Black Rock Villas Rarotonga

... to Aitutaki; Teu - the housekeeper at Inano; our bungalow at Inano; the swimming hole at Inano; Aitutaki - every single thing about it; meeting our Danish friends; both lagoon cruises; hiring a scooter; walking up the lagoon; the weather; the amazing colours; Koru Cafe; amazing Aitutaki night skies; Island Show at Samade.<br><br>Disappointments - Air NZ computer meltdown; the Pole House at Muri beach Cottages - too small ...

... were a lot of fish and there was at least a bit of colourful coral. Thailand was next. Again, a lot of fish and the water was bath tub warm. Sadly Phi Phi&#8217;s reefs had been devastated by the tsunami so the coral was on the whole, shattered and lifeless. <br><br>Raro comes a distant last. If Fruits is the best snorkeling there is here then the rest must be terrible. We saw hardly any live coral. There were fish ...

... coordinator took us to Palace Take Aways! It's a great little burger stall that's open 24/7 which is EXTREMELY rare in Raro! The burgers were so good and we frequented this little stand during our week. <br><br>We woke up early on Saturday morning to go to the farmer's market. On our drive there we saw humpback whales!! They come to the subtropics to mate and have their babies before they go back to the Arctic! The market is so alive and full with people! There was ...

... Heights we loved the big deck and at Mutahara it was the design features and amazing furniture.<br><br>3. The Island animals - the cockerels were so loud! And we also loved the pigs and goats.<br><br>4. Sails Restaurant, right on Muri Lagoon was awesome. We had a lovely fish dinner there as well as sampling some of the Island cocktails!<br><br>5. Walk in the forest - on one of the cloudy days we went for a walk up into the hills of Raro. It was very peaceful and we saw some ...

... d write-up of paradise. Therefore, I will stop and let the photos speak 1000 words.<br><br>We had an awesome time and the whole group became firmer friends. The only non-perfect part of the day was the snorkelling which was in strong currents caused by the offshore wind and didn&#8217;t offer anything more spectacular than what we had seen on Rarotonga. After the snorkelling we went to this sandbar that has been named Heaven and it truly was. Many photos were taken of ...

... were the odd ones out until we said we were on our second honeymoon. We soon realised that there is not a lot to do on the Cooks other than sunbathe, snorkel, eat coconuts and get married, which suited us fine after all the sightseeing and moving around in New Zealand. Snorkeling has to be said is absolutely amazing, we have seen so many colourfull fish in all shapes and sizes, its like being in a tropical fish tank. We have spend at ...

... imagine of a local bus. The bus was several years old and was at one time equipped with air conditioning. The time of the air conditioning was gone and now the windows were raised on the bottom or lowered on the top. Earlier I described the road as a narrow country road. As with some old country roads, this road was full of bumps and had a graveled edge between the road and the rain forest, the front yards of homes, or the beach areas. We bumped and shook our way around the ...

... the Muri Beach area (where I stayed previously). During the mornings, I'll be helping with the reading program. And in the afternoon, I get to change into my bikini (modestly covered by a t-shirt and shorts tho') and play water sports with the kids. Holy cripes, could it be more perfect? Thank God there are at least two of us on this team who are able to run and play with the kids without fracturing a hip! :) Until next time, I hope all's well with you at home. love,Q

... BEKIJKEN, VISJES BEKIJKEN EN AF EN TOE OOK OPETEN. WE HEBBEN RONDGEKEKEN OM HIER WAT LANGER TE BLIJVEN EN MISSCHIEN WAT TE WERKEN MAAR ZOALS TE VERWACHTEN WAS, IS HET NIET AL TE EENVOUDIG OM HIER TE MOGEN BLIJVEN. DIT ZOU ONS 500 EURO KOSTEN VOOR EEN VISA EN DAT HEBBEN WE DUS NI MEER. SPIJTIG... WANT ALHOEWEL HET HIER MINDER PARADIJSELIJK IS DAN IN FIJI OF DE GILLI EILANDEN IN INDONESIE, VOELEN WE ONS HIER TOCH MEER THUIS. ENJOY THE PICS!

... be shrinking. Not just us either, it's happening to everyone. Tuesday 22nd Overnight we sailed from Apia to Pago Pago (American Samoa). We were up a bit late to see the extra tricky maneuvers to get to the wharf where the ship dominated the whole town, but still managed a good day exploring the area on foot. We were really fortunate to be here during the South Pacific Arts Festival, which is held every 4 years in different countries, and enjoyed watching performances by groups from ...