Snorkeling the Great Barrier Reef

I have finally returned from my great adventure to the land down under, and boy, did I have fun! I guess let's start at the beginning. The first stop on our tour of Australia and New Zealand tour was Cairns. We didn't spend much time in Cairns, but we made the most of it.

We knew that snorkeling the Great Barrier Reef was something we really wanted to do, so we kicked off our trip with that particular bucket list item. Because it's not easy to reach the reef (and there are all kinds of restrictions on where you can visit) we booked a spot on a reef tour boat. Overall, it was a great experience.

We left port pretty early - I think 8 or 9 a.m.? And it was about an hour ride out to the reef. They went over safety information and then we could explore the boat. We really enjoyed cruising along up top and taking in the scenery.

Finally, we arrived at our first location. They gave us maybe an hour and a half or so to scuba dive and explore! They gave us these totally attractive stinger suits (not cute, but necessary!) since there were apparently quite a few stingy-critters out. It was awesome! We even saw a sea turtle. They essentially just let us explore alone, though you could hire a tour with the on-board marine biologist. It was a really neat experience.

We then climbed back aboard to transfer to the second reef location. During that transfer time, we enjoyed a buffet lunch fully of classic aussie food. 

The second location was similar to the first, but it was nice that they changed it up. I also really liked that they strongly encouraged us not to touch the reef and put on sunscreen well in advance of getting in the water. Protect that reef, baby!

While this activity definitely felt toursity, it was far and away the easiest (and most-affordable) way for us to experience the beauty of the reef, while we still can. 

If you'd like help organizing your next adventure, check out my website at MilesIntoMemoriesTravel.com.

Australia and New Zealand Planning - Starting Out

Big trips take big planning. That's why we are starting the process nice and early for our trip to Australia and New Zealand. We are thinking of going February or March of 2019, but we've already started narrowing down the places that we might want to visit. 

Let's start with Australia. There are so many places I want to go! Sydney,  Gold Coast, Perth, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide! I want to see them all! Unfortunately, with a two-week time frame, we probably will not be able to hit them all. That said, I know we will see Sydney. I want to see the Opera House and do the bridge walk specifically. They look so incredibly fun!

The second Australian city we'll visit will probably be either Melbourne or Gold Coast. We'll just have to see! Both look absolutely beautiful and are (relatively) near our route.

As for New Zealand, there are too many places to list! We will probably try to visit Auckland and/or Christ Church. And we probably will visit Hobbiton! Because how cool would that be? That's up near Auckland so I could see us using that as a jumping off point. So many things to consider! 

The other big attraction that looks amazing is the world's largest bungee jump swing, A J Hackett Bungy New Zealand Nevis Swing. We've already done the World's Largest Bridge bungee jump in South Africa, so why not hit another big one? 

                                          

I mean, just look at how beautiful that is!!! I absolutely can NOT wait to go visit these gorgeous places
for myself. If you have any recommendations, I would LOVE to hear them!

If you want help planning your own adventure, visit MilesIntoMemoriesTravel.com.

PS These pictures are from Pixabay. I typically use pictures I've personally taken on this blog, but alas I don't have any Aussie pics... yet!