Muri Beach Club Rarotonga

... that runs these tours and he came with us on our bus ride to the next house and sang to us. Mary was our next host who made is wonderful beef and chicken with lots of salads and cooked taro leaves. After this stop we went to Tom's for dessert!

Tuesday was our adventure day. We walked through the bush across the entire island form North to South. At the highest point of our hike we saw the needle which looks like a face from one angle. The view from there was ...

... in sunlight. However, opposite in the midst of the lagoon are several islands which can be reached either by kayak, swimming or walking. The lagoon is very shallow and so to go snorkelling or swimming, you have to wade far out trying to avoid sharp stones and sea cucumbers. Sea cucumbers, a local delicacy that can be eaten raw or cooked, litter the sea floor. If you step on one, it squelches underfoot and secrets it’s intestines. These are the part of the ...

... den ganzen Tag damit verbringen am Strand auf und ab zu wandern und die durch Wellen gestrandete Fische wieder ins Nass zurueckzuwerfen. Dafuer habe ich aber erstmal keine Zeit, weil ich mich hier mit dem oertlichen Reisebuero wegen meiner Trips zu den weiteren Inseln rumschlagen muss...glaubt ja nicht, dass hier mal jemand ans Telefon geht oder gar eine Email beantwortet. Da muss man schon rein in den Bus, in den "Hauptort" fahren und das selber regeln.

... salt for the day journey. The coke provided the proper way to consume the chip. When you are in isolated places like Rarotonga you need to learn to live off what you can find locally. Harriet ignoring my sage advice just had a bottle of water. We had read about the local buses on the island and had decided to take the bus around the entire island. A journey that would last slightly over an hour to completely circumnavigate the entire island and also make all of the stops that one ...

... rains and that's underwater. If you are ever wondering what the diving is like in the cook islands then my advice is just do it!! It doesn't have the coral colours that you could find in the Red Sea or in Thailand, and it doesn't have a huge variety of fish.... but what fish they do have are pretty cool...however, what really makes the Cook Islands good for diving is the visibility..... we have never seen anything like it. 50 metres was probably the worst ...

... went out of there way to make me fell unwelcome, so I left without bothering to write up my dives. I hope the dive shop will be better in Aitutaki. The dives took up the whole morning so Jen had a lay in followed by a trip to town on the bus. She had a great time looking for early Christmas presents. Sorry everyone you are all going to get a coconut ashtray each - only joking!

... to the calmness of the depths. At the bottom of the anchor line, the ocean wasn't sporting its best visibility. So it took me a moment to recognize that I had descended onto a wreck. I recognized it as a small ship that looked like it had been torn apart like a piece of french bread in a giant's hands. There were the familiar grouper in the shadows of the torn metal ledges and schooling yellow snapper. Away from the wreck, the landscape looked like a forest of ...

... more than that - we ended up paying $100 between us - probably enough for a new tyre, but left us with a nasty taste. So we walked back to town and had a drink at a local bar - the local beer, Vailima, is very nice. It was one way of using up what was left of the Tala (local dollars) - that was our excuse anyway. We have noticed a strange phenomena happening on board, and have decided that it is the sea air that is having a disastrous effect on our clothes - they seem to be ...

... at the air port by a guy playing island music on his ukulele as we geared up for pass port control and a lady put a sweet smelling flower necklace round both of our necks. By the time we had checked in, it was into the swing of things, cocktails watching the sun drop below the stunning horizon. The resort we were staying in was unlike most of the places we have stayed in as we have travelled; it's a large holiday type resort, with the usual activities. First night was a ...

... So. Pacific Tropical Deck Party with a big buffet & a champagne waterfall at 11 pm. There is hardly a ripple in the water but the Captain said he will stop the ship for our party. I think that's to prevent MORE slips & falls from these elderly passengers. We are now on a westerly course toward Auckland, New Zealand where we will arrive Feb. 9th. We will cross the International Dateline on Feb. 5th. Kia manuia (May good fortune shine on you). E noho ra (goodbye). Linda