Pictured: Across the fjord from Tufi we visited a village whose leader took us on a tour and showed us all of their traditional ways; including: dress, song, dance, building, craftwork and more.

Papua New Guinea is breathtakingly beautiful, peaceful and serene. We spent our entire stay in Tufi, a 30 minute plane ride directly east from Port Moresby. Tufi and the surrounding areas stunned with their fjords and crystal clear blue water. The childrens laughter and the birds chirping echoed through the village and through the canyons of the fjords.

Pictured: On the boat to go see humpback whales! Bucket list!

In total we saw 16 whales in 1 day, and we were told that was a VERY good day. We weren’t prepared for how physically strenuous it is to swim up to the whales as well as keep up with them, but every part of the experience was worth it. I only wish we had more days in Tonga! What an incredible and sacred feeling place.

Pictured: Taking a scooter out to the far end of the island, past where they dump the trash and where there are even less people

We spent 3 nights in Tuvalu and mostly spent our time walking around both sides of the island, and undoubtedly walking to the airstrip every night to see how the locals enjoy their community time together. It was there that we were met with many smiles, laughs, waves and nods. Tuvaluans are very friendly people.

Pictured: Walking around our resort, Taumeasina

We had a short but great stay in Samoa. It reminded us of Hawaii. We relaxed at the hotel, walked around the resort and the nearby neighborhoods, walked to an incredible italian dinner spot, watched locals prepare to play rugby, play rugby, then walk home from playing rugby. We even got trained by a Samoan rugby pro in the hotel gym.

Pictured: Flying into Vanuatu from The Solomon Islands

Pictured: Walking through the market on Friday afternoon

We stayed 2 nights in the Solomon Islands on the main island in the city of Honiara. The Solomon Islands takes government assistance from a number of countries, and it’s easy to tell that they are a developing country. There were a lot of WW2 ship wrecks that we could have dove to, but there were not many dive shops still in business on the island.

Pictured: Arriving at Turtle Island with princess service; Hailey being carried off by “Fijian Warriors”

Midway through our tour of the South Pacific Island countries, we stopped at the oasis of Turtle Island in Fiji. The whole island belongs to 1 owner and the trip was magical from start to finish. The seaplane ride out over the Yasawa Islands was a sight to see and we had incredible weather and peace for almost a week!

Pictured: Walking around the island. We were so lucky it was overcast this day, but it was still wildly hot!

Our time in Nauru was short, but we were productive. We walked the entire circumference of the island in 3 hours, we walked alongside the picturesque beach, saw Japanese pillbox bunkers from WW2, and even survived a tsunami (warning) at the local pub.

Pictured: Running with the local kids along the main drag in Kiribati

The main activity we liked to do was walk up and down the main street to see what all the locals were up to. The street was always bustling with trucks, motorbikes and taxis carrying people and construction equipment to and fro. The kids would line the streets to get high fives all day long.

Pictured: At the front of a sunken WWII DC3 airplane that was near the island Enemanit

We loved our memorable time on Bikendrik in the Marshall Islands. We felt at home and like instant family while staying on the private island with private accommodations. We were lucky enough to be the only ones staying here during our time and we will always remember this place with fond memories.

Pictured: Standing at the entrance of the historical landmark of Nan Madol.

Micronesia definitely gave us a taste for what life could be like on a remote island! We stayed on the island of Pohnpei, which is home to the archeological site of Nan Madol which was the capital of the Saudeleur dynasty. The original name was Soun Nan-leng, "Reef of Heaven" - and also sometimes referred to as the 8th wonder of the world.

Pictured: In “The Milky Way” islands digging up the limestone mud from the lagoon to rub all over our skin.

Palau is a grouping of 500 or more islands located either a: 6 hour flight south from Japan, a 8 hour flight north from Australia, or a 12 hour flight west from Hawaii. Outside of the islands is just more water and more mini islands. Not a large tourist destination, we enjoyed mostly having the island to ourselves and got to embrace the peace and quiet. The main activity is diving, of which we dove 5 times in only 2 days. That’s intense! The infamous Blue Corner was the main dive attraction, and after a bit of uncertainty, we were able to finally make it happen.