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Published: January 18th 2011
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Blog #31 – The Cook Islands – Aitutaki – Jan. 12th to 15th, 2011 - then home to Canada -
This is the second largest, second most visited, and second most populated island in the Cooks with 2500 people. When we reached the airport the ticket agent asked if we were Jim and Carole. “Yes” we replied, “but how did you know?” “Everyone else on the flight is local” she answered. It reminded me very much of flying to Old Crow. The flight took 45 minutes – just long enough to drink a coke and read the daily paper thoroughly. It seems strange that there is an outer world – flooding in Queensland, shootings in Texas…
Everything on Aitutaki is on a somewhat less sophisticated scale than Raratonga, and time runs even more slowly. I like it better. There is less development, larger yards, there are more open spaces and the volcanic height at the centre of the island is more gradual, so it feels less cramped. They had a signficant cyclone in Feb. 2010 and a lot of rebuilding is still taking place.
On our first day we rented a motor scooter (an arthritic gutless motor scooter!) to
tour the island. The ignition key is fussy; Jim drives the scooter but usually Carole has to patiently twist and pull the key until it magically engages. Then she climbs on behind Jim and holds on! We look great on the scooter – check out the photo! However, we can’t hold a candle to the stately matrons with their white hair and long flowered dresses whom you see motoring along in a very dignified fashion. After we rented our scooter, we went as was proper to the police station to get a $2.50 license good for 10 years. But when we got to the police station, there were no police. A couple of fellows who appeared to be working on repairs caused by the cyclone 10 months ago (or at least studying the damage) told us "The police are not here. They are at the election. No police services today. Do you want a license?" When we confirmed that that was the purpose of our visit, they said "Oh no - don't worry - just drive. It doesn't matter." And if the police were at the election they weren't patrolling the roads, right? At one beach we stopped at that
afternoon, we parked the scooter in the shade of a tree, since the seat was already almost too hot to sit on. Some ladies sitting nearby told us "No, no, don't park under a coconut tree." so Jim obediently moved the bike to a different spot. Next morning we were drinking tea on our veranda, it was perfectly calm without a breath of air, and I heard a rustling noise and before our eyes 2 coconuts loosened, ricocheted down the trunk of the tree with loud crashes, bounced viciously on the ground and rolled about 20 feet before they stopped. It was easy to see what damage they might have done to a scooter - or a pedestrian!
We saw fire dancing at a dance performance one night – in general the warriors at this dance were fiercer and more convincing than those we had seen previously.
The second day we got a water taxi to convey us to one of the ‘motu’ (islands) on the far side of the lagoon out towards the reef. These are uninhabited although there are some structures to provide shade, and a few picnic tables. It was deserted except for us, and
a family group of 9 who were going for a day of swimming and picnic before their oldest girl returns to Auckland to attend the new term of school. The water was very clear, sandy at the edge so it was easy to enter in our fins and snorkel masks, and then before the water was even waist deep the coral began. As always, the fish were fascinating.
There are no dogs here (which makes motor scootering less dangerous than on Rarotonga); there are however a plethora of roosters, who start crowing around sunrise and never again cease until after dark. “Roosters should have an ‘off’ switch” I grumbled this morning to Jim. “They do” he retorted. “It’s called a ‘22.” The owner of our bungalow has a goat and 3 pigs which he feeds on coconuts every morning. I watched with admiration how he whacked the coconuts open with the downstroke of a 3 foot machete and then casually reversed the blade on the upstroke and lowered it to gently scratch piggy’s sides. He is fattening them up for his daughter’s 21st birthday later this month. Each animal is tethered by a rope around one ankle that is
fastened to an old wheel rim weighted down by a large rock. There are a lot of goats here but all are raised for meat, none are milked. Milk is purchased in UHF cartons.
We went to a neighbourhood café, “Koku’s Café” for supper. It was the most charming of home based businesses that we have seen here. The squid rings and fish were good and we tried “island fries” which are made from arrowroot and breadfruit instead of potatoes. Jim liked them; I thought they were…. interesting.
On our final day in Aitutaki we went on a 7 hour boat tour that took in numerous small islands in the lagoon, stopping in different places for snorkelling including a wreck and large cages where the clams are grown. Some of the coral was blue and purple, colors we hadn’t seen before. Our captain described how much more colorful the coral and abundant the fish life had been 40 years ago. He blames run off from the chemicals which used to be used liberally for the production of citrus fruit and bananas for export to NZ. (Those exports have ceased, apparently because the South America can produce and ship
more cheaply.) Apparently the scientific community is unsure, but offers climate change as a possibility.
Jim wanted to have some pictures of him floating that show how unbelievably clear the water is – so I snapped a few! Plus, he really enjoys how much easier it is to float in sea water!
After our tour we showered and changed at our bungalows, headed to the airport and caught a plane back to Rarotonga. Then we had 4 hours to re-pack, check in and catch the midnight flight to Los Angeles, then to Vancouver and finally, Whitehorse.
So here we are – happy to be home again with Rachel and Emily, enjoying the crisp winter air and blue skies and sunshine! Next project – the Quest…..but that’s a different adventure…
Thanks for reading along!
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