Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific - Clean Breaks: 500 New Ways to See the World - page 350

includes transfers from Launceston, national park
passes, food and wine, accommodation and basic
walking gear. The Bay of Fires Lodge takes guests
from May to mid-Sept; the A$450 per night charge
includes all meals, and activities such as kayaking
and guided walks.

477 The besT in world Music,
byron bay, ausTralia

With music guaranteed from every continent,
the eclectic line-up at the Byron Bay Bluesfest
has something for every one of the twenty
thousand people who attend each year. The
line-up could range from the political hip-hop
of Michael Franti to the African soul music of
Angelique Kidjo or blues legend Booker T. This
broadbrush approach is perhaps best summed
up by one of the performers, Alabama 3, who
describe themselves as “a punk rock, blues and
country techno-situationist crypto-Marxist-
Leninist electro band”.
The festival, which takes place over the five
days of Easter (it starts on Maundy Thursday),
is also deeply committed to its local environment
and community. As well as favouring local
suppliers wherever possible and providing a
focus on Aboriginal culture, the carbon-neutral
event ensures that all utensils and packaging
are biodegradable or recyclable. The site itself is
pretty unique too - whereas most festivals just
lease a few fields from a farmer
and hand them back in a well-
trodden state a few days later,
the Bluesfest has bought (using
proceeds from former events)
its own organic tea-tree farm
just outside Byron Bay, thus
providing a permanent home for
partygoers that won't disturb the
neighbours.

476 kiwi spoTTing aT The
karori wildlife sancTuary,
new Zealand

The kiwi is New Zealand's national icon, yet
there are few places in the country where you
can see this elusive, flightless bird. The remote
Stewart Island in the far south is one location
where you have a good chance of seeing a kiwi,
while Karori Wildlife Sanctuary - just minutes
from downtown Wellington - is virtually the only
place on the mainland where you're likely to get
a glimpse of one.
The sanctuary is an ambitious project to
restore native bush and provide a safe haven for
endangered birds. As well as restocking the area
with indigenous trees, the sanctuary's managing
trust has introduced the little-spotted kiwi,
brown teal, stichbird, kaka bush parrot, North
Island robin and tuatara reptile, as well as New
Zealand's only native land mammal - the long-
tailed bat.
During the day you can walk along 35km of
paths and listen to the kind of birdsong that's
not often heard elsewhere on the mainland. But
kiwi are shy, nocturnal creatures, so your best
bet if you want to hear their short whistle (and
maybe even see one) is to go on a guided night-
boat trip, where you can also watch kaka bush
parrots feeding, see banks of glow-worms and
experience genuine conservation in action.

Michael Franti

Need to know Byron Bay can
be reached by bus from both
Brisbane (4hr) and Sydney (14hr).
For routes see W www.greyhound.
com.au. There's camping on site
or around Byron should you wish
to just come for a day or so. For
tickets, programmes and info
on accommodation and getting
involved see W www.bluesfest.com.
au; T [phone].

Need to know Buses run from downtown
Wellington to the sanctuary ( W www.metlink.org.
nz). For prices and admission times see W www.
sanctuary.org.nz; T [phone]. To log kiwi
calls and sightings throughout New Zealand visit
W www.savethekiwi.org.nz.