TOKELAU ISLANDS (Pacific Islands)

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Tokelau is tiny coral island about 500km north of Samoa which remains a dependent territory of New Zealand. There is no airport so the only way to get there is on the monthly cargo boat from Samoa, a journey that takes over 2 days and nights.

Oceania is a group of three atolls in the South Pacific Ocean, about one-half of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand.

Originally settled by Polynesian emigrants from surrounding island groups, the Tokelau Islands were made a British protectorate in 1889. They were transferred to New Zealand administration in 1925.

This tiny collection of three coral atolls is the true south seas of old. Tourists seldom visit the islands as the only way of getting there is by cargo boat from Samoa. Those that make the arduous journey will find nothing much to do except chill out with the locals. The atolls themselves are tiny - none rise above 5 metres and are less than 200 metres wide.

Travel between the atolls is by local catamaran which sometimes departs fortnightly. Life is very traditional with strict Christian beliefs and all village affairs are dictated by the chiefs and elders. Food and water are scarce.

Atafu - Dubbed Duke of York Island by its first European visitor, British commodore John Byron, Atafu is the smallest and northernmost of Tokelau's three atolls. Its 42 islets measure a grand total of 3.5 sq km (1.3 sq mi), and the tiny lagoon is 17 sq km (6.5 sq mi); the population is around 500. Protestant Atafu is the more traditional of the three atolls, with rationed alcohol sales and a greater reliance on old-style dugout canoes. The island also has more traditional houses, largely due to its prized supply of building wood, kanava ; these houses are increasingly being replaced by cyclone-proof concrete and corrugated-roofed housing.

Fakaofo - Named Bowditch Island by an American expedition in 1841, Fakaofo's 62 islets measure 4 sq km (1.5 sq mi) and its lagoon is 50 sq km (20 sq mi). It's not the biggest of the three atolls, but it has the highest population, at around 580. Fakaofo has three churches, to cater for its Protestant and Catholic inhabitants. Shady Fale Island is the major settlement, and some families have moved to adjacent Fenuafala to relieve some of the enormous population pressure. There's so little land that Fakaofo's domestic pig population is forced to live on the reef - let's hope they can swim! Fakaofo has a prime example of a traditional village hall, with the coral slab personifying Tui Tokelau still standing outside.

Nukunonu - Nukunonu was named Duke of Clarence Island by Captain Edwards of HMS Pandora in 1791, while searching for HMS Bounty mutineers. It's the largest of the three atolls, with 24 islets measuring 4.7 sq km (1.8 sq mi) all up and the largest lagoon at 98 sq km (38 sq mi). Two motos are settled on Catholic Nukunonu, and the other feature of note is its extremely pragmatic village hall - a cargo shed.

Other than lazing under a palm tree, snorkelling all those coral reefs rimming the atolls or persuading an accommodating local to take you fishing , there's not a lot to do in Tokelau. Surprise! All three atolls have community discos every now and then, as well as weekly bingo, and you shouldn't miss watching a game of kilikiti - better yet, as more seems to be the merrier, join in. You'll get a confirmed six if you can hit the ball into the water with the wonky, three-sided 'bat'. If you decide to go diving in the lagoons, take extreme care as there are no lifesavers to rescue you, and the nearest decompression chamber is in Fiji.