More than a continent, this widespread area has such a varied history and culture. Have a look at our Oceania travel stories.
- Aotearoa New Zealand
- Australia
- Australian Capital Territory
- New South Wales
- Queensland
- Victoria
- Norfolk Island
- Chile: Easter Island
- Federated States of Micronesia
- Fiji
- Marshall Islands
- Palau
- Samoa
- Solomon Islands
- Tonga
- Tuvalu
- Vanuatu
Latest Australia/Oceania travel stories
Vanuatu: chocolate, cascades, coffee – and an underwater post office
I'll just start with the conclusion, shall I? Vanuatu: Turquoise water beneath your feet, the delightful rush of waterfalls, and the unmistakable feeling that life moves a little slower here. Add handmade chocolate, the aroma of freshly roasted Tanna coffee - and because apparently one can never have too much novelty — a post office underwater. Have I made you [...]
Guadalcanal and the battlefields of the Pacific
In many places - maybe even most - history is safely contained in a museum, behind glass and printed labels. On Guadalcanal it is not. Here on the largest of the Solomon Islands, the history of World War II is part of the landscape. A road passes a former battlefield, a quiet hillside carries a memorial, and beneath the clear [...]
Tuvalu: paradise with an expiration date
Imagine a paradise with an expiration date. Usually, we travel to tropical islands to relax in beautiful surroundings, and Tuvalu certainly has that. But it also forces you to witness a crisis. Here at the climate frontline, the ocean is not just a view, it's a countdown clock. As I look out the window of the descending propeller plane, the [...]
Sydney Opera House: an urban sculpture in a remarkable waterscape
As you know, we like the curious and unusual here in Sophie’s World. We like places that tell a story. Today, as I’m sitting on the roof of Oslo Opera House, I’m inspired to write a little something about that other opera house, on the other side of the world. An opera house with a dramatic tale. What do we [...]
A Postcard to Dorrigo
Driving from Armidale to Coff's Harbour with my oldest daughter some years ago, I spot a sign for Dorrigo. The name sounds familiar. But why? We're at the other end of the world, after all. In Australia. And not Sydney or Melbourne, but inland Australia. Driving along, we pass any number of waterfalls on the way. Here's Wollomombi Falls, there's [...]
Silent Sunday: Captain Cook landing site in Whitianga
In 1769, Captain Cook landed here at Mercury Bay on the Coromandel Peninsula in Aotearoa New Zealand to watch the transit of Mercury. I took this photo in 2003, with a non-digital camera.
World at a Glance: Auckland’s Sky Tower and therapy
We've visited the tallest structure in the southern hemisphere twice: the first time was just Alex and I, during a short one-week first-time jaunt to the land of the long, white cloud. Our next visit to the Sky Tower Auckland was four years later, while we lived in Aotearoa New Zealand. On both occasions, we bumped into therapy groups up [...]
World at a Glance: The Stonehenge of Tonga (Day out Nukualofa)
Did you think stone henges was a phenomenon limited to Europe? Think again. The Ha'amonga 'a Maui trilithon might be much smaller than the remarkable site at Salisbury Plain, but legends and mysteries surround this Tonga stonehenge as well. How were these heavy coral lime stones lifted and set into place? Surely no mere mortals could construct such a monument. [...]
Government Gardens, Rotorua (Day out Auckland)
A quick post today, inspired by this week's #frifotos* theme: gardens. Pictured above is Government Gardens in Rotorua. Again, it seems I'm drawn back to Aotearoa New Zealand, our second home country. My inner self must be telling me it's time to visit. Now, to persuade the girls to leave their dogs and horses for a long-ish holiday... Government Gardens [...]
Blue Mountains (Day out Sydney)
I love the Blue Mountains. It's the first place I ever saw kangaroos in the wild. And no matter how many Aussies might consider these marsupials a pest, I think they're absolutely beautiful and one of the features that make Australia special. Just a short distance from busy metropolitan Sydney, the Blue Mountains is a great place for bushwalking. It's [...]
World at a Glance: Hole in the Rock (Day out Auckland)
Over time, waves crashing into this very peculiar work of nature known as Hole in the Rock, have hacked away at the stone, creating this 18-metre hole.
Kids and animals in Australia
Travelling with children in Australia is very easy and an absolute joy. One of the highlights for my daughters has been the opportunity to get up close with the local fauna, both with farm animals and with wildlife so different from what we have in Europe. Leaving the more alarming ones aside for now, here are a few of the [...]
