Avalon Travel Publishing announces the release of the 6th edition of Moon Tahiti, the leading travel guidebook to French Polynesia. Author David Stanley wrote the first South Pacific Handbook in 1979. Ten years later the handbook’s French Polynesia chapter was spun off as a separate guide and Moon Tahiti continues to draw on Stanley's three decades of experience in the region.
Moon Tahiti’s 330 pages include dozens of photos, line drawings, and charts, plus a bibliography, glossary, vocabularies, and index. The 54 maps are clearly labeled without the confusing map keys found in other guides. Four maps of the capital Papeete are provided, and this edition contains new town plans of Hauru (Moorea) and Hakahau (Ua Pou) and island maps of Fakarava and Tikehau.
The book’s presentation has been entirely revamped with much of the introductory material moved to Background and Essentials chapters at the back of the book. In Essentials there’s now a Tips for Travelers section with specific advice for those interested in work or study, travelers with disabilities or children, and others with special needs.
A new “blue section” in the front of Moon Tahiti features a five-page “Discover Tahiti and French Polynesia” essay with original color photos. Then comes “The Lay of the Land” with introductions to Tahiti, Moorea, and the Leeward, Austral, Tuamotu, Gambier, and Marquesas islands. “Planning Your Trip” in the blue section gives advice on when to go and what to take, while “Explore Tahiti and French Polynesia” offers precise day-by-day itineraries titled “The Best of French Polynesia,” “Underwater in the Tuamotu Islands,” “The Australs: Off the Beaten Track,” and “The Magnificent Marquesas.” “Romance on the South Seas” explores French Polynesia’s sensual pleasures, while “The Life Aquatic” is devoted to scuba diving, snorkeling, and surfing.
All of the practical information in Moon Tahiti has been re-researched and rewritten, and the internet and email addresses are now embedded in the text for ease of reference. The travel chapters have become more strategic with Must See and Top Pick highlights coded with special symbols in both the text and on the maps. Boxes at the beginning of each chapter focus attention on the best of the best. Each chapter also has a new Planning Your Time section.
David Stanley researches his books incognito and eschews the "hospitality" many other travel writers enjoy and the listings are thorough and critical. When one considers the high cost of a Tahitian vacation, the price of this guidebook is quite low and the savvy traveler will order a copy.
The 6th edition of Moon Tahiti (ISBN 1-56691-804-9 or 978-156691-804-6) was published by Avalon Travel Publishing of Emeryville, California, in November, 2007. Priced at US$19.95, the book is distributed in the United States by Publishers Group West, in Canada by Publishers Group Canada, in Europe by HI Marketing, and in Australia and New Zealand by Bookwise International. To order online, visit http://www.southpacific.org/tahiti.html
