TONGATAPU

 WHERE TIME BEGINS

 Nudging the international dateline, in a time zone of its own, the Kingdom of Tonga is the first land to see the dawn of each new day. Tonga is unique. It's an independent constitutional monarchy and the only South Pacific country never to have been colonised. Because of this independence, the way of life has remained largely unchanged and culturally intact. The people are carefree, funloving and renowned for their sincere goodwill. Tonga still remains far away from it all, still different, still alone, and to the joy of those who find their way to the Kingdom - essentially unspoilt.

 

 

The Kingdom of Tonga is made up of some 170 small islands. The administrative and shopping centre is the major town of Nuku'alofa on the largest island - Tongatapu. The atmosphere is often langourous, heady with the perfume of tropical flowers. Here you can still experience the freedom, the magic of being the only soul, idling along a creamy beach and enjoying the natural beauty of an unpolluted environment. The sights are many and varied, natural and historical. To absorb the ambience of Nuku'alofa a walking tour is a must.

 

 

Tourism Tonga

ST SIMONS ISLAND

 Along the incredible 100 miles of Georgia's coastline lies the magical seaside retreat of the Golden Isles. Nestled along stretches of sand dunes and salt marshes, the mainland city of Brunswick and its four beloved barrier islands offer breathtaking landscapes, a variety of recreational pursuits, and an inherent tranquility. Georgia's Golden Isles, with its storied past, provides a magical retreat. It's bound to be a slice of heaven.

St Simons Island East Beach

The largest of the isles, St. Simons Island (Voted both America's Most Romantic Town and Favorite Beach Town), features moss-draped, oak-lined streets, sandy beaches, and hundreds of quality dining and shopping options to please any taste. The picture-perfect barrier island is filled with exceptional historic sites, museums, plantation era ruins, and a National Historic Monument. Uncover an array of island activities, including kayaking, fishing, paddle boarding, biking, and golf, as well as accommodations that fit any budget.

Explore Georgia

RAROTONGA

 An Unforgettable South Pacific Experience!

The Cook Islands consist of 15 islands scattered over some 2 million square km of the Pacific Ocean. An unspoiled paradise, complete with white sand beaches, blue lagoons, and lush green mountains. The Cook Islands enjoy a pleasantly warm and sunny climate all year round. The hospitality is warm and spontaneous, the dancing exuberant, the mood relaxed. The old culture lives on with song, dance and an easy pace of life uncomplicated by the turmoil of the outside world. 

 BEAUTIFUL MURI BEACH AND LAGOON,
Rarotonga, Cook Islands

  Rarotonga, the hub of the Cook Islands, has so much to see and do, yet remains unspoilt. No traffic lights, no McDonald’s and no building taller than the highest coconut tree. Round Rarotonga Road Race (32 km, first Saturday in November) is extremely popular and many international runners participate. Rarotonga offers an interesting variety to tempt the taste buds from high class eateries to friendly "island style" cafes. Don't miss special "Island Night" cultural show for an unforgettable experience!

COOK ISLANDS TOURISM

DOUGLAS

 ISLE OF MAN. This self-governing part of the British Isles, 33 miles long and 13 miles wide, is situated in the middle of the Irish Sea. It has its own laws and parliament (the world's oldest), it issues its own currency, has its own Celtic language (now rarely heard) and tailless cats, called, like its residents, Manx. Steam railroads and electric streetcars add to a sense of dislocation. The Victorian resort of Douglas may be past its prime - offshore banking is the big business now - but along the south-west coast you will find picturesque ports, sandy beaches and glen-cut cliffs. The magnificent sweep of Douglas Bay, against the background of green hills, has a charm hard to equal anywhere. Douglas was a pioneer in illuminations and at night presents a scene of spectacular beauty, never to be forgotten.

DOUGLAS, ISLE OF MAN. This lovely expanse of sandy beach offers every facility for safe bathing.

ANGLESEY

 Low-lying and agricultural, the island of Anglesey seems, on the first impression, rather dull in comparison with the splendid scenery on the other side of the great suspension bridge across the Menai Strait. Yet it has a beautiful coastline, a fair number of historic sights and is one of the most resolutely Welsh parts of the country. The Isle of Anglesey Coastal Path extends 125 miles around the island, with cliffs, sandy covers, and plenty of scenic variety.

Menai Straits and bridges showing Swillies

Llanfair­pwllgwyngyll­gogery­chwyrn­drobwll­llan­tysilio­gogo­goch is a village on the Menai Strait. The longest place name in Britain, known to locals just as Llanfair PG, came about as a 19th-century hoax to draw tourists, but it stuck. Isle of Anglesey is linked to the mainland by the Britannia road and rail bridge and by Thomas Telford’s remarkable chain suspension bridge, built in 1826 over the Menai Strait.

Received from Thomas, Northamptonshire

STATEN ISLAND

 Staten Island, island and borough, New York City, southeastern New York state. The island lies in New York Harbor south of Manhattan and between New Jersey and Brooklyn. Roughly triangular, the island has about 35 miles (56 km) of waterfront and an area of almost 60 square miles (155 square km). It is connected with Manhattan by the Staten Island Ferry - the most budget-friendly and certainly the most scenic way to reach Staten Island. 

View from 8,000 feet above sea level toward Manhattan Island in the north.

Like the rest of NYC, the first Western settlers on Staten Island were Dutch. When they first purchased the island from the Munsee tribe in 1630, they named it after the Staten-Generaal. Staten Island is an island of adventure, curiosities, great food, cultural attractions, world-class shopping and natural spaces. It's renowned for its museums, historic landmarks, beaches and parkland.

PORT VILA

Located in the Pacific Ocean, Vanuatu is made up of more than 80 islands and islets. Pacific islands of extraordinary beauty and fascination. Fragrant blooms of the tropic abound. Fringed by tall palms, white sand beaches remain unspoilt and uncrowded. The tourquoise waters of lagoons sparkle under a warm sun. This is the home of a proud people who still honour and nurture culture rich in age-old traditions and ceremonies. 

Port Vila, the capital city of Vanuatu, projects the image of a very cosmopolitan town with its mixture of European, Vietnamese, Chinese and Melanesian cultures. Alongside the modern two or three-storey buildings, the large colonial houses are reminders of a none too distant past. Not to be missed, the big market on mornings. 

 

Another heritage of those times, the bustling Chinese district, where you can find everything you could imagine "made in Hongkong" at very reasonable prices. Most of the commercial life is in the main street (Kumul Highway), with duty-free shops, coffee shops, restaurants, fashion boutiques, travel agencies, but also the banks and many other establishments.

SOUTH GEORGIA

South Georgia & the South Sandwich Islands is a British Overseas Territory in the southern Atlantic Ocean. Stunningly beautiful and rugged, this island wildlife sanctuary, once visited, is not easily forgotten. Its snow covered peaks, blue glacier ice and emerald green bays are breathtaking sights.

Grytviken Church

The whalers church at Grytviken is a Norwegian Lutheran church, pre-fabricated in Strommen, Norway, then shipped down to South Georgia and erected near to the whaling station. It was consecrated on Christmas day 1913. The church is still in use having been repaired and restored in the 1990's though it hasn't had a pastor since 1931.

King Edward Point lies at the entrance to King Edward Cove, a small bay within Cumberland East Bay. Located midway along South Georgia it is approximately 1,400km (860 miles) from the Falkland Islands. Access is by boat or ship-based helicopter. The station focuses on applied fisheries research and supports the Government of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands. Typically King Edward Point station has 22 people living on station during the summer months and 12 people on station throughout the winter. 

Received from King Edward Point Research Station thanks to Ann

COCOS KEELING ISLANDS

The Cocos (Keeling) Islands are located in the Indian Ocean 2950 kilometres north-west of Perth and 3700 kilometres west of Darwin. There are 27 coral islands in the group with a total land area of approximately 14 square kilometres. Only two of the 27 islands are inhabited. Australia's last unspoilt paradise lies in the azure waters of the Indian Ocean, kissed by the sun and caressed by fragrant trade winds.

 

Apart from North Keeling Island (declared a National Park in 1995 and is administered by Parks Australia), which is 30 kilometres from the main group, the Islands form a horseshoe-shaped atoll surrounding a lagoon. The people of the Cocos Keeling Islands voted to become part of Australia in 1984.

 

On the stamps:

• The Herald Petrel (Pterodroma arminjoniana) is a medium-sized bird belonging to the Procellariidae family. It is a sea bird and spends much of its life on or above the ocean, only really visiting nesting grounds during breeding season.

• Home Island - located across the lagoon and just a short ferry ride away, this unique part of the Cocos Keeling Islands is a must-see for visitors. Home of the Cocos Malay people, the island offers a complete contrast to West Island.

 

Received from Cocos Keeling Islands Visitor Centre

ST HELENA

the most extraordinary place on earth 

Situated 1000 miles from mainland of Africa and 1700 miles from Cape Town. This green gem set in a ring of bronze as a poet once called ST HELENA. Much of its charm lies in its remoteness. The Islander are British and proud of it.
The countryside of St Helena consists of astonishing contrasts. The terrain ranges from wind eroded desert with multi-coloured ridges and valleys, to flax and tree covered hillsides, soft pasture, lush vegetation-filled valleys and large areas of prickly pear scrub. The surrounding coastline is magnificent with 1000 feet high cliffs dropping, sometimes sheer, to rocks against which Atlantic rollers pound.

Jamestown by night. The island's capital Jamestown at night, with the Royal Mail Ship St Helena at anchor in James Bay.

Jamestown is not only the capital of the island it is also the only town. Exploring Jamestown is a delight rather akin to a treasure hunt. By far the greatest number of buildings in the town are of eighteenth or nineteenth century origin. The most spectacular feature of Jamestown is Jacob's Ladder: 699 steps leading from the floor of the valley, on which the town is built, to the top of Ladder Hill.

The island of St Helena is best known as Napoleon's place of exile. Longwood House where Napoleon spent the final six years of his life is filled with Napoleonic memorabilia.

Memories of St Helena will remain long after the rest has faded!

   

Received from St Helena Tourism

MARSHALL ISLANDS

The Republic of the Marshall Islands is one of only four atoll nations in the world and is also one of the world’s youngest nations, independent only since 1986. The Marshall Islands consists of 29 atolls each made up of many islets and 5 islands in the central Pacific between 4 degrees and 14 degrees north, and 160 degrees and 173 degrees east. The atolls and islands are situated in two almost parallel chain-like formations known as the Ratak (Sunrise or Eastern) group and Ralik (Sunset or Western) group. 

The Republic of the Marshall Islands covers nearly a million square miles of picturesque islands, thriving coral atolls, and crystal clear blue waters … undoubtedly one of the most interesting places in the world to visit. Marshall Islanders are known throughout the Pacific and the world for their friendly and peaceful nature. Both Marshallese and English are the official languages of the Marshall Islands.

Capital: Majuro Island, Majuro Atoll
Political Status: Self-governing democracy in free association with the U.S.
Currency: U.S. dollar

Received from Marshall Islands Visitors Authority

CHRISTMAS ISLAND

Christmas Island is an island in the Indian Ocean, about 1,400 km northwest of Australia. Captain William Mynors of the East India Ship Company vessel, the Royal Mary, named the island when he arrived on Christmas Day, 25th December, 1643. It is administered as an external territory of Australia. The island is the summit of an oceanic mountain whose highest point on the island is Murray Hill, rising to 361 metres in the western part of the island. The island is only 52 square-miles in area. The main settlement and chief port is at Flying Fish Cove on the northeastern part of the island.

 Flying Fish Cove

Christmas Island is an impressive feat of nature full of natural wonders including red crab migrations, exotic birds and wonderfully deserted beaches who are only disturbed by nesting sea turtles. Fourteen species of land crab call Christmas Island home, but the red crab is by far the most famous. The narrow tropical reef that surrounds the island is laced with unspoiled corals and schools of colourful fish like anemones, butterfly fish, wrasse, surgeon and more. Occasionally, even sharks come up to divers to take a curious look.

fabulous stamps

Received from Christmas Island Tourism Association

NORFOLK ISLAND

 Norfolk Island is an island in the South Pacific Ocean and an Australian territory for historical reasons even though it is much closer to New Zealand. It is 1600km east of Sydney and Brisbane but only 1000km northwest of Auckland. The official language of Norfolk Island is English and all the islanders speak it. However, among themselves they often use Norfolk, a language derived from the English spoken by the Bounty Mutineers and the Tahitian spoken by their wives. 

The main attraction of the island consists of natural beauty: beautiful landscapes and wild seascapes. Almost a third of the island is devoted to reserves and national parks. The beaches need a mention as well, the cleanest salt water and softest sand imaginable, the surf here is pretty good too. Another fascinating aspect of Norfolk's heritage is that this is the home of the descendants of the mutineers of the Bounty.

Received from Norfolk Island Tourism.

 

 

SPIRIT ISLAND

World-famous Spirit Island, on Maligne Lake is the heart and soul of Jasper National Park. Spirit Island is a tiny little island that held a spiritual place for the first Nations people. It's one of the most picturesque spots in the Canadian Rockies which is used for so many photos and postcards. Maligne Lake is surrounded by a circle of rocky peaks.

It is the largest glacially formed and fed lake in the Canadian Rockies and those remnants of the last Ice Age still cling to the cliffs, rest in the cirques and cap off the pinnacles of Maligne Lakes' fabulous ring of 3,360 meter mountains. It is the melt waters of those glaciers that give the lake its' lovely, tranquil-blue colour and that backdrop of lofty peaks which holds back the busy world and provides a calming wilderness experience.

CHRISTCHURCH

Christchurch is New Zealand's second-largest city and the gateway to the South Island. Bordered by hills and the Pacific Ocean, it is situated on the edge of the Canterbury Plains that stretch to the Southern Alps. Located on the east coast of the South Island, Christchurch is a city of contrasts.It is a place where its residents continue to enjoy a healthy, active lifestyle amidst a natural environment world-renowned for its beauty. A growing cosmopolitan ambience also adds a touch of excitement without overt flashiness.

The 'Sign of the Takahe' - Christchurch New Zealand

This unique Gothic style building was conceived by Mr. H. G. Ell in 1918 as a roadhouse for the refreshment of travellers along the scenic Port Hills. I was constructed with primitive tools by relief workers during the 1932 depression and commands a panoramic view of the city, the Plains and the Southern Alps. The roadhouse is open daily for inspection and refreshments.

ISLE OF SKYE

The Isle of Skye exerts a magnetic pull on visitors. It is a byword for spectacularly craggy mountains. Thus it is forgiven its relentlessly wet climate, which is inevitable as the big hill masses get in the way of the prevailing Atlantic weather fronts moving out of the south west. The new bridge linking Skye with the mainland may do little for the immediate scenery of the strait between. Sky has plenty of scenic wonders, thanks to its complex geology of overlapping ancient lava flows. 

Waller Hugh Paton (1828-1895) Entrance to the Cuiraing, Skye 1873

This painting is a spectacular example of Paton’s mature landscape work. It shows the Cuiraing (or Quiraing in modern usage), a remarkable landslip on the Trotternish peninsula of Skye. Here, the jagged spike of the thirty-seven meter high pinnacle known as ‘The Needle’ dominates the middle of the composition. Paton described the Quiraing as ‘an awful place’, despite the fact that it had become a top destination for artists and tourists alike. 

Received from Hazel, Scotland. As she says it is a very spiritualist place and great scenery!

THE ISLE OF WIGHT

Though a separate county since 1974, the lozenge-shaped ISLE OF WIGHT still has difficulty shaking off its image as a mere adjunct of rural southern England - comfortably off, scrupulously tidy and desperately unadventurous. Yet the island, which measures less than 23 miles at its widest point, packs a surprising variety of landscapes and coastal scenery within its bounds. 

North of the chalk ridge that runs across its centre, the terrain is low-lying woodland and pasture, deeply cut by meandering rivers, while southwards lies open chalky downland fringed by high cliffs. Two Heritage Coast paths follow the best of the shoreline, and a splendid array of well-preserved Victoriana provides added interest. It is a popular opinion that among the best things on the Isle of Wight are the Downs. They command wonderful views, and the air, which comes straight from the sea, is most invigorating.

Postcrossing Postcard: NL-805107

NEWFOUNDLAND

A World of Difference

Off in the northwest Atlantic Ocean, Newfoundland is both geographically and culturally a place between the Old and New Worlds. Here you'll find a fantastic natural environment. More than a dozen species of whales, millions of nesting seabirds and the wild ocean itself beckon. On land are scores of parks, the world's largest caribou herd and friendly, open people who speak a dialect that not's quite Devon, not quite Cork, but definitely familiar. 

Original art by Jim Lemieux

The province is fast becoming known for its winter activities, especially skiing. For campers there are scores of provincial parks and two national parks. This is also the land of fjords. There are trails galore and even sand beaches!

There's one constant in Newfoundland: friendly people who love to see a new face and have a good time. Come on over and discover North America's natural adventures destination - A World of Difference. 

For further information:  Welcome to Newfoundland and Labrador 

Postcrossing Postcard: CA-434611 

KANGAROO ISLAND

Located off the coast of South Australia, Kangaroo Island, the nation's second-largest island (145 km long and 60 km wide) is very aptly named. Named by explorer Matthew Finders in 1802 for its great abundance of kangaroos, Kangaroo Island is home to to a unique subspecies of its namesake.

Kangaroo Island features dramatic granite cliffs, strangely shaped rocks and limestone caves, and it is also historically significant; the town of Kingscote was South Australia's first official settlement.

Remarkable Rocks, Kangaroo Island, Flinders Chase National Park, South Australia

The island is famous for its rugged scenery, which includes windswept heathland, beaches, coves and craggy cliffs. Located in Flinders Chase National Park at the island's western end, the Remarkable Rocks are a group of huge granite boulders that have been sculpted by wind and rain into curiously smooth shapes.

South Australian's Kangaroo Island is renowned for its  rugged coastline and weathered granite, which takes on a particularly smooth appearance at Remarkable Rocks on the wind-battered south coast.

Received from Rosemaree

TASMANIA

 Tasmania has certainly won many more hearts than it can claim square kilometres. It has only 68,000 of the latter, but it crams into them its rugged west, a central plateau broken by steep mountains and narrow river valley, and an eastern coastal region offering a soft 'English' pastoral beauty. Its diverse charms have made it a popular tourist attraction. 

The Nut, Historic Stanley Tasmania. The township of Stanley nestles under the massive headland called the Nut. Many old historic sights can be seen, including Joe Lyons' Cottage, Poets' Cottage, Plough Inn and the original Bluestone Grain Store - each with its own unique history.

First sighted by Abel Tasman in 1624, it was later claimed by Capitain Cook for the English and was first settled in 1803. Tasmania was first called Van Diemen's Land; these days it is known as the'heritage island', 'treasure island' or the 'apple isle'. Its economy is basically agricultural, but secondary industries such as tourism and minining are gradually taking over.

TABLE CAPE NORTH WEST TASMANIA Tasmania has some of the most spectacular rural scenery in the world and this region contains features of astonishing beauty

TASMANIAN DEVIL

The Tasmanian devil (Sarcophilus harrisii) is noisy, fierce, potentially vicious and one of only three marsupial carnivores that inhabit the island. Now exclusive to the island state of Tasmania. These animals are adept at climbing, sleeping by day in well hidden dens and emerging at night as efficient scavengers and hunters.