cultural revivalism has become a prominent theme. Ceremonial exchange, dance, music, and oral traditions are increasingly perceived as a valuable source of identity for Melanesians to express and affirm themselves.