Cairns

I have never experienced anything like my trip to Cairns, QLD, Australia this past week.  I am almost at a loss for words and I have no idea where to even begin.  My first time ever traveling alone was one of the most amazing experiences of my life.  I met some wonderful people, did some incredible things, and saw countless breath-taking sights.  I feel so blessed to have been able to do this trip and I hope I never forget any moment of it because every moment flew by.

Sunrise in Cairns the morning of my reef tour

I left my flat in Wellington around 3:30 a.m. in order to make it to the airport on time.  My flight to Melbourne was quite empty so I was able to lay down across three seats; however, I did not really find myself actually sleeping.  Customs went smoothly and before I knew it, I was on my second flight of the day to Cairns.  When I left Wellington, I was bundled up and found myself eagerly taking off my layers once I was greeted by the warm Australian sunshine in Cairns.  I arrived at my hostel, Gilligan's, around 1:30 in the afternoon.  Upon checking in, I went to explore the city and find where I was to depart for my tour on the Great Barrier Reef the next day.  I spent 4 hours walking along the Esplanade taking photos and going in and out of stores that surrounded the city center.  When I arrived back at my hostel, I met one of my roommates and we went to a BBQ that my hostel put on every Sunday.  By 9 pm I was exhausted and had been up for 18 hours, so I attempted to go to bed so I was not tired for my much anticipated reef tour the next day.  Gilligan's is a very social hostel, so I did not exactly get the best night's sleep.

After my SCUBA dive on the Great Barrier Reef

On Monday I woke up an hour before my alarm and was at the Marlin Wharf about an hour before my cruise ship was to depart.  I grabbed breakfast and enjoyed a beautiful sunrise.  When I boarded my cruise ship at 8, I was immediately given coffee and cookies so I was a very happy girl.  While enjoying my cookies, I was given a liability form to read and sign for my SCUBA dive.  I have definitely read more comforting documents in my life and realized I might die while doing my SCUBA dive.  The nearly two hour cruise out to the reef we were snorkeling and SCUBA diving was spent trying to calm myself down--I was pretty nervous.  I also spent much of this time in disbelief that I was going to cross something off my bucket list that I never thought I'd actually do: SCUBA dive the Great Barrier Reef. Upon our arrival to Michaelmas Cay, we were able to do a tour of the reef via a glass-bottom boat.  It was so unique and made me eager to be in the water myself.  We enjoyed a delicious seafood buffet and by 12, I was on a beach and ready to snorkel.  There really are no words to describe the magnificence of life below that water in the ocean.  It is peaceful and breathtaking.  Snorkeling was a very enjoyable experience, but the real fun began on my SCUBA.  Yes, I actually was able to calm myself down enough to actually complete my SCUBA.  We spent about 40 minutes swimming around the reef.  During that time I was able to touch some of the coral, kneel on the ocean floor next to a clam to experience the power of how quickly it shuts when things get close to it, and see clown fish as well as many other brightly colored fish.  It was amazing and went by so quickly.  Concluding my dive, I was able to enjoy the beach for about 20 minutes before we departed back to Cairns.  We were well fed on this cruise.  After snorkeling and SCUBA diving, we had fruit and more cookies and coffee.  Later, we even got cheese and crackers.  They knew how to keep me happy!  I could go on and on about this tour, but I feel as though I have already wrote too much.  Keeping my blogs short is something I have never been great at.

The Boulders

Tuesday was my tour to the Atherton Tablelands.  My tour was called "Uncle Brian's" and it was recommended to me by my friend, Heather.  I am so glad she told me about this tour because for the entire 12.5 hours I was on it, I was smiling, laughing, having fun, taking in gorgeous sights, and doing things I never thought I'd experience.  Our first stop of the day was at a place called The Boulders.  It was a gorgeous hike to a scenic spot that was concluded with our first swim of the day as well as morning juice and cookies.  Next, we headed to Josephine Falls where I was able to slide down a real rock slide.  I remember doing "slip 'n' slides" as a kid, but nothing could compare to riding a waterfall down an actual rock.  It was so fun that I was able to ignore that fact that the water was freezing.  From there we had a long drive to an amazing view of the Atherton Tablelands where we enjoyed dessert, lunch, and dessert again.  After we couldn't eat anymore, we headed to Millaa Millaa Falls.  It was here that everyone on the tour became models.  Our amazing tour guide, Brad, had us stand about knee deep in the water with the gorgeous waterfall in the background, get our hair wet, and whip it back to get an awesome photo.  It was pretty fun and made me thankful once again for my long, thick hair! Afterwards I swam out to the waterfall, went behind it, and actually swam under it...definitely something I never thought I'd get to say I'd do.  As hard as I try, there are not words to describe how awesome of an experience it was.  I mean, c'mon!  Who swims underneathe waterfalls in their lives?!  Our last stop of the day was at a warm volcanic crater lake at sunset.  We attempted to spot some platypuses at another location before enjoying muffins and hot chocolate to warm us up after a full day of swimming.  I still cannot believe I got to do the things I did on that tour.

Millaa Millaa Falls

Wednesday marked another early morning and another full day tour.  This tour was probably my least favorite of my trip, but it was still very enjoyable.  It began with a scenic drive on the Captain Cook Highway.  We stopped in Port Douglas to see 4 Mile Beach before we headed to our first tour of the day: a river cruise.  On this cruise I was able to see a lot of crocodiles as well as gain a better understanding of their habitat.  I was quite fascinated to say the least.  From here we went to see Alexandra Lookout.  It was here that I met a man originally from West Allis, WI.  He said that in his 31 years of living in Australia that I was the one person he met that lived closest to his original hometown.  I thought that was pretty neat.  We had lunch at a restaurant in the Daintree Rainforest, and afterwards I was able to enjoy a swim in a warm water hole.  After lunch we headed to Cape Tribulation - "where the forest meets the reef".  It was neat to see; however, I wish the tour allowed enough time for us to actually swim because the ocean was the warmest I had ever felt it.  Afterwards we headed to Mossman Gorge which was similar to The Boulders that I had seen the previous day.  We had tea and biscuits before heading back to Cairns.  It was amazing to see the sunset along the ocean as we drove on Captain Cook Highway again.  It was such a full day, and it wasn't even close to ending once I got back in Cairns around 7. 

Scout, a 7 year old croc

In between the tours and minimal sleep, I met some amazing people at Gilligan's.  We all headed down to the Esplanade for a BBQ.  There was a rugby match on a big screen TV outside, and tons of people were grilling food, drinking beer, and watching the game along the water.  It was a moment I'll never forget and it's amazing how these people that I barely knew felt like friends I'd already known for a lifetime.  Once it got cold we retreated back to the hostel for a movie night--we watched Cool Runnings, a classic.

Cape Tribulation

I spent my morning packing and wandering around Cairns one last time to grab breakfast before I headed to the airport.  It was bittersweet leaving Cairns.  I knew I'd be leaving gorgeous weather for the cold and windy city of Wellington.  Traveling by myself was very enjoyable and I loved every minute of it.  It is a trip I will never forget and always be grateful for being able to do.  I cannot believe how quickly it went by, but as I previous mentioned, I hope I never forget any moment of this trip.

Mossman Gorge