G'Day all

We have finally made it safe and sound to cairns after a long day travelling from NZ. First things first we would like to say - IT IS SOOOO LOVELY AND WARM!!!!! After a few months of being in freeeezing Queenstown it is so nice to get the shorts and flip flops on! The first day here was a bit overcast so we just walked around the town to see what it was all about. Was weird getting used to a place being so big after being in NZ for so long. I was VERY excited about the fact there was a big shopping mall here!! I couldn't buy anything but I was happy to just walk around the nice shops for a change!

We went to the ox experience office (the company we are doing out trip down the east coast with) and decided to organize all of our trips and accommodation there and then, so that we don't have to pay out as we go. So a lovely lump of our savings has gone now but not much left to pay for.

Day2 we decided to scare the locals by sunbathing, neither of us realized how white we had become over the winter in NZ. There was a nice breeze even though it got to 28deg and the water front pool helped us cool down. Even so we both got burnt! Not too badly though. We were too lazy to cook after a hard day in the sun so we went out for dinner to a nice little restaurant on the main strip.

Cairns is a lot more touristy than we thought and seems to cater for all nationalities. It isn't too busy but then again it is winter. There is a lovely waterfront walkway that had little workout gym stations - everyone seems to like fitness and running!! It also had bbq grills so that you can just set up and cook your dinner outside.

Since arriving in OZ I have had a bit of a cold. It seemed to be getting better but after a day in the sun and not drinking enough I felt really ill on our third day! Ben being my lovely Bf made sure I was ok and nicely drugged up before attempting to go to the town. However it was very hot and I just couldn't stay out in it. So we brought an ice-cream and I headed back to the room.

Our final day in Cairns I woke up feeling much better after sleeping and drinking lots of water. So Ben and I headed to the funfair - everyone in Cairns gets a public holiday to go to this, and it is huge!! There were so many rides and petting zoos, not to mention food stands! It was amazing. But again very hot. We went on a ride and got a sausage on a stick (corndog) then decided to head back to cool down (with a slushy drink).

All in all we have really liked cairns I think we appreciated the warmth and the normality of a city again, but it would have been better if I hadn't of been ill. Start our OZ experience trip tomorrow nice and early at 7am!

From cairns with love

Nikki and Ben xx