I sprang out of my Papeete bed at 430am sad and excited about this day. Sad because I would be leaving a Polynesian Paradise and excited because I have heard so many good things about the Island of Rarotonga, the largest and main island of The Cook Islands, another self-governing territory looked after by New Zealand with Ozzie power points and NZD currency.
My landlord Christopher did a great job lining up a taxi to take me to the airport at 515am. Right on time. At the airport I was confronted by yet another “Golfin Luck” drama. My flight was nowhere to be seen on any monitor. The Cook Islands and Rarotonga were also nowhere to be found !!! WTF !!! I checked my ticket a hundred times just in case I got the date wrong but NO – today was the right day. After asking 5 staff where my flight I suddenly realised what going on… I had purchased a ticket with AIR RAROTONGA but it turns out that AIR TAHITI had acquired them and were now flying all their flights !!! I was directed to the Air Tahiti Check In on the domestic side of the terminal where they checked me in and directed me back to the international terminal to go through immigration and board the plane. Why the heck did they not show this on the international departure board ??? It was even confusing to staff with the international departure entry guy refusing to let me in because he thought I was on a domestic flight !!! The other challenge I had was trying to convince immigration that my MacBook was not a bomb !!! Let me explain. I had sticky-taped my largest powerbank to the back of the Mac and the plug into the socket so that my Mac did not power off on my journey to Rarotonga. This post is actually being written on my ATR72 flight to Rarotonga over the Pacific. The battery was working !!! But the immigration people were not. Finally I convinced them that my Mac battery was dead and the only way I could keep my blog going was to keep it powered. You can sit anywhere you want on Air Tahiti – I did not like the sound of that since I would need to be first out the gate and I like boarding last to maximise my time on my Mac. Lucky for all of us that the flight was only 25% full and we all got a window seat. The view of Tahiti and Moorea Islands were great as we took off. In 2hrs and 40min I was descending into Rarotonga…
Welcome to my 9th Visit and Run Territory out of a global total of 71 Territories. This post is Part 1 of Rarotonga since I will return here after 4 days and 3 nights on another tiny atoll called Aitutaki.
Rarotonga Island is small. Only 32km of road all the way around it – just twice the size of Nauru. It is like a mini version of a French Polynesian island with the same jagged ridges and pillars covered in lush green vegetation but not as grand or extensive. I picked up a pre-booked auto 1.4L Toyota Yaris from Avis at the airport and drove to my “Motor Inn” only 4.4km away. I could not check in, so I headed to the “Capital” or main town of Avarua and walked, photographed and filmed it in just 2hrs. it is organised around the main island circumference coastal road. Many buildings are weatherboard and falling apart but there are new ones arising. There are many cafés and take-ways, which explains why the locals are so big. I also did my shopping for the next 3 days and the first strange thing I noticed was the locals spoke English with a Kiwi accent. There are lots of white New Zealanders retired on the island, which explains the accent. Many of the locals have also spent many years working in NZ and have returned to retire here. The Cook Islands are self-governing but use the resources of the NZ Government to run social services, defence, medical and education. I visited the following places in Avarua: National Museum, Cook Island Museum & Library, Avarua Cook Islands Church & Theological College, BAC Art Gallery, Ministry of Justice, NZ High Commission, Prime Minister's House, St Joseph’s Catholic Cathedral, Harbour, Markets.
I got back to the Motor Inn at 4pm and settled down to my usual cultural treat while finishing posts for Days 13-15 – the last of French Polynesia. The Motor Inn is old and needs a rebuild but at least my room was large like a studio complete with a kitchen. I was opposite the pool and only one cabin away from the aqua blue but roaring Pacific. Dinner was my usual treat of packed hot local dishes from the two main supermarkets but also from mini-supermarkets attached to most of the petrol stations. Braised beef and rice, pork fried rice, curry chicken and rice, beef chop suey, beef salad and chicken salad are to name a few and average $10NZD a pack. I watched a terrific 2017 movie on Netflix starring an aging but still virile Jackie Chan called THE FOREIGNER whilst enjoying velvety rich Café Latte Ice Cream imported from NZ !!!
The next day (30JUN) was Sunday, so I ran my first 10km at 730am (Sunrise) to very cloudy but cool conditions. A good run. By 930am I was dressed in my Church clothes of a short sleeve green strip shirt and my khaki travel shorts. I attended the Cook Islands Christian Church in Matavera because I had run passed it. This is the main religion – a revivalist or “new wave” Christianity. Every man, women and child wore bright floral clothing with most women sporting hats adorned with flowers. The church was packed and consisted of readings, lectures and of course singing. Beautiful singing. Polyphonic and in great harmony. This day brought back memories of Tuvalu and Kiribati and The Solomons – I love the church voices the Pacific Islands. After the service I met the Priest and his family and took plenty of photos of the parishioners which you can see below.
Then it was back to the Inn to change and embark on my round-island tour. I waited a while until the sun appeared and the clouds hugged the interior burnt off. Driving is so easy in Raro – the local abbreviation for Rarotonga. No one drives more than 50-60km/h. On one side you have green blue Pacific and on the other jungle covered ridges and peaks. Towns are more like neighbourhoods or strips of shops. Most houses are weatherboard and painted in bright pastel like Samoa. Raro is VERY religious. At one point I was walking in my speedos to photograph a coastline and a car pulled over and politely asked me to put on a singlet !!! The weather was OK with lots of cloud but dispersed and 50% direct sun. I was happy with the result from a photo/filming perspective. I visited the following places in my first clockwise circumnavigation of Raro: Matavera CICC Church (Attended Mass), Matavera Beach, 7 Canoes Viewpoint, Fishing Jetty (Swam from here), Muri Beach (Swam here), Te Ara Museum, Titikaveka Beach (Swam here), Government House, Aroa Beach, Church of the Latter Day Saints, Chief Tinomana Akiroa Memorial & Arorangi Cook Islands Christian Church (Grave), Black Rock Viewpoint. The highlight of today (30JUN) was the morning Church Service – wait to you hear it in the film. I celebrated my day that evening with plenty of wine and a delicious local coconut chicken curry in front of another bonanza Netflix movie called INFINITE STORM starring an aged Naomi Watts…
It poured overnight. The whole night until after dawn when I awoke at 830am on Mon 1JUL. My first sleep-in in a long time. Given the cloudy and windy conditions I would delay my 2km swim until the afternoon when the tide came in again and my crossed fingers fixed up the weather. Instead I spent the morning driving around town to secure a scooter for my return to Rarotonga on 5JUL after I spend the next 3 nights on Aitutaki, a tiny spec of an island and atoll 264km north of Rarotonga. Lucky for me you can fly there but in a small prop aeroplane. I could not believe it. Because the island is governed by NZ law you need a separate “motorcycle” license to drive a scooter with a motor over 50cc – Rarotonga only carries 125cc and up !!! How dumb. But like everything there is a loophole – you can get a temporary license by sitting a written test at the local police station. The lovely local lady Rebecca at the Avis office saved me. I told her I was going to Aitutaki tomorrow and she said: “Get your motorcycle license in Aitutaki police station because it takes 5min and $4.50NZD versus 2hrs and $40NZD here in Avarua because the queue here is a mile long !!! I have always said this. Find the right person (often by pure luck) and you will get all the good tips you need. Solved. I would get my license tomorrow in Aitutaki and use it there and back here in Rarotonga to hire a motor scooter.
I returned to “The Inn” around noon and paid bills and reviewed charity documents until 3pm when I left for my swim. My crossed fingers had worked. Despite the cloud, the wind had disappeared and the tide was good. After checking currents and human-biting sea life with a local fisherman who gave me the all clear, I entered the lagoon at Muri and swam my 2km under excellent conditions and a fast time of 44min. I was thrilled to have a run and swim under my cozzies (not belt) in my debut in Rarotonga. I would do the same in Aitutaki. The evening was very relaxing with seafood and another Netflix film whose name escapes me for now…
ABOUT THE COOK ISLANDS:
The Cook Islands were first occupied by Polynesians who travelled from Tahiti around 1000AD on outrigger canoes. The first European to set eyes on Rarotonga was Captain James Cook in 1777 who did not step on any Cook Island named after him – go figure. The Polynesians on Cook Islands are of Maori descent, the same as in New Zealand. They in fact look and sound the same with the same traditions such as the Huka War Cry and the Hungi in-earth oven. The Maori Polynesian ethnic group dominates with 78% of the population. There are total of 15 islands totalling just 237 square kilometres (1.9% of Greater Sydney) but spread out over 1,960,027 square kilometres of Pacific (29 Tasmanias) !!! The coastlines of all 15 islands total only 236km. The total population of all 15 islands is only 17,044 with the majority (14,813) living on the largest island of Rarotonga. Almost everyone here is Christian with the so-called Cook Islands Christian Church dominating with 49% of the population. There are also Catholics, Presbyterians, Seventh Day Adventists and even Jehovah’s Witnesses. 86% of the population speaks English ahead of 76% who also speak Polynesian. The Gross Domestic Product of the Cook Islands in 2023 was $NZD432m and the Top 3 Exports are: Tourism, Pearls and Fruit. The Cook Islands are the number 2 producer of Black Pearls in the world after Tahiti.
INTERESTING FACTS ABOUT THE COOK ISLANDS:
1. Local Government does not permit any buildings taller than the average coconut tree height.
2. Locals do not buy land or have a title deed – they inherit land (and home) from the parents who are often buried on the property. Foreigners cannot buy land or homes – they must lease from locals. How’s that as a solution to the housing crisis in first world nations !!!
3. Locals MUST smile in their photo on their drivers license.
4. Fast food chains are not allowed on any island.
5. Cook Islanders have only New Zealand Passports.
6. The local $2NZD coin is TRIANGULAR in shape whilst the $1NZD coin is MULTI-PEDAL in shape.
7. There are no traffic lights anywhere in the Cook Islands.
8. There are no poisonous snakes or spiders anywhere in the Cook Islands.
RAROTONGA FACTS:
Area: 67sqkm or 0.5% of Greater Sydney
Dimensions: 11km by 6km
Coastline: 68km
Population: 14,813
Highest Peak: 652m
It is my pleasure to introduce you to The Cook Islands and the wonders of Rarotonga…
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