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Published: January 6th 2010
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Island breakfast
In front of my bungalow, on the beach of Raratonga, I am holding the 2 coconuts that fell last night. Husking them is too difficult, so I'll still go for cornflakes this morning. Day 4, and I realise that even though Raratonga is a very small island, you really need a lot more than 4 days to enjoy all it has to offer. So, I have a plan to go snorkelling this morning, and then get ready to head out to the airport for my flight on to Auckland.
For the snorkelling, I have decided to join Captain Tama who takes swimmers out in a small boat on the Muri lagoon, which is a marine reserve, so is reputed to have more sea life than other waters. It is clear that Captain Tama takes safety very seriously as he points to the emergency exits, which are to the front or sides of the boat (don’t jump from the rear as this creates sushi), and the boat is equipped with life jackets (one for the captain, and the other for the cook).
After half an hour on the boat, we reach our diving spot and can see the very clear water is about 6m deep. Even though the boat has a glass bottom, everyone opts to get into the water, and with a face mask and snorkel, we are treated to magical sights
Happy next door neighbours
At 6 o'clock in the morning, these three Raratongan childen were running around happliy on the beach, until I asked to take their photo - which seemed to mean to them that they should be seen and not heard! of coral, giant clams and maybe 30 different fish. The yellow, black and white Tropical Butterfly Fish seem the most special, and I managed to use my underwater camera to snap a few of these, as well as taking a whole film recording some of the other images from the underwater world (pictures need to be processed before uploading). There are no dangerous fish in these waters, and the only risk was being cut by the sharp coral, so as long as we didn’t swim directly over this, we avoided any accidents.
The hour went by quite quickly, and then it was time for the group to have a BBQ on the beach, or in my case, a very quick dry and change so that I could get my scooter back to the rental place in time for my airport transfer.
As I prepare to leave this island, I can’t quite decide what has impressed me the most. Is it the colours, the weather, the food, the sights, the sea or the people? I think my vote has to go to the people of Raratonga. They are not financially well off, but they seem so content. They all seem to be religious (nearly every Christian faith is represented from 7th Day Adventists to Latter Day Saints), yet they are so laid back and accommodating when it comes to hospitality. The vast majority seem to develop a ‘sturdy frame’, which must have been scary when meeting them in battle, but their smiles today make then look so gentle. And what seems to generate all this happiness is the way that most of the locals I spoke to had never left the island, nor had any desire to. They have all they need.
I can’t post any underwater photos yet, so the two pictures I can add now show firstly three local children who lived on the adjacent plot to my bungalow - notice the absence of X-Boxes, and secondly, a final picture of me on ‘my beach’ holding the two coconuts that fell the previous night. As a test run, I also am trying to upload a short video clip of the Raratongan who sung to us as we first arrived off the flight, then serenaded us once more as we waited to leave again. If the video works, I think you’ll agree with me that Raratongan people are special.
Just about to cross the international date line, so I take off on December 31st at 17:00hrs, and arrive in Auckland a few hours later at 21:00hrs, but on January 1st, thus missing a New Years Eve party on both sides. For me, that’s a first.
Happy New Year to you.
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