Rarotonga, Cook Islands (Somewhere in the South Pacific)

After spending three wonderful days in French Polynesia, our "home away from home" had a day at sea as we sailed west towards the Cook Islands.  Everyone on board ship was excited about our visit to Rarotonga because there was a big uncertainty that we would ever step foot on the island.  The ship has to anchor off the coast and tender the passengers ashore just like we did in Moorea.  Tenders can only be used safely when the water is not rough.  Due to the strong currents and swales, many recent attempts to land at Rarotonga have been unsuccessful.  In fact, several passengers on board have made seven previous visits, but had to leave without setting foot on the island due to the conditions.  Our first attempt on the east side of the island also failed, but Captain Buer took us to the other side where a new jetty has been built.  Everyone was thrilled when he announced that the ship was cleared for us to go ashore.  We spent the early morning hours up on the front of Deck 10 watching the maneuvering.

The Cook Islands are managed by New Zealand and have a population of about 14,000 people with over 9,000 people living on Rarotonga.  It is an English speaking island, thus having a different vibe than the French culture of the French Polynesian islands.  The main industry is tourism.  The largest number of tourists come from New Zealand and Australia.  They drive on the left side of the road just like in England.

Rarotonga is another South Pacific Island of stunning beauty.  Its mountains are smaller than French Polynesia, but still beautiful.  What we really enjoyed during our 3 hour tour of the island was the incredible variety of colorful trees and plants.  Linda and I both fell in love with this pristine, unspoiled island.

Rarotonga is circled with white beaches protected by a reef.  We spent a couple of hours in the afternoon swimming in the clear, warm water and relaxing on chaise lounges under some palm trees on the beach.  The Kiwi owner of a beautiful little resort on the beach invited us to use her chaise lounges.  The name of this resort is the Magic Reef.  We took her business card in case we ever have an opportunity to come back to this magical spot. 

Before heading back to the Sojourn in the late afternoon, we found "Wilson's Beach Bar" where we met several crew members.  We had a couple of "Tui" beers which are brewed in New Zealand.  We remembered the Tui beers from our visit to New Zealand seven years ago.  It was a great way to finish up our visit to Rarotonga.

We will soon pass the International Dateline on our way to Auckland, New Zealand...