Australia and New Zealand’s medley of mountains, deserts, reefs, forests, beaches and multicultural cities are an eternal draw for any adventure travelers. Remote, beautiful and friendly, the Pacific islands’ white sands and clear waters are almost dreamlike in their perfection.
Oceania is a vast, arbitrarily defined expanse of the world where the Pacific Ocean – rather than land borders – connects the nations. It is home to glistening white beaches, coconut palms swaying in the breeze, beautiful coral reefs, and rugged volcanic islands rising out of the blue ocean. Its diverse nations have both some of the world’s most cosmopolitan and internationalised cities such as Melbourne, Australia, and some of its most remote and culturally isolated villages.
New Zealand may be the capital of adventure sports where bungee jumping, zorbing and extreme skiing are just a few of the activities on offer, but the wider Pacific has plenty to offer those who want to test their mettle. There’s world-class surfing, snorkelling and diving but how about hiking to crumbling sacred statues in the jungle, swimming with whales, trekking to the top of a volcano, rappelling down a waterfall or kayaking to forgotten beaches ? And in Australia and New Zealand adventure travelers can undertake a long-distance walking trail (roughing it, or on a softer mattresses-and-sherpa-guides tour), as well as mountain-biking, rock-climbing and parachuting.
