Blogs from Rarotonga, Cook Islands, Oceania

Here we are...finally back on the road to places I haven't been for a while, so here is a little blogging! No, they don't have direct flights from Durban to Rarotonga...so yes, we have been on the road and planes for a little while... First came 2 days in Hong Kong to say hi to few friends, and deal with few business issues. Than came nearly a full week in Bangkok for friends, food and a lot of shopping. Next a little stop in Sydney for more friends, more fun...actually....I will do a little blog about Sydney in the coming days. Cook Islands are not an independent country recognized as such by the UN. They are part of the Common Wealth of New Zealand. But this is not New Zealand, there is clearly a different immigration....with ... read more

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 ... read more

Stewdate: 22-07-18 So I finally arrived in Rarotonga (Avarua), the largest of the Cook Islands after a 4 hour flight from Auckland with Air New Zealand, on a warm cloudy afternoon and realised it's still Sunday (the day I departed Adelaide!) after crossing the international dateline! A trip to Hawaii in 2011 was the only other time I had experienced this sensation, and I am still yet to fly right across the Pacific! The 20-minute transfer from Avarua gave me the opportunity to view about half (the eastern side) the island, with tropical forests and cloud-shrouded peaks inland (to the right-side of the road) and coastal views (to the left-side of the road), before arriving for a 3-night stay at the "Pacific Resort Rarotonga" on Muri Beach. Although I was contemplating a retirement decision, I enjoyed ... read more

Saturday morning it was bright and sunny. We all met by the cars at 10am and headed into Avarua for the markets. These are held every Saturday and are a bustling place with plenty of tourists and locals, and a mixture of souvenir and food stalls. As usual the local Cultural Group was putting on a show with young dancers doing the traditional dances to the beat of the drums. We wandered around here for about an hour and a half and then all recovened at Trader Jack’s for lunch. This is an iconic Cook Island restaurant. It overlooks the harbour at Avarua and has been hit by 3 different cyclones since 1986 when it was established. Now they can no longer get it insured so if a cyclone approaches they take out all the glass ... read more

Our last couple of weeks in The Cook Islands was very relaxed. Crazy how we can put in a full day just "chillin out"! I did go on a 4 hour bicycle tour with a local company and guide. The scenery was beautiful as we wound our way through the local villages and tropical forest. Every so often we would stop for a story about the history of the island, the local culture or some interesting information about some of the native plants and trees. We are amazed how most all of the trees around produce fruit that is either eaten or used for medicinal and antiseptic purposes some of which is exported to health food stores around the world. We tasted guava and candle nuts along the way. The Cook Islands was originally inhabited by ... read more