An account of the author's experiences in Western Samoa, the Cook Islands, and Kiribati (formerly the Gilbert Islands) in the 1950s as a member of the South Pacific Commission, and her return to the region in the 1990s. She describes her feelings about the changes she has observed since Independence, and comments on factors, such as increased tourism, which have affected the islanders' lives. Includes an index. Some of the material has been previously published in other books. The author's other publications include 'The Romantic Lives of Louise Mack', which was shortlisted for the 1991 Banjo Award and the Victorian Premier's Award, and 'Home is the Sailor', which won the 1988 Foundation for Australian Literary Studies Award, and was shortlisted for the 1987 Age Book of the Year Award and the 1988 Miles Franklin Award.