Reviews (3)

The guide I was looking for...(as always..)
I am already planning my trip based at the book and it is does a pretty good on job at describing the places and best sites to see..
good overall
i used this book on a recent trip to new zealand, and for the most part it was great.my one complaint was with a restaurant recommended by the book in auckland that turned out to cater to large tour groups and served expensive sub-standard food.but on the otherhand, another restaurant recommended (joe's garage in queenstown) turned out to be a highlight of the trip.so, as with all guidebooks, i think the information has to be taken with a grain of salt and it's better to get a second local opinion.the maps and general local information were very helpful for navigation and for deciding what to do each day.worth it overall.

Sound Guide....
Better than most, but less informative and readable than the Eyewitness Guides. (The one on New Zealand is being updated now for an August release.) I think more guidebooks should start incorporating that format into their titles---sacrifice a few details for more showcasing of locations worth noting. Still, this is a sound source for information and it's one to keep with you when you travel. In one or two instances, I found information in Fodor's that was ONLY in Fodor's and nowhere else, so the research is obviously extensive. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Australia & Oceania - General    2. Australia & Oceania - New Zealand    3. Travel    4. Travel - Foreign    5. Travel Guides    6. New Zealand    7. Travel & holiday guides    8. Travel / Australia & Oceania   

Subjects:  1. Asia - Southeast    2. Bali Island (Indonesia)    3. Guidebooks    4. Lombok (Indonesia)    5. Travel    6. Travel - Foreign    7. Travel Guides    8. Travel / Australia & Oceania   

Subjects:  1. Australia & New Zealand - General    2. Australia & Oceania - Australia    3. Beverages - Wine & Spirits    4. Photo Essays    5. Photo Techniques    6. Photography    7. Subjects & Themes - Plants & Animals    8. Travel - Foreign   

Subjects:  1. Australia    2. Australia & Oceania - Australia    3. Australia & Oceania - General    4. Guidebooks    5. Travel    6. Travel - Foreign    7. Travel Guides    8. Travel & holiday guides    9. Travel / Australia & Oceania   

Reviews (2)

Used 4 yrs ago- will not go again without it
A must for traveling and truly enjoying the people and countryside.Details of out-of-the-way places as well as the city life.Able to getaround without driving (on the wrong side of the road).Will long rememberall of the friendly people and the cleanliness of cities and countryside.

informative and resourseful
This book is great for backpackers and students. It is also helpful members of Hostelling International and VIP backpackers.It explains the cheapest way to travel and the must sees in New Zealand ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Australia & Oceania - General    2. General    3. New Zealand - History    4. Travel    5. Travel - Foreign    6. Travel Guides   

Reviews (1)

All the information you need
I live in Utila in the Bay Islands in Honduras and i see many people arriving with this book in their hand and all of them tell me that they use it all of the time and it is an invaluable source of information.
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Subjects:  1. General    2. Sports & Recreation    3. Travel    4. Honduras    5. Sub-aqua swimming    6. Travel & holiday guides   

Reviews (18)

Incredibly Useful Guide
As one of the editors of Travelers' Tales 30 Days in the South Pacific, I found David Stanley's Moon Handbook, South Pacific to bean indispensible guide during a recent trip through the South Pacific
Moon Handbooks South Pacific
A great value to anyone planning a trip to the South Pacific! Detailed, informative, educational...what more could anyone want.

An Excellent Guide
Brilliant. Over the last couple of years I have become a huge fan of David Stanley guides to the South Pacific. His books have been travelling companions to Fiji and the Cook Islands and this latest edition is informative, entertaining, affectionate and honest. David has an uncanny eye for detail as well as doing 'the hard yards' for in-depth research. I lived in Vanuatu for several years and I even found that section enlightening. I plan to travel to Samoa shortly and know that I will enjoy the in-flight reading because, on my essentials to pack list, the Moon Handbook South Pacific is up there with 'toothbrush' and 'sunscreen'. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Australia & Oceania - General    2. South America    3. Travel    4. Travel - Foreign    5. Oceania    6. Travel & holiday guides    7. Travel / South America   

Reviews (6)

a very mixed bag
I'm giving this five stars for the benefit of the chapters by Robert Zubrin and Martyn Fogg, which are ingenious and daringly original analyses of astronautic engineering and terraforming, respectively - each is the godfather of his field. The other material ranges from curiously quirky but not well-thought out (on terraforming Venus) to the kind of worthlessly unintelligent and uninteresting speculations you might expect to overhear from some goon at the bookstore but not to read in print (see the chapter on settling the Oort Cloud). This book was assembled as a "best of" selection from Analog; in a better world it would have been edited by the Journal of the British Interplanetary Society, which would have known where to make the cutoff. Still, the good entries are fantastic enough to be well worth the purchase price.

Good book
This book is an excellent collection of essay by the leading producers of cool, far-out ideas alive today.Just reading it will expand your horizons and help you look at the final frontier in a new way. A great book about what could be done.
The book deals with ideas about making space travel easy and colonizing space simple.The first few chapters deal with getting out of the gravity well we call Earth with known science and equipment. The next deal with using the resources that could be found on the Moon, Mars, Mercury and even the Oort Cloud (as well as planting a few colonies here and there)with the knowledge we have and the equipment we could have soon. After that is starts to get harder to picture doing all this projects with current technology.By chapter 8, for explain, we are dealing with terraforming and star engineering.Near the end of the book, starting with chapter 11 we are talking about interstellar space ships and the economices of interstellar commerce.But by than, you think all of it can be done! Each chapter helps to hold up the next one.For example, cheap, easy ways to get into space would cut the cost of space travel and allow for the next step which is exploring the planets and finding resources to help the next step. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Astrophysics & Space Science    2. Australia & Oceania - General    3. Cosmology    4. Exploration    5. Outer space    6. Reference    7. Science    8. Space colonies    9. Stars    10. Travel / Australia & Oceania   

Reviews (1)

Fine guide
This is my first national Geographic travel guide, from an interesting author. He once biked 10,000 miles around Australia, getting into remote areas where he was all alone, 100 miles from the nearest habitation just on his bicycle. As he went, his travel commentaries were published in the Australian papers, and the story was even picked up by the international newspapers at the time, making him something of an international celebrity as a travel writer. He now lives in Victoria and freelances for various Australian magazines and publications. It's more topically oriented the say, the DK guide, with perhaps fewer subjects covered but with more coverage per article. This is just my subjective impression but I offer it for what it's worth. The DK guide's look busier per page and this one is less.
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Subjects:  1. Australia & Oceania - Australia    2. Australia & Oceania - General    3. Museums, Tours, Points of Interest    4. Travel    5. Travel - Foreign    6. Travel Guides    7. Australia    8. Travel & holiday guides    9. Travel / General   

Editorial Review

From Antarctica to Zimbabwe, if you're going there, chances are Lonely Planet has been there first. With a pithy and matter-of-fact writing style, these guides are guaranteed to calm the nerves of first-time world travelers, while still listing off-the-beaten-path finds sure to thrill even the most jaded globetrotters. Lonely Planet has been perfecting its guidebooks for nearly 30 years and as a result, has the experience and know-how similar to an older sibling's "been there" advice. The original backpacker's bible, the LP series has recently widened its reach. While still giving insights for the low-budget traveler, the books now list a wide range of accommodations and itineraries for those with less time than money.Read more

Reviews (7)

Good, but needed more
I've used many Lonely Planet (LP) guides and found this one to be lacking their usual detail. I got the sense much hotel information was pilfered from Web surfing the basic info, rather than first-person investigation. While still a good book to take, next time (and there will be a next time because Tahiti is wonderful) I'll be sure take another guide along with it, and to thoroughly read actual travelers' online reviews. I'll also know the questions I need to ask before booking. My sense was that the reviewers weren't seeing things through the fresh-eyes of a first time traveler. The details, such as directions accommodation features were often lacking.

Excellant Guide book
This book did a wonderful job of not only preparing us for the journey, but help us get around.We have now been there three times to three difference islands, and each time it preformed well. Although with all travel books they get out to date in a year or two, you should always call a head to verify critical information. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Australia & Oceania - General    2. Australia & Oceania - South Pacific    3. Travel    4. Travel - Foreign    5. French Polynesia    6. Travel & holiday guides   

Reviews (2)

Great Pics
I thought this was a great book for a fresh diver to the reef.It has great pictures and covers a number of locations and dives sites.I found it useful to learn a few tidbits about the places I was seeing while on the boat between dives.Would recommend to anyone looking for a general book on the Great Barrier Reef.

Comprehensive dive site listings and descriptions.
This book does a nice job of detailing major dive sites throughout theGreat Barrier Reef and the Coral Sea. Dive sites are rated for both scubaand snorkeling. The book also has information on resorts, dive operatorsand facilities servicing the various dive sites. Information on varioustypes of underwater life is also sprinkled in throughout the book. If youplan to dive the Barrier Reef or the Coral Sea this is an excellent guideto lay out your diving plans. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Australia & Oceania - Australia    2. Reference - General    3. Scuba & Snorkeling    4. Travel    5. Travel - Foreign    6. Travel / Australia & Oceania   

Subjects:  1. Australia & Oceania - Australia    2. Australia & Oceania - General    3. Travel    4. Travel - Foreign    5. Australia    6. Travel & holiday guides   

Editorial Review

It's not every day that a fellow decides to pack in a good job, pack up his saddlebags, and set off by bicycle to make a circumferential journey around Australia. In 1996, that's just what American-born Read more

Reviews (17)

Cold Beer and Crocodiles : A Bicycle Journey into Australia
Having travelled through Australia a number of times by airplane, car, and train, I found the perpspective of a bicylist to be enlightening, funny, and exasperating.While I never intend to pedal around Oz, I think Smith captured the spirit of the country.It was a good read.I would recommend the book but not the means of transport....

True to the cycle touring experience
Having finished only half the book, I'm amazed at the experiences he has. I'm at a loss to understand just how he went about getting into the situations he did. And yet, being a cycle-tourist myself, I can understand.
A Great Journey
Roff Smith hit a crossroads one day and didn't know whether he should stay in Australia or move back to the US.Since he hadn't really seen or experienced Australia like he felt he should have, how could he be expected to make a decision as to whether he should stay?The only solution, of course, was to hop on his bicycle and pedal 10,000 miles around the entire island.
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Subjects:  1. Australia    2. Australia & Oceania - Australia    3. Cycling    4. Description and travel    5. Essays & Travelogues    6. Smith, Roff Martin    7. Special Interest - Adventure    8. Travel    9. Travel - Foreign    10. Travel / General    11. Travel writing   

Reviews (1)

Papa Mike's Palau Islands Handbook
Very helpful in planning our trip. The book even gave details on the outer island besides the main island of Koror. Books on Palau do not exist if you want info buy this book ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Australia & Oceania - General    2. Essays & Travelogues    3. Travel    4. Travel - Foreign    5. Australasia, Oceania & Other Land Areas    6. TRAVEL & HOLIDAY    7. Travel / Australia & Oceania   

Reviews (2)

Gives a few great places a bit of a rough treatment
This is another guide written in the same sort of format as Lets Go and Lonely Planet.It is a lot thicker than the Lets Go version and believe me, weight and space are important when lugging the thing around a whole continent.Let's Go also has a fair bit more information than Rough Guide in fewer pages.I also don't like the paper the pages are made of in this book as it's not a nice texture, is very thin and the pages stick together when the book's been inside a hot backpack and just don't feel nice turning the pages when it's a bit humid. Rough Guide is also rather opinionated on everything from each hostel to local information booth staff friendliness.I must say I do agree with some comments but a lot I never had the same experiences.That's the thing about travelling one person can have a great experience with a tourism operator and the next not so good.It depends who else is on the tour, in the room, which staff member you get and so on.If this was a constantly updated website that encourages feedback and changed the information regularly than I would see a place for it but not in a guide book. If you follow the author's opinion you'll miss out on some great experiences and even the places he recommends you may still have a bad time at.That's just the way tourism is. I'd recommend Lets Go over this for backpacking around Australia.

Do not travel to Australia without this book
This book was a lifesaver for us on our three week vacation to Australia.The maps within it were fantastic especially on our four day drive up the coast.It was very helpful with regard to accommodation, and findingtourist information offices.We didn't leave our room without it on anyday of our trip. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Australia & Oceania - Australia    2. Australia & Oceania - General    3. Reference - Guides (General)    4. Travel    5. Travel - Foreign    6. Travel Guides    7. Australia    8. Travel & holiday guides    9. Travel / Australia & Oceania   

Reviews (47)

A dismal whinge
This book is a prolonged snivel about the pain of voluntarily going to places the author then found tacky, hostile or boring. By his own account he had not a moment's pleasure from his travels until he reached Hawaii, where it was all American and OK and Not Foreign. The only puzzle is why he did not at a much earlier stage of the trip get on a plane and go there direct; presumably he'd taken an advance from his publisher and had to deliver a book of some sort. The whole thing carries a moral for modern travellers: if you can't engage constructively with the places you go to, then please, please, stay at home - that way you'll be happier and you won't needlessly contribute to airline CO2 emissions.

On the whole, a satisfying read
To be honest, it took me a while to get into this one. I found the sections on Australia and New Zealand uninteresting and somewhat disorderly, and not any way as compelling as what was to come. The book took off as soon as he hit the north-eastern coast of Australia, camping on the beaches around Cookstown etc., and his subsequent journey to the Trobriands, and on across the pacific. The portrayal of the characters was really excellent, and I found myself sharing in Theroux's humiliation at the hands of the islanders, escpecially the teasing he endured from the children in the Trobriands, frightening really.
Theroux is not for every reader
If you are a Theroux affectionado, then you will enjoy this book.If you are an social anthropologist, you will find it interesting.If you think that he tells you about his sensual Oceania nights with the babes, forget it; he never reveals that in his non-fiction. However if you want to get a realistic view of the Pacific islands and Aussie/New Zealand and you like intellectual reference points, you should read this book. You will love the parts about how the locals view the beaches! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Australia & Oceania - General    2. Description and travel    3. Essays & Travelogues    4. Journeys    5. Oceania    6. Polynesia    7. Theroux, Paul    8. Travel    9. Travel - General    10. Travel / Australia & Oceania   

Subjects:  1. Australia & Oceania - Australia    2. Australia & Oceania - General    3. Cycling - General    4. Special Interest - Adventure    5. Travel    6. Travel - Foreign    7. Australia    8. Cycling    9. Travel & holiday guides   

Reviews (4)

Cook Lite
I wish I had read the reviews before paying for this. The key word for this edition is ABRIDGED. According to the editor Philip Edward's introduction, only about a third of Cook's/Beaglehole's text is included.
READ THIS ALONGSIDE RICHARD HOUGH'S BIOGRAPHY
This is a spectacularly interesting journal. Cook was an odd sort, that's for sure. But a genius? I'd certainly say so after reading his often-daily account of his activities. Really neat book.

A detailed account of Cook's voyages
This well prepared abridged edition of Captain James Cook's journals is a specialized book of interest to people studying the exploration of the Pacific and/or the British Navy of that time period.Other people might find sections of it dry reading.The book is recommended for oceanography students as the 17th century voyages of exploration formed the basis for later oceanographic cruises.Read more

Subjects:  1. 1728-1779    2. 18th And 19th Century Description And Travel    3. Australia & Oceania - General    4. Biography & Autobiography    5. Biography/Autobiography    6. Cook, James,    7. Diaries    8. Discovery and exploration    9. Early works to 1800    10. Europe - Great Britain - General    11. Expeditions & Discoveries    12. Historical - General    13. History - General History    14. Maritime History    15. Oceania    16. Oceania - History    17. Voyages around the world    18. Australasia, Oceania & Other Land Areas    19. Biography & Autobiography / Adventurers & Explorers    20. Biography: historical    21. Geographical discovery & exploration    22. World history: c 1750 to c 1900   

Reviews (1)

Amazing Underwater Universe
This is a great, specializated guide with the best diving and snorkeling tours in the impressive Australian reef. Information about the best agencies, tours' schedules, instructors and amateurs courses and differentsubmarines kinds that habitate the colorful coral world. An indispensablebook for this magnific adventure. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Australia & Oceania - Australia    2. Australia & Oceania - General    3. Scuba & Snorkeling    4. Special Interest - Adventure    5. Travel    6. Travel - Foreign    7. Queensland    8. Travel & holiday guides   

Features

• Illustrated

Subjects:  1. Atlases - General    2. Australia & Oceania - General    3. Maps & Road Atlases    4. Reference    5. Travel    6. Travel - Foreign    7. NEW ZEALAND_MAPS    8. New Zealand    9. Travel / Maps & Road Atlases    10. Travel / road maps & atlases