fraser island and samoa
fraser island
Take a ferry ride to the world’s largest sand island - fraser island. It is like a desert, there is so much sand. It is special for its wildlife and flora. They have the purest population of dingoes. It is a beatiful area to visit and is listed as a world heritage feature. There are many different birds and mammals.
The dingos are pure bred and the scientists study them with interest. The dingoes are managaed and maintained by the wild life managers and scientists. Just off the coast in Hervey bay the humpback whales will breach for the tourists that flock to the area. Whale watching is a big business during the winter and more and more whales are coming to hervey bay to entertain the tourists. They come out of the water and delight the many visitors to hervey bay.
Samoa
Samoa is a ten hour flight from new zealand to get to the big island of Savai. Legend has it that Samoa is where god first created life. YOu can get a little hut on the beach all by yourself. Samoa was the final resting place for the writer Robert Louis Stevenson who hoped that Samoa would cure his tuberculosis. If you are in Samoa then you need to get used to Samoan time and do things at a leisurely pace.
If you go to a traditional village on the ocean you may get to help them net some fish. They beat the water and send the fish towards the spear fishermen who get as many fish as they can. The fish will be wrapped in banana leaves and put into the hot rock fire. The men do the outside cooking and the women cook inside. The fish and other meats are put onto the hot rocks and then covered in banana leaves.
At night the villagers celebrate with a traditional fire dance. The main sport of the island is rugby football and they are renowned for their toughness and bravery. In Samoa there is no such thing as a friendly game. Traditional tattooing is done all over the island and is done with ink and a sharp needle. It was traditionally an initiation for the young men to becoming a warrior.