An Audience with the Queen

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One of life's special travel moments has resulted in the title of this blog, and rest assured more details of my brush with royalty will be revealed later in the journal. Here I am in the Cook Islands, made up of 15 islands spread over vast distances in the Pacific Ocean, and it's a privilege to visit this paradise for the first time. The influence of the islands has been crucial to the spread of Polynesian culture throughout the Pacific. Arguably the first landing in modern day New Zealand took place in 1350 according to legend, which means Cook Islanders are the forefathers of the Maori people. The local greeting Kia Orana means "May you live long", and in New Zealand it's Kia Ora. Rarotonga is the capital and affectionately referred to by locals as the rock, and the island can be circumnavigated on the ring road in just over an hour. The bus service runs clockwise and anti-clockwise hourly, with many tourists choosing to hitchhike and rely on the assistance of friendly locals. Out of interest I'm informed it's part of local culture to pick up any hitchhikers when it's raining, or offer a lift to people walking along the road.

The journal left off in Honiara, at the conclusion of an unforgettable visit to the Solomon Islands. I boarded a flight back to Brisbane, and then flew on to Auckland. The flights were delayed, and the plane didn't arrive in NZ until 1:30am. There were people laying down at all the available spots within the airport, and I finally managed to stretch out on seats close to the arrivals hall. I woke around 5:00am, surprised to see a large group of people gathered to greet friends and family arriving on the first flights for the day. It was rather embarrassing as I scrambled in a shambolic manner to get myself together, and then scampered off as quickly as possible. The 8:00am flight to Rarotonga is in the air for around 3 hours, crossing the international date line in the process. I was unable to meet up with the airport transfer previously arranged, and made my way in a taxi to Backpackers International. There was a Chinese girl from the flight waiting at the hostel, and before long Jesse arrived. He was surprised to see us, as he'd been waiting at the airport, and even spoke to the Chinese girl. Anyway, we went through check in formalities, and an unforgettable visit to the Cook Islands began to unfold.

I dropped my bags in the room and headed down to the beautiful Aorangi beach for the afternoon, and afterwards captured shots of the stunning pacific island sunset. I came back to the hostel, and Jesse organised for the guests to head out in the van for a cultural show, consisting of fabulous Polynesian dancing and incredible drumming. The Cook Islanders are famed as the best drummers in the world, and beat a variety of wooden drums with stunning speed and intricacy. We enjoyed a great night out at a beautiful beachside resort, and a wonderful introduction to life on the island for just 15 dollars. The next morning I booked a motorbike for a week, at the bargain rate of 15 dollars a day. Once again I had wheels and freedom sorted, and headed to the beach with snorkelling gear from the hostel for a relaxed afternoon in the sun. That evening, which happened to be a friday, a large group from the hostel headed out on a fun pub crawl. There were 15 of us piled in to the van, with music pumping, as we shadowed another bigger party bus to visit 5 gorgeous pubs and clubs until the small hours. For such a tiny place, the Cook Islands really know how to throw a party!

The next morning I woke feeling rather fragile, and couldn't make it to the saturday morning market. I spent a quiet day relaxing by the beach, and exploring the island on my motorbike. Being such a small island you bump in to the same people every day, and it makes for an incredibly social holiday. I enjoyed some rare downtime that evening, as nothing was planned by the hostel. Jesse was doing a great job of involving everyone in daily activities, with a genuine camaraderie developing amongst the guests under his guidance. A lovely group of predominantly young European guests helped make my stay at the backpackers an unforgettable experience.

The next day Jesse arranged a special privilege for me. His Uncle married the Ariki of the Takitumu people of Rarotonga. He's aware I'm a travel blogger, and thought a chance to meet with the Queen for a photo opportunity would be something special. I couldn't agree more, and we presaged the audience with a visit to the cultural museum in the morning. I had an informative conversation with the curator, who explained the incredible seafaring feats of the Polynesians in their Vakas, navigating the high seas and discovering lands to settle as they headed east across the Pacific Ocean, all of this taking place hundreds of years prior to the pioneering European explorers. They used navigation tools from the time, as well as relying on the position of the stars, winds, and tides to keep their bearings. Due to their incredible feats they discovered and settled new lands stretching all the way across the Pacific to Hawaii and Easter Island. It's staggering to note Polynesian culture stretches right across the Pacific, the ancestors of these people even landed in Chile on the coast of South America. They sailed in to the trade winds, so if they missed land or had other problems they could be assured of finding their way back home.

The present day Queen has been the Ariki of her people for 28 years, in part a result of the missionaries insisting on female rulers during the 1800's, due to aggression from the male rulers of the time. I greeted the Ariki formally with respect at the palace, and was surprised when she offered me a seat for a chat, as I believed it would be just a brief photo opportunity. We chatted in a pleasant manner for around 30 minutes, and it was a thrill to pose for a photo with the Takitumu ruler at the end of the meeting. I'm thrilled by the chance to meet this gracious and worldly ruler, and pay thanks to my friend Jesse for providing a unique opportunity to meet with Polynesian royalty. The Ariki is a direct descendent of one the founders of the Maori nation, who sailed from Rarotonga in 1350 on a voyage of discovery. I've thoroughly enjoyed an extraordinary introduction to the Cook Islands so far, basically all of you should be here now!

"There's nothing so kingly as kindness, and nothing so royal as truth." Alice Cary

As I continue my travels, until next time it's signing off for now

Tom

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Comments

[christmas scenes]

palm photo
The photo with palms is really nice! What kind of equipment did you use to take the picture?

[Tom Rooney]

Camera
Thank you. It's a Canon DSLR EOS600