Blogs from Oceania - page 6494

We headed for The Rainforest Habitat for 8am where they offer a buffet breakfast in what I can only concisely describe as a bird sanctuary. You're not meant to actually feed the birds, but as a kindly American girl offered to take our photo, a bird swooped down, stole some of my second helping of bacon and knocked over the bucksfizz in doing so. Also saw our first Cassoway here - had no idea they were so big or colourful (they are the size of a man). Also saw plenty of Koalas, kangaroos and crocs amongst many other native animals. A great half day. The afternoon was again spent on the beautiful Four Mile Beach. We walked up to the Flagstaff Hill lookout for a full view of the beach. In Port Douglas is also the ... read more

Ensimmäiset päivät hedelmänpoimijana ovat nyt takanapäin, joten on aika pistää fiiliksiä kaiken kansan nähtäville. Fiilikset vaihtelevat valtavasti: Välillä vituttaa kuin lumiukkoa kevätauringossa, mutta välillä on niin tohkeissaan, ettei malta nukkua. Poimijoita tilalla on parisen kymmentä ja asustelemme kaikki samalla majoitusalueella. Porukasta valtaosa on saksalaisia ja ranskalaisia, sitten pienempi joukko korealaisia. Lisätään keitokseen vielä yksi japanilainen ja yksi suomalainen, niin poimijaporukka on valmis. Itse työ on fyysisesti todella raskasta, mutta sitähän tänne tultiin hakemaan. Tehtävänä on poimia tarpeeksi isot päärynät puista tikkaita apuna käyttäen. Sopivankokoiset päärynät mätetään ensin olkalaukkuun, jonka lasti tyhjennetään lopulta puulaatikkoon. Yhden laatikon täyttymiseen menee päärynöiden koosta riippuen noin 3-6 tuntia. Kun muistetaan, että yhdestä laatikost... read more

From the markets of Rajasthan to the cosmopolitan streets of Sydney and Paris, our hiking boots and quick dry clothing never quite fit in. Finally on the south island of New Zealand we found an entire town full of people dressed just like us. Once an isolated farming community, Te Anau has become an important gateway to the spectacular Fiordland wilderness areas. Most of the locals we met seemed to be working in between their outdoor pursuits of hiking, kayaking and climbing. Less than 24 hours after our arrival on the south island we were on our way to the start of the Milford Track. Dubbed "the finest walk in the world" by an enthusiastic journalist this hike was initially accessible only with a guide. The first hikers to break the rules were christened "freedom walkers" ... read more

I decided to forego the Mexico City leg of the journey and instead opted to spend three weeks on a bus in New Zealand with a bunch of people most of whom were young enough to be my nieces and nephews. Yes, the Kiwi Experience hop-on/hop-off bus tour around the North and South Islands idea had to be a winner. No organisation or planning required; everything is arranged for you and basically it's a bit like a school trip. This is the route we took: - Route My starting point was Auckland - the city of sails - and a pretty nondescript place it is too. I spent a day there before getting up early the next morning for my first day on the big green coach. The destination was north to Paihia, the Bay of ... read more

today we took the 1st leg of our 13 day island hopping. We took a boat almost to the top of the Yasawa Islands this took about 4 hours. We are staying at a place called Coral View on the island of Tavewa. The dorm we are in here sleeps 18.The 1st thing i noticed after lunch and being shown our beds was a 'snorer' on the bunk next to me! 'great'.The beach here is quite volcanic and rocky but the scenery is amazing.As we sailed up here we stopped at many different islands and each and everyone looked fantastic. You just want to be able to stop at them all. We met some nice people today as well Jenni Hannah and Chris from engalnd and a guy from Australia whose name i cant remember at ... read more