My friend and I are getting just a bit tired of snow, so we're trying to come up with a setting that takes place in the tropics. He's considering something in the Caribbean while I'm thinking more Oceania.
We agree there are going to be a lot of islands and there may be tropical jungles and swamps on continents. We plan on this being an Age of Exploration era type setting, but we could also go for colonization.
In any case we do know that natives, other civilizations/lost civilization, pirates, and monsters will come in, but we're both looking for some suggestions, particularly since we're not quite sure where an adventuring party might fit as part of an exploratory ship's crew (or even in a new colony). We're also a little unsure as to races, particularly why there might be several on a given ship or in a given colony.
Any suggestions?
The party could be commissioned by a government to sail and explore in a particular direction. This gives them sea exploration, land exploration and play up the mysteriousness of new lands and cultures.
Give the PCs a small ship and crew, designed more for carrying provisions than crew and long distance sailing. Then they can be set free to explore.
Razor Coast is a caribbean type region setting adventure. Serpent's Skull takes place in the Mwangi expanse(tropical jungles). The middle chapters of the Savage Tide AP (3.5) also take place on a lost island with ruins, monsters and natives.
I'd say Razor Coast is more a pirate setting in Oceania, not the Caribbean, so might be a good fit for your intentions. Plus Razor Coast has Fire As She Bears a naval supplement offering excellent rules for ship to ship combat that uses the whole party's involvement to resolve combat, and other interesting ship rules.
While Hawaii has its own legends and folklore, I discovered on a trip there, that while the Japanese arrived as plantation workers in the 19th century, lots of Japanese folklore - yurei ghosts, kappa, tengu have been integrated into Hawaiian folklore. Notably Hawaiian folklore includes the menehune - a diminuitive race of humanoids with extraordinary strength and crafting skills, in many ways resembling British brownie folklore. Warrior ghosts following ancient war trails, giant water lizards inhabiting hidden grottos, shark spirits, sea turtle spirits, and bird spirits - linked to fallen ancestors are all a part of Hawaiian folklore.
Some of the Kaidan setting of Japanese horror (PFRPG) supplements and one-shot modules might fill in some detail in a Japanese-influenced Hawaiian legends to incorporate into such a game. Though I think Razor Coast sounds like your best fit.