Day 1
It all started on Saturday morning, the 19th of July, as Warwick and Helen Potts tooted cheerfully as they came up the drive to pick me up and take me to lunch in Featherston, the first leg on our trip to Rarotonga. We luncheoned at leisure, then met up with nine other members of the Wairarapa Friendship Force who were joining us on the journey.
The first hop, Wellington to Auckland, was quite straightforward, and then into a minivan to our overnight accommodation at the Heartland Hotel, right next to the airport - which was just as well, as we had a 6.30 am check-in the next morning.
Dinner was at a nearby pub, and I started off as I meant to continue, ordering a lamb shank for dinner. It was a mistake in one sense. It was excellently cooked and set an impossibly high standard that could not be matched on the rest of the journey.
Day 2
5.30 am wakeup calls had us all blearily assembled at the minivan by 6.15 and off to the airport by 6.30. The only check-in incident for me was that my tube of toothpaste and my wee bottle of shampoo were deemed to be dangerous weapons and were confiscated. Off to breakfast, to while away the couple of hours before boarding. We plumped for a place selling plastic airport food and then found an eatery that actually looked interesting. Ah, me. The grass is always greener...
The plane was a huge beast. I was in row J, in a row that was 10 across. And there were no empty seats I think someone worked out that there were 300 passengers! Mind you, winter is the high season in the Cook Islands - and with good reason! We left behind miserable 10-degree temperatures and stepped out into a balmy day in the mid 20s.
The flight took about 4 hours, and we arrived about 6 hours later in the day before (don't ask me about time zones - they are like daylight savings: always confusable), in, as I said, beautifully balmy temperatures and made our way to The Edgewater Resort.
The Edgewater is one of Rarotonga's oldest and largest accommodations. It is probably about mid-range, and in excellent shape for its age. It consists of about half a dozen 'apartment units' and about 50 villas. Six of us shared a villa; it was a comfortable space.
As the name implies, The Edgewater sits right beside the beach, which gives excellent views of the reef and easy access to a very nice beach and shallow lagoon. A further bonus is that, being on the eastern side of the motu, it is beside the migration paths of the whales, from July to September. We saw some quite spectacular soundings - but never, of course, when a camera was to be had.
The particular joy that the Edgewater gave me was that it was very informal. Friendly staff - Cook Island and Fijian - were always ready for a smile and a chat, and the outside/beachfront dining area was patrolled by stray chooks (with chickens at heel), friendly dogs, and a little black cat who faithfully stayed by my chair after I "accidentally" dropped some fish on the ground.
The afternoon was spent in exploring our
surroundings , then dinner at the Edgewater.
Day 3
Day 3 being a Sunday, many of us opted to attend the local Cook Islands Christian church. We were warmly welcomed, along with other visitors - two sets: Papa'a tourists like ourselves, and a visiting group from one of the Outer Islands, who was visiting in anticipation of the upcoming Independence celebrations. The majority of the service was in Cook Island Maori, with English-language hymns and an English-language sermon woven in. This was typical of Cook Islands courtesy. The hymn singing was quite spectacular, with well-polished part singing, made more spectacular by the visiting group displaying its mettle. The church service was followed up with an invitation to morning tea, which was virtually a luncheon in itself.
A note about Cook Islands Christianity: there are many Cook Island churches and Christian schools, and most Cook Islanders would belong to a church denomination. It is no longer as Sabbatarian is it was in the (pre-tourist) 1970s when I first visited, when nothing happened on a Sunday, but it was still noticeably quiet.
A sad little note in one of the museums: when the missionaries (and the whalers) arrived, they had their usual unwitting but terrible effect on the local population. It was reduced by about 80% as western diseases such as measles, influenza, etc took their effect on the previously unexposed population.
On the Sunday afternoon, we took a leisurely minibus tour and followed the coastal road around the island, stopping off as the mood took us.
Day 4
Monday was a day of rest, with not much planned, although the minivan did go into town to cater to various people's shopping needs. We luncheoned at the storied Trader Jack's on the waterfront in town and noticed about 4 big ships awaiting their turn to berth at Rarotonga's single-ship harbour. Nearly everything in Rarotonga, apart from fruit and vegetables, comes in by sea, so there is a heavy dependance on shipping.
Tuesday was a marvellous day. This was the day of the trip over the lagoon in glass-bottomed boats, to see the marine life, including the turtles. I have written of this elsewhere, suffice to say that it was most rewarding. After cruising over the lagoon and stopping so that people could snorkle in the water, our boats drew up at a motu in Muri lagoon, where we disembarked and were educated/entertained as a we had a kai-kai style lunch, followed by a bit more exploring, then back into the boat and, this time, following turtles as they gently glided through the water. Alas, my photography skills were not up to capturing turtles.
That evening, we visited the Muri night market. It was slightly disappointing - mostly food stalls, but I did have a lovely encounter with a lady selling turtle pendants. I bought some for the grandchildren and was given one so that I would be able to hear the turtles. Again, such lovely spontaneous generosity.
Day 6
Wednesday was a 'do your own thing' day, so I had the bright idea of hiring a bicycle and touring around the inland road. The bike hire shop only had e-bikes, so I sneered lightly but hired one and was very glad that I had. It was quite a long trip around the island, with quite a few ups and downs. The inland was a lot less busy than the coast, with many gardens, taro plots, orchards and quiet green patches.
Partway along, I stopped at Rima's Kai Inn, which I had first visited in 1975 and then revisited in 2019 with Jane. Amazingly, the young woman remembered our last visit, and we had a lovely chat about bygone times.
I got back to the bike hire shop about mid-afternoon and found that a bike-lock chain that the hire-centre had given me had rattled off the carrier. I had a fair idea where it might have come off, so I volunteered to retrace and have a look. Not one of my better ideas. Halfway along, the battery of the e-bike ran out, and I found that it was a surprisingly heavy bike to pedal all the way back. I think I worked off several breakfasts.
Day 7
A group of us decided to visit a nearby aquarium/marine museum. Although quite a modest place, it held some spectacular displays, including the gruesome stonefish.
The curator pointed out what looked just like a piece of coral sitting on the aquarium floor. She dropped a small fish into the tank. The fish fluttered about over the coral, then - SNAP! The fish was gone. The stonefish has spines on its back that are deadly poisonous, and you can see why people are advised to wear reef shoes, so as not to step on one of these beasties.
They also had coconut crabs, which have claws big and strong enough to crush coconuts. They only come out at night, and people are warned not to sleep under coconut palms: they might get hit by a falling coconut, or they might be attacked by mistake by a coconut crab.
On the evening of Day 7, we went to an Island night at Te Vara Nui - marvellous stage show, lovely food - and I was ready for bed.
Friday was another highlight of the trip for me, as we were taken on a safari tour of the inner island - a water intake, the old marae, that are still used for ceremonial occasions (even though they have lost any religious significance, they are still respected) and up into the caldera of the volcano that is the island of Rarotonga. We had a pair of very able guides who shared their knowledge of old and new Rarotonga. I think everyone who went on that safari learned something new.
Saturday was an eventful day. It was our last day on Rarotonga, so, in the morning, we packed up and checked out, and then some of us went off to the Saturday Market at Avarua - just window shopping, of course. This is a weekly event and is always wonderfully busy. Have a look.
Being a bit thirsty, I bought a nu (drinking coconut). It certainly was most refreshing.
And then, off to the airport, onto the plane, and farewell to Rarotonga - until next time!An uneventful flight to Auckland; a minor panic at Auckland Airport - until I found I was waiting at the wrong baggage carrell - and then on to Welly, where we arrived late in the evening, with a final drive over the hill (again, my thanks to Warwick and Helen), to arrive at 11.30 pm, to be greeted by one happy cat.
And so to bed.
