This sounds like a good adventure, especially for a winter trip.
Yesterday, as I was going through 55 years of detritus of my occasionally interesting life (a cleaning which has been influenced by regular reading of 6 blogs on minimalism), I thought about what I've done that might be remembered, and for some reason that made me think of you.
When I was a high school librarian, every year I included The Giver in my banned books display. It was the one book that everyone exclaimed about: "The Giver was banned?" "Well, challenged," I'd explain. "But I love that book!" the student would exclaim, and frequently, they'd check it out to re-read.
That, I thought yesterday, is a good legacy: "But I love that book!"

Have a wonderful time. I have heard from friends that it is a magical and wonderful place.

Thank you so much for wisely choosing to not write a story set in some place that you've only visited. I feel that there are too many books like that that end up boiling a culture down to only the parts that the author feels will best serve their story and minimalizes their customs.

Bon voyage! If pictures are so awe-inspiring, I can't imagine what it will be like to be there. That should be an experience that adjusts your world
view and sense of place.
Enjoy the adventure!

Bon voyage! One of my favorite under-the-radar novels of recent years was Easter Island by Jennifer Vanderbes. It's about a modern-day botanist (a woman) traveling to Easter Island to research with a parallel story of--of course!--a woman anthropologist traveling there in 1913.
You are already en route but perhaps the miracles of kindle will let you download this to read during your travels...

Not that I expect you to be checking comments, but I just read this post today on an anthropology blog about the accuracy of Carbon-14 dating on Easter Island: http://alunsalt.com/2011/01/05/archaeologists-prove-the-secret-to-a-successful-date-is-knowing-what-is-on-the-menu/">http://alunsalt.com/2011/01/05/archaeologists-prove-the-secret-to-a-successful-date-is-knowing-what-is-on-the-menu/" rel="nofollow">http://alunsalt.com/2011/01/05/archaeologists-prove-the-secret-to-a-successful-date-is-knowing-what-is-on-the-menu/">http://alunsalt.com/2011/01/05/archaeologists-prove-the-secret-to-a-successful-date-is-knowing-what-is-on-the-menu/

My daughter and I were talking about foreign lands to visit, just the other day. She wants to see Europe, Japan. She asked me where I've been, and went Wow! I told her then that "you don't impress people by telling them where you've been." ( a lesson I learned quickly as a photojournalist ) I explained to her that you don't do things to impress other people, you do them to enrich your life and learn, so that you may become a better person, and use this knowledge to get a clear perspective of the world we share...
Papa, she said, why are you such a killjoy?
"Feliz viaje!"

But you do know that we'd read and love your book about Polynesia, right? Have a good trip and many more observations! I hope you will be able to blog while there.