The holiday season is now in full swing, which means Hannukah and Christmas are seriously. right. around. the. corner. But really, that’s not panic you detect in my typing. Really.

For those of you with a Polynesian sweetie or Polynesian obsessed friend, roommate, parent, child, etc. – or let’s face it, sometimes (often) we buy a few (lots of) gifts for ourselves too – I’ve put together a quick holiday gift guide to help you out.

Here are some Polynesian themed DVDs that are sure to please everyone on your gift list. Some are new releases for this year and others are classics that every Polynesia Addict should have in their collection.

1) Wild Pacific Series (Blu ray), $23.99 – I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, this is a great, new six-episode documentary series devoted to the South Pacific.

2) Planet Earth – The Complete BBC Series (Blu ray), $39.99 – Another terrific documentary series narrated by one of my favorites, David Attenborough. Because why would anyone buy the Sigourney Weaver narrated version when you can get David Attenborough – seriously?

3) The Blue Planet: Seas of Life (DVD), $30.99 – This is the series that started my fascination with nature documentaries. A must have classic!

4) Coral Reef Adventure (Blu ray), $9.99 – A great film originally shown in IMAX theatres a focused on Pacific coral reefs.  I highly recommend this film to any Polynesia Addict, especially scuba divers. The $9.99 price tag makes this an easy choice.

5) Rodgers and Hammerstein’s South Pacific Collector’s Edition (Blu ray) – $20.99 – I haven’t seen this particular version of South Pacific, but a) the awesome Lincoln Center revival production isn’t on DVD/Blu ray and b) this classic version has got to be better than the awful Harry Connick Jr. version I did see.

6) Earthly Edens: Bora Bora (DVD), $15.99 – A veritable “video screensaver” ready-made to elicit sighs and feelings of tranquility. Play it on repeat and I guarantee no chores or work will get accomplished… but who cares? Warning: Will aggravate Polynesia Addiction and re-ignite withdrawal symptoms.

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Wild Pacific is a 6-part BBC mini-series exploring the beauty and wonder of the South Pacific.  This series, also known as “South Pacific Diaries” (UK), explores the evolution of the flora and fauna in the South Pacific and the challenges this idyllic region faces today.

Each of the 6 episodes has a different theme:

Episode 1: Ocean of Islands

Episode 2: Castaways

Episode 3: Endless Blue

Episode 4: Ocean of Volcanoes

Episode 5: Strange Islands

Episode 6: Fragile Paradise

I would highly recommend “Wild Pacific” to any fellow Polynesia Addict or nature lover.  I love BBC documentaries for their high quality and top-notch narration, and this series is no different.  Since it’s shot entirely in high definition, “Wild Pacific” also has incredible footage of everything from underwater sea life to land animals to aerial and water shots.   One of my favorite shots was in “Ocean of Islands” – it’s a fantastic slow-motion capture of a surfer in a 12-foot monster barrel (you can see a clip on YouTube).  The series isn’t perfect though – there’s some obvious re-use of footage from episode to episode (with some clips being re-used multiple times) that made things redundant and boring at times.  Still, overall this is another winning production from the BBC.

“Wild Pacific” is available for purchase on DVD or Blu-ray.

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