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

World Cup Tickets on Ebay? Beware

by Erik Olsen on

We’ve done our mightiest to alert you, dear gadling reader, to the coming joy, thrill and mayhem promised with the start of the World Cup, the largest sporting event in the world. Amazingly, countries across the globe will relentlessly tune in on the Web, TV and by smoke signals to watch their favorite teams kick a little checkered ball around a big field, and fall down and flop around like girls given the slightest little kick in the shins. Well, for those interested in attending and who believe they might be able to pick up a few tickets on Ebay, think again

According to this piece, the Germans are saying that tickets for the month-long tournament starting June 9 are personalized with the buyer’s name. They will NOT be transferable, say officials, except under special circumstances. All this for security reasons.

So what that means for folks who want to pick up some tix on the Internet, you are perhaps gambling with a lot of dough. (on Ebay’s German Web site the top bid for a ticket for Brazil versus Australia on June 18 was $551). And if you think the Germans are going to be lax about their security apparatus, well, you probably don’t know much about Germany. So caveat emptor, folks. 

 

Friday Funny: Earth Sandwich

by Erik Olsen on

OK folks, here’s your chance to participate in history. zefrank, whose antics haven’t been on my radar screen for some time, not since he helped me improve my dance moves, has got a fine little film asking all of humanity to take part in one of the greatest human efforts ever undertaken: to make an earth sandwich. Filled with gleefully funny bits and even a song, this video will not only have you laughing till your stomach cramps, but you might also feel, as I did, the need to immediately run out and buy some bread (as I didn’t).

(via Boingboing)

One for the Road: Code Green

by Erik Olsen on

Travel, when done correctly, is all about discovery. You learn more about the world itself, its peoples and cultures, but also you learn about yourself. The committed vagabond throws himself into the world and seeks new experiences, tries to find fulfillment through travel. Of course, finding fulfillment can be tough. And so now the folks at Lonely Planet want to help. A new book called Code Green is out and is filled with excellent ideas to help you figure out what to do when you travel and how to help it enrich your life. Despite a cover that will scare the bejesus out of your parents, this seems like a very promising volume. The ideas are of a decidedly progressive bent, but all offer the opportunity to find greater fulfillment through travel. Here are a few of the suggestions:

  • Get up-close-and-personal with gorillas in Rwanda, lemurs in Madagascar and sea lions in the Galapagos.
  • Explore some of the world’s most magnificent wilderness, and see it through the eyes of the Dogon people of Mali, the Masai of Kenya or the Maori of New Zealand.
  • Tag turtles on the Great Barrier Reef, count macaws in Peru or learn to be a ranger in an Indian tiger sanctuary.

I’m bullish on this book and have added it to my personal travel library.

Word for the Travel Wise (05/13/06)

by Adrienne Wilson on

The best part of having friends from all over the globe is having the opportunity to pick their brains about possible vacation destinations and better yet the local slang to help keep you sounding cool in hot, sunny places like Fiji. So for today’s word I tapped into the word bank of a close friend of mine to help those of us planning a fabulous Fijian adventure this summer or even next year.

Today’s phrase is a Fijian phrase used in Fiji:

Chalo ghume. – Let’s go somewhere and have fun.

My friend actually speaks Hindi, but says this particular phrase is not proper Hindi and may not be understood in India. Since the phrase is widely understood in Fiji from what my friend tells me I thought it safe to call it Fijian. Cool? Glad you agree. Now let’s go have some fun!

Fiji Dictionary has about 850 words translating from Fijian-English and vice versa. The author of the site has a small disclaimer up top to remind those of us seeking methods to learn Fijian tongue online, that theirs may not be the most accurate and to use at your own risk. Rob Kay’s Fiji Guide has a pronunciation guide in addition to several useful words and historical background on the Fijian language including Fijian Hindi. Before clicking into the two above, check out Wiki for other interesting lingo facts.

Past Fijian words: daulomani

Word for the Travel Wise (05/08/06)

by Adrienne Wilson on

When something gives you goose pimples from watching a short film clip on the tourism site you know the real thing must be phenomenal! That’s what happened just now as I searched through the New Zealand tourism website to find something interesting. Not that it’s ever too tough to find something cool happening over in the lush green country, but I was looking for something to blow me away. Something aside from the numerous movie-like tours that have probably taken the place over by traveling movie buffs and fans of films like Narnia. The portion that caught my eye was this one on the Powhiri, welcoming spirit and/or ceremony of New Zealand’s Maori people. You’ll want to check it out yourself if New Zealand is on your travel radar this year. Today’s word comes from that page.

Today’s word is a Maori word used in New Zealand:

Po – a venture into the “unknown” or new experience

Maori (or Te Reo) is a Polynesian language spoken in New Zealand and is closely related to Rarotongan, Tahitian, and slightly less closely to Hawaiian and Marquesan. The lang arrived in New Zealand by way of the Polynesians coming over by canoe most likely from the Cook Islands or Tahiti many years ago and maintained official status in the country until the 1860’s when it became a minority language. Use this Wiki information to get you started on the background and history of the language, but worry not about there being few great resources online for furthering your knowledge of the Maori. There is also an online language commission (Te Taura Whiri I te Reo Maori) that regulates the lingo and has one of the exhaustive list of links to learning within the country as well as outside. Maori.org has an awesome area to practice with quizzes on common words, phrases and proverbs.

Past Maori words: tapu