Day 5Day 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.
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.
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...
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.
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!
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