Oceania articles

Termite pointers
Travelers' Intercom, February 2007 issue.
As a minor amplification to the picture on page 74 in the December ’06 edition of ITN, on a 1998 trip to Australia we found lots of termite mounds all over the central area, especially around Alice.

Switched companies after lapse in contact
Travelers' Intercom, January 2007 issue.
In September ’05, my traveling companion, Lynn Drake, and I, contacted PNG Holidays and arranged to take an 11-day “Goroka Festival” tour in Papua New Guinea a year later, Sept. 11-21, 2006. Including three internal flights in PNG, the cost was to have been $3,100 for each of us.

Northernmost New Zealand
Travelers' Intercom, January 2007 issue.
My wife, Carole, and I took a 2-week trip to New Zealand in March ’06. We spent most of our time north of Auckland, especially in the Doubtless Bay area. This area received its name from Captain Cook, who when he passed by wrote in his ship’s log, “Doubtless there is a bay.”

Birding at Daintree
Travelers' Intercom, January 2007 issue.
Chris, an expert bird guide and owner of Chris Dahlberg’s Specialised River Tours (Daintree Village, Queensland 4873, Australia; phone 07 4098 7997 or visit www.daintreeriver tours.com.au), was one of the reaso

Hotels in Australia’s Northern Territory
Accommodations Worldwide, January 2007 issue.
From my March 12-26, 2006, trip to AUSTRALIA, here are appraisals of hotels in the Northern Territory.

Credit cards
Travelers' Intercom, December 2006 issue.
I have been reading with great interest readers’ reports about credit card/debit card use while traveling.

Maps of Australia
Travelers' Intercom, December 2006 issue.
Regarding the supposed unavailability of Australian maps in Australia (Oct. ’06, pg. 4), first, both of Australia’s major book chains (Dymocks and Angus & Robertson) have an extensive selection of maps, and one or the other (or both) are in most sizeable towns.

Australia pleasantries
Travelers' Intercom, December 2006 issue.
I’m responding to the reader’s comment, “Anyone considering traveling in Australia should get a good road map in the U.S.” (Oct. ’06, pg. 4).

Re: passengers smoking on cruise
Travelers' Intercom, December 2006 issue.
We took a 12-day cruise from Sydney, Australia, to Auckland, New Zealand, on the Diamond Princess, Feb. 24-March 8, 2006. We were disturbed by the cruise line’s lenient no-smoking policy, which is the most lenient of any cruise ship we’ve recently been on.

Tailored Travel in NZ
Travelers' Intercom, December 2006 issue.
We had a fabulous 3-week trip to New Zealand in February ’06. I wanted to pass on the name of our guide, as he was the best we have ever had in all of our travels.