Less than $600 for each member of your family will cover a four night Rarotonga escape for two adults and two children aged 2 to 11.

Choosing where to go for a family summer holiday gets increasingly tricky as the kids advance through the teenage years.

If you've felt the itch to escape boring and live it up on an island for a while, then this may just be the push you need to book that flight.

Stepping off Fiji Airways flight FJ415 in Nadi, I'm expecting little more than a week of watching sunsets from the comfort of my sun lounger, cocktails in hand.

Hawaii is a perfect family destination and the Hilton Hawaiian Village is a large multi-purpose resort complex close to many iconic attractions.

In 1866, Mark Twain wrote that he "went to Maui to stay a week and remained five". I would have done the same had I been given the chance.

There's something a little risky but also exciting about playing beer pong in front of your young children.

It's an exhilarating feeling to launch a sea kayak from the beach and set out to explore a cluster of islands shimmering like a mirage under the tropical sun.

Say 'I do' on the golden sands of a sun-kissed isle as soft waves gently lap the shore. Bridget Jones writes.

Steve Braunias finds a fortress of New Zealand pride on a Fijian resort island full of Australians.

The museums of the Solomon Islands house plenty of memorabilia from the Pacific campaign, writes Gillian Vine.

Michael Antonievich makes up for missing a morning riding the waves in Fiji.

Experience tells us that the best way to help our island neighbours is to donate to a reputable aid agency and make sure that your cash donation reaches those who need it most.

Pasifika beats, arts, culture and talent will be seen and heard around Auckland over the next two weeks during the Urbanesia festival, which starts today.

In search of adventure, Tess Nichol is soon hurtling through the treetops, upside down on a wire.

The perfect place to see a volcano erupt is high in the banyan treetops of Vanuatu, writes Peter de Graaf.

The 'E2 Way' keeps angler Jane Jeffries happy - and her prey gets to live another day.

For a few blissful days before a conference, Leah McLennan enjoys a luxurious bonding time with her beloved mum.

The brightly coloured fish of the Marquesas would have inspired Doctor Seuss, writes Elisabeth Easther.

Resort offers five reasons for Megan Singleton to stay a while.

Richard Moore bravely plunges into the warm-water home of some scary but seriously impressive creatures.

Oahu's big waves and warm waters are a magnet to all types and sizes of mammals, finds Paul Davies.

Tribal rituals, war relics and the legendary 'Queen of lovemaking and drinking' are just the tip of Rabaul's iceberg, finds Andrew Stone.

Discovery of a thought-to-be extinct green crested iguana sends Malolo Island into sustainability overdrive, says Leah McLennan.

Apia's cyclone-struck grand dame is getting ready to rule again, writes Robyn Yousef.

You can experience the unexpected on the Rock of Polynesia, writes Paul Rush.

On a getaway in Fiji, Lucy Hughes Jones rouses herself from the cocktail bar to see how the locals live.

Under the Rarotongan sun, Chris Daniels works up a good tropical sweat, without losing his wedding ring.

Sometimes work is just work ... even on a beach, with beautiful people, and never-ending surf, writes Elisabeth Easther.

We take a look at some of Honolulu's most interesting eateries.