Oceania

By Caroline Bennett

From the sparkly blue waters of the pacific islands and incredible topographical diversity of Australia to the adventurers’ playground that is New Zealand, it’s easy to see why Oceania is a dream destination. Though getting to the edge of the earth can be a bit of a feat, the journey is well worth the island experiences you’re bound to have. And while the first convicts sent to the Botany Bay penal colony from Britain back in 1787-1788 had to endure an amazing 252 day voyage, a host of travel options and a thriving tourist industry mean you won’t have to sign up for an eight-month voyage to explore Oceania today. With some 10,000 stunning islands to discover, why wouldn’t you want to venture down under?

The name Oceania was coined to describe the geographical and geopolitical region that lies between Asia and the Americas, generally including Australia, New Guinea, New Zealand, and the many islands scattered throughout the Malay Archipelago in the Pacific Ocean. Oceania is the smallest continent grouping in land area, and the second smallest in population after Antarctica.

Foremost is the incredible natural beauty of the lands. The massive island continent of Australia is a rugged paradise for adventure travel and home to the one of the world’s great natural wonders, The Great Barrier Reef. New Zealand provided the breathtaking scenery for the famous Lord of the Rings movies, and offers a landscape so varied you can feasibly surf a first-rate wave and ski down a snow-covered volcano in the same day. Exotic islands such as Fiji, Vanuatu, Tonga, and Bora Bora feature crystal blue waters and world-class scuba diving and snorkeling.

But Oceania also offers something more than superficial lushness, a special beauty that goes beyond tropical waters and white sand beaches. The islands are home to some of the warmest, most hospitable, genuine, life living and loving people on the planet. People of the Pacific Islands have long coexisted with the environment in a way that is still very tangible today; for many the sea is their life. There’s a real ambiance of natural beauty in every sense so powerful you can almost taste it in the warm tropical airs of the Pacific, a region truly like no other.