As Oceans go, the Pacific is particularly large. Just take a look at a globe. Sit it in front of it, and turn it so the Pacific Ocean is facing you. What can you see? Just the very edge of California, a mere smidgen of the Australian east coast. New Zealand of course. And a number of dots. The Pacific is double the size of its nearest competitor (the Atlantic) at 165,384,000 square kilometres or 63,838, 000 square miles. No wonder, then, that its islands are remote, and this explains much of the charm of travelling to this amazing destination.

The Islands of the South Pacific fall into a number of groups, and some completely isolated one-off specks hundreds of miles from any other human life. And whilst some are easily accessible by air, others have an infrequent light aircraft service, or can only be reached by boat.

The island groups are so diverse, that in our opinion, visiting by ship is the very best solution to get a taste for what the various destinations have to offer. It also represents excellent value for money compared with local hotel costs. Food and beverages are particularly expensive as the majority of supplies have to be flown in.

The various island groups have magical evocative names, and we picture them, quite rightly, as exotic and romantic locations. Perhaps the most notable set of islands is that area known as French Polynesia, comprising a whole set of island groups including the Society Islands (where you will find names you know such as Tahiti, Moorea and Bora Bora), Tuamotu and the Gambia Islands, the Tabuai chain, and the Marquesas. In these tropical islands there are two main seasons, with hot, sticky, wet weather from November to May, and slightly cooler and much drier conditions between May and October. That they are volcanic is evident from the striking scenery in the high islands, rocky crags swathed in vivid tropical vegetation. Meanwhile the low islands focus on the sea – a marine paradise underwater, easily explored in protected lagoons with excellent snorkelling and diving. Some exceptional hotels can be found in these locations, an obvious honeymoon choice with their dazzling white beaches, gentle waters and overwater bungalows.

The brilliant contrasting colours had particular impact on a French painter, Paul Gauguin, whose work expresses the magic of the South Pacific.

Papeete, on the island of Tahiti, is the hub, and travellers arriving here by air can travel onwards to the other islands by boat, plane or helicopter. Further afield, for example in the mysterious and remote Marquesas, you will feel far more cut off from the civilised world, with a sense of how the great explorers must have felt as they sailed these uncharted waters, first Magellan then, some 250 years later, Cook.

The other relatively easily accessible island group is Fiji. The Fiji Islands are an archipelago of over 330 islands A nature lover’s delight, Fiji has an unspoiled, unique environment of extreme beauty and tranquility. Adrift for millennia in splendid isolation in the blue of the South Pacific it has escaped the evils of industrial progress, the incursions of dangerous animals, poisonous snakes, spiders and pestilent diseases such as malaria. What it has not, unfortunately, avoided in recent weeks, is political upheaval, with the threat of a coup very present at the time of writing. Travellers to Fiji will often fly on to one of the private islands such as Vatulele or the Yasawa Island Resort.

Of course if we are talking about major South Pacific island destinations, we must mention New Zealand, whose appeals are so wide-ranging, particularly to the British passenger, that it deserves a whole destination report of its own – that must be for another issue.

Cruise itineraries include a whole range of other islands. The Tonga archipelago comprises 176 islands ranging from high volcanic to low coral terrain. By ship, you are most likely to visit Nuku’alofa, the capital, located on the main island of Tongatapu. It is more developed than its neighbours but still maintains an unhurried and peaceful lifestyle.

The pace of life in Samoa is so laid-back it’s only a heartbeat away from being a nice little snooze. Its palm-fringed beaches, booming white surf, and lush rainforests wreathed in misty clouds make it the kind of place that Hollywood location scouts go gaga over. Equally striking are the Solomons, just to the east of Papua New Guinea

The difference between the islands of the South Pacific, and the interest in visiting, lies largely in their rich and varied history. An ocean of migrations, the South Pacific sees the movement of Polynesians, Melanesians and Maoris around the region long before the arrival of the plague-bearing Europeans. You can visit for a laid-back sun and sand holiday, a leisurely and lengthy ocean cruise, or a fascinating expedition on board one of the smaller adventure ships. Whatever you choose, your visit to the South Pacific will be an unforgettable experience.