If you follow me on Instagram, then you know I have this thing with the sun. I love the way its rays play against everything from the clouds, to the scenery to my phone’s camera lenses. I also just really like sunny days, and from time to time will take pictures of the sun with my camera, just so I can see what it really looks like in the sky without harming my eyes.
That being said, the sun in New Zealand is unlike the sun anywhere else in the world. Yes, its the same sun you have where you are, but there’s a bit of a hole in the ozone here, so it looks a lot different in the sky. While this unnatural phenomenon is bad for your skin (I burn quicker here than I ever did in South Florida,) it is great for experiencing stunning sunrises and sunsets.
While I have seen a few sunrises and sunsets during my time in New Zealand, there are two, in particular, that stand out to me.
Best Sunrise: Wainui Beach, Gisborne
Before the sun came over the horizon in Gisborne
While it’s technically incorrect to say this is the “first sunrise the world sees,” that doesn’t stop Gisborne from pushing this as a reason to go there. (It’s not even the first place in New Zealand to see it.) However, you can say pretty accurately Gisborne is the first “major” population center to see the sunrise, so that makes it cool.
But what Gisborne lacks in facts, it makes up for in beauty. The sunrise here is quite stunning, even in the cold. The sun clears the horizon with epic orange rays that dance against the clouds, beaches, and mountains in a way only the New Zealand sun can do. And because it is so far East, and not so densely populated there is nothing to impede your view.
The sun in all its glory
Best Sunset: Piha Beach, Piha
The sun beginning its decline in Piha, as my friends take a walk along the beach
Before I came to New Zealand, the best sunset I had ever seen was in Key West, Florida, USA. There is something about the size of the sun setting this close to the equator that is decidedly out-of-this-world. The boats sailing in the area add a stunning backdrop just about every evening.
A ship sails during sunset in Key West, Florida
So you can imagine how beautiful the sunset at Piha must be for me to say it may now, in-fact, be my favorite. But, somehow, it did that, despite the chill in the ai The reason I loved the sunset at Piha is the brightness of the sun. It is not especially large like the sun in Key West, but it’s so bright it makes you look like a standing shadow on the beach.
The other thing about the sunset at Piha is the way the rays play against the rocky coastline, which admittingly, is not something you get to see everywhere.
Did you know Queensland, Australia doesn’t participate in Daylight Savings Time?
Don’t worry, I didn’t know either. In fact, I was so convinced they did, I got myself out of bed an hour earlier on day 4 of our trip because I thought my phone hadn’t adjusted automatically since it wasn’t connected to data. But no, it was because while a good portion Australia did “spring forward” that evening, the states of Queensland and Western Australia simply did not.
So in other words, the ladies and we got a head start on our 9-hour car ride to Airlie Beach because we got up at 5:30 am. This did, thankfully, give us time to stop and get coffee, even if the only place open was Zarraffa’s, something that appeared to be the Australia equivalent of Starbucks. (It was tasty though.)
This is what most of the drive from Cairns to Airlie Beach looked like
I would like to say the drive was full of adventure and fun roadside attractions, but it wasn’t. The Pacific Coast Highway in Australia really requires more time than we had to truly explore and experience everything it has to offer. Meant to be done over a week, we drove the entire distance over 2 days, so we could check off another site (and one of my bucket-list items,) visiting the Whitsundays.
We broke up this day of driving with a brief stop in Townsville, the capital of tropical North Queensland. Everyone told us this was a place we had to stop, but honestly, there wasn’t much to see. Maybe this is because we didn’t have enough time to explore the area outside of downtown, but I’m not convinced.
Townsville from “Simply Tops”
But there was a bright spot. In a part of downtown that felt deserted and run down, we stumbled on a restaurant called “Simply Tops.” And this restaurant actually lived up to its name as it was simply, tops. That is to say, it was some of the tastiest food I had on the entire trip, and that’s saying something! Especially because all I ordered was a fish sandwich. (Which was served on white bread no less!)
Eventually, after miles and miles (or should I say kilometers and kilometers) of forest and land, we arrived in Airlie Beach: an adorable sea-side town with a “party” vibe. We didn’t spend much time out on the town though, choosing to instead buy groceries and bottles of liquor in hopes of saving money.
The beach area just off the road from downtown Airlie Beach
I have to say, the night-in was fun. This and was undoubtfully helped by the uniqueness of our lodging: the Kipara Tropical Rainforest Resort. Nestled in the jungle outside of the downtown, the resort offers guests a chance to stay in cabins or single rooms among the lush greenery of the rainforest. It was fun and novel, even if I got bit by a few mosquitoes.
Day 3 in Australia was quite a bit less eventful than the first two days, but it was still a good one. We started the day lounging on Four Mile Beach, just steps away from the Sheraton Mirage Resort where we were staying.
Four Mile Beach, Port Douglas, Queensland, Australia
Port Douglas’ Four Mile Beach offers really gorgeous views of a seemingly never-ending beach, so its great for photos and a stroll. But when it comes to the more normal beach activities like lounging in the sand or swimming, I would recommend you try elsewhere. This is especially pertinent when it came to swimming because the water had an unidentifiable film on it. I’m honestly not sure what it was; while it could’ve likely been algae seemed a bit more like pollution. You’re also only allowed to swim in certain areas of the beach, as jellyfish are very prevalent in the area.
Later in the evening, we made the drive south to Cairns because the two ladies I was with had tickets to see Sir Elton John. I did not choose to attend the concert for a few reasons: saving money and wanting time to properly explore the location since we were only staying there a day. I am so happy I made this choice.
The Lagoon, a fancy swimming pool along the waterfront in Cairns
Prior to the concert, Ashley and I went shopping while Katherine relaxed following our long day in the sun and water. The shopping in Cairns was some of the best shopping I’ve been able to experience on this side of the world. (Although, granted, I’ve only really gone shopping in Wellington, Brisbane and Gold Coast.) This is likely because Cairns is a city that was designed specifically with tourists in mind, or at least it seems that way. Cute boutiques, restaurants, and bars line the city’s main streets, all of which lead to the Esplanade, or boardwalk. There you can stroll along the water and take in the pelicans and the city skyline. And while there is no beach or ocean access there is a “lagoon” or pool that you can swim in to get your fill. Me? I was more interested in the sundresses every store had for sale. I live in sundresses (unless its winter in Wellington) so in the end, had to buy one from a store called Global Free Style. The shop was full of unique retro designs that flatter any figure, making it hard to resist. The one I got has a unique neckline and is covered in watermelons. (Now, to move to a place where I can wear it more often….)
Ashley, for her part, stumbled upon a funky little Asian-style boutique named Red Ginger which was full of inexpensive clothes and accessories. I mean, this place had purses decorated with guitars, cats, and even American dollar bills. The clothing ranged from flowy and fun to retro chic. I would recommend it to anyone visiting the city that likes unique items and is on a budget.
After our little shopping trip, it was back to our hotel, Tropical Heritage Cairns. Now, while this place was certainly not the Sheraton Mirage, it was a nice, inexpensive option with lots of space. For about $50 each, we stayed in a room that had 3 beds and a kitchenette. It was massive. Then it was time to drive the ladies to the concert.
Eventually, it was time for me to drive the ladies to the concert. Now, in case you don’t know, the rules of the road in Australia and New Zealand are more similar to the UK than those in the states. That is, they both drive on the opposite side of the road and the steering wheel is in what we know as the passenger side of the car. This in itself doesn’t seem like it will cause too much issue, after all, driving is driving, that is, until you remember just how much of driving is muscle memory. So in addition to automatically turning to the right side of the road, you also are trained to shift gears with your right hand and to switch on your turn signals with your left hand. Your windshield wipers are the lever on your right.
Of course, none of that is true in cars where the steering wheel is on the right side of the car. Everything is reversed (except the pedals, thank God.) This means, when you go to turn, you not only have to think about which side of the road you’re turning on, you also have to remember to switch gears with your left hand and signal to the whole road that you’re turning by switching on the windshield wipers. (Which, while I’ve driven quite a bit here now, I still do on occasion. Old habits and all that.)
Now while I did drive briefly in Port Douglas, this drive was far more memorable for one reason: I had to get myself back from the concert venue to our hotel alone. That means, no one was there to correct me if I turned on the wrong side of the road, or help me out if I got lost. It was an experience that allowed me to fully appreciate life with GPS; between remembering which side of the road to drive on, and remembering that the slow lane here is on the left side of the road and not the right, I can’t imagine having to look at an actual map. (Bravo to all of you who have done this.) I am happy to say I made it back in one piece and without any errors that I know of. The trip also allowed me to see route “A1:” a major thoroughfare around downtown Cairns that’s dotted with businesses. Its pretty unspectacular, but is very reminiscent of A1A in South Florida, so for me, it felt like home.
Banyan trees lit up along the Cairns Esplanade
After parking the car, it was off on a solo adventure for the night. While Cairns is beautiful in the daylight, it really comes alive after sunset. (As I said, it was made for tourists.) Not only does the city have a bit of a bar and restaurant scene, it also lights its trees and esplanade in all sorts of colors, making it feel like a theme park.
I spent the night wandering around, ducking in and out of shops and looking for a place to eat. I also spent a bit of time in the city’s “Night Market,” an inside shopping center inspired by similar, outdoor markets in Asia. In Cairns, its a big open warehouse sort of building in the middle-of-town full of stalls populated by local artisans.
A peek inside the Cairns Night Market
What I was hoping to find was a bar or pub where I could sit down at the counter and chat with locals or the staff, I unfortunately struggled to find this anywhere; most places were either packed or only offered places to stand by the bar. I ended up eating at a burger chain called Grill’d. While the food (and the wine) were tasty, my favorite thing about the place was the bottle cap the restaurant gave me with my purchase.
The Grill’d “Do Good” jars
Grill’d, a family-owned Australian business, has a program called “Do Good.” Every month, each Grill’d location pledges to donate a total of $500 to local charities and chooses where to give this money based on “votes.” Each location chooses 3 charities each month to support, and gives each one a jar. Then, when you go into Grill’d and spend money you get a bottle cap and choose which charity you’d like to see get the most money. At the end of the month, the store counts the votes. The charity with the most votes gets $300, and the other two get $100 each. Pretty neat.
After eating and a bit more of a stroll, I headed back to the hotel, knowing we had a long drive ahead of us the next day to Airlie Beach. And as the other two ladies were at a concert, I assumed I would be doing most of the driving.
A look at downtown Cairns from the edge of The Esplanade
