Kia Orana from the Cook Islands & Rarotonga
We travelled back in time to yesterday and arrived in Avarua, the main town on Rarotonga in the Cook Islands. The landing was scary as all you can see is ocean until you hit tarmac, but the island is beautiful; and just how we imagined paradise to be.
Rarotonga is 32km around with a mountain in the middle spreading down onto white sandy beaches into crystal clear water of the lagoon which is protected by a reef. We hired a scooter and explored nearly every part of the island in the 3 weeks we had.
The snorkelling was amazing. We tried several locations but our favourite was on the far side of the Rarotongan resort where there was lots of coral, clear water and lots of fish (and a rip tide). We learned a trick, that if you fill a bottle with water and bread it will attract all the fish and give you an amazing opportunity to get up close to the fish. Just avoid those Trigger fish … they bite.
We spent a day with Captain Tama’s Lagoon cruise. We got taken to a really good snorkelling spot where we saw a huge moray eel, giant clams and lots of fish. We then went to an island for a bbq lunch and some shows. They showed us how to husk coconuts and how to tie a pareau. Rob got chosen for one demonstrations, he was kitted out in MC Hammer pants and was taught a haka – embarrassing for him, but hilarious for everyone else.
Panganui Market is held every Saturday and was really good. They have lots of stalls selling clothes, souvenirs and lots of food. They had dancers perform on a central stage ranging in age from around 3 to mid-20s. The band and the dancers were all very talented and it is amazing to see how the girls shake their hips.
One Sunday we went to the Cook Islands Christian Church. The people sang hymns with beautiful harmony and had the boys playing drums on the way in and out. Most of the service was in the Maori language but enjoyable none the less. The church was packed, and you really felt a sense of community. Everyone is so friendly on the island.
We spent most of our day’s snorkelling, sunbathing or driving round the island exploring all the beaches, getting good views of the mountain and trying to find palaces. Near our hostel was a crazy golf course called Cocoputt. We managed all 18 holes, some were really tricky – up slopes and round crazy corners. Kirstie won and Rob was a sore loser!
During our last week all the schools had got together for their annual dancing show. All the dancing is based on local legends and the dancing was amazing. There were hundreds of kids in grass skirts performing in front of a huge audience.
The night before Kirstie’s 21st birthday we decided to have a few drinks, and somehow it ended up being a huge night out with lots of people from the hostel and random locals. It was a really good night.
The next night (Kirstie’s birthday) we went to a local hotel for an island night which had a local band playing. We had a buffet dinner including local food, the chocolate cake was amazing! After the meal they put on a dancing show for us and finished off the night with fire dancing. Some of the boys were as young as 11 and were spinning the fire ridiculously fast. One guy was really good and had come 3rd at the international championships in Hawaii. Overall, an amazing 21st birthday!
We had an awesome time in the Cook Islands. We are still running on island time, but unfortunately, it is now back to early mornings. We will definitely go back sometime.
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