Our beautiful world – Oceania
Our world is made up of many unique, mysterious and beautiful places. For millions of years, nature has shaped the landscape around us and humans have settled adding magnificent architecture and beautiful art. In this article, we’ll explore some examples of this from Oceania. We have highlighted nine of the most special places on the continent.
Bora Bora med palmetrær, blå himmel og blått hav.
1. Great Barrier Reef | Australia
The Great Barrier Reef is the world’s largest coral reef. A coral is a tiny animal that lives in the sea. Where these tiny animals gather in mass, a coral reef is formed. The corals look like colourful flowers. There are 3,000 coral reefs in The Great Barrier Reef, and it can be seen from space. The best part is studying the more than 2,000 different species of fish from a boat with a glass bottom, or using a snorkel.
The Great Barrier Reef is like a huge aquarium. There are live corals and anemones, and clownfish and sharks hide in the colourful corals. Pelicans fly above your head, and if you are lucky, you can see jumping dolphins or a whale between the waves.
The coral reef is best seen from above, especially by helicopter or a small aircraft. The Great Barrier Reef also includes hundreds of islands which you can visit by boat. If you’re brave enough, you can land on one of the islands by parachute!
Diving and snorkelling in the water around the Great Barrier Reef is a fantastic experience, whether you’re an experienced snorkeller or want to try it for the first time. The reef is huge and there are many places to explore. The water keeps a comfortable temperature all year around. If you’re extra adventurous, you can explore the SS Yongala, a passenger ship that sank in 1911. This is considered one of the world’s best wrecks to explore by diving.
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Mann dykker i korallrev med røde fisker rundt seg.
2. Franz Josef Glacier | New Zealand
The Franz Josef Glacier is one of three glaciers in New Zealand. It is 12 kilometres long, and can be found a few hundred metres from the coast. What’s unique about it is that you can walk on the glacier in the morning and enjoy the beach in the afternoon. You may be puzzled by the name which comes from a German who discovered the glacier in 1865. He named it after the Austrian emperor Franz Josef I.
Another explanation for the name is a traditional Maori legend. According to the legend, the snow princess Hine Hukatere fell in love with a regular man named Wawe. The two of them went up to Aorangi – where the tribal gods live – to ask them to turn her into a human. The revengeful weather god Tawhirimatea pushed Wave down from the mountain to his death. Hine Hukatere’s tears formed the glacier, which in the Maori language is called ‘Ka Roimata o Hine Hukatere’ or Hine Hukatere’s frozen tears.
The Franz Josef glacier can move up to 50 centimetres a day, but it has sometimes moved as much as four metres. The glacier leaves behind a network of caves, clefts and tunnels that change from day to day. Two mountain hikes are therefore never quite the same, so if you fancy a truly unique experience, the Franz Josef glacier has it all: a changing landscape, thick rainforest and the sea just a few hundred metres away.
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Franz Josef isbreen på New Zealand.
3. Samoa | The Pacific Ocean
Samoa is a small island in the Pacific Ocean. The island’s main attraction is its wonderful nature, crystal clear water, white beaches, rich forests and lively waterfalls. A highlight is the Sua Ocean Trench, a fascinating volcanic phenomenon including two huge holes connected by a cave. One of the holes is today a deep pool where tourists and locals swim.
📷 Traditional beach house in Samoa
The population of Samoa is divided between two volcanic islands. The largest, Savai’i, is still active. Parts of the surface are covered in cooled lava from a six-year outburst which began in 1905 and slowly buried entire villages under the slow but unstoppable wave of liquid rock. Wide craters, old peaks and volcanic sand make it impossible to forget that you are standing on a sleeping volcano.
The other island, Upolu, is home to three quarters of the population and is where the capital is situated. It has a charming tropical harbour and is the best place to familiarise yourself with the Samoan way of life. At the Samoan Cultural Centre you’ll see true handicraft, cooking and traditional tattooing on brave tourists, performed by a skilled tattoo artist. Apia is also the best place if you want to experience a Fiafia night: colourful costumes and traditional song and dance combined with a special dinner.
In Samoa, there is still a calm atmosphere and a relaxed way of life. There are hotels here, and the islands have gained internet access. But the people try to live as relaxed and calm as possible without becoming completely dependent on our modern lifestyle.
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Strand på Samoa med tradisjonelt strandhus.
4. Lake Hillier | Australia
Lake Hillier is located on Middle Island, which is just off the West Coast of Australia, and it is bright pink all year round. Researchers are not sure of the reason. Some believe that it is because of the bacteria found in the water, whereas others believe that it is because of the microalgae Dunalialla salina. The lake is an impressive and incredible sight, particularly as it is only a few metres from the Pacific Ocean, which is as blue as it has always been. The contrast between the two is therefore astonishing and fascinating when seen from above.
Lake Hillier is not the only pink lake in the world, but what makes it unique is that the water doesn’t change colour when it is poured into a glass or a flask. Lake Hillier was discovered by the British adventurer Mathew Flinders in 1802 and was named after William Hillier, who was part of Flinder’s travel team but unfortunately died. Lake Hillier, which is no larger than about 600 times 250 metres, was used for the withdrawal of salt for about six years, but it stopped when it was discovered that the salt was so toxic that humans couldn’t consume it.
Many people wonder whether they can swim in the pink bubblegum-coloured water to get a funny Instagram picture. But because of the low water and high salt content, you should perhaps think twice. The water has been tested and it isn’t dangerous to swim there – no animals will gnaw on you and you won’t get pink skin. But, the salt level is about the same as in the Dead Sea in the Middle East, which is also safe to swim in, but not very pleasant. We therefore recommend jumping in, taking your picture and getting back onto land.
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Lake Hillier i Australia med sitt rosa vann, ligger rett ved siden av Stillehavet som er knall blått.
5. Rotorua | New Zealand
This town on New Zealand’s North Island has the world’s most relaxing hot springs and mud baths, and one of the world’s best trails for off-road cycling. The city is also known for its geysers. A geyser is boiling water that shoots straight up from the ground. This happens at least 20 times a day. As if that isn’t enough, you can also experience centuries-old Maori culture here.
Rotorua is in the middle of a volcanic area, and that’s actually a big advantage. Hot gas from the earth’s inside is squeezed up from the mountain and heats the natural pools in the area. The water in this area has a temperature of 35 degrees.
If you like to try a mud bath, you can head to Hell’s Gate. A mud bath can be really good for your skin and at the same time, you can see one of the world’s largest hot waterfalls. Because of this, most things in Rotorua are warm!
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6. Sydney | Australia
Sydney is considered to be one of the most beautiful and spectacular cities in the world, especially thanks to the iconic Sydney Harbour Bridge and the Opera House. The bridge is known for its spectacular fireworks display on New Year’s Eve and the Opera House is Australia’s most famous landmark.
St. Mary’s Cathedral is also worth a visit. By doing this you can view the beautiful stained glass windows and hear the church choir sing on a Sunday. At Christmas, the church is lit up by a fantastic light display.
There is a lot to experience in Sydney. You have the Royal Botanical Gardens with birds, butterflies and fish. The Art Gallery of New South Wales is also worth a visit. If you love the sun and summer, you’ll find over 100 beaches in Sydney, the most famous of which is perhaps Bondi Beach.
Sydney also offers the world’s most impressive variety of animals, from humpback whales, koala bears, kangaroos, crocodiles to wombats. The wombat is a small marsupial that resembles a bear.
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7. Uluru | Australia
In the middle of a flat dry Australian desert something quite extraordinary can be found. Uluru, also called Ayers Rock, is a major tourist attraction that is 348 metres high. It is formed by 600-million-year-old rocks and is the only height for several miles around. When the Australian sun shines down on this formation, it appears to glow in orange and red. It is easy to understand why the aboriginals think of this as a sacred place.
For decades, hundreds of thousands have climbed Uluru to catch the view of the sunrise from the top. Many people still choose to walk around the foot of the mountain, a 9.4-kilometre trip where you can see fascinating cave paintings painted by the aborigines more than 5,000 years ago.
The place also has a lively wildlife. There are more than 170 bird species, dozens of reptile species and more than 20 different mammals. Lizards and snakes are what you’ll most often come across, but kangaroos and dingoes are not uncommon either. You are, after all, in the Australian outback!
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Det røde fjellet Mount Connor i Australia
8. Waitomo Caves | New-Zealand
A spectacular light show has made the Waitomo Caves one of New Zealand’s most popular attractions. It is caused by a tiny worm that sends a bluish light. The light allows the worm to attract the target it catches in the sticky web of silk threads spun in the ceiling of the cave.
It’s not only the light show that attracts tourists, but also the cave system itself which is exciting to explore, either on foot or by boat. A network of underground rivers has dug through the soft limestone for millions of years, and it is this that has given the caves the name Waitomo. It is the Maori word for ‘stream which flows into the hole in the ground’.
Inside the caves, dripping water and limestone have created impressive natural sculptures that hang from the ceiling or from the floor, and the cave walls are made of glistening fossils of shells that once lay on the seabed.
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9. Tahiti | French Polynesia
Far out in the Pacific Ocean you’ll find French Polynesia. After a war in 1889, the French gained power in this area. It consists of six island groups including Bora Bora, Tahiti and Moorea. Island hopping is very popular here.
The deserted location of French Polynesia is certainly part of the area’s charm, but it also means that it takes some time to get there. From Europe the journey is more than 24 hours long!
From Tahiti, Moorea is the easiest island to reach by boat, and the trip will take you somewhere between half an hour to an hour. On the water here, you’ll find the well-known bungalows which have become one of Tahiti’s trademarks. Feel free to go further in on the island to explore the fascinating green mountains that rise above the landscape.
The wildlife here is also completely unique – if you’re tempted to see a whole rainbow of fish and coral, just put on your snorkel and diving mask and throw yourself into the lagoon.
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Bungalower i blått hav og et høyt frodig fjell på Tahiti.
Always a new place to travel to
What a world we live in! There are so many exciting and wonderful places to discover. The next time you decide to go travelling, you could choose to travel to a place you’ve never been before, and this way you always have a new destination in sight.
Et barn flyr på en koffert med soloppgang i bakgrunnen.
Sources:
- 101 steder du må oppleve (før du dør) (2020)
Orage Forlag AS
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