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

Those crazy Kiwis are at it again

by Brett Atkinson on

The rest of the world probably looks at New Zealand and thinks we spend our weekends taking part in wacky and wild adventure activities.

Truth be told I’m actually happier at the movies or my favourite microbrew emporium, but with attractions like Auckland’s newly opened Skywalk it’s easy to understand any misconceptions.

In New Zealand’s biggest city you can already climb the harbour bridge (and bungy off it if you’re so inclined) and leap in a controlled fall from the 192 metre tall Sky Tower.

Now the Sky Tower is offering the chance to walk around its summit on a 1.2 metre wide walkway. Of course it’s safe as houses with more harnesses than a bondage convention, but the idea of wandering around in the open being battered by Auckland’s maritime breezes gives me the willies.

Mind you, I also write a regular column on Auckland urban adventures for a local magazine, so I’m just waitiing on a call from my editor to make the highrise journey myself.

Thanks to Skywalk for the pic.

NY Times: 53 places to go in 2008

by Iva Skoch on

Yesterday’s NY Times travel section depicted the 53 “it” destinations of 2008.

Laos made number 1, as the new Vietnam and Cambodia of Indochina. The photo, by Tanja Geis for the NY Times, is of stupas on the grounds of Pha That Luang in Vientiane, Laos.

My home town, Prague, made number 14, apparently because Prague is still the new Prague. Other than that, I have only been to about one third of these. So many places, so little time!

Here is the top 10:

  1. Laos
  2. Lisbon
  3. Tunisia
  4. Mauritius
  5. Mid-Beach Miami
  6. South Beach, Miami
  7. Maldives
  8. Death Valley
  9. Courchevel, France
  10. Libya

The complete list is here.

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Adopt a Tasmanian Devil and help save a species

by Brett Atkinson on

If anyone was to give out gongs for the world’s coolest animal, I reckon the Tasmanian Devil would be near the top of the list. Not only does it have a Looney Tunes character named after it, if you see one in real life they’re like little, furry rocket ships, charging about with an anarchic gleam in their eyes.

That’s the good news.

The bad news is that a facial cancer is rapidly accelerating the Tassie Devil towards extinction in the wild, and some estimates give the species only another 5 years. Since Devil Facial Tumour Disease was discovered in 1996, the population has dropped from 140,000 to around 80,000 and it’s estimated the existing population decreases by 50% each year.

Up to now funding research and running captive breeding programmes has been the domain of private organisations, and through the Devils in Danger Foundation you can Adopt a Devil for $50.

Now the new Australian government has pledged $10 Million to fund research into the disease that’s threatening to wipe out one of the world’s most iconic animals.

The World’s Top Ten Views

by Brett Atkinson on

Yep, that’s a pretty bold headline, but that’s what a recent list published by www.askmen.com is promising. Here’s the top five from the list and I’ve added a few more I reckon are pretty special.

Askmen’s Top Five

  1. The Acropolis, Athens
  2. Lipu and Yaoshan Mountains, Guilin
  3. Lanikai Beach, Hawaii
  4. Eiffel Tower, Paris
  5. Grand Canyon, Arizona

Here’s AskBrett’s Alternative Top Five (OK, it’s a few of my favourite spots)

  1. Sunset on the Bosphurus, Istanbul
  2. The Remarkables, Queenstown
  3. Charles Bridge at dawn, Prague (right)
  4. Wadi Ghul Canyon, Oman
  5. Sydney Harbour. Sydney

Let us know what, where and when I’ve overlooked…

While you’re here, check out our photo galleries of some of the coolest places in the world!

Virgin America hosts in-flight Victoria’s Secret models

Inside Air Force One

Japan’s Ocean Dome

Barcelona Graffiti

China: Mao in Shenyang

Bear Grylls

Tokyo Motor Show

Sexxpresso Erotic Coffee Shop

Around the world in 60 pubs: month-long party or month-long hangover?

by Catherine Bodry on

As a traveler who — nonchalantly, with no prior intention! — tends to end up in heated dance-offs and other bizarre late-night situations, I’m not sure that a tour centered on drinking would be good for me. I tend to stumble upon party places without even trying. But if you’re the type of traveler who prefers pub crawls to walking tours and local beer to local cuisine, and you have an indestructible liver, an Australian tour operator has created what may be the perfect trip for you. The Around the World in 60 Pubs trip is a month-long, alcohol-drenched tour of the world’s hottest party places. Destinations include Munich, Germany; Prague, Czech Republic; the Thai island of Phuket; and Cancun, Mexico.

The tour’s operator, Thirsty Swagman, specializes in “thirsty tours;” besides the round-the-world venture, the company also offers a 10-day “Euro Hard ‘n’ Fast” power pub crawl as well as one Australian trip named the “Slammer.”

Although the website claims the “Around the World in 60 Pubs” is “one tour you’ll never forget,” I have a suspicion that it might be one that many of its participants barely remember.