The seventh day of the refreshment camp was the much awaited Great Barrier Reef!!
Since this project has begun, it's amazing that year after year, we've been invited to go to this amazing part of the planet by Frankland Islands Cruise !
An island where only 100 people can go in any given day...
This day was almost fully booked yet they've been so generous in offering places for the children of Fukushima.
Together with the children, we are so thankful.
Together with the children, we are so thankful.
Thank you so much!!
After the disaster, it's no longer possible to swim in the sea of Fukushima, and there are some children who have never swam there before!
Moreover, there were some kids who swam in the sea for the first time in their life!
It happened to be the best weather since they came to Cairns, and we were all really happy!
After a 45-minute bus ride from the city, we arrive at Darren's boat.
We then go on a river cruise.
We listen to the safety instructions. This is Yuki, a Japanese staff on board.
During the river cruise, there's a service offering tea, coffee and biscuits.
One by one, the staff is passing snorkel masks & fins and suits to everyone.
Here is Jimmy, another Japanese staff :)
Jimmy and Yuki have been very helpful each year, listening to the children's stories and just being a great support.
On this day, they also helped look for sea turtles and explained to the children about it.
On this day, they also helped look for sea turtles and explained to the children about it.
At the upper floor deck!
30 minutes of river cruise, another 30 minutes of reef cruise, and here we are! Frankland Island!
Upon arriving at the island, we listen to explanations about the island.
And finally, the much awaited snorkelling time!
Most of the children said it was their first time to snorkel.
..Checking to make sure there is no hair in the mouthpiece, whether they are able to breathe through mouth, whether water is not going in... etc.
After that, Kohki and Mr Kodama decided to go on the semi-sub.
A very grand buffet of amazing food!
Kohki joined in after going on the semi-submersible boat.
In the afternoon, some went relaxing on the beach, and some went snorkelling.
Those who wanted to take it easy on the beach were accompanied by Mr Kodama.
Maki stayed with the kids that wanted to go snorkelling.
Those who wanted to take it easy on the beach were accompanied by Mr Kodama.
Maki stayed with the kids that wanted to go snorkelling.
Some could not stop laughing, and there was an incident of someone pulling a muscle (!).
But all in all, everyone enjoyed the sea!
But all in all, everyone enjoyed the sea!
Back to the beach and packing up.
It was truly beautiful.
Most children enjoyed being in the sea pretty much the whole day except for lunch time.
We saw children's face expressions coming alive as the day went by.
Frankland Islands - where we all had so much fun!
A great big thank you for inviting the children again.
The staff on board were really sincere and generous, and the children really had fun spending time with them.
On the return trip, the children decided to do their speeches in English.
Putting their hands up and saying "I'm next!"... That's great to see.
We love Frankland Islands Cruise!
On the way back, we headed to Cairns watching beautiful scenery.
Below are the diaries by kids for this day:
Mahiro Fukuda
What stood out for me today:
Great Barrier Reef!!
It was so fun.
The water was slightly murky but I saw many corals. It was so
beautiful. Today, I’m not sure whether it was a coincidence or destiny,
but it was the sunniest day so far in Australia. Brilliant!
Where I got sunburnt is slightly sore…
But that’s part of the “summer experience”!
I was happy to see fishes and turtles.
It was the best kind of day out at the sea.
(I did get a bit sea sick, lol).
Some reflections:
It was the first time in a long while that I went into the sea. I did go in the swimming pool in 2017, but not in the sea.
When I think of day out at the sea in Fukushima, I personally think of Lake Inawashiro.
However, I haven’t been in there in recent years. I would say
that it’s not because of the nuclear power plant accident. It’s because
I don’t have enough time.
After going to GBR today, I thought I/m going to cherish my time with my family a lot more.
Everyone had a great time, and I felt that our friendship grew stronger.
I would say that the same thing applies to family life. That’s why I thought I was to spend more quality time with my family.
Also, I was reminded of how important it is to spend time in
the natural environment. After I go back to Japan, I would like to visit
different places.
It was a really fun day.
-----
Nana Maruyama
What stood out for me:
I was so happy today because going to Great Barrier Reef was something I definitely wanted to do when I go to Australia.
I did snorkelling for the first time and I got nervous about it but it was really fun.
Some reflections:
The sea water was very salty, and it was more beautiful than I imagined it to be.
When I looked into the waters, I saw some fish. To think that
I was swimming in the same sea as ‘Nemo’ made me feel that I was having
an amazing experience.
We were so lucky today as it was just a perfect beach day. I
really wanted to see sea turtles and I did, so it felt like a miracle.
I felt that Australian people are very kind, and I wanted to be like them, too.
On the boat on the way back, I was able to do my speech proactively. The people on the boat listened intentionally.
When I first arrived, I felt hesitant to talk about the disaster to strangers.
However, recently, I feel more confident to talk about it,
and I started to think that if there is time, I would like more people
to know about the things we have to share.
It was a lot of fun today.
Sumire Noda
I was impressed by the beauty of the sea and corals in Frankland.
It was a lot of fun to snorkel and awesome to see turtles, Nimo, and rays.
We made a day trip to Frankland is.
I was so nervous as I’ve never done snorkeling but once I
started, it was so much fun and I was impressed by beautiful water and
corals.
The most impressive part was high degree of clarity of the
water. It was a bit murky in the morning due to the rain 2days ago, but
in the afternoon, I was surprised that it became so clear in low tide
and enough to see corals nicely.
We had a lot of free time in the afternoon. A few things
happened but it was really fun to play with everyone in the water. I’d
love to thank people who invited us to such a beautiful place!
In the evening, I talked a lot more than usual with my host
family during dinner time. I talked about the island today as well as
about my family and friends. My host family told me about Australian
flag as well. It’s getting close to the end of our trip but I want to
cherish my time every single day.
Wakana Takeda
I was moved by the ocean around Frankland is. I’d like to research the
greens and mountains of the island and see them more. Today I went to
Frankland is. where I was looking forward to seeing the most in Cairns,
Australia. I was pumped when I was preparing at home in the morning. I
had a little motion sickness in the boat, but it was great view from the
top deck with nice sea breeze. As soon as we got to the spot, we
started snorkeling but we couldn’t see turtles well as the water was a
bit murky. The lunch was buffet and everything was yummy as I was
hungry. We got back to the water in the afternoon for more snorkeling.
The water was clearer and better than earlier and we saw corals and sea
anemones close by. I was so moved as I saw many fish and I hadn’t done
snorkeling in the sea so long. I spent nearly all day for snorkeling but
it was awesome to have free and quality time feeling good. Since today
was the best day, I felt so thankful when I realized that this
experience was offered for free for us. I had great time in Frankland
is. with everyone’s support. Thank you very much.
-----
Mizuki Nomura
What stood out for me today:
*I saw some clown fish, little fish and stingrays for the first time ever!
*The anemones and corals were very beautiful.
*My eyes were shining because of a stunning view, beautiful fish and all other fabulous things!!
Some reflections
*Beautiful ocean
*Beautiful fish
*Beautiful view
*We found a knife buried
*I really appreciate that I was invited to this beautiful
ocean tour. Great Barrier Reef is the world's best marine park, I
reckon.
*That was extremely beautiful!
*I want to go there again!
------
Kuge Sumire
We went to Frankland is. on great
barrier reef. The sea and corals were so beautiful. It was unfortunate
that we couldn’t take the corals back home.
I enjoyed Australian nature in the beautiful
water. It was difficult to get used to fins and goggles. But I saw
beautiful scenery and was impressed once I got used to them. It was
great to see turtles and fish looked like Nimo. I was just resting and
watching others whole afternoon and didn’t get in the clearer water than
in the morning but it was fun and the buffet lunch was delicious.
-----
Koki Hisada
What stood out for me today:
- Local people in Cairns don’t tend to choose Frankland Island because the port from which to depart is quite far away.
- Sea - “Blue toilet”
- Mountains - “Green toilet"
Some reflections:
On the boat on the way back from Frankland
Island, we did our speeches, and the boat staff listened to us
respectfully and intently, which left an impression on me.
Until now, there have been opportunities to
give speeches to ‘strangers’; however, everyone listened seriously. I
felt that I’m being able to repay the kindness to people who’ve been
supporting us, which is really good.
<Extra notes>
- The guide was saying that in the sea we use “blue toilet” and in the mountains we use “green toilet”. However, I ended up using the “boat’s toilet”. LOL
- I hear in Australia you can still drive after drinking alcohol (up to 0.05%?)
- Movenpick’s ice cream (panda cotta flavour) was out of this world.
------
Mio Segawa
What stood out for me today:
It was nice to see Great Barrier Reef, one of
the things I was looking forward to in Australia! I was so happy as it
was first time to see real corals. I was worried about my first
snorkeling a little but I got used to it a bit by bit and enjoyed after
all.
Some reflections:
The corals and the fishes were really
beautiful and it was really impressive. The quality of water was very
good and the level of transparency was pretty high.
I know it must be very expensive to go to Great Barrier Reef
by boat, but I was so thankful when I heard that the company made it
free for us.
I’m filled with gratitude to know that there are many people
supporting us. Australian people are so kind and I hope to be such a
kind person.
There are only a couple more days to go in Australia. I’d
like to cherish my time with my host family and I’d like to share how
I’ve changed as a result of coming to Australia and to be proactive in
sharing about Fukushima.
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