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Cairns, Australia
Dec. 9th - Flight to Cairns
Dropped our rental car off at Omega close
to the airport. They drive you to the airport in the same
loaded car. We got in line with Air New Zealand and waited.
There were a lot of flights leaving in the morning. I was glad
we had gotten there two hours early. When it was our turn, we
found out we needed to buy a visa before they would give us
boarding passes. Fortunately it took nothing more than a Visa
card. All they ever want is your $$$. We were surprised about
the visa requirement. I felt it was given instantly upon
arrival. Maybe it was because we had flown from South America.
NZ charges a departure tax. More $$$. All that took up most of
our wait time.
 Flying
from Auckland to Cairns took over 5 hours. Most people think
that NZ and OZ are close. Australia is very tight with customs
control. They inspect your bags for any food stuffs. Dogs
sniffed at all the bags. We got through with our basic
supplies of peanut butter, salsa, pretzels, etc. The Rainbow
Inn picked us up in a van. Cairns is tropical and best
described as an oven on a low temperature. We have gone from
wonderful cool weather to an oven. No more wearing the same
shirt for more than a day. I am going to need 2 a day!
 After
checking in at the motel, we used the pool and looked at tour
options. Obviously snorkeling at the Barrier Reef is #1. There
are a number of different ways available to get out there. The
tourist information center was very helpful. Once I find out
what the dentist says, we'll decide what and when. Walking
around we were all drenched with sweat. $2 Hr internet and A/C
sounded great. There are a number of shopping malls in the
center of Cairns. We bought our groceries and took a cab back.
More swimming.
 Cairns
has spent a great deal of money to redevelop itself in the 20+
years since Michael Inman and I were here. Along the
waterfront are major recreation areas and walks. They have a
huge saltwater pool called "the lagoon". One side of it is a
sand beach. Creative nautical sculptures grace the pool.
Shopping streets nearby have been changed with dead ends and
major landscaped sections blocking the throughway. Those areas
have been landscaped to create shaded play areas for kids and
seating. Most sidewalks are covered with canopies for shade.
There are more junk shops (souvenirs) than any city I can
think of.
The Esplanade St. runs along the waterfront and is lined with
restaurants and high rise hotels. We found a place to have
dinner and watched AD fade from the time zone change. No late
night for us. The mile long walk back to our motel worked up
another sweat and sealed my decision to rent a car for our
stay.
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AD Journal |
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The city of Cairns is located on
Trinity Bay in the north east part of Australia called
Queensland. The bay was named by Captain James Cook, who
also discovered New Zealand. Cairns became important
because of the discovery of gold in 1876. In the
mid-nineteenth century this bay was used by pearlers and
fisherman looking for shelter, fresh water and firewood.
Today it is a tourist destination for swimming on the
Great Barrier Reef.
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Rainforest Habitat in Port
Douglas...» |
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