Problems in Paradise

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Geo: -21.2318, -159.763

On Monday morning we had a couple of hours with the car we had hired. We drove into Avarua and looked into a couple of the souvenir shops. There was very little there to buy but we did get a couple of wrap-around skirts for the little girls. We then took the car back to the resort. I did stop and take a photo of the very low key Parliament building.

After lunch at the Edgewater we took the bus to the stadium for a meeting for all technical officials. This allowed us to meet our fellow officials and inspect the sites on which we will be operating for the next three days. After an hour or so there we returned to the resort.

The highlight today was the Opening Ceremony of the Championships. This was held at the Edgewater Resort. The 22 teams marched along the waterfront and then were presented as they arrived to the assembled audience. We were invited to join theVIP guests and enjoyed our central view. The speeches were interesting and thankfully short and we had Cook Island music and dance to underline the festivities.Then there was an excellent Buffet dinner to finish the evening on a good note.

This morning was the first day of the competition. I am one of the Chiefs of the Jumps events. The beautiful warm weather of the last couple of days turned on its head today. It was overcast and began to rain early. By the time the afternoon session started the rain was bucketing down and the wind picked up. I ran a Long Jump for Junior women at 1pm and we got very wet. I then had another Long Jump and then was scheduled to run the Senior Men's High Jump at 4pm. This was postponed until 5pm because the rain was pouring down and the wind was strong. However, at 5pm we started the event, even though it was still raining lightly. We completed the event through driving rain but we manged without any major difficulties.

By the end of the day I was saturated, wet through to my underwear. All I wanted was a hot shower and a drink!! So Paradise does have its drawbacks.

We returned to the resort and decided to stay there for dinner. When we went to the casual dining area we were joined by Alan Cherry from New Zealand, an old friend. He told us it was his 75th Birthday so we gladly shared the night with him and celebrated an important milestone!

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