Swimming in the big blue

Having a girls only room most definitely paid off last night as we didn’t have to put up with any of the boys snoring! 
Today we headed out to the Ningaloo Reef, a place I have wanted to go to for over a year now!! Despite the dodgy winds which lead to dodgy tummies it did not disappoint! 

First swim of the day was with the majestic manta rays, this is the second time I’ve swam with them but I don’t think you could ever get bored of these creatures!! They float along as if they have no care in the world moving with such ease and agility.  

    
 Unfortunately it was a pretty cold and windy day so I did spend quite some time feeling sorry for myself over the edge of the boat! Thankfully it had worn off by the time of the next snorkel and I was ready to go searching for some turtles! And I was in luck!! We found a very chilled out little fella who was happy for us to follow him around for some time and watch him attempt to get himself some snacks – even managed to get a few great videos and photos! 

 Although he is looking slightly angry here!
  
 As the day went on I got colder and colder, once you get to the shivering stage (and you’re wet) it is very hard to come back from that but the group were lovely looking after me and Sydney leant me her beautifully warm rain coat which helped a lot!

One final snorkel over the shark cleaning bay – yes this is apparently a real thing and not just from the cartoon movies! – although we only managed to spot a couple reefies. 

All in all it was a fantastic day put on by Coral Bay Eco Tours and I would definitely venture out with them again! Just hopefully the weather would be better next time!

Back to Coral Bay for the most beautiful hot shower and back on the bus for the venture down to Exmouth for our first go at two nights camping!

I finally got to go to Prom

After a hellish two days of essay writing I have finally submitted a piece – it was in no way a masterpiece but right now I’ll just take a piece! That’s one module down and 3 to go, I cannot believe how quickly this second semester has gone!!

To break up the revision period a bit I decided to take a day trip to see Wilsons Promontory National Park in rural Victoria. Not an actual School Prom but Australia’s version… Sort of. Basically even Wilsons Prom is too much of a mouthful for the Aussies amongst us so they feel the need to shorten it even further.

It was an early start where my ability to sleep anywhere and everywhere came in extremely useful on the 3 hour bus journey. It was also great to get away from the hustle bustle of the city and the craziness of a house full of 8 girls – even if only for a day.

We managed to find a few friendly wombats on the drive out to Wilsons Prom – they really are the cutest little things!!

  
 On arrival we hiked to the top of the mountain to get some fantastic views across the whole park – I surprised myself with my new and improved fitness levels!  

After lunch we headed down for a walk along the beautiful beach before making our way back to Melbourne.  

 

Dolphin and Turtle spotting

I booked a day trip in advance for today to get my fix of Australian sea life – today we’re off to Moreton Island with Whales in Paradise cruises.

Naturally I slept the whole of the bus journey from Gold Coast to Redcliffe Jetty and then we boarded our vessel to begin our journey. It was a fairly quick journey over although we did manage to spot some majestic Dolphins swimming around in the crystal clear blue waters! We the  arrived at Tangalooma Wrecks where 15 ships have been purposely sunken to provide a break in the water and a safe shelter for boats during storms. A bonus feature of this is the dozens of natural corals which have begun growing off the old shipwrecks – and of course the marine life that comes with!  

         

We spotted many fishies swimming around and even managed to see a turtle come up for air a little later on our Eco-cruise.

Moreton Island is the third largest sand island in Australia after Fraser Ian’s and Stradbroke Island and it is just beautiful!!  

 

Māori translations

On the way to Cape Reinga (the furthest northern point of New Zealand) we passed through a variety of towns with historical significance for the Māori people. We were told a variety of stories about tribal differences and fights other the years as well as how Captain Cook came over with the Europeans to begin settlement.

Our comical guide took us through a town named (in Māori) Long Harbour, which actually didn’t have a very long harbour at all and another town named Big River which again wasn’t very big at all. She warned us that the morale of the story was never to trust Māori men when they claim something is big or long..!

When we got to Cape Reinga we had a walk to the lighthouse, from which you get beautiful views of Spirits Bay and the beach of Cape Reinga. You can also see the point where the Tasman Sea meets the Pacific Ocean.

There is also a very cool signpost which got me thinking about my next destination…

We had lunch on the beach, which of course meant eating in record time then heading down to the water to have a quick dip – although it didn’t make it past my toes!!! It was freeeezing! Definitely not in Australia anymore..
The highlight of the day was of course… SAND DUNE SURFING!! It was a long painful walk to the top but it was definitely made worthwhile when you could just jump on your board and surf all the way to the bottom! (With ouch worrying about falling off every two seconds like actual surfing – yes I’m rubbish at that!)

On the way back to the hotel we stopped off at a fish and chips shop which claimed to be the best in New Zealand. It most definitely had nothing on my local (big up Devon) but I do feel sorry for New Zealanders if this is the best they have! The town we stopped off in was called Manguoi – which translates to big shark… Quite glad we didn’t go swimming there!

Our final stop of the day was a 5 minute walk around the rainforest along a very expensive path which was built for the Queens visit (of course she never actually walked far along it) but what did they decide to name it?…. Mangina-ngina

Maybe I shouldn’t kayak anymore

We got to Long Island Beach Resort with just enough time to freshen up before a wonderful buffet dinner with so much to choose from it almost left me too full for dessert…. Almost!

After dinner was karaoke time and of course the Scots had us in fits of laughter again with their back up dancing and singing! It was a great night on the island and finally a night in a comfy bed after last night sleeping on deck.

The next day was a free day so of course we made the most of the lie in and then took to the seas for a kayaking adventure… And boy was it an adventure!!

Paige and Fanny took off first in a double kayak then Clare and I later joined them in single kayaks… Although Clare isn’t exactly a natural at kayaking so it took her a little longer than most to get places!! We eventually made it into the middle of the bay somewhere where we took it in turns to stand on our kayaks – Paige and Fanny did a good job and then Clare and I joined forces to try, she managed to balance standing for a whole 3 seconds I’d say before falling in between both our kayaks capsizing myself too!!

By the time I’d managed to get back into my kayak we’d drifted under the jetty and were in danger of drifting out of the allowed zone. Luckily there was a beam under the section of the jetty we were at to stop us going completely through. After we’d managed to stop laughing and Clare had finally got back in the kayak instead of trying to get a lift back to shore we began our kayak back… Although it didn’t take us long to get back to the jetty and this time we didn’t have a beam to hold onto so we got our serious faces on and held back our laughs until we were safely at shore but boy was it hard! Any eye contact risked a fit of laughter at the whole situation!
After the kayaking adventures of Fiji too I’m starting to think maybe I’m cursed!

After the stressful morning kayaking we had a relaxed afternoon in the pool followed by an evening cocktail mixology class

All aboard!

Thailand had been wonderful to us so far and it just keeps continuing!

I am currently sat on the ferry to Koh Phi Phi with my playlist blaring in my ears, the sun on my back and the sea breeze in my face. I close my eyes and remember similar times in Ibiza, Fiji and various other places around the world and am very thankful for how lucky I am in life. All my worries in the world are gone because yes, things will go wrong, but equally yes – they always work themselves out in the end. And often for the better!

I’m looking forward to a relaxing day on the beach and hopefully some scuba diving tomorrow!

On top of the world

Paragliding over the Islands of Fiji is probably the best thing I have ever done. Pure paradise

Holidays are a comin’

Just bought a Go Pro in duty free and off to Fiji to take loads of adventure pics! Don’t be too jealous

Paradise on Earth

We started our journey on horse back through the forest, beautiful views of more Palm Trees than you can imagine accompanied by the wonderful forest sounds. When the journey was over we were seconds away from the beach and the hot sand.

The beach was beyond beautiful and beyond boiling! It was painful to walk on and unfortunately we weren’t so sure on where we were walking! Luckily enough we found it fairly quickly and there was nothing to do but choose a hammock, dump our stuff and go for a dip in the sea.

We stayed in camp Bukaro and the food was surprising delicious considering it was still cooked like camp food.

The overnight stay in hammocks was interesting but bearable, as I wrapped myself in so much clothing to avoid the insects! – yet still managed to cover my legs in them throughout the day.

The next day was spent relaxing on the beach and thanks to the cloudy sky I managed to build up a slight tan without burning! The views through the Palm Trees on the campsite were beautiful!!!

Now a 20 hour bus journey back to Ibague to look forward to!!!