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

Top 10 Causes of Travel Deaths

by Adrienne Wilson on

To date I’d like to think I’ve been pretty lucky in dodging death on some of my travels abroad and at home. Seeing how I got dumped on by two different birds on two different occasions last year in Tajikistan, for the first time in life and walked away without avian flu I’d count that as a blessing. And yes, I know avian flu is not quite caused by bird droppings landing on your head or Bob Marley sweatshirt, but I still lucked out. You never know. Oh, and then there was just this past Friday while cruising down a snowy I-68 eastbound for work when a snow plow going westbound threw so much slush, ice and salt over on the opposite side of the road that it shattered the windshield (see picture) and left small pieces of glass in my lap, in my boots and in my hair. I got pretty lucky with that one too.

This isn’t about my luck though. It is about those who didn’t see the coconut falling from the palm while snoozing in Antigua or the poor guy who received one too many mosquito bites in Madagascar and then those ambitious wildlife photographers who got mauled by a Grizzly in Canada. Roadjunky runs a piece from a couple weeks back listing the 10 Leading Causes of Travel Deaths (maybe). According to their humorous report where I’m not sure how they acquired the numbers, falling coconuts claim the lives of about 900 travelers each year, STD’s – 360 lives and Civil War – 380 lives. The top three ways to go travelers should beware of are road accidents, murder, and malaria – maybe.

Photo of Every Country

by Erik Olsen on

The Century Club is an organization we’ve blogged about here before. The group is made up of people for whom traveling the world might be called an obsession. Century, or 100, is the operative term, as the group restricts membership to you if you have NOT been to at least 100 countries. But most of the members have been to far more than that.

Well, this video is not likely to gain you entry into that esteemed club, but it can at least help expose you to all the countries in the world right from your desk. The video purports to show a photograph from EVERY country on the planet. A nice little musical accompaniment helps carry along the satisfying, if a bit long video. Worth a look, I think if just to gain appreciation for the number of countries there actually are.

Rottnest Island: Experience it Yourself

by Jamie Rhein on

A few days ago, I wrote a post about cycling in Western Australia. One of the highlights was a day trip to Rottnest, Island. The island, not far from Fremantle, is a getaway destination that’s perfect for beach going, cycling (like we did) or swimming with dolphins. You can sign up for a variety of tours including bus tours and a train tour once you arrive. Since taking a ferry is the only way to get there unless you fly or take your own boat, it feels adventurous from the start.

Because private vehicles aren’t allowed, this is a cyclist’s paradise, and if walking is more your speed, there are several guided walking tour options to learn about the penal, agricultural, aboriginal and maritime history of Rottnest or about the uniqueness of the flora and fauna. This is the only place in the world where Quokkas, small marsupial animals are found in the wild.

Check out foiled’s video on YouTube for a fun, wish you were there, cycling experience. This is a round-up of what his friends and he did from taking the ferry over to a pub stop at the end of the day . This is done in a quick music video style so it’s fun to watch. He packs a lot in. By the way, if you go, bikes are rented by the day and come complete with locks and a helmet.

Cycling in Western Australia and More

by Jamie Rhein on

Okay, so my cycling to trip to Western Australia was with 20 high schoolers-17 of them boys, and I wasn’t a high schooler. I was a teacher chaperone with tasks like shouting out every once in awhile, “Stop doing wheelies!” or “Stay on your side of the road!” And so what if some of them complained about the cycling, even though the trip’s title was “Cycling in Western Australia.” The trip was stellar despite all that. With one support vehicle that carried our gear and one vehicle that turned into a mobile kitchen at night and offered goodies like cookies, oranges and water at pit stops, what wasn’t to like? Particularly, since the air was dry enough, we could sleep on air mattresses under the stars and not be covered with dew in the morning. Instead of waking up to dew, I woke up to coffee brewing. The women who did the cooking also made coffee.

This was a nine day excursion through small towns like Yallingup and Balingup along flat land to rolling hills with a section along the coast and a detour to Rottnest Island. Each day was about 30 miles of riding at the most with plenty of time to take in a sheep farm, historical sites, boogie boarding and state parks. On the last day we biked from Fremantle to Perth, spending time in each of these cities. Since I was a chaperone, I could only look longingly into Fremantle’s pubs when I wandered sans kids for two hours during some scheduled alone time hours. No beer for me, but the historical aura of the place made up for it–almost. One of the high points of the trip was the night tour by flashlight of Fremantle Prison. The prison is now a museum.

Ours was a planned tour, but unfortunately, I can’t remember the name of the company. If you want to a do-it-yourself experience, here is a guide I came across. Below are some links to cycling companies I did find.

  • Active Australia, Kookaburra trip.
  • Australia Bicycle Tours and Vacations
  • Bushsports guided bike tours.
  • Australian Explorer.com – Cycling Travel Services.
  • Here is a link to a day trip company in Perth.
  • Pedal Oz: Bike Tours Around Western Australia

Oh, about the trip. Adult or not, I didn’t get off the bike once to push it up a hill and I can’t say the same thing about the boys who kept trying to outdo each other. Score! (I didn’t say I wasn’t breathing heavy, I was just determined to not get off that bike.)

Tragic Shot Missing Kayaker

by Erik Olsen on

A friend of mine sent me this rather tragic shot taken by kayaker Andrew McAuley, a very experienced paddler who went missing in the Tasman Sea back in February. McAuley was attempting to become the first person to take a kayak across the Tasman Sea, and he was very close — just 30 nautical miles — from doing so. He’d paddled for a long time, hard core during the day, and then drifting at night, sleeping for brief periods in his kayak. He’d crossed some 1500 kilometers and was close enough to the South Island of New Zealand to photograph its mountains. He was also able to snap this photograph, the last of himself on his camera, before he disappeared. He apparently sent a distress signal to the New Zealand Coastguard with two clear words: “help” and “sinking”. That was all.

The coast guard found McAuley’s kayak in the water ,but his body has not been found. Sadly, and perhaps irresponsibly, he did not have an immersion suit, which might have helped due to the cold water. But still, they found his camera, and the photo here was the last shot of him. A gruesome self-portrait.