Stories and magnificent images trace the routes of the first navigators among the wonders of the Southern Seas. Visit blue lagoons, volcanic islands covered with steaming jungles, strips of white sand nestled between banks of coral. Investigate the Maori culture from Hawaii to Tahiti, by way of Easter Island, Tonga, Samoa, the Cook Islands, and New Zealand, and take in the myth of Polynesia. Land among the Melanesian peoples of Fiji, Vanuatu, the Solomon Islands and New Caledonia and venture into the highlands of New Guinea, virgin treasure trove of Paleolithic customs. Explore the islands of Micronesia, emerald-green mountains adrift at sea, before crossing the deserts, mountains and coastlines of Australia.