Cook Islands finale

We’ve just returned from our tropical vacation in the Cook Islands. Rarotonga proved to be incredibly laid back. It was a more rustic version of Fiji that slowly grew on us as the days passed. Sadly, the blustery trade winds discouraged a lot of outdoor activity. As a result. we did very little most days beyond reading, eating and drinking cocktails in our comfortably appointed villa.

The wind did calm down on our final day giving us a chance to enjoy the sun and finish our holiday dining under the stars on a hillside outdoor deck at Antipodes.  This venue was a real find. Alongside The Little Polynesian, it was easily the best restaurant we ate at during our entire vacation.

We also took time out to enjoy a few established Rarotongan traditions. This included lunch and cocktails overlooking the ocean at Trader Jack’s, a local institution on the island’s north side. This was then followed by dinner that evening at Tamarind House, a "fine dining" venue by the beach on the island’s north side. 

The cocktails were better at Jack's, while the Ika Mata was excellent at Tamarind House. Ika Mata is a local delicacy consisting of fresh raw fish marinated in coconut milk and served with plenty of finely diced accouterments including cucumber, spring onions, chili, ginger, and fresh herbs.

Then, at the opposite end of the scale, we gave the Muri Night Market a go last Sunday evening. The market is basically a series of food hawker stalls. Garry tracked down a giant plate of BBQ ribs and I enjoyed some amazing BBQ prawns. After dining, we decided to walk 3.6 kms back to our villa.  

This was one of four lengthy post-meal walks we took while on the island. Our other excursions included walking to and from dinner at The Little Polynesian (about 750 metres each way) on our first night, plus a walk along the beach after brunch at LBV Cafe & Bakery on our first day (at least 3.5 kms), and a walk home from Charlie's bar (1.1 kms) after returning from Aitutaki.  We also took the resort's e-bikes for a spin one day and rode to Wigmore's Supermarket to restock our pantry (a very easy 3.5 km ride with turbo battery assistance!).

We did hire a car for our final three days on the island.  This gave us a chance to explore Rarotonga's northern shores and enjoy some of its more far-flung popular tourist venues. Far flung is a relative term as it takes little more than 45 minutes to drive around the island at a posted speed limit of 50km/h. Although, I must admit we didn't really make full use of the vehicle. For example, I'd planned to visit the island's museum, among other things, but we ultimately never made it there.

Before we flew to Rarotonga, sister-in-law Shelley McGregor recommended that we try Island Platters. This local catering company delivered a stunning mixed platter to our villa on Saturday night. The food was sublime, and its initial presentation on two separate platters was an experience all of its own. I’ll let the photo above tell the story.

Finally, we squeezed in a couple of cultural experiences. This included an evening at the Te Vara Nui dance spectacular, a slightly cliché evening of island dancing and music. The show took place on a stage set in the middle of an elongated pond where dancers performed while rafts carrying traditionally dressed warriors glided by.

However, the coolest cultural experience unfolded on our last day. The coconut tree trimmer came by to remove a burgeoning clutter of coconuts from a tree directly outside our villa. It was awesome watching him first shimmy up the truck and then go to work carefully removing coconuts one bunch at a time. Once the tree was bare, his friendly assistant cracked open a few nuts for us to enjoy refreshing glasses of coconut water.

The following morning we departed for the airport shortly after 6:15am. It also happened to be my birthday. The immigration officer at the airport made a note of the date and wished me a happy birthday. Our 7.5-hour Jetstar flight home departed shortly after 9:00 a.m. and passed uneventfully.  However, we crossed the dateline and thus landed at lunchtime the following day.  Without a doubt, it's the shortest birthday I've ever experienced.

Aitutaki

They say Aitutaki is a tropical paradise. Garry and I couldn’t agree more. We’ve just completed a day trip to this remote tropical atoll. I’ve always wanted to visit Aitutaki after seeing stunning images of its iridescent aquamarine lagoon. It’s honestly the kind of stuff Hollywood movies are made from. Hence, it’s no surprise that many popular reality television shows and multiple movies have indeed been filmed here.

Air Rarotonga has been operating day trips to the idyllic Aitutaki atoll for more than a decade. The tour kicks off with an airport transfer at 7:00am, followed by a quick 40-minute flight 260 kms north across the South Pacific. Once on the ground, you’re taken on an hour-long tour of the main island in an open-sided tour truck, before boarding a double-hull catamaran. The remainder of the day is then spent cruising from one palm-clad islet to the next along the eastern rim of Aitutaki’s 50 square kilometre lagoon.

For Garry and I, our day trip began in a less than promising way. We woke to cool, overcast, and windy conditions outside. Not an ideal scenario for spending time on a remote tropical island. However, while the weather looked rather bleak in Rarotonga, the forecast for Aitutaki promised mainly sunny skies. We could only hope!

Our airport transfer pulled up outside the resort right on schedule. However, our flight was running 15 minutes late giving us plenty of time to enjoy the antics of a flock of chickens wandering through the open-air departure hall. I can honestly say Rarotonga is the first, and only, airport I’ve visited that offers a live chicken show.

Our flight landed shortly before 9:00am. As promised, the weather on Aitutaki was almost perfect. Just the odd passing cloud, with shirt sleeve temperatures. Sadly, the trade winds followed us from Rarotonga. Thankfully, our tour guides did a superb job of finding sheltered locations throughout the day so the unrelenting wind never spoilt our experience.

Our flight path into the island was a real highlight. The pilot took us on a circuit around the lagoon’s western flank giving us a spectacular view of the entire island. The lagoon looked simply impeccable from the air. Although, once on the ground, I was surprised to discover just how hilly the main island is. Its maximum elevation, Maunga Pu, is approximately 123 metres high and marks the northernmost point of an undulating ridge traversing two-thirds of the main island.

Our truck tour was fascinating, to say the least. We drove past sandy shoals cratered by land crab burrows, a bustling port undergoing refurbishment, and several picturesque white-clad churches. Our tour occurred coincidentally on the same day the resupply freighter was in town. As a result, we got to see the locals taking the island’s cargo barge out to the ship anchored just beyond the reef.

According to Wikipedia, the first known European contact in Aitutaki was with Captain Bligh and the crew of HMS Bounty. They arrived at the island on 11 April 1789, a week before the infamous mutiny. Today, almost 40,000 people visit the island every year making tourism the largest contributor to the local economy.

Shortly before 10:30am, our tour group boarded a twin-hull catamaran, called Titi Ai Tonga, for a leisurely 5.5 hour tour of the lagoon. We made four stops during day. The first of these took us to Akaiami Motu. In the 1950s this islet’s sheltered western shore was used for a two-hour refueling stop by TEAL (Tasman Empire Airways Limited) flying boats on the famous Coral Route. These operations ceased in 1960. Today, the only remnant of this golden era is a rather degraded purpose-built coral jetty which our catamaran used as a temporary wave break.

While the Coral Route brought Aitutaki global recognition, its seaplane port isn’t the island’s oldest airport. During the Second World War, New Zealand and American forces actually built two airstrips on the main island. They were part of a chain of airfields established to keep supply routes open as the Japanese advanced across the Pacific. As a result, with support from the locals, Cook Island’s first airport was duly completed on 14 November 1942. 

From here it was on to Moturakau, an islet used for filming by numerous reality television shows. Our tour guide shared plenty of quirky anecdotes about these short-term visitors and their fleeting, multimillion-dollar, contribution to Aitutaki’s economy. Although, for me, this motu’s most memorable highlight was its soaring flocks of pure white terns.

We then relocated to a third island to enjoy a popular snorkeling spot. Garry spent 15-20 minutes exploring the coral reef. However, I found the choppy and windy conditions a bit too hair-raising and gave up after 5 minutes.

The remainder of our lagoon tour was spent on the shores of Tapuaetai (One Foot Island), a small islet in the south-east of the lagoon. This Instagram-perfect location is considered the Cook Island’s premier attraction. It offers exceptional views of the lagoon and features frequently in the nation’s tourism advertising. Garry and went swimming in its aquamarine shoals, being careful to avoid an endless cavalcade of sea cucumbers and the occasional zebrafish.

Our day tour ended with a final stop at the Boatshed Bar where we enjoyed a leisurely Mojito in the shade. This cosy venue is located by the beach, a few hundred metres beyond the southern end of the airport runway. Shortly after 5:15pm we boarded our return flight for a bumpy, but otherwise uneventful, trip back to Rarotonga. 

Garry and I decided to finish the day with a local tradition. We asked our airport transfer driver to drop us off at Charlie’s, a popular beachside establishment. This bar, about 1.2kms from our resort, is renowned for its enormous burgers and live music. We ultimately spent a couple of hours here, sheltering from the howling wind, entertained by an island band, a Hulu dancer, and a bucket of cold beers. By the time we’d walked home, I was well and truly ready for bed.

Happy Birthday Beverly

Happy Birthday Beverly. Today my eternally resilient mother celebrated another remarkable milestone. On this day 80 years ago she joined her older brother and sister as the third of four children raised in Christchurch, New Zealand. As her eldest son, I’ll forever grateful for all that she, and my late father, have done for me and my brothers over the years.

It’s wonderful to see Mum reaching her ninth decade. I hope that a few memories of today’s celebrations linger as the family comes together to share its enduring love and affection. Garry and I couldn’t be there today. However, we’ve made arrangements for her sister Pam to fly in from Christchurch to join Mum on this special day.

Pam’s first visit to Mum’s rest home kicked off in a rather curious way yesterday. Mum introduced her to the staff as her mother. I’m not sure Pam was particularly enamoured by the additional decades she’s suddenly gained. It’s funny how birthdays often age you more than you’d like to admit.

The photo below, taken five years ago, will always capture the spirit of our love for you dear Mum. Enjoy your special day!

Motu life

Garry and I are currently enjoying 11 nights in Rarotonga, the largest of the Cook Islands far flung tropical islands. We’ve based ourselves at Motu Beachside Art Villas. This is a collection of comfortably appointed self catering boutique villas set among flawlessly maintained tropical gardens overlooking Titikaveka Beach on the island’s south coast.

The view from our premium oceanfront villa is magical. We’re enjoying an uninterrupted view of the island’s aquamarine lagoon framed by swaying tropical palm trees. We honestly couldn’t chosen a better venue if we’d tried. We’ve already visited a couple of other highly rated resorts for dinner reservations. However, so far, none have proven better than Motu Villas. 

Our overnight flight, courtesy of Jetstar, also proved uneventful. The six hour flight departed an hour behind schedule giving us some much welcome extra dining time in the First Class lounge. Jetstar started flying direct to Rarotonga less than three months ago. It currently flies three times weekly using an Airbus 321neo, the newest aircraft in its fleet. 

At the last minute, we managed to score a couple of exit row seats towards the back of the plane. These ultimately proved the most spacious seats available thanks to an extra wide aisle reserved for a flight attendant’s fold down seat. Garry loved them so much he’d already changed our return flight’s assigned seats before we’d even pushed back from the gate. I managed to get about four hours of light sleep while Garry spent the entire flight watching movies on his iPad.

In fact, the only disappointment so far has been the weather. It’s been predominantly cloudy with a warm, but persistent, easterly trade wind blowing throughout the day. Our taxi driver last night assured us the winds were rather unseasonal. He claimed that the weather had been calm and sunny all last week. Fingers crossed it'll improve for our trip to Aitutaki.

However, despite the wind, we’ve ventured out each day for a leisurely stroll along the beach, and a brief knee-deep paddle in the sea. The sea temperature is said to be a relatively comfortable 24C. At some point, we’ll make an effort to get ourselves truly wet. Oh yes, in case you’re curious, motu means “island” in the local Polynesian language.