Blogs from Cook Islands, Oceania - page 32

As we boarded our Air New Zealand aeroplane in Los Angeles in preparation for our 10 hour flight to Rarotonga, it dawned on us just how much of an unknown quantity The Cook Islands are. Journeying through America was such a day-at-a-time quick-fire experience and distraction that to think ahead to the 'second leg' of the trip just didnt happen. So there we were, thrusting down the runway at LAX and then up and into the night sky to make our way to the collective dots of land that make up the Cook Islands, that are layed out in the middle of the vast South Pacific Ocean. On arriving at Rarotonga International Airport, we received an instant indication of just how extremely different life was going to be for us on these islands as opposed to ... read more

On Sunday morning, Fee and I awoke early, pulled on our respectable “Sunday Best” outfits and marched ourselves to the CICC Church. Bean, still feeling a little groggy, decided to give it a miss. We couldn’t miss the Church as there was a sea of people arriving, and the bells were ringing loudly. We walked through the pretty graveyard and into the church which was made from coral and limestone and dated back to 1800. The locals were dressed very formally. The men, in suits and ties and the women in colourful dresses and brightly flowered straw hats. They looked stunning. The service began and was a mix of English Christian and traditional Cook/Maori with regular bursts of enthusiastic accapella singing from the congregation. Although Fee and I obviously didn’t understand a word, it was wonderful ... read more

July 27th, 2007 We arrived in Rarotonga at about 6:30am. It was still dark when we landed, but we were welcomed into the small airport with smiles and a song from the locals. We left most of our luggage in left luggage and waited for our 8:00am flight to Auitutaki. It was a short flight (about 45-50 minutes). We saw our first glimpse of paradise as we flew over the Island. The island is surrounded by a coral barrier and the lagoon goes from crystal clear in some places to a brilliant turquoise. We landed in Lamond/wirig style to a light shower (that was to pass over soon and the sky to become a bright blue again). The airport was a small building that housed a snack bar and a man singing. (pretty sure it ... read more

url='/Videos/3520.html' onclick='dialog("/Videos/3520.html?popped=1","tbvideo",600,600);return false;'rarourl='/Videos/3521.html' onclick='dialog("/Videos/3521.html?popped=1","tbvideo",600,600);return false;'Untitled Hi. We hope every one is well and enjoying themselves. We arrived back from a weeks holiday in Rarotonga yesterday and had a great time at a friends wedding. We stayed in a nice backpackers on the beach and managed to eat and drink too much!!! The Cook Island people are very friendly but the weather was not so hot. Weve now been back in Aotearoa for 1 whole year now and some of you we havnt seen for 2 years. It has gone so fast we are amazed. Jo is still only working part time but is making the most of her spare time by enrolling at university and going to the gym. I am slowly teaching her how to play squash and we have got some bikes so hope ... read more

I really AM in the Cook Islands!!! Australasia » Cook Islands » Rarotonga By ChezJune 2nd 2007 Yeah right!!! Just a few more updated pics! Happy Birthday Emmy - welcome to the 30's - apparently it is all downhill from 20 - the descent is just quicker from here!!!!! For those of you who don't know Zeb's bike was stolen recently - he was in the paper and everything!! I have many many copies of the pic for any interested parties - I don't need them - I see his grumpy face more often than I would like!! Anyway , bike was returned after the guilt strings were pulled by the article - all is good in Zeb's world again. Time for some pics - as you will see we can only hope that Rei... read more