Family takes on GREAT BARRIER REEF!

Hi all,

Welcome to another installment of the epic Solinsky adventure. We are now in Cairns, AUSTRALIA! Here's an update of what we have been doing:

Tuesday June 29: We woke up super early to fly from Auckland to Cairns, Australia today. While on the flight we saw the sunrise and it was really beautiful! I had a really great last view of New Zealand which I definitely appreciated. We flew on Air New Zealand which was really great – they had a ton of movies and food. After a 5.5 hour flight we arrived in Cairns before noon. We checked into our hotel and went along the Esplanade for lunch. For the afternoon we just hung around and enjoyed being able to wear shorts and t-shirts outside (it’s in the 70s here). For dinner we met up with my friend from Brandeis Lisa (who I traveled around Tasmania with) and her Mom which was really nice. We all had different versions of Mahi-Mahi at this great fish restaurant. After dinner we got gelato.

Wednesday June 30: For the last day of June we had an awesome day out on the Great Barrier Reef!! After a delicious breakfast at the hotel, we were picked up and taken to the Cairns marina where we boarded our Reef Magic Cruise ship. The boat was pretty big with two levels and was pretty spacious. It was about a 90 minute ride to the Great Barrier Reef but the views were spectacular. There were beautiful lush mountains coming out of the water. Once we made it to Moore Reef we docked and jumped off the boat to a platform called “Marine World.” For the whole day the boat stayed docked next to Marine World where we were able to settle in. Marine World had tons of tables, a sun deck and all the equipment for snorkeling. We put our wet suits on, grabbed masks, snorkels and fins and were all set to go. We jumped in (the water wasn’t too cold) and the reef was so beautiful it basically took my breath away. From above the water you would never guess the reef and fishes that lie beneath it’s surface but they are incredible! We swam around for about an hour just taking in the beautiful coral and fish. I even got to touch Wally the local huge fish who comes along with his pal Rocky everyday at 10:30. The different types of fish and coral were amazing. They ranged in color, size and texture. There were rainbow striped fish, parrot fish, zebra fish, huge clams, “chocolate dipped” fish and so many more! We saw tons of different types of coral from hard to soft to brain to blue tipped. In the Great Barrier Reef there are 400 types of coral and 2,000 species of fish! It’s just truly amazing with tons of different reefs. Moore reef is classified as a small one and it was pretty big, so I can only imagine how huge the big reefs are! Then we hopped back on board and my Dad and I went on the included glass-bottom boat tour which took us to a different section of the reef. We got to see even more fish, coral and learn about them. Apparently since the coral is so far under water, because of the light spectrum red doesn’t really reach down there, which is why everything looks blue, but apparently if you add red back into the pictures all of the colors look much brighter- we will have to try that out! After that, we had our buffet lunch which actually had some really good vegetarian lasagna. After lunch my Dad, Brian, Jason and I went on a boat which took us to a different section of the reef and did a Snorkel Safari Adventure there. We got to see different types of fish and coral out there and learn about them along the way. We saw a clown fish (looks like we found nemo!), a shark and more clams. It was really incredible. The tour lasted for about an hour. Then we went back on the boat and I snorkeled a bit more in the reef right next to the base. Then we only relaxed on the platform for a bit before having to pack up our stuff and go back on the main boat. On board we had some afternoon tea which good cheese, crackers and fruit. It was a really amazing day! I absolutely love the great barrier reef!! Tonight we’re going out for dinner probably to a Mediterranean place and then have to get ready for our big Rainforest adventure tomorrow!

Sending lots of Solinsky love from the Great Barrier Reef!!