Thankfully I traveled the North and South Islands of New Zealand during this adventure to Australia and New Zealand. Oh how I wish New Zealand was not so far away! (And in fairness to Australia, I missed the west coast of that country … so who knows what the future may bring.)
Below is a map showing the travel done in New Zealand, then some of my sketches during this portion of the trip. Now to dream about next adventures whatever they may be! Anyone have any recommendations? My goal is to see the world so everything is on the table!
The Great Barrier Reef extends about 1,250 miles in length and its width is from 37 to 155 miles. Some of the reef is just 10 miles off the coast and in other parts 100 miles. It is the largest coral reef in the world, an ecosystem that has evolved over millions of years. Our group took a boat ride, about 1.5 hours, to a pontoon in the middle of Moore Reef. (Thank you to the medical world for my motion sickness patch worn by me this day to enjoy the Coral Sea snorkeling experience!)
Our boat connected with the pontoon once we arrived. On the pontoon, we ate lunch, relaxed in the sun and checked the daily activity board. One activity was a ride in a glass-bottomed boat. That was fun and it gave me an idea of what I may see when I snorkel. Another activity was a ride in a semi-submarine. We sat below the main level where we stepped on the boat … therefore we were deeper from the start compared to the other boat ride. The majority of us though were here to snorkel.
Thank you to whoever took this photo … maybe Kim … underwater camera used where we snorkeled.
Here is where I finally got my fins on and pushed off the pontoon to snorkel. Thank you to whoever took this photo.
Our guide encouraged us to leave valuables at the hotel. As a result, I did not bring my phone. The photos above are from people in our group; thank you!
Okay, am I up to the challenge of snorkeling!?! Anyone who truly knows me, knows I am not a water person, thus never snorkeled before. But, I’m here and going to give it a try!
My snorkeling experience began with putting on a Lycra suit; this is not a wet suit which keeps you warmer in the water, yet it did for me. This Lycra suit was so no jellyfish could sting you through it. The suit was a tight fit and included an attached hood. Next, how to position the mask and snorkel. Air tight on face with mask … and not breathing through nose … weird … and worrisome at first. Then understanding how the snorkel mouthpiece fits in your mouth … bite down on it and breathe through that tube! Yikes … is this really going to work? I got help with my mask since no hair should be within it … thereby making a tight seal on my face. Then to grab fins and know when to put them on.
I will admit, my guide and the staff on the pontoon were very patient with me as I tried to get mask and snorkel on at the right angle. It was a struggle in the water to put the fins on, but finally they were on and I had to think about actually snorkeling!
My first snorkeling attempt, I pushed off from the pontoon and went a very short distance. Mask and snorkel seemed awkward but workable. The short distance was a test for myself to try and believe I could breathe with all of this equipment. Second attempt, I went a further distance, using my arms to swim too and not just kick the fins. Why I did that I do not know; except maybe a natural crawl swim stroke seemed like the thing to do. Saltwater started to flow into my mouth! I flipped over, with my life jacket on, and back-stroked. Panic set in when I realized I was far from the lifeguard and where I needed to step back on the side of the pontoon. Darn that crawl stroke! Only with trust in my life jacket, back stroke and remaining calm did I get back! All a very unsettling experience, but I will say there were no jellyfish to worry about!
A lifeguard talked with me, modified my mask and snorkel angle, and encouraged me to take a break as we had 2.5 hours left before leaving here. My error was in not biting down on that mouthpiece all the time and thus water came in my mouth. I did take a break and returned for 3 more trips to different parts of the reef. Each was successful … no water in my mouth! Success and a good time to stop, so I did!
Looking at the reef through my goggles was amazing! At certain moments I was inches away from life on the coral and fish swimming in and around; other times I was over deep areas. Beige and brown colors seen for most of the life on the coral. Further out there were more colors and fish. Beautiful blue and yellow fish swam around. I almost bumped into a huge brown fish. When I say huge, it was the size of a laptop computer! The water was mostly warm, except when I ventured further out I hit a cold spot! It was wonderful seeing clownfish above what looked like sea anemone. I wished I had an underwater camera then. As anxious as I was about my first snorkeling attempt, I was more comfortable later in the day with the other 3 times I went out. Check snorkeling off my bucket list!
Next day we went to Daintree Rainforest, a 1.5 hour drive to it. We stopped for homemade, with exotic fruits, ice cream at Daintree Ice Cream. Arriving at Daintree National Park, a local guide took us on a 2 hour walk and talk through the rainforest. It’s the driest rainforest I have even been in. I understand now why that is. No recent substantial rain, but 9 previous months the area was hit by a tropical cyclone for 5 days. The rain totaled 80 inches within that time! The amazing news, only one life was lost in all the days with rain. Wow! We witnessed some of the damage from cyclone Jasper as we drove to the national park. Roadways hade been closed since rock and dirt flowed down from all that rain. Some of that rock were boulders almost as tall as me.
Our local guide at Daintree National Park led us on a rainforest walk. Daintree Rainforest is like a botanical Jurassic Park and one component of the Wet Tropics World Heritage Area of Australia. It’s a sliver of the continent’s land hosting 40% of its plant species, a quarter of its reptiles, a fifth of its birds and a third of the marsupials and frogs with 633 species of plants, mammals, birds and reptiles found nowhere else but here! Unfortunately too, many are classified as threatened. He explained the history of the land and pointed out birds, butterflies, various plants and info about the number one pest: wild pigs. One sort of gets the feeling to be more cautious in this country before touching anything as it may be toxic! He was tremendously knowledgeable about all in the national park. We heard various birds, but I could not see them.
Rainforest is thick with vegetation!
Some colorful flowers and seeds too.
Our tour guide was not on the walk with us and saw of 2 cassowaries! They are large, flightless birds, labelled “the world’s most dangerous bird”. After watching the video he took of the sighting, I mentioned to the tour guide it might have been best to see 2 cassowaries at once since they seemed more interested in each other than humans. If the bird is provoked by a human or dog, a cassowary can cause harm and even fatal injury! Our guide did wish he had a backpack to protect his chest in case the bird came at him. He had no encounter as the bird seemed more interested in the other cassowary.
I wanted a sense of the difference between a cassowary and emu. My quickly drawn sketches below show a cassowary and the taller emu … both big birds … but don’t mess with a cassowary!
Cassowary; not drawn to scale.
Emu, not drawn to scale.
We’re back in Palm Cove to relax and pack our luggage for our flight to Sydney tomorrow. I have only one full day in Sydney before I fly to Auckland, New Zealand. There I will join another tour group which includes a friend of mine who loved New Zealand when she was there before. Early on in my “down under” planning, I decided if I was to fly the long distance to Australia, I would visit New Zealand too! And so I will!
I truly do not enjoy weeding! It needs to be done. I understand that, but let’s not overdo it. What makes it frustrating at times for me is looking at a green thing and wondering is that a future weed or a plant I want. For instance, penstemons are plants hummingbirds and butterflies love. What’s this little green growth? Is it a penstemon and wanted by a bird or butterfly?
To pick or not to pick?
After studying the shapes of the leaves and entering a photo in iNaturalist app or its website, it is a penstemon … eventually a Parry’s beardtongue. My identification of that plant is improving as is brittlebush, an important erosion-control plant, which I do not destroy. One must know the early growth of a plant or everything will be weeded!
But wait! Then we have a colorful, strange growth as seen here:
Decision, decision… to keep or not?
My guess was a slime mold since we had plenty of rain and everything was super wet in our mulch-filled water basins around our home. This is commonly called scrambled egg slime mold or dog vomit slime mold. It’s found worldwide so some day you too may see this slime mold!
Of course, my eyes and ears are always tuned to birds, but just as exciting are caterpillars! We spend all this time having a wooded area or garden so bees, butterflies, birds and other critters have a place to call home. Here was the caterpillar stage of a future queen butterfly!
Someday a queen butterfly!
Thank goodness there are other living things to look at while I pull weeds. Otherwise it really is a boring task, that needs to be done, but enjoyed more when I can be distracted! Plus, I learn and can appreciate what is living in my yard! Have you looked closely at what’s in your backyard?
The saguaro cactus only grows in the Sonoran Desert, from sea level to 4000 feet, so mostly in southern Arizona. They can grow in a tree-like shape, almost 40 feet on rocky soil. They are the largest cacti in the USA. Often I’ll see a bird making a nest in the fleshy stem of a cactus.
Saguaro cacti
You may have seen the white flowers of the saguaro cactus, that then become a fruit. Recently, I happened to be home, I noticed the fruits were ripening. They are a source of food and water for birds. First, here’s a photo of the fruits on the tree; second photo, one opened and eaten by a bird.
Fruits are open.
Fruit fell on ground. Looks only partially eaten.
Arizona Native Plant Law has 4 categories of protected plants. One category is “Highly Safeguarded” species. Saguaro cacti fall within this category as they are threatened for survival or in danger of extinction. Destruction or theft of a saguaro is illegal under state law. It can result in fines and a class 4 felony. I researched how much is the fine: minimum of $200 per foot of main trunk and $200 per foot of each arm. All with a maximum not to exceed $2500 per cactus. If you need to move a saguaro cactus, then a permit is required.
Saguaro cacti can live up to 200 years and grow to more than 60 feet. They can have arms bending upward that can number over 25. Keep an eye out for this cactus as you visit southern Arizona. See their protective spines, white flowers in late spring and red fruit in summer. Enjoy …
Southeast of Columbia is South Carolina’s only national park: Congaree National Park. It is 26,000 acres in size and has the largest remaining old growth bottomland hardwood forest in the United States. It is bottomland, referred to as a floodplain, subjected to plenty of rain recently, and what others may call a swamp. You walk along a boardwalk which the day I visited was partially underwater. The walk takes you under the largest concentration of “champion trees” in the world. Very tall examples of 15 species include a 167 foot loblolly pine, 157 foot sweetgum, 154 foot cherrybark oak, and others. The birds were chirping. I also heard frogs and the snakes usually slithered away before I got a real good look. It was a pleasant walk in the shade and not buggy!
It was interesting when I walked toward the visitor center upon my arrival. I saw a sign encouraging people to apply their insect spray on themself in the parking lot. They wanted insect spray away from the park’s fireflies. I soon learned about synchronous fireflies! Mid-May to Mid-June 3 species of fireflies at this park display synchronous flashing while they search for a mate. This phenomenon is a popular evening event at the park and people participate in a lottery to get a pass to the event. There are 2,000 species of fireflies world-wide, but only 3 at this park.
Here are some photos from my visit at the park:
Boardwalk
Recent rains left water level high
Old moonshiner’s still
Plenty of other trails to hike. Ranger-led hikes are each Saturday morning and afternoon. For a small park there is plenty of activity and parking lots were full the weekend day I was there. I’d love to return and see those fireflies!
