Makayla Palms Titikaveka

... We hired bikes and cycled round the island, exploring many beaches, and a waterfall. A great way to get around on the one road that hugs the coastline – but not so good for our backsides. We could hardly walk by the end of the day!



Kayaking



The best way to explore the lagoon in its full glory was by kayak. We kayaked around ...

... so the kids can feed them bread, which is quite a sight when there are schools of them all fighting for the bread.

As I've said, the island is the main one, but it is still only 32k in circumference - one hour on the bus. We have travelled all around the island and there's not much here - just 7,000 people, coconut trees, mountains and the usual tourist trappings (hotels, car hire, shops, restaurants). The weather has been mixed - sometimes rainy, sometimes ...

... deserted. All that glorious sand to ourselves. I don't know why more people didn't come from other parts of the island. Maybe the hourly buses with invisible stops put them off. Perhaps they were too busy trying to figure out if taxis existed or not. All I know is, they weren't on the beach. And for us, the vagaries of public transport were irrelevant- this was a spot so lovely, we did not want to leave.
Sunday was ...

... to attend a talk hosted by the assistant cruise director entitled 'Travelers Century Club', they have an official list of all the 173 countries in the world. Unfortunately the organization for these get togethers on this ship tends to be lacking, with the result that the person who had originally suggested the topic did not attend the meeting and those that did had little or no knowledge of what it is all about. The cruise ...

... playing percussion against the bouldered shoreline, I was thinking about all of the things on my list to talk to you about. Needless to say, the list has become outrageously long and I'm not wanting to spend an overnight shift at the internet center. So I encapsulated some of my thoughts into a section entitled "RESPONSIBILITIES AND DUTIES OF A COOK ISLANDS VOLUNTEER NAMED Q:" 1) Rescuing baby myna birds who fall from drain spouts 2) Creating logical order in ...

... it was the three guys on the starboard side who were getting pelted by salt water. But as we rounded the northwest edge of Rarotonga, we poor peeps sitting on the port side suddenly were subjected to something like a white squall. It started out with slaps of water against the side of my head. My head seemed to be shielding the two beside me from getting hit, so I ducked in. As I did, a GIANT TIDAL WAVE came out of nowhere, flew across my lap, gushed ...

... se couche ! Wow !!!!! pendant ces deux journees nous avons continuer notre visite de l'ile, fait du shopping en ville (nous attendions l'autobus et une dame et sa fille se sont arretees pour nous faire un lift !!!!), pris du soleil... Nous avons beaucoup aime notre periple aux Iles Cook. Ce sont des iles magnifiques, tres peu exploites. L'endroit ideal pour ceux qui aiment le soleil sans les foules des tous compris du sud, la nature a l'etat pur, etre proche des habitants et pour ceux ...

... s show was a comedy/musical act by Dave Burke, a 70+year old Yorkshire man now resident in Australia. He was good. He gave us a really good laugh and also treated us to some singing, and clarinet and tin whistle playing. The shows are still proving to be really worthwhile entertainment. Monday 21st A day at sea today with a warm, sunny, 26 degree, humid outdoor climate. Indoors seems to be kept an even temperature, which is quite comfortable for t-shirts and shorts. The sea was a ...

... zeven uit bed gesleept en om half acht stond ik netjes te wachten op de bus. Maar wie stopte er? De politie.. ohoh... ik sta gewoon netjes op de bus te wachten! Waar ik heen wilde? De markt, ik wacht op de bus. Stap maar in. En zo kreeg ik een lift van de 'Rarotonguan Police', erg aardig en ook erg bijzonder, zo begreep ik later van de eigenaars van het hostel. Op de markt wat verse groente gehaald, een boek met mythes over de atollen en een zwart masker (zonder een ...

... van mezelf!
Daarna zijn we nog wezen snorkelen bij het lagune-gedeelte van de kweekboerderij. Enorme oesters, van wel meer dan een meter doorsnee!
En eindelijk was het dan tijd voor onze barbecue. Net als bij de Island Night, was ook hier het eten weer onwijs lekker. Onze tafel en stoelen waren in het water gezet, zodat de vissen om je heen bleven zwemmen tijdens de maaltijd. Daarna nog wat muziek, zon, een kleine wandeling. Op de ...