Oceania

2:38pm, December 17, 2007 Sitting outside Mac’s Brewery on a Monday afternoon enjoying a brew – watching the clouds quickly drift by – “Stand By Me” playing over the stereo …

Now that I’ve been gone about 3 weeks, I’m getting the hang of using the various Internet cafes and access points to keep my blog updated. Internet access in French …

My diet in New Zealand has been an odd combination of food. Most eaten items would have to include sausages, cheeseburgers, ham and cheese sandwiches, pizza, fresh muffins, Cadbury chocolate …

The Tongariro Crossing is an 11-mile (18km) hike between two active volcanoes, one of which is Mount Doom from Lord of the Rings.

During our third night of the bus tour, we stopped in Maketu for a bit of traditional Maori culture. We were entertained by a family’s music/dance show, and then the …

After paying a hefty sum for a bus tour with the STRAY company (new kid on the block to The Kiwi Experience), I almost missed my first departure. Yes, myself …

#1 – From Justin: I would come up with a sweet dare for you, except that, like you are soon to feel, my bank account has been poured into a …

I’d wanted to go canyoning since I first learned about it in 2005 while planning a trip to Costa Rica. It consists of maneuvering down a river canyon by combination …

I spent my last night in Tahiti couchsurfing with Sam, though he actually gave me a spare bedroom to myself.  With the open windows all the time, rather large roaches …

There are two things I tend to avoid during international travel – public phones and driving. I managed the public phones in Tahiti well enough (after that first mishap) and …

Dare # 2 – From RBL: I dare you to convince single women (aged 18-35) to have their photo taken with their hand on your shoulder. Reward: $5 per woman. …

As you saw from the previous photos, Moorea is a little bit of paradise in the South Pacific. It’s a short 20-minute ferry ride west of Tahiti. I want to …

On my first day in Papeete, I managed to make some silly mistakes. Jetlag, culture shock and oppressive heat make for a tough first day. I mostly took it easy, …

After a really challenging travel day from New York to Tahiti, I was wondering what I had signed up for. 15 hours of flying and all the airport waiting that …

My friend Chris joined me for MLS Cup ’07. He’s a big tennis fan, and we started talking about majors on the metro ride to the match. I remembered the …

At first, I thought staying at campground/hostel Chez Nelson on the island of Moorea in French Polynesia was a godsend. It’s only $20 the first night, $16 each additional night …