Blogs from Cook Islands, Oceania - page 2

Stewdate: 22-07-18 So I finally arrived in Rarotonga (Avarua), the largest of the Cook Islands after a 4 hour flight from Auckland with Air New Zealand, on a warm cloudy afternoon and realised it's still Sunday (the day I departed Adelaide!) after crossing the international dateline! A trip to Hawaii in 2011 was the only other time I had experienced this sensation, and I am still yet to fly right across the Pacific! The 20-minute transfer from Avarua gave me the opportunity to view about half (the eastern side) the island, with tropical forests and cloud-shrouded peaks inland (to the right-side of the road) and coastal views (to the left-side of the road), before arriving for a 3-night stay at the "Pacific Resort Rarotonga" on Muri Beach. Although I was contemplating a retirement decision, I enjoyed ... read more

Saturday morning it was bright and sunny. We all met by the cars at 10am and headed into Avarua for the markets. These are held every Saturday and are a bustling place with plenty of tourists and locals, and a mixture of souvenir and food stalls. As usual the local Cultural Group was putting on a show with young dancers doing the traditional dances to the beat of the drums. We wandered around here for about an hour and a half and then all recovened at Trader Jack’s for lunch. This is an iconic Cook Island restaurant. It overlooks the harbour at Avarua and has been hit by 3 different cyclones since 1986 when it was established. Now they can no longer get it insured so if a cyclone approaches they take out all the glass ... read more

Geo: -21.2381, -159.727... read more

Geo: -21.2318, -159.763... read more

Hello Everyone. . . still having a great time in Rarotonga, Cook Islands! We have pretty much covered the whole island on our scooter so have seen most of the beaches, swimming spots, beach bars and scenic spots. We have kind of settled into a routine where we relax and sip coffee on our deck in the morning with a trip into town to pick up groceries and other necessities like beer and wine (lol)! We usually plan a destination by scooter in the afternoon where we enjoy a swim, snorkelling and sometimes have a fresh fish sandwhich for lunch at the many quaint cafes. We normally go out for dinner but once or twice a week we stay in and cook at home. Our kitchen is very effiecient and there is also an outdoor grill ... read more