Category: Oceania

Bondi Beach and the coastal walk

On By Carmen BIn Australia, Oceania5 Comments

Bondi Beach and the walk along its coast is a quintessential Sydney experience, only comparable to the sight of the Opera House I covered in my previous post. Bondi can easily be reached by bus from any point of the city; we used to take the 380 from Hyde Park, a ~40 min ride for $3.5 with Opal Card (a mandatory prepaid card you can buy and top up at convenience stores). I loved Bondi so much that I came here a dozen times during my months in Sydney, even moved here for a week. And I did the coastal walk to Bronte/Coogee/Maroubra 4 or 5 times 😉

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A walk through iconic Sydney

On By Carmen BIn Australia, Oceania8 Comments

Last September, I got one of the coolest opportunities of my life: I was offered to move to Sydney for 3 months, to work on a consulting project. I played tourist, got to feel like a local, and fell in love with this city… possibly, the most beautiful one in the world.

On my first free day, I took a walk through the most iconic sites of the center, a fantastic itinerary that I would repeat several times once Elena came over. I was lucky to be staying at the Sheraton on the Park, where I could enjoy a delicious, abundant breakfast, while looking over the city I was about to explore. I kicked off by wandering around Hyde Park; a simple park in a very cool setting, with the modern skyscrapers of the CBD (central business district) on one side, and the gothic St. Mary’s Cathedral on the opposite. The sandstone exterior is very characteristic of Sydney, whereas the interior, with impressive stained glass windows, resembles that of European churches.

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Destination guide – Tonga

On By Carmen BIn Destination Guides, Oceania, Tonga3 Comments
RD1966-D. Humpback Whale (Megaptera novaeangliae), calf swimming near the surface, underwater photographer (model released) captures the moment. Tonga, Pacific Ocean. Photo Copyright © Brandon Cole. All rights reserved worldwide. http://www.brandoncole.com

MUST DO:

  • Mapu’a ‘a Vaca blowholes
  • Relaxing in a paradise beach in Vava’u
  • Swimming with whales

NICE TO HAVE:

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The best place to swim with whales in Tonga… if you’re lucky

On By Carmen BIn Oceania, Tonga3 Comments

Tonga is one of the few countries in the world where you can enjoy the crazy experience of swimming with humpback whales. The Vava’u archipelago is the prime spot for this activity, due to its position on the migration route, and the warmth and calm of its water, which make it perfect for calving. A handful of licensed operators organize daily tours for $120-200, which include 4-6 hours of boat riding, spotting whales, getting in the water with them, and even hearing them sing. The price is steep, but probably worth it for a once in a lifetime opportunity, plus it includes a mandatory local guide and a feeling of it not being massified. The whales usually hang out in pods of 2 or 3, either an adult pair, or a mother, her calve and an escort. These pods are not only the cutest, but also the most fun to encounter, because the curiosity of the baby whales drives them to approach the swimmers rather than escape.

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A Tongan feast in remote Vava’u

On By Carmen BIn Oceania, Tonga3 Comments

During our stay in the island of Eue’iki, we not only enjoyed its paradisaical isolation, we also got a taste of Tongan tradition. Sunday is a very important day for Tongans, who are devoted Christians; they abstain from working (for real, they don’t even have flights), and families get together and attend church. Our host Veronica organizes a “Culture Day”, where guests visit the neighboring island of Taunga for several activities… and there we went.

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A paradise island called Eue’iki

On By Carmen BIn Oceania, Tonga5 Comments

How did we end up in this little piece of heaven? Eue’iki is a private island in the Tongan archipelago of Vava’u, home to the Treasure Island Eco Resort. A few days back, when we were wrapping up our time in French Polynesia, we started looking into places to spend the last days of our round-the-world trip, and we stumbled upon this one. We booked it without expecting much and we got lucky: it is as close to paradise as it gets.

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Exploring the wonders of Tongatapu on our own

On By Carmen BIn Oceania, Tonga5 Comments

What an epic day! What a fascinating country! We arrived at Fua’amoto international airport at noon, without knowing what awaited us in this mysterious country called Tonga. It was definitely one of the most off-the-beaten path places we had ever visited, and we barely knew a few things about it. We quickly went over it in our heads: Tonga, an archipelago of over 170 islands. Population around 100,000, 70% of which live in the main island, Tongatapu, with about 20,000 in the capital, Nuku’alofa. Ancient masters of the seas, the only Polynesian nation that has never been colonized, and now a Christian kingdom. Rather poor, with high dependence on remittances from its numerous immigrants. Safe, though the last time it was on the news was for the 2005 riots against the government. Great at rugby. And that was pretty much all.

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Destination guide – French Polynesia

On By Carmen BIn Destination Guides, French Polynesia, Oceania11 Comments

MUST DO:

  • Bareboat sailing, pure freedom
  • Landscapes of Moorea
  • Beach and snorkeling in Huahine
  • Lagoons of Bora Bora
  • Shark diving
  • Heiva festival in July

NICE TO HAVE:
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What to see in Papeete

On By Carmen BIn French Polynesia, Oceania7 Comments

Any visit to Papeete has to start at the market, the heart of the city. It’s a great place to shop for a colorful sarong, grab a bite (fruit on the lower level and fish in the upper one recommended) or simply watch local people go about their lives. The market is located in the center of the city, which is rather small and easy to walk around. Because we had flown in the previous night from Raiatea, where we returned our catamaran, and we were flying out to Tonga that night, we decided to stay at a hotel by the airport. It was quite convenient! To get to the city center, we simply took the public bus that stops right in front of the terminal and takes 15 min, for CPF 130 ($1.5). We do recommend renting a car to explore the rest of the island of Tahiti, as we did on our first day.

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Lagoons and Heiva in Bora Bora

On By Carmen BIn French Polynesia, Oceania4 Comments

Our time in Bora Bora was not what we had expected. We arrived at the southwest tip of the island in the afternoon, after spending the morning snorkeling in Tahaa. We were really looking forward to this paradise island, but the weather turned on us. The sky got completely covered, the temperature dropped and the wind picked up. As we were fighting the waves (some of us puking our guts out) and trying to enter the protected area inside the reef, our starboard motor stopped working. We troubleshooted for about an hour and eventually resorted to calling the harbor engineer to come on board and help. With his help, we were able to get control of the boat back and anchor near Matira. It was too cold and rainy to enjoy the beach time we were looking for. You probably wonder what you do on a boat when this happens, and the answer is simple: play cards. We spent that whole afternoon playing card games and some charades to mix it up a bit.

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