Safely in Rarotonga

Kia Orana!

In less than 24 hours I’ve had my feet in the Pacific twice. Yesterday, I dipped my toes in the water and looked west from Hermosa Beach, CA, and today I look east towards all I left behind. Modern transportation really is quite astonishing.

I made it safely to the Cook Islands this morning sometime around 9:00am (local time in Rarotonga). I have absolutely no idea what time it is right now because: a) I’ve crossed about 3 or 4 times zones and, b) I took my watch off so I wouldn’t ruin it in the water. Who cares anyways – I’m on Island Time now.

The 9.5-hour flight from LAX to Rarotonga was really comfortable. I ended up with a row of seats to myself, so I stretched out and slept until we prepared for landing in Papeete, Tahiti. We refueled and stretched in Papeete, and let some people off to make room for more. It was raining but the aerial view was spectacular. I tried to buy something at Duty Free, but my credit card wouldn’t work – very scary (it works in the Cooks). A bottle of water cost me $6NZD (approx. $4-4.5CDN), which is fairly expensive.

The next leg of the trip was short – 2 hours between Papeete and Rarotonga. Similar weather so far, kind of on-and-off rain but it’s still extremely warm. The humidity is a treat for this Alberta girl. I got off the plane and was taken aback by the betwitching beauty of this island – lush tropical rainforest and craggy mountains (they’re no Rockies, but they’re bigger than I expected) on one side, and a clear, turquoise lagoon on the other – and bone-white sand!. Absolutely breathtaking, even under the overcast sky. A brief patch of blue sky made the water even brighter and more inviting. A swim is on the agenda for this afternoon.

I’ve stopped to write part of this entry by hand at a local café/deli, just around the corner from the road to Vara’s Beach House where I am staying. I’m enjoying a huge couscous salad with lots of vegetables and spices. Also, it appears as if Cook Islanders can make a very good latte! A couple of fellow travelers from the van ride from Avarua airport joined me and we witnessed a bit of a fender bender between a tourist and a local. It was shocking of course, but also kind of eerie because I had just been thinking about how strange it is seeing people drive on the opposite side of the road. Glad that no one was hurt, and also glad that it wasn’t me.

I’m considering renting a scooter once I get to my next hostel, and hopefully the rain stops by then. Scooters dominate this island, and it seems as though everyone has one – from thirteen-year-olds to ninety-year old men and women. They look like a lot of fun, and they can be rented for about $13/day. The main island road circles the island and is approximately 22km.

At the airport I met up with a bunch of people who are also staying at Vara’s – they are from all over: Holland, Switzerland, Australia, England. So far I am the only Canadian. I’m heading to an Island Night tonight with the two girls from London and the guy in the room next to mine (from England/Texas/Australia – very interesting!). I’m probably going to need a nap very soon.

Anyway, I’ve paid for some internet minutes, but I’m writing this on my MacBook and going to try to transfer the file via USB. If it works, I’ll post more updates soon (including some of my handwritten journals from Los Angeles). Thank you, Mikey, for suggesting the photo uploader thingy (I’m sure that is its technical name) -- because of it I can share some of these picture with all of you.

Meitaki ma’ata for reading…

L.