Blogs from Cook Islands, Oceania - page 35

While there may be nothing more peaceful than waking up to the sounds of the ocean waves, there is certainly nothing more dreadful than being woken up from a dead slumber by a rooster who sounds like he’s suffering an asthma attack. At the beginning of our stay on the Island, I found the baby chicks, carefully safeguarded by their mother, to be quite endearing. On one occasion, I was sitting on the lounge chair on our front lawn when an entire family approached me, pecking on the ground in search for food. I went inside to retrieve some pumpkin seeds for the little chicks and was surprised to see each approach the side of my chair without fear. When I realized that the pumpkin seeds weren’t a big hit, I went back inside in search ... read more

Today Gene and I signed ourselves up for Captain Tama’s Lagoon Cruise. The Lagoon Cruiser is a glass-bottom boat that takes you out to a marine reserve in Muri Lagoon for snorkeling and, thereafter, to Motu Koromiri Island for lunch. I’ve always feared what lies in the ocean, but as in the past, am willing to face those fears to get in some good snorkeling. I have snorkeled a few times before in Mexico and Hawaii, but have never in the past seen such vibrant colored tropical fish or giant clams as I did today. For whatever reason, the fish seem to gather directly under the bottom of the boat. The tour guides would then swim directly into the pool of fish so that they would disperse amongst the people snorkeling around the boat. I was ... read more

Today, we broke the monotony of sunbathing and relaxation by taking an Island 4x4 Safari which promised to unearth the history of Rarotonga and the Cook Island people. We were not disappointed. Our little adventure began shortly before 9AM when a tattered Land Rover, circa 1985, stopped in front of our hotel. Gina and I had thoroughly doused ourselves in a nearly lethal combination of DEET and SPF knowing that the rear of the Rover was exposed to the elements, passengers lining two bench seats. John, our coconut tan driver wearing board shorts and a pair of old flip flops, hopped from the driver’s seat and introduced himself. He opened the rear gate of the Rover and motioned us in with another couple whom he had picked up prior. Off we went. As we drove towards ... read more

We had every intention of setting the World on fire today. Instead, we killed our day by getting drunk with our Irish neighbors, Stanley and Hazel. It started so innocently. Gina was away having a massage and I was sitting outside of our room drinking a glass of wine and taking a few photos. Idle chit chat turned into a gale force fete once the politician returned from her rub down. Until this point, I had been looking for an exit strategy from the conversation since Gina and I were supposed to rent bikes today and tour the city. Then Stanley ducked inside his bungalow and reemerged with the first bottle of wine. Four and one half bottles of wine, one shot of whiskey and a few tuna fish sandwiches later, we had ourselves some new ... read more

With 'why does it always rain on me?' running firmly through my mind, I tried to ignore the pounding rain upon arrival at Rarotonga at 4am, telling myself it will have cleared up by the morning. My spirits were lifted when I entered the arrivals hall (well small room which also served as immigration, departures, duty free shopping and anything else you'd need at an airport!) and was greeted by a man singing tradtional island music and playing a ukelele - at 4am!!!! Loa Angeles could certainly learn some lessons here! I'd had a bit of a nightmare organising some accommodation as everywhere was really busy, but had managed to get a bed in the Tiare Village, which promised to be a clean, friendly, hostel environment, only a short walk from the beach - ideal! Unfortunately, ... read more