Oceania

Travel through Oceania by country:

Australia, Indonesia, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, New Zealand, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu, Vanuatu

Travel through Oceania by popular city:

Auckland, Canberra, Melbourne, Perth, Sydney, Wellington

Travel through Oceania by popular things to do:

Cook Islands, Sydney Opera House

Travel through Oceania with our writers:

In the Corner of the World, Work and Play in Queensland

Daily Pampering: Sailing Bora Bora in your own private catamaran

by Melanie Nayer on

You’re already in Bora Bora, what more could you possibly want? Fortunately, the Four Seasons Resort Bora Bora has planned for travelers like you, who want just a little bit more with their side of luxury. Adding to its fleet of custom-built boats, Four Seasons Resort Bora Bora has introduced the Navigator, a custom-crafted catamaran, available to guests for transportation in and around Bora Bora.

The Navigator features a full bar, dining tables, rooftop sundeck, lavatory and rinse shower, and a fresh water shower on the rear deck allows guests to refresh back on board. Its low hull design and shallow draft allow it to charter to just about any nearby destination.

Go alone or with a group. The configuration of the interior of the boat allows for guests to have intimate evenings at sear or host small receptions and dinners.

Total cost: At today’s exchange rate a 4-hour rental will run you approximately $900; 8-hour rental will cost $1,500. This is just for the catamaran and captain. If you want to go snorkeling, dine on the ship, hire musicians or a private astronomer (which is available), it’ll cost you extra.

Want more? Get your daily dose of pampering right here.

Ship made of plastic bottles completes trans-Pacific voyage

by Kraig Becker on

Way back in March we told you about the Plastiki, a ship made almost entirely out of plastic bottles, that was setting out from San Francisco to complete a crossing of the Pacific Ocean. The plan was for the ship, and her crew, to sail to Sydney, Australia, by way of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, in an effort to raise awareness of the impact that we are having on the Earth’s environment, most notably the oceans. Yesterday, after spending 128 days at sea, and covering more than 8300 nautical miles, the Plastiki sailed into Sydney Harbor, completing her voyage at last.

The ship is the brain child of explorer and environmentalist David de Rothschild, who came up with the idea to build a boat out of plastic bottles more than four years ago. At times, de Rothschild, who is the founder of Adventure Ecology, wondered if he would ever see his dream become reality, but eventually construction of the boat commenced, and the project began to take shape. When it was finally finished, the Plastiki had more than 12,500 bottles incorporated into its hull, not to mention a host of other environmentally friendly gadgets like solar panels and wind generators, added to its final design.

One of the main missions of the expedition was to visit the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, a huge collection of garbage that has accumulated in a single place in the Pacific Ocean. The GPGP is estimated to be larger than the state of Texas and continuing to grow all the time, as more and more waste is dumped into the ocean and ends up deposited in this strange gyre. The Patch is a testament to the damage that is being done to the environment and was quite a sobering sight to the crew of the ship.

Joining de Rothschild on the voyage were Skipper Jo Royle, Co-Skipper David Thomson, and the rest of the crew which consisted of Olav Heyerdahl, Graham Hill, Luca Babini, Matthew Grey, Max Jourdan, Singeli Agnew and Vern Moen. Well done crew!

[Photo credit: The Plastiki via Flickr]

100 year-old whiskey frozen in Antarctic being thawed out

by Sean McLachlan on

Earlier this year we reported how the New Zealand Antarctic Heritage Trust retrieved some whiskey left behind by explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton and his team after on unsuccessful attempt to make it to the South Pole in 1907-1909. Now curators at Canterbury Museum in Christchurch, New Zealand, are thawing out one of the crates.

The Nimrod Expedition ran low on supplies only 97 miles from the South Pole and had to beat a hasty retreat. They ditched much of their equipment, including several cases of whiskey that they left under a hut they had built. The subzero temperatures and ice preserved the whiskey.

At least that’s what the museum folks hope. They’re slowly raising the temperature of the crate day by day. The crate bears the label Mackinlay’s, a defunct brand owned by Whyte & Mackay, who are hoping to analyze the whiskey, reconstruct the recipe, and reissue it.

The museum has started a blog called The Great Whiskey Crate Thaw so you can follow their progress.

While the Nimrod Expedition didn’t make it to the South Pole, it did have some successes–mapping large stretches of previously unknown land, making it to the south magnetic pole, and being the first to test a car in the Antarctic. They were even the first to publish a book in the Antarctic, using a printing press they brought along and using candles to keep the ink from freezing! Check out the Trust’s excellent account of the Nimrod Expedition.


Photo courtesy New Zealand Antarctic Heritage Trust.

Daily Pampering: Queensland’s ReefSleep lets travelers sleep on the Great Barrier Reef

by Melanie Nayer on

You’ve slept under the stars, but have you ever tried to slumber in the ocean? Now you can, thanks to a new sleep chamber set up in Queensland, Australia.

Adventure seekers can enjoy the wonders of Queensland’s Great Barrier Reef inside Fantasea ReefSleep’s private underwater viewing chamber, no air tank needed. This might just be the underwater explorations dream come true – Reefsleep allows you to stay a private night literally on the Great Barrier Reef, the most extensive reef system in the world.

Located 40 nautical miles from the Australia mainland, guests will arrive via catamaran for their two day/one night adventure at Fantasea Reefsleep, a specially designed floating platform at Hardy Reef. Overnight guests receive exclusive access to reef activities such as scuba diving, snorkel tours, the semi-submersible and a water slide.

The underwater hotel comes complete with a king size bedroom and a quad room with bunks (perfect for families). Your Reefsleep experience includes one night stay, alfresco dinner with wine, full breakfast, lunch, sunset cocktails, two scuba dives or a snorkel safari and private use of Reefsleep amenities. Rates start at $630 AUD per person (approximately $525 USD).

Want more? Get your daily dose of pampering right here.

World’s most eco-friendly beaches to visit now

by Laurel Miller on

If your idea of heaven isn’t a beach packed with crisping bodies, balls of crude, or the lingering whiff of raw sewage, don’t worry. CNN has provided a list sandy idylls that retain their purity, even though a few, like Oahu’s Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve, are major tourist attractions, or located in tourism hotspots. Not surprisingly, most of these places are located on preserves or otherwise protected land, or are so isolated, they’re spared the excesses of humanity.

Other top picks include Whitehaven Beach in Australia’s Whitsunday Islands, Koh Libong in Trang Province, Thailand, and Oregon’s Oswald West State Park, as well as locations in South and Central America, and Europe. Best of all, there’s something for almost everyone on this list, as accomodations range from off-site luxury, to nearby camping and mid-range beach bungalows and guest houses (due to remote location, prices are somewhat jacked up). Small price to pay for a slice of paradise.

[Via Mother Nature Network]