Wandering Fractal

Wreck of the S.S. Maheno Fraser island or K'Gari for the locals is the biggest sand island in the world. It's not a barren pile of sand as the name might suggest. It's actually covered by a rainforest with many lakes and rivers. It's an exceptional ecosystem. The main attraction is it's population of dingoes. Those native wild dogs can be spotted wandering on the island. The guides and rangers of the island made a good job of explaining the correct behavior to have in front of those animals: no feeding and stay away. In the past there was a few cases of tourists doing stupid thing and getting bitten as a result. There even was  a child who was killed by dingoes. I did a 3 days/ 2 nights tour on the island organised by the Palace Hostels & Adventures in Hervey Bay. It includes the camping, food, transport in jeeps and nights in their hostel before and after the tour. There are other tours by other companies but they are mostly similar. We spent most of...

Brisbane I made a stop in Surfer Paradise (yes that's the official name of a suburb) in the city of Gold Coast. There I met a friend who was in an English school. It's a party place, full of hotels and luxury shops. Between two nights of clubs and bars, I took a surfing lesson. With good waves conditions, a beginners board and the advice of a pro I was able to stand after less than an hour. But the next day when I tried by myself in huge waves and with a smaller board, well, I got a few bruises. I still need some training. Next I moved to Brisbane. I was there during the celebrations of ANZAC day and could see the military parade in the city center. It commemorates the Australian and New Zealand soldiers who fought during the wars. Me, learning to surf.

Surfers From Sydney I took the night bus to Byron Bay. This part of the east coast has only one bus option and it's the night one. Prepare some warm clothes because the air conditioning can be quite strong. After 12:45 hours I arrived in this small town near the sea. It has amazing beaches and a hippie vibe. The main activities are swimming, surfing and strolling along the beach. One good walk is to go all the way up to the lighthouse. I stayed in a hostel called Arts Factory Lodge . It's a bite outside of town and looks like a small hippie village (even more than Byron Bay itself). Don't expect a nice and quiet place. It's raucous, dirty and crowded, but it's a worthwhile experience. Tip: avoid the kitchen. It's more a battlefield than a cooking place. View from the lighthouse. Water pool at low tide. Cormorant

Opera house In Sydney I saw the most popular places like the Opera house, the Harbour bridge and the rocks, but the best place was definitely Bondi beach. It's a bit outside of the center, around 45 minutes of bus, but really worth it. I bought a hope-on hope-off bus ticket from the company Greybound (same as the one in the USA). For around 450 Australian dollars it allowed me to go from Sydney to Cairns while making as many stop as I wanted. Once you have the login info, you can go on their website and book the next bus you want. It's a good option if there is many things you want to see on the road and you don't want to rent a car. Opera house by night from the harbour bridge Under the harbour bridge St Mary's cathedral Birds eating from the trash of the fish market.

The Weka is a flightless bird endemic of New Zealand. On the south island, I went sea kayaking and trekking in the Abel Tasman National Park. There I could see: stingrays, seals, fishes, cormorant and the Weka. The best experience was sleeping in a boat in the middle of the park, where we could admire the Milky way in the sky and a bio-luminescent sea around the boat. The water was filled by plankton that would emit light if disturbed, thus moving your arm in the sea would make it glow. All the fishes moving around the boat where leaving a trail of light. It was a magical night. Part of the park seen from the trail. Cormorant. Swimming back to the boat after having jumped from its roof. Drifted stick on the beach growing back.

View of the city from the botanical garden. Capital of New Zealand, Wellington is a small city full of charm. It's also the gateway to the south island. Ferry is used to go on the south island.

Looks like a night sky, but it's actually the ceiling of a cave. Waitomo is a place where the ground is made of karst, thus the rocks are easily eroded by water. This creates deep caves and underground river systems. This is the preferred habitat of the New Zealand Glowworms. This larvae lives suspended in a silk hammock from where it drops several sticky threads. It lures prey by emitting a bio-luminescent light. Once an insect get stuck in the thread, the larvae real in the silk like a fishing line and eat the victim. The caves found in Waitomo are covered by a constellation of glowworms that make them look like a starry night. Sticky silk thread produced by the glowworms. Taking pictures from a moving boat on an underground river can give some nice effect. Bush around Waitomo.