The Happy Isles of Oceania

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The Happy Isles of Oceania is a travel book written by writer Paul Theroux and published in 1992. It is an account of a trip taken through the Pacific Islands shortly after the break-up of his first marriage. Starting in New Zealand, he travels to Papua New Guinea and then follows the clusters of islands throughout the Pacific Ocean, passing through Easter Island and finishing his trip in Hawaii.

Chapters of Book

Part One: Meganesia

  1. New Zealand: The Land of the Long White Cloud
  2. New Zealand: Sloshing through the South Island
  3. Waffling in White Australia
  4. Walkabout in Woop Woop
  5. North of the Never-Never

Part Two: Melanesia

  1. Buoyant in the Peaceful Trobriands
  2. Aground in the Troubled Trobriands
  3. The Solomons: Down and Dirty in Guadalcanal
  4. The Solomons: In the Egg Fields of Savo Island
  5. Vanuatu: Cannibals and Missionaries
  6. The Oddest Island in Vanuatu
  7. Fiji: The Divided Island of Viti Levu
  8. Fiji: Vanua Levu and the Islets of Bligh Water

Part Three: Polynesia

  1. Tonga: The Royal Island of Tongatapu
  2. Tonga: Alone on the Desert Islands of Vava'u
  3. In the Backwaters of Western Samoa
  4. American Samoa: The Littered Lagoon
  5. Tahiti: The Windward Shore of the Island of Love
  6. A Voyage to the Marquesas
  7. The Cook Islands: In the Lagoon of Aitutaki
  8. Easter Island: Beyond the Surf Zone of Rapa Nui
  9. Easter Island: The Old Canoe Ramp at Tongariki

Part Four: Paradise

  1. Oahu: Open Espionage in Honolulu
  2. Kauai: Following the Dolphins on the Na Pali Coast
  3. Niihau and Lanai: Some Men are Islands
  4. The Big Island: Paddling in the State of Grace