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World’s largest active volcano erupts

<p dir="ltr">The world’s largest active volcano has begun to erupt for the first time in 38 years, with officials warning locals to prepare in the event of a worst-case scenario.</p> <p dir="ltr">Hawaii’s Mauna Loa, located inside Hawaii Volcanoes National Park, began to erupt on Sunday night local time at Moku'āweoweo, the volcano’s summit caldera (a hollow that forms beneath the summit after an eruption).</p> <p dir="ltr">While the lava has been mostly contained within the summit, US officials said the situation could change rapidly and have urged Big Island’s 200,000 residents to prepare to evacuate if lava begins to flow towards populated areas.</p> <p dir="ltr">A warning about ashfall was previously issued to residents, given that falling ash can contaminate water supplies, kill vegetation and irritate the lungs, but the advisory has since been lifted.</p> <p dir="ltr">"Based on past events, the early stages of a Mauna Loa eruption can be very dynamic and the location and advance of lava flows can change rapidly," the US Geological Service (USGS) said.</p> <p dir="ltr">The public has also been urged to stay away from Mauna Loa, given the threat caused by lava that has been shooting 30 to 60 metres into the air, as well as the emission of harmful volcanic gases such as sulfur dioxide.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-10618cf4-7fff-1daf-e239-fd7dacd6e75c"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">The eruption - Moana Loa’s 33rd since 1843 - comes after a series of recent earthquakes hit the region, with more than a dozen reported on Sunday.</p> <p dir="ltr"><img src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/2022/11/mauna-lua1.jpg" alt="" width="1280" height="720" /><em>Aerial photos show the first time Mauna Loa has erupted in the past 38 years. Image: USGS</em></p> <p dir="ltr">Bobby Camara, a lifelong resident who lives in Big Island’s Volcano Village, told <em>The Guardian</em> that he had seen the volcano erupt three times in his life and warned that everyone on the island should be vigilant.</p> <p dir="ltr">“I think everybody should be a little bit concerned,” he said. </p> <p dir="ltr">“We don’t know where the flow is going, we don’t know how long it’s going to last.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Gunner Mench, an art gallery owner in Kamuela, told the outlet that he saw the eruption alert on his phone shortly after midnight on Sunday before venturing out to film the red glow over the island and lava spilling down the side of the volcano.</p> <p dir="ltr">“You could see it spurting up into the air, over the edge of this depression,” Mench said. </p> <p dir="ltr">“Right now it’s just entertainment, but the concern is (it could reach populated areas).”</p> <p dir="ltr">Dr Jessica Johnson, a volcano geophysicist who has worked at the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory, told the <em>BBC </em>that although the lava poses “little risk” to people, it could be a threat for infrastructure.</p> <p dir="ltr">She warned that lava flows could pose a threat to Hilo and Kona, two nearby population centres, and that the volcanic gases could cause breathing problems.</p> <p dir="ltr">While the USGS has noted there is no indication the lava will spill out of the summit, the agency has opened evacuation shelters due to reports of locals self-evacuating along the South Kona coast.</p> <p dir="ltr">Mauna Loa is the world’s largest active volcano and one of five that make up Hawaii’s Big Island, the southernmost island in the archipelago.</p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-aee70986-7fff-e08d-8de9-4df53dcb9f38"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: H24 NET (Twitter)</em></p>

International Travel

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The largest commercial communications array ever has just launched. Expect to see it – it’s huge and bright

<p>On the weekend SpaceX’s Falcon 9 rocket launched a giant satellite into space.</p> <p>Called BlueWalker 3, it’s a prototype by American company <a href="https://finance.yahoo.com/news/ast-spacemobile-announces-bluewalker-3-123100434.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">AST SpaceMobile</a>, which is to create a space-based mobile broadband network. This is only one of multiple satellites planned for the SpaceMobile constellation – <a href="https://space.skyrocket.de/doc_sdat/bluewalker-3.htm" target="_blank" rel="noopener">some even bigger than BlueWalker 3.</a></p> <p>“The reason why our satellite is large is because in order to communicate with a low-power, low internal strength phone, you just need a large antenna on one side with a lot of power, and so that’s a critical part of our infrastructure,” <a href="https://www.space.com/spacex-bluewalker-3-starlink-satellites-launch-success" target="_blank" rel="noopener">AST SpaceMobile Chief Strategy Officer Scott Wisniewski told Space.com.</a></p> <p>“We think that’s really important for communicating directly with regular handsets, with no change to the handset, with no extra burdens on the user.”</p> <p>Although this is potentially exciting for those who need that connectivity, astronomers are concerned about just how big and bright this satellite will be.</p> <p><a href="https://www.newscientist.com/article/2337336-huge-satellite-could-outshine-all-stars-and-planets-in-the-night-sky/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A New Scientist report</a> has even suggested that the satellite “could outshine all stars and planets in the night sky”.</p> <p>This is because the satellite is huge and reflective. Once the satellite unfurls – which it will do in the next few weeks – the antenna will measure 64m<sup>2</sup>.</p> <div class="newsletter-box"> <div id="wpcf7-f6-p213406-o1" class="wpcf7" dir="ltr" lang="en-US" role="form"> <form class="wpcf7-form mailchimp-ext-0.5.62 resetting spai-bg-prepared" action="/technology/bluewalker-launched-spacex-largest-satellite-astronomers/#wpcf7-f6-p213406-o1" method="post" novalidate="novalidate" data-status="resetting"> <p style="display: none !important;"><span class="wpcf7-form-control-wrap referer-page"><input class="wpcf7-form-control wpcf7-text referer-page" name="referer-page" type="hidden" value="http://Direct%20Visit" data-value="http://Direct%20Visit" aria-invalid="false" /></span></p> <p><!-- Chimpmail extension by Renzo Johnson --></form> </div> </div> <p>As <a href="https://www.universetoday.com/157410/bluewalker-3-satellite-launches-this-weekend-may-be-bright/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Universe Today notes</a> that’s in the same ballpark as NASA’s Echo-1 sphere launched in 1960. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Echo" target="_blank" rel="noopener">That ‘satelloon’ as</a> it was called, was also reflective, and was easy visible to the naked eye over most of Earth.</p> <p>With plans for a number of these huge satellites, ground based optical telescopes may struggle to image the night sky without disturbance.</p> <p>This is a continuation of worries from a few years ago, <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/space/spacex-astronomers-warn-over-musks-planned-satellite-constellation/">where SpaceX’s own satellite megaconstellation Starlink</a> began to affect astronomers’ work.</p> <p>The Falcon 9 rocket also included new Starlink satellites<a href="https://spaceflightnow.com/2022/05/13/spacex-passes-2500-satellites-launched-for-companys-starlink-network/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">, which brings the numbers over 2,200 active satellites</a> – which is about half the number of satellites SpaceX wants in orbit. It’s also worth pointing out that around <a href="https://dewesoft.com/daq/every-satellite-orbiting-earth-and-who-owns-them" target="_blank" rel="noopener">half of the satellites currently in orbit are Starlink’s. </a> </p> <p><a href="https://www.science.org/content/article/starlink-already-threatens-optical-astronomy-now-radio-astronomers-are-worried" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Radio astronomers</a> are also nervous. As <a href="https://www.sciencealert.com/starlink-is-being-an-absolute-nuisance-to-astronomers" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Alan Duffy at the time told ScienceAlert</a> “a full constellation of Starlink satellites will likely mean the end of Earth-based microwave-radio telescopes able to scan the heavens for faint radio objects.”</p> <p>Currently, astronomers are building a group to tackle this problem called the ‘IAU Centre for the Protection of the Dark and Quiet Sky from Satellite Constellation Interference’. It’s quite a mouthful, but the problem requires not only technological fixes, but tough conversations with these technology companies to come to a solution for everyone.</p> <p>Luckily, Jeffrey Hall, director of Lowell Observatory in Arizona, US, <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/space/increasing-concerns-about-crowded-space/">told Cosmos back in 2020,</a> “neither astronomers nor space scientists are strangers to difficult problems.”</p> <p><!-- Start of tracking content syndication. Please do not remove this section as it allows us to keep track of republished articles --></p> <p><img id="cosmos-post-tracker" style="opacity: 0; height: 1px!important; width: 1px!important; border: 0!important; position: absolute!important; z-index: -1!important;" src="https://syndication.cosmosmagazine.com/?id=213406&amp;title=The+largest+commercial+communications+array+ever+has+just+launched.+Expect+to+see+it+%26%238211%3B+it%E2%80%99s+huge+and+bright" width="1" height="1" /></p> <p><!-- End of tracking content syndication --></p> <div id="contributors"> <p><em><a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/technology/bluewalker-launched-spacex-largest-satellite-astronomers/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">This article</a> was originally published on <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Cosmos Magazine</a> and was written by <a href="https://cosmosmagazine.com/contributor/jacinta-bowler" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jacinta Bowler</a>. Jacinta Bowler is a science journalist at Cosmos. They have a undergraduate degree in genetics and journalism from the University of Queensland and have been published in the Best Australian Science Writing 2022.</em></p> <p><em>Image: Getty Images</em></p> </div>

Technology

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World’s sixth largest cruise ship will never sail

<p dir="ltr">A cruise ship designed to hold more than 9,000 passengers - making it one of the largest in the world - will never set sail, instead travelling straight to a scrapyard.</p> <p dir="ltr">In a shipyard on Germany’s Baltic coast, the Global Dream II was almost complete when MV Werften, the shipbuilder, filed for bankruptcy in January 2022, per <em><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/business/2022/jun/20/global-dream-ii-unfinished-9000-passenger-cruise-ship-to-be-scrapped" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Guardian</a></em>.</p> <p dir="ltr">Lacking the funds to complete the vessel themselves, the company sought a buyer for it.</p> <p dir="ltr">Though the facilities were successfully sold to a German naval unit, the Global Dream II will be scrapped as it isn’t outfitted for military purposes.</p> <p dir="ltr">Christoph Morgen, the administrator for the bankrupt company, reportedly told a press conference that the Global Dream II would need to be moved out of the shipyard by the end of the year.</p> <p dir="ltr">German cruise industry magazine <em><a href="https://anbord.de/global-dream-ii-wird-verschrottet/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">An Bord</a></em> reported that its lower hull would be disposed of for scrap price.</p> <p dir="ltr">The looming ship, along with its sister ship, Global Dream, would have held the record for largest cruise ships by passenger capacity. </p> <p dir="ltr">With a combined weight of 208,000 tons, the ships would have also been the sixth largest cruise ships by size, trailing behind the Royal Caribbean’s Oasis-class ships.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-0fd68e81-7fff-d347-ae8a-b9fa02390ee6"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Getty Images</em></p>

Cruising

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Meet the world’s largest cat

<p>A Maine Coone from Stary Oskol in eastern Russia is thought to be the world’s largest kitten at just under two years old. There could be years ahead of him before he stops growing, according to the New York Post. </p> <p>The cat’s owner Yulia Minina bought the alabaster tomcat named Kefir, after the creamy cultured milk drink, two years and many kilos ago. </p> <p>“But when strangers come to the house, everyone first confuses him with a dog,” she added.</p> <p>In fact, Kefir weighs more than the average toddler. “I could not even think that an ordinary baby can become so big,” joked Minina.</p> <p>“He not only grew up big in appearance, he is also very smart and always behaves calmly,” she boasted.</p> <p>For all the care he requires, Minina speaks about Kefir as if he were her own son: “The look is generally like that of a person, and Kefir has a formidable appearance, but he is a very affectionate and modest child,” she said.</p> <p>When friends and acquaintances come to the house, all the attention is on him and he willingly allows himself to be stroked.”</p> <p>The Maine Coon breed hails from the state of Maine from regarded as one of the oldest homegrown breeds in North America.</p> <p>In the early days they were prized for their hunting skills, and since nicknamed “the gentle giant,” as they’ve taken primarily indoors as a highly regarded house cat, and even described as having friendly and playful, “doglike” personalities.</p> <p>Minina added that the images of her cradling her overgrown cat are evidence of his extraordinary stature as she promised, “I don’t use Photoshop.”</p> <p><em>Images: Instagram</em></p>

Family & Pets

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Prince Charles holds largest exhibit of his watercolours to date

<p dir="ltr">The largest ever exhibition of artworks created by Prince Charles has opened at the Garrison Chapel in Chelsea Barracks, a recently restored chapel in a converted army barracks in London’s Belgravia district.</p> <p dir="ltr">A painting enthusiast, Prince Charles has extolled the benefits of art, saying it “transports me to another dimension”, that painting is "one of the most relaxing and therapeutic exercises I know," and that it "refreshes parts of the soul which other activities can't reach."</p> <p dir="ltr">The exhibition contains 79 of the prince’s paintings of landscapes of the French countryside, the Scottish Highlands, and Tanzania, which is one of Charles’ favourite places to paint. He regularly paints the family’s estates, including Balmoral Castle and Sandringham House, and has also produced works depicting Turkey, Nepal, and the Swiss Alps.</p> <p dir="ltr">As for why he started painting, Charles said, "I took up painting entirely because I found photography less than satisfying. Quite simply, I experienced an overwhelming urge to express what I saw through the medium of watercolor and to convey that almost 'inner' sense of texture which is impossible to achieve via photography."</p> <p dir="ltr">Like Queen Victoria before him, Charles is a “keen watercolourist” who “paints whenever his schedule allows”. Of his early works, he said, "I am under no illusion that my sketches represent great art or a burgeoning talent! They represent, more than anything else, my particular form of 'photograph album' and, as such, mean a great deal to me."</p> <p dir="ltr">While the prince does not sell his paintings, lithographs of his works are used to raise money for his charity; in 2016, it was reported that he had sold approximately £2 million worth from a shop at his Highgrove House residence. The National Gallery of Australia exhibited several paintings of his in 2018 to mark his 70th birthday.</p> <p dir="ltr">The curator of the exhibition, Rosie Alderton, said that Charles "likes to sit in the actual environment and paint 'en plein air.” She added, “His passion for creating beautiful art is conveyed strongly in this exhibition."</p> <p dir="ltr">In addition to the watercolours, there is a tapestry based on his painting "Abandoned Cottage on the Isle of Stroma” that took weaver Ben Hymers eight months to finish.</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Tim Graham Photo Library via Getty Images</em></p>

Art

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Neighbourhood taken over by world’s largest rodents

<p dir="ltr">Meet the world’s largest rodent: the capybara. They’re semi-aquatic, meaning they love to swim, and have webbed feet designed for that exact purpose. It also means they can swim underwater for up to five minutes without surfacing for air. They grow up to 2 feet, or 60cm, in size, and can weigh anywhere between 35 to 66 kilograms. They’re native to South America, where they’re known by many names, including carpincho, chigüiro, and capivara.</p> <p dir="ltr">They’re widely adored on the internet, primarily for their friendly yet calm demeanour that allows them to make friends of all species, including cats, rabbits, deer, turtles, as well as their close relatives, guinea pigs. They’re also known for enjoying Japanese hot springs, a country they are not native to but nonetheless have taken by storm.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">there is one imposter among us <a href="https://t.co/JiXGytI4O7">pic.twitter.com/JiXGytI4O7</a></p> — CAPYBARA MAN (@CAPYBARA_MAN) <a href="https://twitter.com/CAPYBARA_MAN/status/1367517585626046468?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 4, 2021</a></blockquote> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">What More Is There To Life? <a href="https://t.co/yKgic1TA7A">pic.twitter.com/yKgic1TA7A</a></p> — Wholesome Cat! (@GoldenHappyCat1) <a href="https://twitter.com/GoldenHappyCat1/status/1445880269718921217?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 6, 2021</a></blockquote> <p dir="ltr">But recently, they’ve been making headlines for an entirely different reason: home invasions. Okay, they aren’t stealing into people’s homes in the dead of night to swipe their valuables, but they have been accused of invading one exclusive Argentinian neighbourhood in large numbers and committing crimes such as soiling lawns and “bullying” pets.</p> <p dir="ltr">Nordelta is a gated community in the north of Buenos Aires, and was established in 1999. While it is now home to titans of industry and sports stars, it was once home to wildlife like the capybaras, who are at home in the wetland environment provided by the nearby River Paraná.</p> <p dir="ltr">While residents of the enclave have issued calls for the capybaras to be castrated or relocated, supporters both in Argentina and around the globe have rallied around the rodents, holding them up as a symbol of class divisions and environmentalism.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">Mural in Buenos Aires, celebrating the capybara invasion of Nordelta, Argentina’s most exclusive gated community, an enclave of the ultra rich, built in a lush area on the wetlands of the Paraná river. <a href="https://t.co/TKhzCx74aB">pic.twitter.com/TKhzCx74aB</a></p> — Radical Graffiti (@GraffitiRadical) <a href="https://twitter.com/GraffitiRadical/status/1430541217889079300?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 25, 2021</a></blockquote> <p dir="ltr">One longtime resident, real estate broker Gustavo Iglesias, told the<span> </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.wsj.com/articles/rodents-the-size-of-st-bernards-swarm-an-exclusive-gated-community-11633882543?fbclid=IwAR1BxC7KRD6Syy5fQRVQ_O0QelWfsoz2VC5XkgDmXrYkklbw6GS-SuZFDtA" target="_blank"><em>Wall Street Journal</em></a><em>,<span> </span></em>“I’m not anti-capybara; I want to scratch their cute little bellies as much as anyone else.</p> <p dir="ltr">“The problem is that their population is out of control, and people are too scared to do anything. No one wants to look like they’re opposed to nature.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Iglesias complains that his lakeside garden is used by roughly a dozen invading capybaras as a toilet daily, but the last straw was when his dog Lucho came home sporting two deep gashes “that looked like the handiwork of rodent incisors.”</p> <p dir="ltr">Critics of the neighbourhood include environmentalists like Enrique Viale, who said, "wealthy real-estate developers with government backing have to destroy nature in order to sell clients the dream of living in the wild – because the people who buy those homes want nature, but without the mosquitoes, snakes or carpinchos". Viale told<span> </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/aug/22/argentina-capybaras-giant-rodents-gated-community" target="_blank"><em>The Guardian</em></a><span> </span>that describing the takeover as an invasion would not be accurate, saying, “It’s the other way round: Nordelta invaded the ecosystem of the carpinchos.” Viale has been part of a decade-long campaign to get congress to pass a law protecting the wetlands from further development.</p> <p dir="ltr">While wealthy residents may not appreciate the return of the capybaras to their native habitat, people from around Argentina have taken to visiting the neighbourhood just to encounter the friendly creatures. The locals should be happy about this - tourism is good for the economy, after all.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">Nunca pensé que iba a estar vivo para ver a los carpinchos domando chetos y librando la madre de todas las batallas en Nordelta.<br /><br />Estoy así: <a href="https://t.co/Gy6t7viQUS">pic.twitter.com/Gy6t7viQUS</a></p> — Portgas D.🇦🇷 (@CoupeFuego_) <a href="https://twitter.com/CoupeFuego_/status/1427827864053952514?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 18, 2021</a></blockquote> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: Magali Cervantes/AFP via Getty Images</em></p>

Family & Pets

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Europe is creating one of Earth’s largest biometric databases

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The European Parliament voted in favour of a system that would streamline its systems for managing a variety of programs, including travel and border security via a singular database.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The system, called the Common Identity Repository (CIR), would streamline a number of functions, including the ability for officials to search a single database instead of multiple databases, with shared biometric data like fingerprints and images of faces. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The system would also have a repository of personally identifying information, such as date of birth, passport numbers and more.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">According to </span><a href="https://www.zdnet.com/article/eu-votes-to-create-gigantic-biometrics-database/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">ZDNet</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, CIR is one of the largest tracking databases on the planet and will amass the records of more than 250 million people into a single database. It will contain identifying information on both citizens and non-citizens of the EU.</span></p> <p><a href="https://www.politico.eu/article/eu-pushes-to-link-tracking-databases/"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Politico Europe</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> has said that the new system “will grant officials access to a person’s verified identity with a single fingerprint scan.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">The </span><a href="http://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/press-room/20190204IPR24914/meps-and-eu-ministers-agree-on-closing-information-gaps-to-enhance-security"><span style="font-weight: 400;">European Parliament</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> has released a statement on the new system, saying that it “will make EU information systems used in security, border and migration management interoperable enabling data exchange between the systems.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Without changing access rights or endangering the data protection rules that govern them, interoperability will ensure faster, more systematic and more complete access to EU information systems for professionals on the ground: police officers, border guards, migration officers and consulate staff members, in order for them to do their job better,” Rapporteur Jeroen Lenaers (EPP, NL) said in a statement at the time. </span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Better decisions can be made on the basis of better information.”</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">However, the new system has raised large privacy concerns. A European Commission official told Politico Europe that they didn’t “think anyone understands what they’re voting for”.</span></p>

Technology

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“World’s largest Officeworks” officially opens in Australia

<p>Officeworks has launched its biggest store yet in Australia and it has been dubbed the “megaworks” of all the office supply chain stores.</p> <p>At nearly 6,500 square metres, the new store in the south-eastern Melbourne suburb of Mentone in Victoria, is at least four times the size of an average Officeworks store.</p> <p>With over 35,000 different products, including a 3D print and copy centre and items that were only available online – the newest Officeworks has become a hub that supports shopping online as well as in store.</p> <p>Officeworks’ Corporate Affairs and Brand Manager, Alex Staley, told <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.9news.com.au/national/a-current-affair-officeworks-super-store-open-melbourne-latest-news-australia/d380c7c7-e10b-4d5c-a809-5ab7ab73ce00" target="_blank">A Current Affair</a> the new store will complement the business’ online presence, which makes up about 20 per cent of all sales.</p> <p>“When you're shopping online you need to know what you want, but we still know a lot of our customers want to come in and actually see the product, touch the product and interact with the product,” Ms Staley explained.</p> <p><img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7826140/big-officeworks.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/163110864f5b4a87bf4fd9064f5c03c0" /></p> <p>The newest store in Melbourne will act as a distribution centre for the city’s south-east suburbs, ensuring some online purchases are delivered within the same day.</p> <p>The superstore, which is similar to a “warehouse,” says Australian Retailers Association Executive Director Russell Zimmerman, could be a buffer against online retailers.</p> <p>“There are opportunities for retailers to use space, if they can get it at the right price and then use it as a warehouse-type setting so they can actually carry more product and then use the online capability to deliver it,” Mr Zimmerman said.</p> <p>However, Officeworks' decision to create a megastore comes at a time where big retailers are opening smaller stores in order to keep up with costs and make convenience a priority for shoppers.</p> <p>“Australia has one of the dearest rents in the world for retail floor space so they will look to reduce their size for that reason,” he said.</p> <p>“But equally so we are seeing an incredible growth in online and the need to have as many shops and as big shops is probably becoming more important in reduction.” </p> <p>Will you be visiting the new massive Officeworks store in Melbourne? Let us know in the comments below.</p>

Money & Banking

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Discovering Australia: Visit the world’s largest river red gum forest

<p>Barmah National Park, together with parks on the New South Wales side of the Murray River, protects the largest river red gum forest in the world.</p> <p>Call into the Barmah Forest Heritage Centre in Nathalia before you visit to glean all sorts of interesting things, such as that it wasn’t just woodcutting and riverboating that were the lifeblood of these riverside towns last century – apparently leech collecting for medicinal bloodletting was once big business, too. The hardy harvesters would walk through the swamps collecting the bloodsuckers on their legs for the princely sum of one shilling per pound – a hard way to make a living!</p> <p>You can camp anywhere you like along much of the 112-kilometre river front in this national park, but the free campground at Barmah Lakes has toilets and tables and lots of room to move. It’s a great place to launch a kayak and explore the river, although be careful: the current is stronger than it looks. It’s also a good spot to fish, particularly for the famed Murray cod. You will need a New South Wales fishing licence to fish the Murray River, even though you are technically on the</p> <p>Victorian side of the border. Also worth your while is the two-hour cruise along the narrowest and fastest flowing section of the Murray through the wetlands – home to almost 900 species of wildlife – and red gum forests. Cruises depart from the Barmah Lakes picnic area.</p> <p>For more river cruising, take a drive to nearby Echuca (40 kilometres west of the campground), the self-proclaimed paddle steamer capital of the country. During the river port’s boom days in the 1880s, when the Murray River was the only way to transport goods from the remote inland settlements to the coastal ports, hundreds of paddle steamers loaded and unloaded their cargo at the historic wharf. Echuca still has the world’s largest collection of working paddle steamers, some more than a century old, including the PS Adelaide built in 1886 and the PS Pevensey, made famous in the 1980s TV series <em>All the Rivers Run</em>. A river cruise is the most popular thing to do in town and there are several cruise options – head down to the wharf to check sailing times. Before you go, drop into the Echuca Historical Society Museum to see the old river charts that the riverboat captains used to navigate the river. They’re hand drawn on long linen scrolls; sometimes all the captains had to go on was a picture of a tree on a bend. The museum is in the old police lock-up and has a huge collection of old photos and memorabilia from the riverboat era.</p> <p><strong>Where is it?</strong></p> <p>Barmah National Park lies along the Murray River between the towns of Barmah and Strathmerton, about 225km north of Melbourne.</p> <p><strong>Why go?</strong></p> <p>Camping and scenery</p> <p><strong>When to go?</strong></p> <p>Relatively mild, the Barmah forests are a good year-round destination, although winter is generally wetter than summer. The park sometimes floods after heavy rain, so check current conditions on the national parks website (see below) before travelling.</p> <p><strong>How long?</strong></p> <p>2-3 days</p> <p><em>This is an edited extract from </em>Australia’s Best Nature Escapes<em> by</em><em> Lee Atkinson published by Hardie Grant Books [39.99] and is available in stores nationally.</em></p> <p><em>Photographer: © Lee Atkinson </em></p> <p><img style="width: 250px !important; height: 300px !important;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7821757/australias-best-nature-escapes-cvr.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/f93accc9ea374a19945367220d612101" /></p>

Domestic Travel

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One of Australia’s largest chicken suppliers shuts down after 61 years

<p>More than 500 workers have lost their jobs as one of Australia's biggest chicken suppliers Red Lea Chickens goes into voluntary administration after 60 years in the business.</p> <p>Hundreds of workers from the Blacktown processing plant and Sydney retail stores were told over Easter in an email that they no longer had jobs. With an immediate freeze on pay, the workers are waiting for money owed.</p> <p><img width="457" height="273" src="http://i.dailymail.co.uk/i/newpix/2018/04/03/12/4AC8B37C00000578-5573235-image-m-94_1522756765131.jpg" alt="Red Lea Chickens (file image) was placed into voluntary administration last week, and will wind down operations at its processing plant in Blacktown, in Sydney's west" class="blkBorder img-share b-loaded" style="display: block; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" id="i-b94c9812b7a8c234"/></p> <p>The franchisee network of 22 stores will continue to operate, but those in six company-owned stores are now out of work.</p> <p>Connor Smith, who was a retail store manager for nine years, said his staff were in tears.</p> <p>"They didn't expect the closure to happen so suddenly," he said.</p> <p>"That was the killer.</p> <p>"It would have been more professional if we were notified on a proper weekday, on a proper business day, and got a phone call."</p> <p>Zagorca Ciolac said she has been working for the family-owned business at its Blacktown plant for 33 years.</p> <p>“It's difficult ... now we have to go look for another job,” Ms Ciolac told Network Ten on Tuesday.</p> <p>The company, which has been operating since 1957, was founded by John Velcich, a teenage refugee from Croatia, who sold the company in 2016 due to shrinking profits.</p>

Money & Banking

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The life-changing experience of diving the world’s largest sea cave

<p><em><strong>Sue Halliwell is a New Zealand-based travel writer from Whangarei, specialising in eco-adventures and travel for the 60-plus age group. In this piece, she returns to the spectacular Poor Knights Islands off New Zealand’s Tutukaka Coast to fulfil a dream and conquer a deep, dark fear. Find more of her work <a href="http://www.facebook.com/60plusadventures/" target="_blank"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">here</span></a>.</strong></em></p> <p>I had just emerged from the waters of the world’s largest sea cave.</p> <p>Helping haul my wetsuited body back on board Pacific Hideaway, boat master Glenn held his hand up for a congratulatory high five. I obliged, although he couldn’t have known how big this actually was for me. Not only had I just fulfilled a long-held dream, but I had also conquered a deep, dark fear - or more correctly, a fear of the deep and dark.</p> <p>This was my second trip to the Poor Knights Islands Marine Reserve. Five years earlier, I had left this extraordinary place feeling disappointed - in myself, not the islands. This striking 12-island archipelago punctuating Northland’s eastern horizon can’t fail to impress, but I was less than happy with my failure to do what I had yearned to do there. So, when offered a second chance at it by Yukon Dive, I grabbed it.</p> <p>Since reading about the Islands’ famous Rikoriko Cave decades ago, I had longed to sing there. I’m no Kiri Te Kanawa, but I dreamed of filling all 200,000 cubic metres of the biggest marine cavern in the world with song, and hearing it chorus back to me off the walls. What’s more, I wanted to sing Amazing Grace in this cathedral-like natural sound shell, because it seemed the most appropriate choice of song.</p> <p>However, to do this would potentially mean swimming in the cave’s inky, fathomless water, a prospect that terrified the flippers off me. Now sitting on a boat bound for the Poor Knights about to get that opportunity, I wondered if this time the joy of soul singing would conquer my phobia of being in shadowy water. I hoped so.</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><img width="497" height="330" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7266210/image-1-sea-cave_497x330.jpg" alt="Image 1 Sea Cave"/></p> <p style="text-align: center;" align="center"><em>Aerial shot of the Poor Knights Islands. Photo credit Ian Skipworth and Yukon Dive.</em></p> <p>I spent the journey distracting myself by looking for the many whale and dolphin species that swim this coast. Yukon Dive’s stable catamaran, Pacific Hideaway, provides the perfect platform for whale spotting, and is a popular choice for visitors wanting to explore the Poor Knights Islands in comfort. Making the 23-kilometre voyage there from Tutukaka every weather-appropriate day in the summer season, Yukon Dive owners, Jo Thomson and husband Noel Erickson, know the route and the islands well.</p> <p>“To us the Poor Knights offer an unparalleled experience, both above and below the water,” Jo says.</p> <p>“It is a place of huge ecological, historical, cultural and geological significance, with something new or different to see on every trip, and we love that we get to share that with others.”</p> <p>Those others are increasing in number.</p> <p>“Our passenger numbers are up on previous years,” Jo says. “Our customers include Kiwis wanting to see and be in a place they have heard so much about, as well as travelers from every corner of the globe with a Poor Knights adventure on their list of New Zealand must-dos.”</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><img width="500" height="334" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7266209/image-2-seacave_500x334.jpg" alt="Image 2 Seacave"/></p> <p style="text-align: center;"><em>Taking giant strides into the water from the steady platform of Yukon Dive’s catamaran, Pacific Hideaway. Photo credit: Yukon Dive</em></p> <p>They come to experience one of the world’s iconic diving spots, rated by Jacques Cousteau as among the ten finest in the world. The eroded remnants of a gigantic 4 million-year-old rhyolitic volcano standing 1000 metres high and stretching 25 kilometres across, these craggy, steep-walled, cave-riddled islets and their waters out to 800 metres provide legal sanctuary for its terrestrial and marine inhabitants.</p> <p>The fish, at least, appear to know it. Since the Poor Knights Islands Marine Reserve was created in 1978, their numbers have exploded. Department of Conservation fish monitoring over the first ten years of Reserve status revealed snapper numbers had increased 14-fold, with large numbers of other fish species also arriving in the islands’ temperate waters and staying, including sentinel species like hapuku, or grouper.</p> <p>This pelagic profusion was very evident on our first dip into the water at ‘The Gardens’, to the left of Rikoriko Cave. Donning the supplied wetsuits and snorkel or dive gear, we slipped into a surprisingly clear ocean, to be greeted by huge schools of milling blue maomao and pretty pink demoiselles.</p> <p>As I got closer to the undersea cliff walls, varietal seaweeds came into view, bending and bowing with the swell, and harbouring fish of all size and description. One large and curious snapper even hung out within touching distance of me for at least ten minutes, an intimate fish connection that I have never before experienced.</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><img width="500" height="333" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7266208/image-3-sea-cave_500x333.jpg" alt="Image 3 Sea Cave"/></p> <p style="text-align: center;" align="center"><em>Milling schools of fish like these demoiselles greeted us as we entered the water. Photo credit Ian Skipworth and Yukon Dive</em></p> <p>Back on the boat and after circumnavigating the second largest island, Aorangi Island, my moment of truth and Rikoriko Cave arrived. As the Pacific Hideaway slipped quietly into the huge cliff cavity, Noel came to the front of the boat holding a beautifully carved Maori trumpet, or pukaea. Lifting the traditional instrument and blowing, the cave’s natural acoustics gathered up and hurled the haunting sound to its perimeters and back again. I was captivated.</p> <p>The boat’s thirty or so passengers fell completely silent, and had I wanted to break the spell I could have launched into Amazing Grace there and then. But the moment was too sublime to fracture with singing of my quality, and I remained silent. Looking into the cave’s black waters I knew that swimming back into them would be the only way to achieve what I had come to do, and tried hard to swallow my fear.</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><img width="497" height="330" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7266207/image-4-sea-cave_497x330.jpg" alt="Image 4 Sea Cave"/></p> <p style="text-align: center;"><em>Assorted anemones, starfish and gorgonians , pink maomao and a splendid perch enjoy the Poor Knights Islands Marine Reserve. Photo credit: Ian Skipworth and Yukon Dive</em></p> <p>Outside the cave and the boat at anchor, I watched as other passengers prepared to explore Rikoriko’s delights for themselves. Sensing my trepidation, two onboard friends invited me to join them. Buoyed by this support, I took a deep breath and dived into both the ocean and my phobia.</p> <p>On the short trip from boat to cave, laser-like shafts of sunlight pierced the water in every direction, highlighting the translucent scales and colours of the fish around and below us. It was an exquisite sight, however the rays died suddenly just inside the cave entrance, and with it my courage. Fighting panic, I sidled up to one of my pals for comfort, swam alongside her into the cave and watched in awe as a magical world opened up to me.</p> <p>Despite the dark, I could clearly see the multi-hued and multitude of sea urchins and anemones on the cliff wall, the schooling blue maomao and another snapper shadowing me as if in protective escort. Further and further into the cave I went, until I found myself at its centre feeling surprisingly calm.</p> <p>Throwing caution aside, I opened my mouth and sang the first verse of Amazing Grace with all the gusto available to someone who must also tread water. While I can’t claim to have created the spectacular effect of Noel’s pukaea, I could still hear my voice echoing round the cavern and hooted in celebration.</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><img width="438" height="328" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7266206/image-5-sea-cave.jpg" alt="Image 5 Sea Cave"/></p> <p align="center"><em>The world’s biggest sea cave, Rikoriko Cave on the Poor Knights Islands, from the inside out. Photo credit: Bryan Halliwell</em></p> <p>I then surprised myself further. My friends had swum deeper into the cave to look for the sunken jaw bone of a whale that Noel told us rested on the sea floor, and I followed. The bone located, I swam slowly back toward the light, revelling in the growing richness of colour and life around me and also that I’d had the courage to be part of it.</p> <p>So, when Glenn congratulated me, he didn’t know the half of it, and I suspect that’s the case with many of his passengers. In exploring one of New Zealand’s most intriguing and significant island chains, they venture into unexplored places in themselves – perhaps as big as Rikoriko Cave itself – to find that the dark and deep, once conquered, become delight.</p> <p><strong>Waters around the Poor Knights Islands to 800 metres are a marine reserve, which means:</strong></p> <ul> <li>No fishing of any kind</li> <li>Don't take or kill marine life</li> <li>Don't remove or disturb any marine life or materials</li> <li>Don't feed fish - it disturbs their natural behaviour</li> </ul> <p><em>For more information on Yukon Dive’s scenic, snorkel and dive trips to the Poor Knights Islands Marine Reserve, go to <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="http://www.yukon.co.nz/" target="_blank">www.yukon.co.nz</a></strong></span></em></p>

International Travel

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See the world's largest island before it changes forever

<p>Climate change is having a huge impact on Greenland. Pack your bags before it’s too late.</p> <p><strong>How Greenland impacts the world’s climate</strong></p> <p>Greenland is not just the world’s largest island. It is an important part of the global climate system and can impact every corner of the globe. More than 80% of the vast island is covered in ice, making it the world’s second largest ice mass (behind Antarctica). This ice sheet reflects so much sunlight back into the atmosphere that it moderates world temperatures in a process known as the albedo effect. Greenland’s strategic position in the North Atlantic Ocean means that its meltwater run off influences ocean temperatures and circulation. However, Greenland’s ice sheet is melting and the permafrost below the ground is thawing, both at an alarmingly rapid rate. This will have an effect on temperatures and ocean levels around the world.</p> <p><strong>Why you need to go right now</strong></p> <p>One of the world’s most remote and rugged regions, Greenland is only just emerging as a tourist destination. But as the impacts of climate change become more pronounced, the natural environment could be under threat so there’s no time to waste.</p> <p><strong>What to see</strong></p> <p>There are no real roads on the island, so the only way to get around is by boat or small plane. A cruise is a great option and more lines are adding Greenland to their itineraries.</p> <p>Less than 60,000 people live on this vast island with around 17,000 of these in the capital, Nuuk. The old part of the city is a colourful jumble of colonial buildings set on a bustling harbour. Thousands of kilometres of fjords wind around the coastline, leading to tiny fishing villages or stunning vistas. Most of the island is inside the Arctic Circle, so it’s a prime spot for seeing the Northern Lights. Look out for polar bears, musk ox and reindeer in land, and humpback whales and walruses in the water. For active travellers, there’s hiking, mountain and ice climbing, cross country skiing and even scuba diving in the icy blue waters.</p>

Cruising

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Inside the world’s largest superyacht

<p>Quintessentially, a British luxury concierge company, is building the largest superyacht in the world.</p> <p>The superyacht <em>Quintessentially One</em> will “provide the opportunity for the global elite to tour the world and attend the world's most desirable events,” such as Monaco Grand Prix, Cannes Film Festival and Rio Carnival.</p> <p>Co-founder of Quintessentially, Aaron Simpson, said, “This is a wonderful way to cater and meet the demands of Quintessentially’s global members when they all descend on the same high-profile events which currently don’t have enough supply.”</p> <p>“It will be the world’s largest floating private membership club. Where the traditional cruise model is to go somewhere, dock and get off, we will dock and people will want to get on.”</p> <p>The £250 million ship will be 220m long making it the world’s biggest superyacht.</p> <p>The yacht is as exclusive as it is luxurious being described as the world’s largest floating private membership club, with passengers only being able to secure a spot with invitation only.</p> <p>Membership will be decided by a committee that will allow passengers access to the ship, its facilities and will include a select number of free nights on board.</p> <p>The superyacht will have a theatre, beach club, business centre, library, shops and The Wolseley restaurant. 12 triplex apartments on the top deck are also for sale, with prices going for anywhere between €8 million to €12 million.</p> <p>The luxurious ship will embark on its first voyage in 2019 from London and will travel around Europe, anchoring in St Tropez, Cannes and Marbella. In Autumn, it will travel to Greece, Dubai and Beirut and in winter it will embark to warmer climates such as Miami and St Barthelemy. In February 2020, the ship will arrive in Rio De Janeiro for the Rio Carnival.</p> <p>To look at the concept images of the superyacht, click through the gallery above.</p> <p><em>Image credit: Quintessentially </em></p>

Cruising

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Inside the largest cruise ship ever built

<p>It's 362-metres long, cost US$1 billion to make, can carry 6780 guests and 2100 crew, and took more than two-and-a-half years to construct. The mammoth Harmony of the Seas arrived at Southampton ahead of its maiden voyage.</p> <p>The Royal Caribbean ship boasts 20 restaurants but who cares about food when you have a 10-storey water slide on board? The slide, aptly named The Ultimate Abyss, features a 30m drop, making it the tallest at sea.</p> <p>The water slide is one of many features aboard the beautifully gigantic Harmony. It even has its own park, which contains 10,587 plants, 48 vine plants and 52 trees, while a total of 11,252 works of art are showcased across the vessel.</p> <p>Harmony is built on the same platform as Royal Caribbean's giant Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas, the current size leaders in the cruise world, but it eclipses its siblings by nearly 1700 tons and offers a number of new features. </p> <p>Stuart Leven, managing director UK and Ireland, Royal Caribbean International, said: "Cruising is changing - it's becoming a holiday for all the family, it's not just white tablecloths and ties at dinnertime - now the sort of holiday you get at all-inclusive resorts on land can be replicated on the seas.</p> <p>"We have a 10-storey slide, surf machines, plenty of restaurants like Jamie Oliver's Italian on board, a great choice, and you can wake up with a different view from your balcony each day.</p> <p>"My favourite facility is the robotic bartenders where you go in with an iPad to place your order and they will mix your cocktail. We are really pushing the boundaries.</p> <p>"It's all about variety - when you have a ship of this scale, you can offer so many things."</p> <p>Harmony also has larger cabins than Oasis and Allure in some categories, and windowless "inside" cabins are being outfitted with Royal Caribbean's exclusive Virtual Balconies, which offer a real-time view of the outdoors. It's a concept that first debuted in 2014 on the line's Navigator of the Seas.</p> <p>Wider than Oasis and Allure by about 5.5m and a tad longer, too, Harmony holds nearly 100 more passengers than its sisters at double occupancy.</p> <p>Harmony's first voyage with paying passengers is scheduled for May 22 out of Southampton, England. After an initial series of cruises in Europe, it will move to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to offer alternating, seven-night Eastern and Western Caribbean voyages.</p> <p>With this new addition, Royal Caribbean will have 25 ships.</p> <p>Have you ever cruised with Royal Caribbean? Do you think you’d love to try the Harmony of the Seas? Let us know in the comments below.</p> <p><em>Written by Gene Sloan. First appeared on <a href="http://Stuff.co.nz" target="_blank"><strong><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Stuff.co.nz</span></strong></a>.</em></p> <p><em>Video credit: Royal Caribbean </em></p> <p><strong>Related links:</strong></p> <p><a href="/travel/cruising/2016/07/queen-mary-2-cruise-ship-gets-pet-friendly-makeover/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>Queen Mary 2 cruise ship gets pet-friendly makeover</strong></em></span></a></p> <p><a href="/travel/cruising/2016/06/best-cruise-lines-in-the-world-revealed/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>The world’s best cruise lines revealed</strong></em></span></a></p> <p><a href="/travel/cruising/2016/04/cunard-queen-mary-marilyn-monroe-showcase/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>Cunard to showcase world’s largest Marilyn Monroe collection</strong></em></span></a></p>

Cruising

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World’s largest cruise ship to get a sister

<p>The new world's largest cruise ship, Harmony of the Seas, will be getting another sister in 2021.</p> <p>Royal Caribbean announced it has signed a memorandum of understanding with the STX France shipyard to build a fifth Oasis class vessel for delivery in the spring of that year.</p> <p>Harmony is the third ship in the Oasis class series. The first two Oasis class ships, Oasis of the Seas and Allure of the Seas, debuted in 2009 and 2010, respectively.</p> <p>A fourth Oasis class vessel already is on order for delivery in 2018.</p> <p>While the vessels share the same basic layout, Royal Caribbean made changes to the design in advance of Harmony's construction that resulted in a bigger footprint.</p> <p>Harmony is nearly three feet wider than its sisters and a tad longer, too. It measures a record 226,963 tons, nearly 1,700 more than Oasis and Allure.</p> <p>Royal Caribbean didn't say whether the newly ordered Oasis class ship would be even bigger than Harmony or if it would offer new attractions.</p> <p>Harmony has a number of features that aren't on Oasis and Allure. Among them: Ultimate Abyss, which just might be the most thrilling attraction ever conceived for a cruise ship. Comprised of two swirling slides, it drops nine stories from near the top of the vessel down to one of its lowest decks.</p> <p>Harmony also is home to a Bionic Bar where the drinks are served by robot bartenders, a concept that first debuted in 2014 on Royal Caribbean's Quantum of the Seas.</p> <p>In addition, Harmony has larger cabins than Oasis and Allure in some categories, and windowless "inside" cabins are outfitted with Royal Caribbean's exclusive Virtual Balconies, which offer a real-time view of the outdoors.</p> <p>It's a concept that first debuted in 2014 on the line's Navigator of the Seas.</p> <p>Harmony holds nearly 100 more passengers than Oasis and Allure at double occupancy. Its total capacity is 6,780 people, not including crew, a new record for the cruise industry.</p> <p>Have you ever cruised with Royal Caribbean, and how did you find the experience? What’s your take on these new mega cruise liners?</p> <p>Share your thoughts in the comments.</p> <p><em>Written by Gene Sloan. First appeared on <strong><a href="http://Stuff.co.nz" target="_blank"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Stuff.co.nz</span>.</a></strong></em></p> <p><strong>Related links:</strong></p> <p><a href="/travel/cruising/2016/05/historic-rusting-ocean-liner-could-be-restored-to-luxury/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>Historic rusting ocean liner could be restored to luxury</strong></em></span></a></p> <p><a href="/travel/cruising/2016/05/new-zealand-by-a-cruise-ship/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>Wine, wonder and Lord of the Rings – New Zealand by cruise ship</strong></em></span></a></p> <p><a href="/travel/cruising/2016/05/woman-sells-everything-to-become-permanent-cruise-ship-resident/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong>Woman sells everything to become permanent cruise ship resident</strong></em></span></a></p>

Cruising

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Breathtaking photos give rare glimpse inside the world’s largest cave

<p>These breathtaking pictures give a rare glimpse inside the world’s largest cave.</p> <p>The Han Son Doong cave in Vietnam is so enormous it could fit a 40-storey skyscraper within its walls, and even has its own climate and cloud inside.</p> <p>If you want to view the caves though, it’s not a trip for the faint-hearted. It takes a half day trek through a jungle and deep rivers just to get to the entrance of the cavernous caves.</p> <p>These photos were taken by Swiss photographer Urs Zihlmann, who went on a special photographic tour of the cave with more than 40 eager photographers.</p> <p>“I was very lucky to be able to go on a guided tour of the cave,” said Zihlmann, “As we approached the entrance, clouds were rising from the cave into the surrounding forest – we had to descend 262ft (80 metres) down a steep wall, using harnesses and ropes.”</p> <p>He added, “Standing on the slippery ground in a huge, dark chamber, you begin to realise how amazing it is.</p> <p>“You feel very small as a human being in this enormous, underground paradise - it has such an unearthly beauty. It felt like being in another world.</p> <p>“Less people have seen the inside of Son Doong than stood on the summit of Mount Everest.</p> <p>“It's a natural wonder at its best!”</p> <p>Scroll through the gallery above to see Zihlmann’s stunning snaps.</p> <p>What’s the most breathtaking place you’ve been to? Share your experience with us in the comments below. </p> <p><strong>Related links: </strong></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/travel/international/2016/05/10-amazing-queensland-waterfalls/"><em>10 amazing Queensland waterfalls</em></a></strong></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/travel/international/2016/04/top-10-australian-destinations-to-visit-in-2016/"><em>Top 10 Australian destinations to visit in 2016</em></a></strong></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="http://www.oversixty.co.nz/travel/international/2016/04/pictures-from-best-drives-in-australia/"><em>10 jaw-dropping pictures from Australia’s best drives</em></a></strong></span></p>

International Travel

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