I thought I might to write an a few tourist tips that I picked up from my last trip around Australia and the Pacific.

In my mind Cairns is the all round best place to learn how to scuba dive on the Great Barrier Reef taking value, quality and safety into consideration.
Don’t think that you can hold off until you arrive to sort out your Great Barrier Reef Cruise , in the dry season they all get fully booked

Australia’s most used beaches can hold hard to see dangers in the form of strong currents called rips. Avoid them by always staying between the red and yellow flags – they mark the best place to swim on the beach. Surf Patrols wearing red and yellow hats generally patrol beaches during the months November to March, but some of the most busy beaches are patrolled all-year round. Never swim alone, at night, under the influence of alcohol or directly after a meal. Always check water depth before diving in and never run and dive into the waves from the beach.

There is a large variance in the quality of kava around the Pacific. A bowl is unlikely to produce anything other than a minor tingling feeling in the mouth, so fear is misplaced. The exception is Pohnpei where it is called “sakua” is approximately five times as strong as your normal, and is known among expats as “liquid quaalude”.

Caution in Tonga: What you have heard is true: Tongans are surprisingly light fingered, especially so in a culture where “permenent borrowing” is the norm. Be extra wary in Tongatapu and in Neifu in the Vava’u islands….. when you leave your hotel or hostel, lock your possessions!

New Zealand was a frustrating place to drive, and as a 29 year old male, not much scares me…but when there are constant U turns and the locals are trying to pass with 20m visibility… There were accidents observed on the sides of the roads, and some busses that had gone off the sides of the mountains.

Never, Ever take food into New Zealand. Check your suitcase before you depart for NZ to make sure you have not had an banana that you bought 3 days ago in your handbag and have forgotten about it, for when it is found you WILL get fined NZ$200 on the spot and not even be able to eat the culprit! This applies to any fruit, seeds or food.

I trust these help anyone going to New Zealand.