The Cook Islands: Muri Beach

---

I awoke this morning to glorious sunchine so jumped out of bed and foudn that the hostel was all but deserted, all trying to make the most of the sun. I decided to head around to Muri Beach which is supposed to be the best beach area on the Island. The owner of the hostel told me to hitch hike as it was perfectly safe, but I didn't quite have to nerve so got the bus, which was quite and experience itself.

It seems that the standard uniform, whether it be for work or home is the hawaiian shirt with shorts and flip flops, and the bus driver was no exception. There are only two buses on the Islandm one goes clockwise and the other goes anticlockwise! It would have been quicker for me to take the anticlockwise but I took the other to see more of the Island. I imagine that Raratonga is very much as Hawaii also would have been once upon a time. There are only two roads that run parallel to one another, and very few buildings along these roads, even the town is very sparse. All the buildings are single storey and for the most part built out of breeze block and corrugated iron roofs.

I got off the bus and walked across the road to the beach, coming throught the trees was like walking into a dream. The lagoon was turquoise and the beach was white and clean with coconuts scattered across the sand and coconut palms leaning over the beach. there were three tiny Islands just off the shore which looked just as I imagined a desert islands to look! It was truely breathetaking. I spent the afternoon pinching myself inbetween bouts of soaking up the sun and then a bit of snorkelling amongst amazing brightly coloured fish,a s well as huge and some incredibly ugly fish as well!! I stayed there until the clouds started to block the sun in the late afternoon when I started to make my way back.

The sun was out again by the time I got back so I showered and changed and then had a beer sat on the beach and watched the sun go down! It was spectacular,a nd the horizon just seemed to go on forever.

We all sat down int he evening for a BBQ of vodka cocktails, swordfish steaks and sausages. It was sooooo good! We all sat up for ages chatting and playing cards! :o)

---