Honeymoon Travel Log - Day 7; Pt. 1

Day 7

Our seventh day in the Cook Islands is a Thursday. This is our big travel day. We booked an all inclusive day trip to the next island north of Rarotonga through Air Rarotonga. The price was a bit steep, but from the pictures we had seen and the descriptions we had heard, it seemed like it would be worth it. Thursday was a very early day for us, we got up at 5:30 am to catch the 7:00 am shuttle to the airport. Once at the airport we got our boarding passes and boarded a 34 passenger Saab 340. After a 45 minute flight, we touched down in Aitutaki and our adventure was under way.

Our tour guide Phil (a very big, jovial Cook Islander) met us at the Aitutaki airport and took a group of ~ 20 of us to a small bus. We loaded up there and we took a half hour ride around the main island while Phil pumped us full of funny stories, local trivia, and island lore. One of the interesting facts that we learned was that the reason that there are no dogs on Aitutaki is that in the 1800's there was a bit of a leprosy problem on the island and it was believed that dogs were what spread it. Since then, no dogs have been allowed on the island.

After our little island driving tour, it was time to load up on the catamaran and start the main leg of our day tour out in the 45 km wide lagoon that composes most of the island. Our boat ride starts out with an overview on lunch, which will include "fresh caught" "fush". Turns out fush means fish, and fresh caught means store bought and wrapped in plastic wrap. In any case, the description was funny and the meal was delicious. First though, we headed out to Tree Island. Phil gave us a Maori name for it, but it was kind of long and hard to remember, so for here it'll just be tree island.

At tree island we got the chance to get out, dip out feet in the water and take a hike around the small motu. Meghann and I found quite a few hermit crabs on our walk around the island. We also found a place to stop to pose for pictures in front of the limestone/reef outcrops that made up most of the island.

We stayed at the island for about 30 minutes, then Phil blew into some sort of shell horn signalling us that it was time to load up and move out to our next destination. We headed out into the blue water and headed for the middle of the lagoon for our first snorkeling stop of the day. The water here was between 3 an 15 feet deep. We set anchor, donned our snorkeling gear, and made our way out to the coral to check out fish and giant clams!

The air temperature was pretty high on Aitutaki (~80) and so was the humidity, so getting into the lagoon was a bit of a chilly shock at first. But eventually we got our gear on and set out to find some fish and a giant clam that we had been told was near the anchorage spot.

More to come in Part two...

Honeymoon Travel Log - Day 6

Day 6

After a big day of activity on Tuesday, we took it easy on Wednesday morning and slept in. Again we ate breakfast at the resort. One of the nice features of the plan our travel agent arranged for us was the meal plans that we got. We ended up with the "Modified American Plan", which basically got us a buffet of fruit in the morning along with cooked entres (bacong, eggs, etc...). After breakfast we hung around the lobby and Meghann hung around the idol of fertility..., Meghann!

The bus from the Cultural Center picked us up at 10:30 am. When we got there they gave us a little rundown on island history, including the political history and how the island gained quasi-independace from New Zealand. The tour consisted of a circut of their complex with a variety of stations explaining different aspects of island culture. First up, fishing. Fishing is a key source of food on the island and the guy here gave us a rundown on how to make nets from hibiscus bark.

Next, and probably most interesting was the coconut station. The guy here deffinitley looked like a warrior. He was also a machine at coconut husking. Basically the way coconut husking works is that you plant a sharp stick in the ground and use it to pry off the outside husk. Then using a stone or stick to strike the ridges of the nut he was able to break the nut in half.

We then endured a nearly 2 hour tirade by one of the island elders on how the culture was being ruined by tourism. Luckily that part ended and we went on to learning some weaving and island dancing and eating a stellar meal of chicken, taro root, papya, and coconut product.

Afterward we went back to the resort, napped, kayaked, and ate the a la carte dinner for the first time. It turned out that the food was stellar, but the service was extremely slow. It took us about two hours to get our three courses, but it was well worth it for the meal. We went to bed early on Wednesday in preparation for an very early start on Thursday for our day trip to Aitutaki.

Honeymoon Travel Log - Day 5

Day 5

Day 5 of the honeymoon is Tuesday and it's time for our first tour! Whenever we go somewhere on vacation we have to go on the cheesy local tours. Tuesday's tour is the Safari. We got off to a bit of a rough start with a mix up on the transfer time at the hotel lobby, so instead of going on the morning tour we ended up going on the afternoon tour. No worries though, the scenery is the same.

The tour started at 2:00 pm, we were picked up by the tour companies brand new landcruiser, which blew black smoke out the back the entire trip. First stop, the beach. We met all of our tour guides and talked a little about tourism on the island. By far the coolest character of the bunch was a guy that called him self Mr. T, that's him on the left.

Next we headed up to the heights above the south side of the island to get an idea of how thick the jungle was, what the coast looked like, and talk a little about the rest of the island. While we took pictures from the heights, the youngest of the three guides played us a little guitar. One of the things that became obvious from this view was the level of agricultural development on the island.

Next, we stopped at the islands only waterfall. It was little more than a trickle, but apparently after a good rain it is a lot more impressive. The bottom of the falls is a good swimming location, but the top is completely off limits. It is one of seven fresh water collection locations for the island. Also when at this stop we learned about the local flora. Apparently the Hibiscus can be used in a variety of ways, including lashing for rafts, plates for food, and due to the low moisture content in the wood it is also and excellent choice for starting fires.

After our lecture it was time to head back up to the heights, this time above Muri Lagoon. The lagoon at Muri Beach was the site of the first landing on the island by white men. The British that first landed there were repelled by the islanders, but later got a foothold over on the other side of the island with a different tribe. That's how Christianity was started on the island. Also, while we were up there we stopped to pose above the motu in the lagoon. Our guides explained the significance of each to us, the one we made absolutely sure to avoid was "divorce" island. Seemed like a bad spot to visit on your honeymoon...

We then continued on around the island and had another stop where Mr. T described pre-Christian island culture and beliefs. We then continued on around to one of the more distinctive physical features on the island, the Needle. There is a cross island hike that goes past the base of the Needle, but according to some other Americans staying at the resort, it was pretty overgrown and the trail was difficult to find.

When we got back to the hotel it was time for yet another buffet dinner and of course another show. This one had a bit of a different theme from the rest though. Tuesday night was fire dancing night. According to the hostess, fire dancing is not a traditional dance in the Cook Islands, instead it has been imported from Samoa. In any case, the food was passable and the show was spectacular. One of the girls even lit her skirt on fire! Luckily no one got hurt, but it was intense. What a great way to mark the mid point in our honeymoon adventure!

Honeymoon Travel Log - Day 4

Day 4

Our 4th day on the island is Monday, this means that the police department is open and it's time to get my Cook Islands "drivers license". We showed up at the station at 10:00 am after breakfast at the resort. Meghann made a good point; she felt the license was primarily a fund raiser for the local government because they would allow you to rent the bike without the license and there didn't appear to be anyone on patrol. We went anyway, if nothing else it made for a good scrapbook item.

The test consisted of Meghann and I waiting around the station for a half hour, me driving the scooter around the block without falling down, and waiting around another 2 hours to get the license laminated. I guess the DMV works at about the same speed no matter where you go. But in any case, the license was acquired.

Monday was pretty rainy so after doing some suovenier shopping in town and making our way over to Muri Beach for lunch, we headed back to the resort to take a nap. When Meghann woke up she wasn't feeling too well. Must have been something lousy in the fish 'n chips. Still, she toughed it out and drove with me out to Sunset Beach to check out a spectacular sunset.

Afterwards we ordered dinner in and watched movies for the rest of the evening in preparation for the start of our slate of tours on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.

Honeymoon Travel Log - Day 3

Day 3

Our third day on the island was Sunday. Few things are open on Sunday as the Christian Church is fairly important in the Cook Islands. Still, we'd seen most of what the resort had to offer and wanted to explore the rest of the island. Luckily the Budget rental agency was open across the road and I was able to get a scooter. In the Cook Islands (and New Zealand, and maybe other areas influenced by the British), it's more proper to say that your are "hiring" a vehicle rather than "renting" a vehicle. Another interesting thing I ran into when hiring the scooter was this, you need a Cook Isands drivers license to drive on the island, but they'll rent you the bike without it, and expect you to drive it to the police station to take the test! The station wasn't open on Sunday, so the guy at budget just told me to go there on Monday...

The scooter was a two seater, so now we were both able to get around the island without having to wait for the bus. Our first stop of the day was about 6 km east of us on the southeast coast of the island at a place called Muri Lagoon. Muri Lagoon is a popular destination for people on the island because of the scenery and the easy fishing. There is little coral in the lagoon, so swimming is pretty safe, and there are four islets (called motu) that people can walk to from the beach.

While at Muri Lagoon we saw some distinctive Rarotongan fauna, the wild dog. I'm not sure what the history behind the wild dogs is, but Meghann read that they are a cross between Labrador and a small dog, like a Dotson. All of the dogs on the island look well fed, and we suspect that they were probably competent fishers like this guy.

We didn't get into the water at Muri, but we did walk the beach and visit a few more tourist shops near the main road. Speaking of the main road, the layout of the roads in Rarotonga is pretty simple. There is one main two lane road that is paved, that circles the entire island. There is a secondary inner road that is parralel to the main road around parts of the island, and is paved in some places, but is hardly more than a single lane.

When we were done at Muri Beach we headed north to finish our circle island tour on the scooter. From the main road we could see the rugged interior of the island. Rarotonga is the only volcanic island in the Cook Islands, and you can tell by the rugged topography in the interior of the island. In that way is looks a lot like some of the Hawaiian islands.

Before we return to the resort, we make sure to get a picture of Meghann's footprint in the sand. The bottom of her sandals left a print that spelled "Just Married". A good way to cap our third day in paradise.

Honeymoon Travel Log - Day 2

Day 2

Our second day on Rarotonga was Saturday, Market Day. The Saturday market is in the main town of Avarua and begins at 6:00 am and lasts until 12:00 pm. The market is a combination of permanent buildings that do business throughout the week and temporary booths set up for locals to sell their artwork, food, and other wears. We did not make it up for the beginning of the market, but we caught the bus at 9:00 am and took the 20 minute ride back to town.

We thought this would be a fun cultural thing to do while on the island as well as a chance to pick up some keepsakes from our honeymoon. One of the things that the Cook Islands are known for is their black pearls. According to some of the local salesfolk, black pearls only come from Tahiti, the Cook Islands, and some freshwater locations in China. This seemed like a natural place to acquire some...

We had already had breakfast before going to the market, but we still found room in our bellies for some icecream and a little fresh coconut juice! After Meghann found a couple of necklaces, some island clothes, and a statue, we wandered back to the bus station and caught the "anti-clockwise" bus back to the hotel. The day was getting pretty warm at this point so we decided to get out into the water and try out snorkeling in the lagoon in front of the resort.

The lagoon at our resort extended about a about a half mile out from the beach. It is also part of a preserve of some kind, so there is no fishing in the lagoon. Since that is the case the fish are not frightened by people and in fact in many cases expect to be fed by them. In any case, we went out snorkeling and quickly learned that it is good to be near the coral to see the fish, but not good to be over the top of the coaral...

After cleaning up, it was time to catch our first sunset. The sunsets at sea are always nice if there are a few clouds in the sky, and Saturday was no exception. After the sun set, we made our way back down the beach for another buffet dinner and more island singing and dancing. This night was probably the best show overall as it had the most dancers, the best music, the best food, and lasted well into the night.

The main course at the dinner included pork, beef, chicken, and fish that had been cooked in an "Umu", or an earthen oven. This is basically like a luau in Hawaii. The food was great though. Besides the regular dancers they also brought in some kids (some of the dancers) to show off their moves as well. Overall a great experience.

Honeymoon Travel Log - Day 1

Day 1

Erin dropped us off at the Airport Bus of Bakersfield at 4:30 pm on 7/5 to start the long journey to Rarotonga and our honeymoon. After a 2 and a half hour bus ride, a 4 hour wait at LAX, and a 9 hour flight across the pacific we finally arrived at the Rarotonga International Airport.

We landed at 6:00 am Cook Islands time (3 hrs behind pacific time). The airport was relatively small, it reminded me a lot of the small terminal in Houghton in that it was small, had one runway, and other than the 767 we flew in on, there wer mostly small planes at the airport. Once we claimed our baggage and cleared customs, we got onto the bus and headed to our hotel/resort.

Little did we know, we had our room reserved for that day, but did not have an early check-in arragnged, so we were told we'd have to wait until 2:00 pm to check in. We arrived at 7:00 am. This was a bit of an inconvienience, but the Rarotongan staff gave us a breakfast voucher so that we could eat and stored our extra baggage, so that left us free to eat, walk the beach and check out the sunrise.

We checked back at the desk at 11:00 am and they had a room ready for us, AND had upgraded us twice to a beachfront room. Good Karma! The first thing we did was to take a shower and a nice long nap. Once we got up we toured around the rest of the resort and went to dinner. We had two options for dinner. There was a three course a la carte option at the bar and grill, or a buffet and theme dinner. Intrigued by what a theme dinner would be we decided to check it out.

It turns out that every night at the resort the theme dinner involved some kind of show and buffet dinner. This night was an island "cabaret" show. Basically men and women dancing with some singing and drum playing. Nice way to cap our first day on the island...