Another explanation for the name is a traditional Maori legend. According to the legend, the snow princess Hine Hukatere fell in love with a common 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 vengeful 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 occasionally moved as much as four metres. The glacier leaves behind a network of caves, crevasses 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 continuously changing landscape, dense rainforest and the sea just a few hundred metres away.

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 eruption which began in 1905 and slowly buried entire villages under the slow but unstoppable wave of liquid rock. Gaping craters, ancient peaks and volcanic sand make it impossible to forget that you are standing on a dormant 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 authentic 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. Nevertheless, the people try to live as relaxed and calm as possible without becoming completely dependent on our modern lifestyle.

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 bustling 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!