Rarotonga, Samoa & Tonga

An island addict from way back, Craig McLachlan has covered the islands of Greece to Okinawa to Tonga for Lonely Planet. His first foray to Tonga was as a teenager when his father, an architect, designed a resort island in the kingdom and Craig experienced his first kava session. He's never looked back. A Kiwi who markets himself as a "freelance anything", Craig has an MBA from the University of Hawai'i, speaks Japanese and has written several books.
From his home in Auckland, Brett Atkinson's travelled to many of the island nations in his South Pacific backyard. For this extended research trip to the Cook Islands, he explored the underground caves of 'Atiu, scootered and snorkelled around Aitutaki, and uncovered local foodie treats at Rarotonga's weekly market. Venturing to far-flung and friendly Ma'uke and Mitiaro were other absolute highlights.
Celeste Brash first visited French Polynesia in 1991 and moved there in 1995. Her first five years were spent on a remote atoll and the next 10 on Tahiti. Throughout this time she's travelled as far as New Zealand to the west, Easter Island and Pitcairn Island to the east and visited many dots in between. Her award-winning travel stories have appeared in Travelers' Tales books and her travel articles have appeared in publications including the LA Times and Islands magazine.
She's written over 30 Lonely Planet guides but considers the South Pacific her speciality. She recently moved to Portland, Oregon, and often complains of the cold.