The first aid planes arrived to find scenes of "utter destruction" on the Vanuatu island of Tanna, where residents are in desperate need of emergency supplies.

The first aid planes arrived to find scenes of "utter destruction" on the Vanuatu island of Tanna, four days after taking a direct hit from Cyclone Pam.

Hanging up the backpack has converted Stuart Condie to the feared 'package' holiday and he couldn't be happier.

Doctors at the hospital performed an emergency caesarean in the middle of the cyclone - and delivered a baby they named Pamela.

Families in Vanuatu have returned to their homes only to find the nightmare of Cyclone Pam isn't over.

Cyclone-torn Vanuatu is in desperate need of food, clothing, medicine and basic shelter - and a full recovery operation could cost hundreds of millions.

New Zealanders in Vanuatu have been drafted in to help at the capital's main hospital after it was ravaged by Cyclone Pam.

The GCSB not only spies on the Solomon Islands using its Waihopai satellite interception base - it also had a secret listening post inside the country, according to documents provided by the United States National Security Agency whistleblower Edward Snow

NZ spies targeted the emails and other electronic communications of the aides and confidants of the Prime Minister of the Solomon Islands, a top-secret document says.

At least eight people are confirmed dead in Vanuatu, and the death toll is likely to rise once communications are restored with outlying islands.

Many residents in Vanuatu were forced to hunker down for a second night in emergency shelters after venturing out yesterday to find their homes damaged or blown away, aid workers say.

Why did the GCSB intercept emails to and from Solomon Island officials? Nicky Hager and Ryan Gallagher report.

The destruction caused by Cyclone Pam "could potentially be one of the worst in Pacific history", Unicef has said.

NZ newlyweds have spent the last night of their honeymoon bunkered in a room with 230 other scared tourists as Cyclone Pam lashed Vanuatu.

Laura Hutchins is blown away by the hospitality at a three-star Cook Island resort.

Andrew Stone has the low down on making the most of the island's high times.

In an azure and cobalt bay, gentle sea creatures welcome Phil Welch to the 'closest island to paradise'.

A second honeymoon can be better than the first, writes Penny Lewis.

Niue Premier Toke Talagi says NZ intelligence agencies have shared information with the country in the past and it'd be naive to think it was not subject to spying by other countries.

Leaders of Pacific nations are beginning to speak out about claims New Zealand has been keeping too close an eye on their people and one prime minister has called the move a breach of trust.

Former director of the GCSB Sir Bruce Ferguson says mass surveillance was being undertaken in the Pacific, and it was mission impossible to eliminate Kiwis’ data.

Many New Zealanders will not feel scandalised by the Herald's revelations about their country's spying in the Pacific.

Tonga is a kingdom blessed with many warm-hearted people, finds Paul Rush.

In the far-flung Yasawas, Sue Baxalle finds adults and kids toiling hard to revitalise their cyclone-ravaged village.

The lure of game fishing is pretty strong at Fiji's Mango Bay, discovers Nicholas Jones.

The grandson of the last cannibal in Vanuatu shares his family's extraordinary story with an astonished Diana Balham.