This documentary follows [Roger Mirams] as he investigates the impact of aviation on the Pacific Islands after the Second World War. [Mirams'] last visit to the Pacific Islands was in 1943, when he worked as part of a film crew during the war. Part of the push for Allied aerial supremacy in the Second World War was the introduction of aviation to the Pacific Islands; airstrips were built and communities gained access to the globalising effects of air travel. The film also discusses the re-introduction of tourism to the Islands, as air travel makes them more accessible for visitors.
The film examines the Japanese occupation of Tarawa during the war and the American soldiers stationed at Santo Pekoa in Melanesia. It also shows Samoa and its relationship to writers such as James A. Michener and Robert Louis Stevenson. [Mirams] speaks to local legend Aggie Grey, who discusses the future of the children living on the Islands and New Zealand’s role in providing education and money.
[Mirams] next travels to Tonga; he visits the Royal Family and interviews the fourth Prince of the Royal Family. He then travels to Fiji where he visits the Indian workers who live there and discusses the future of the tourism industry.
Locations shown: Tarawa, Vanuatu, Western Samoa, American Samoa, Tonga and Fiji,
Please note: the narration heard in this film reflects the time period it was made. Some descriptions may be offensive to some viewers.