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THE FIRST-TIME VISITOR
Sound.
Photo: Alamy
Unless you have a few weeks or more to spare, it makes sense to concentrate on one island. The choice couldn t be more straightforward: North or South? If you love big cities (there s really only one: Polynesian Auckland), Maori culture, geysers (that d be Rotorua) and fine wine (Hawke s Bay for its full-bodied reds), choose the North Island.
If you re wowed by awesome scenery (alpine peaks and fabulous fiords) that rival Europe and North and South America and you prefer quieter cities and towns (such as Christchurch, Dunedin and Nelson though Queenstown can be action-packed, in the ski season), then the South Island is made for you.
A gossamer rain is falling as I walk through a temperate rainforest, its gentle percussion on my jacket accompanying the crack of whip birds and the tamborine rustle of leaves. I have been invited to stroll mindfully on this trail, observing the details of the forest; the mosaic of green in the dappled light, the coarse bark of a coachwood tree where cicada exoskeletons cling; a tangle of vines, looped like dropped stitches in Mother Nature s giant scarf.
This awakening of the senses is part of a guided Nature Therapy Walk at the Blue Mountains Botanic Garden in Mount Tomah, exploring what the Japanese call shinrin-yuko, or forest bathing. Popularised during the 1980s when corporate stress was at its most destructive, this preventative health practice is designed to connect participants with the environment, unlocking the power of nature to refresh, de-stress, rejuvenate and heal body and mind.
Kakadu National Park management has asked the Northern Territory government to drop court action over an allegedly illegally disturbed Aboriginal sacred site.
Parks Australia - which is part of the federal government s environment department - says it s immune from prosecution and would prefer to work with traditional owners and the NT government to protect the World Heritage-listed park.
It is accused of building a walking track in Kakadu at Gunlom - a cascading waterfall that appeared in the movie Crocodile Dundee - without permission from the Indigenous custodians.
akadu National Park management has asked the Northern Territory government to drop court action over an allegedly illegally disturbed Aboriginal sacred site
Image: Tourism Australia
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If you’re already thinking it’s time to take a holiday in 2021, then now is the time to do it. This is mainly because the Australian government is subsidising 800,000 airfares to tourist hotspots across the country. Who doesn’t love a holiday paid for by the government?
These half-priced flights must occur between April and July, with bookings having opened on April 1st. But, like everything that’s discounted, this won’t last long.