Rarotonga in the Cook Islands

I like the simple life and life doesn't get any simpler than this....

Marilyn and I stopped here for a few days to break up the long flight to New Zealand and onward to Australia. (We were here a few years ago while visiting Tahiti and knew of all the luxuries on this island and couldn't wait to get back and enjoy them again).

I love these kind of places. The locals call it Paradise and (for me) I think it's an accurate statement. You can live off the land here as long as your diet includes fish and coconuts.

All our personal travel was by "bike" here although there are "two" community buses that run the perimeter of the 20 mile circumference of the island. One bus runs "clockwise" and the other runs "counter clockwise". Those that travel from the far side of Rarotonga sometimes use motor scooters or small cars to get to work at the tourist places but it's entirely possible to use a bike for everything.

Marilyn and I rode at least 10 miles, stopped for lunch at a local grocery store, and had a GREAT time taking in the sights here.



The snorkeling is excellent and we enjoyed swimming around a small "Motu" just off the coast a few hundred yards. This place was a LOT different from the snow and ice we left back in West Virginia.



Rarotonga is one of 15 islands in this "chain" and the youngest of them all. The mountains (elevation about 2000 ft) are very "sharp" and "defined" because of the (in geological time) erosion. There is a hiking trail that cuts across the center of the island that can be hiked in a days time. (if you're in good shape).


I love the music here!


You shouldn't miss the "drumming" and "dancing" if you get the chance to experience it.
As a matter of fact...you can hear it here: Radio Cook Islands

I've been listening to it while typing this brief summary of our time there. It's the ONLY radio station in the area, and via Internet streaming, it's passed along to the other islands in this area too.


The local people are true Polynesians....the "finest seafarers in the Pacific". As late as 1995 they built a giant "Vaka" (the Te Au O Te Tonga) and sailed it from Rarotonga to Tahiti and then to Hawaii.