Two new blockbusters from David Stanley/Moon Travel Books:
Tahiti Handbook, and Fiji Handbook
Reviewed by Georgia Lee
Tahiti Handbook Including Easter Island and the Cooks
Moon Travel Handbooks, PO Box 3040, Chico, CA 95927 4th edition, 1999; $15.95. ISBN 1-56691-140-0</p

Lee, Georgia

English

eVols at University of Hawaii at Manoa

sweeping vistas), and links with local legends. Motifs vary ac-cording to site use-sites associated with trails tend to have geo-metric designs such as cupules and circles, while those awayfrom trails have more figurative images. The earlier the site, themore stick figures it contains, while later sites have a preponder-ance of anthropomorphs with a triangular torso.The authors sensibly conclude that "we cannot enter theminds of those long gone nor can we share the same psychologi-cal states of those who made the carvings", a sentiment that isvery unpopular today in some circles, but one which remainsirritatingly true nonetheless. Yet they make some sound deduc-tions from the available raw data of motif, technique and loca-tion, speculating that the petroglyphs may have multiple hiddenmeanings, and have been used to keep records, mark bounda-ries, commemorate events, record legends, document births ordeaths or battles or genealogies, proclaim domain or custodian-ship, and seek mana and favour from the gods. The one solidpiece of ethnographic evidence about petroglyph making in Ha-wai'i is that the images at one site were a commemoration of achiefs death. The only disturbing aspects of the book's subjectmatter are the constant references to the alarming catalogue ofdamage done to Hawai'i's rock art-some has been lost over theyears to new lava flows, but by far the greatest culprits are peo-ple. Thousands of glyphs have been lost to developments suchas golf courses, but damage has also been done by bulldozers,vandalism, graffiti and gunfire, as well as the frequent unthink-ing application of latex, paint and chalk. Since education is theonly real long-term antidote to this kind of threat, it is to behoped that this fine book will playa major role in teaching theHawaiians to care more about these treasures that are scatteredthrough their islands.From the Stone Age to the Space Age in 200Years: Tongan Art and Society on the Eve ofthe MillenniumEdition for the 80th Birthday of His Majesty KingTaufa'ahau Tupou IV in July 1998.The Tongan National Museum, Catalog, 1999.Adrienne L. KaepplerISBN 982-9005-0 I-IDistributed by the Vava'u Press, Ltd., PO Box 958,Nuku'alofa, Tonga, South Pacific. Email: vapress@kalianeuoThe exhibit at the Tongan National Museum and this cata-log focus on artifacts collected in Tonga in the late 18th andearly 19th centuries. These are now in the collections of the FijiMuseum in Suva, Tupou College at Toloa, objects from theroyal collection, and private citizens. The bulk of the objects ondisplay and in the catalog are from the collection of Mark andCarolyn Blackburn of Lancaster, Pennsylvania.This paper cover exhibit catalogue contains 70 pages andis beautifully illustrated with color and black and white photo-graphs and early etchings. The material is divided into Historyand Society; Art and Society; Art, Events, and People; Tufunga,The Work of Male Artisans and Craftsmen; Koloa, the Fine Artsof Women; Personal Objects and Body Ornamentation, Teuteu;Poetry, Music and Dance; Tongan Art and Artifacts as CulturalDocuments; and Tools of Modem Tonga.The text provides background and general informationabout the arts of Tonga, and the catalog listing at the back givesfull information on the beautiful objects in the exhibit.Two new blockbusters from David Stanley/ MoonTravel Books: Tahiti Handbook, and Fiji HandbookReviewed by Georgia LeeTahiti Handbook Including Easter Islandand the CooksMoon Travel Handbooks, PO Box 3040, Chico, CA 959274th edition, 1999; $15.95. ISBN 1-56691-140-0Paper cover, 435 pages, fully indexed with separate indexfor accommodations; 51 maps, black/white illustrations, charts,book lists, glossary and 'capsule' vocabulary for Tahitian andFrench. A web site directory provides an invaluable resource forinternet users.This edition of the Tahiti Handbook includes Tahiti-Polynesia, the Australs, Tuamotus, Gambiers, Marquesas Is-lands and also Easter Island and the Cook Islands. It is a handyand convenient all-inclusive source for travelers heading in ei-ther direction from Tahiti, or across the Pacific.The Introduction covers the islands in general, their his-tory, and customs. 'On the Road' covers holidays and festivals,arts and crafts, services, health, getting around, etc. Interspersedare small gems about the literature of the area, famous movies(Mutiny on the Bounty comes to mind), such esoterica as how tobuy a black pearl, and tips for single women who don't wish tobe hassled by the local hunks.The islands or island groups are then taken in order fromTahiti, the Australs, Tuamotus, Gambiers, Marquesas, EasterIsland and, finally, the Cook Islands.Stanley is noted for his off-beat "takes" on travel, and heprovides a wealth of detail on just about any subject you canimagine. His comments on ecology, conservation, and customsare particularly germane; his descriptions of accommodations oneven the most remote spots are invaluable. Stanley travelsanonymously when researching his travel books, thus he is nottreated as a "favored guest" at hotels, resorts, and restaurants.This means the reader can trust his opinion and know that he/shewill get the same sort of service. Each and every hotel in theseislands is included, not just a sampling. As the author points out,luxury hotels separate the traveler from the environment, and thevisitor from the culture. He stresses mid-price accommodations,sights and things to do for the independent traveler.Looking for a hiking guide? The karaoke bars? Interestedin the lost treasure of the Tuamotus? How about Hinano beer?Want to know which resorts pump raw sewage into the bay? Thedifference between "ecotourism" and "ecoterrorism"? You willfind it all in this book.Fiji HandbookMoon Travel Handbooks, PO Box 3040, Chico, CA 959275th edition, 1999; $14.95. ISBN 1-56691-139-7Paper cover, 32 I pages, fully indexed with separate indexRapa Nui Journal 89 Vol. 13 (3) September 19991Lee: Travel Books: Tahiti Handbooks and  FIji Handbook (Review)Published by Kahualike, 1999for accommodations; 42 maps, black/white illustrations, charts,book lists, glossary and a 'capsule' vocabulary are included forboth Fijian and Hindi. This edition of the Fiji Handbook alsocontains a very useful web site directory that provides an invalu-able resource for internet users.The Fiji archipelago includes a thousand islands, astonish-ing diversity, and a fascinating history. The islands are scatteredover 1,290,000 square km of the South Pacific Ocean. But ofthat number of islands, only 322 are large enough to supporthuman inhabitants, and only 106 islands are actually inhabited.Despite this, Fiji has more land and people than in all ofPolyne-sia combined.To write a guide to so many diverse islands and diversecultures is a staggering achievement. As one who has (in thepast) written a guide book, I can attest that Stanley's travelbooks are without parallel. The amount of information providedis just plain amazing: from trekking tips to upscale resorts, cui-sine to inter-island connections, or the esoteric details of whereDa Free John hangs out, proper behavior at a kava ceremony,and the best snorkeling areas. Whether you are curious about acomplicated political system or just wanting to know which arethe gay bars in Suva, the Fiji Handbook has it.The book is particularly strong on local customs andproper etiquette, so important when visiting a foreign country,and particularly if one wishes not to be a typical tourist but de-sires to experience another culture in an unobtrusive, eco-sensitive manner. Both the Fiji Handbook and the Tahiti Hand-book Including Easter Island and the Cooks are highly recom-mended.Manual de Capacitacion sabre el Patrimonio Cul-tural y Natural de Rapa Nui [Training Manual on theCultural and Natural Heritage ofRapa Nui]Marcos Rauch G. and Maria E. Noel 8., eds.Conaf/WMF, Rapa Nui, 1998Review by A. Elena Charo/a, Ph.D.Consultant, World Monuments Fund,Easter Island ProgramPaper cover, 190 pages, US$30It is fitting to give a brief history of how this TrainingManual came into being. In its inception, over five years ago, itwas intended as a complement to the training courses that CO-NAF (Natural Parks of Chile) was planning to develop for parkrangers of the Rapa Nui National Park (RNNP). Only one train-ing course had been held on the island. This was in 1986 andWorld Monuments Fund, which had co-sponsored that course,was interested in partly supporting the preparation of this didac-tic tool. As originally conceived, it was to be a brief booklet tobe drafted in one year. Due to changes in personnel at CONAF,the project changed hands and with it the aim and the scope ofthe Manual expanded to address not only park rangers but alsotourist guides and local teachers. Four years later, the editors,Marcos Rauch of the RNNP, and Maria E. Noel, currently at theConsejo de Monumentos Nacionales, put together an outstand-ing publication in collaboration with Jose Miguel Ramirez,Christian Walter, Michel De L'Herbe and Patricia Ibafiez.The book is divided into seven chapters, a bibliographyand two appendices, the first one listing the protected"wild" (si/vestres) areas in Chile, and the second one, the en-demic and naturalized flora on Easter Island. Except for thethird chapter, which was prepared by Noel and Ramirez, all ofthe others were prepared by Rauch.The first chapter gives a brief introduction to the island, itsclimate, geology and geomorphology. The second chapter, pre-pared jointly with Noel, addresses the role of protected wild ar-eas and the conservation of both natural and cultural heritage. Itintroduces the concept of protected areas and their objective inthe conservation of resources, both natural and cultural; the vari-ous categories of such areas as defined in Chile; and, the impor-tance of the national parks for their preservation. It also ad-dresses such issues as the creation of a park plan, and its func-tion in the protection of resources and in tourism. It ends with abrief history of the RNNP and its uniqueness within the NationalPark system of Chile, given its wealth of cultural heritage. Amap of the island showing the area covered by the RNNP and itsfour use zones is included.The third and fourth chapters are two of the longest. Theformer deals with the archaeology and pre-history of the island.It begins with an introduction to archaeology as a discipline,continues with basic information of Polynesian prehistory, fol-lowed by the prehistory and cultural development on Rapa Nuiand ends with the history of the ethnological and archaeologicalinvestigations carried out from 1722 to the twentieth century.The latter was prepared in collaboration with Ibafiez and ad-dresses the natural heritage of the island. It is divided into foursections addressing the flora, the fauna, the geology and geo-morphology-this being the longest section-and scenic impor-tance. A map of the island shows the location of its many volca-noes and other geological features.The fifth chapter deals with the management of the naturaland archaeological heritage on the island. It is divided into threesections: conservation of the heritage; management of archaeo-logical sites; and management of the cultural resources. Thesixth chapter discusses the conservation of the archaeologicalheritage of the island. It addresses the legal protective measures,the conservation activities, and management for the archaeologi-cal heritage and the various causes for deterioration and/or de-struction of these resources.The last and third chapter of this book is devoted to tour-ism and the protected areas. It introduces tourism as an industryand presents proposals for the development of sustainable tour-ism discussing the advantages and disadvantages of tourism inthe national parks. Tables compile data such as flight frequencyfor various years, the number of travelers arriving, country oforigin of tourists over several years, and data on the number ofbeds available for tourists over various years. All data presentedis appropriately referenced.The book is more than a Manual, it is a reference book. Inless than 200 pages it summarizes a lot of information on thevarious relevant areas to the conservation of both natural andarchaeological heritage. It is well organized and carefully refer-enced. The depth of detail and discussion of the topics is excel-Rapa Nui Journal 90 Vol. 13 (3) September 1999..F------------,,=================...... ~~2Rapa Nui Journal: Journal of the Easter Island Foundation, Vol. 13 [1999], Iss. 3, Art. 10https://kahualike.manoa.hawaii.edu/rnj/vol13/iss3/10

Travel Books: Tahiti Handbooks and  FIji Handbook (Review)

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Travel Books: Tahiti Handbooks and FIji Handbook (Review)

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