Blessed with billions of stunning fish swarming over myriad coral reefs and plenty of WWll, Kiribati (pronounced Kiri-Bahs) is a hidden island paradise. The atolls are scattered either side of the equator so the weather is dependably warm. Modernity is slowly rearing its head, but locals still welcome travelers as rarely seen curios. There are few organized activities on offer, though it’s not hard to find diving and game fishing with local people, and the less adventurous will find idyllic beaches are never far away.

March to October, to avoid the humidity and tropical downpours

Taking in a traditional dance in a maneaba (traditional meeting house) Sipping fresh coconut milk in a stilt house over an aqua lagoon in North Tarawa Being brought down to size by the enormous WWll guns at South Tarawa Salting clams or weaving thatch with locals to enjoy the relaxed of the outer lslands Trying bonefishing or birdwatching on Christmas lsland

Read Gavin Bell’s ln Search of Tusitala: in the pacific after Robert Louis Stevenson, which follows Robert Louis Stevenson through Kiribati

Listen to anything by home-grown production company ND Teariki Music Productions, recording in Kiribati

Watch the documentaries of director Dennis O’Rourke, including Atoll life in Kiribati

Eat traditional islander fare like taro, sweet potato or coconuts

Drink the unfortunately named sour toddy, brewed from coconut palm

Far-flung coral atolls; deep blue ocean; devout Catholics; coconut drinks by the beach; friendly locals; beachcombing the days away

The lnternational Date Line used to split Kiribati down the middle, until 1 January 1995 when Kiribati decided to have the same day nationwide

The passing centuries have had little impact on Kiribati’s outer islands, where people subsist on coconuts, giant prawns, octopuses and fish. Even on Tarawa, most people live in thatched huts.