Maiana Guesthouse And Beach Bungalows Titikaveka

... but always pretty windy. That said, we have really taken the time to chill out and any bad weather hasn't really mattered.

The kids have a new found love of hermit crabs, fostered by the crab racing evenings. If you have ever seen the Guiness advert with crab racing you'll know what I mean - big ones with numbers on their shells. Last night we went out and caught a dozen big ones, but most had escaped by morning (Jacob was up at 7am checking on his collection ...

... were followed by dancing. The local dances were more energetic than their Fijian and Tongan counterparts, the costumes more dramatic (and sexier!). It was a lot of fun, and the girls from the local school charmed everyone when they came to dance- particularly two little ones with big smiles who looked no more than five, but had every move down pat. Then came audience participation... I studiously kept my head down, I ...

... operas - this was of little or no interest to the Brits aboard. Nick and I spent time either in the gym or catching up on emails and household chores. After lunch we headed up to the Spa deck for a bit of R&R where the temperature had changed dramatically since leaving Rarotonga as there was now a cool breeze - something which we had not experienced in days. Unfortunately because of the change in the temperature and because it ...

Sunday 8th February - Day 26 - At Sea Until now we had enjoyed some excellent weather, today however the calm tranquil almost oily looking sea which we had experienced yesterday had disappeared and instead we were encountering some rather fierce, angry and threatening looking seas with some heavy rain. On rising and drawing the curtains in our state room we were greeted with the site of a ...

... partners came to the Kii Kii Motel to give us a talk and welcome us to the country and thank us for our service. One of the community partners was a rugged gal who I will call "Gloria" to protect her identity. Gloria was a little rough around the edges, and after the dinner, she engaged several people in animated discussion about the Takitumu Conservation Area that she manages. She was certainly excited about conservation. The following night, my roommate Stephanie and ...

... to slow down. I spent a full hour beside the pool listening to the palm trees and the breeze and the birds and the goats down the road. I hear every large and small sound. I noticed the way the trunks of the palm trees were banded in beautiful symmetry and the way they creaked like giant oaks. I heard voices playing across the field. Overhead, I saw how the fanned palm fronds met each other like massive hands, pulled away from each other, and met again with a ...

... local people are very friendly. They have retained a lot of their native culture, which is Maori. Unlike Hawaii, you'll often hear them speaking in their native language. When they do speak, they are very soft spoken. I am amused when we talk to a guy that looks like he can turn a person into a pretzel with his bare hands,but has the most gentile and refined New Zealand accent. Amy and I were lucky to be here during the ...

... a pleasant hour or two lounging by the pool trying unsuccessfully to read and not doze off. In the afternoon we enjoyed an amusing movie- 'License to Wed' starring Robyn Williams. The show tonight called 'Save the last dance' was the first production by the Princess entertainers. What an energetic bunch of young people they are, and how polished a performance of song and dance they entertained us with. The only problem we have with these shows is that the theatre holds about 600 ...

... voortdurend goot, besloot ik me bij hun te voegen. 's Avonds na de laatste zonsondergang werd ik door Carina naar het vliegveld gebracht: mijn vliegreis van bijna 20 uur terug naar huis kon beginnen.

O ja, nog even over die bloemen: rechts op Rarotonga, links op Aitutaki, maar soms ook andersom. Oftewel: ik kwam er niet uit en uiteindelijk werd mij verteld dat mannen gewoon brutaal genoeg moesten zijn om het je te vragen; dat moesten ze maar voor je over hebben.

... koekje. En jawel: hier stonden de zangers met mandolines wel op het vliegveld! Had ik toch eindelijk mijn 'CI welcome'...

De eerste dag heb ik hier dan ook niet veel gedaan. Ja, genoten van de gastvrijheid van mister and misses Tom
(Maraiti, maar die naam vergat ik telkens) en van het prachtige uitzicht vanuit het Amuri Guesthouse. Van haar leerde ik dat de gekko's (mokku's in het CI Maori) heel erg fijne beestjes zijn, die alle ...