Day 7 - Rarotonga and Aitutaki

Today was our last day on Rarotonga. We have an evening flight over to Aitutaki. We went to church at the Takitumu branch. It was kind of scary. We weren't sure what we would find or if church would even be in English. But to our delight, everything was in English (with the occaisional Maori). It's amazing how the church is exactly the same no matter where in the world you are. We were quickly made to be at home with hugs and kisses from all. It is a great branch and though it is small in size, they have an amazing spirit there. It was a lot of fun for both of us. Then we spent the afternoon reading on the beach waiting for our flight to leave. In the evening, we took a quick 50 minute flight to get to Aitutaki. It is north of Rarotonga. It is usually 5 degrees or so warmer here. The airport was this tiny little building but once again we were greeted with a beautiful lei and we were whisked away to our next amazing resort. On the way we passed a group of protestors who were protesting Sunday flights to the island. We stay at the Pacific Resort Aitutaki. It has won many awards and just won the world's best boutique resort. Wow, and we got to stay here. It is beautiful. Definitely what dreams are made of. We had a bungalow right on the beach. We could walk right outside to the lagoon. The lagoon was amazing for snorkeling. And all of this just right outside our door.

Day 6 - Rarotonga

Today is boxing day. Almost everything is closed. But the daily market down by the wharf was open. This is where all of the locals go to get food, frest produce and fruit, crafts, clothing, or whatever is for sale. It's best to be there early before the good stuff is gone. We were there right at 8 am. We bought some pareu's (sarongs), some yummy bbq porkchop dinners for lunch, and some fantastic pineapple scones. It was fun to walk around and see all of the shops. They each had their own little shack. Then we drove to the dental office and peeked in. Today was also spent relaxing in the lagoon and kayaking over to the small islands that we refer to as Gilligan's island.

Day 5 - Rarotonga

Merry Christmas! XMAS traditions include going outside at midnight and driving around the island banging pots and pans (similar to our new year's eve). Then they have a float that drives around during the day and beats the island drums. It was fun to see. Today everything was closed. We spent the day in the lagoon. We waded over to two small islands just out in the lagoon and then we came back. In the afternoon we found our way to what was supposed to be an amazing waterfall. But because of the drought here, it was pretty much all dried up. No running water. But there was an amazing farm near the waterfall that caught Craig's eye. So we stopped and looked at everything on the farm (without being too intrusive). Then it was home to our yummy nutella sandwiches for Christmas dinner. We were able to skype the kids at grandma's house while they were on the phone with Zach. So we did get to say hello to him. It was definitely a different Christmas without the kids.

Day 4 - Rarotonga

Let me just start by saying how I love this weather. It is low 80's everyday, humid, and brief 10-15 minute showers in the afternoon. I love to be warm. This is heaven for me. Today was our big fishing day. We had a guide to take us out for deep sea fishing. We met Brenden at the wharf at 5 AM. We didn't have much luck for quite a while. Then we got a bite and I got to reel it in. It was a tuna (probably 8 or 9 pounds). It's the biggest fish I've ever caught. Then a bit later we got another bite. Craig's turn. He started reeling. Brenden said it was going to be bigger than what I caught. Craig battled and battled. Then Brenden started swearing like crazy and pointing to the water. So I looked in and saw a HUGE blue fish. There was a marlin right behind the boat and Brenden said there must be one on the line. He was so excited and Craig was getting tired. Then all of a sudden it got real easy to reel. Craig was afraid his BIG fish had gotten away. After reeling in the line we could see where the line had been frayed from the marlin gnawing on it to get away. It was gone. No big fish for Craig. No other bites the rest of the morning. Just another day of fishing. We did have fun and no one got sick. Yeah! Then we decided we better go to the marked and get some groceries since the island shuts down for Christmas day, Boxing day (the day after xmas), and then it would be Sunday. Not such a good time to go on vacation there. We bough some chips, bread, nutella, jam, pop, and ice-cream. It came to $38 dollars. The most money I've ever spent on such few groceries. The prices were as follows: chips - $5, bread - $4, nutella - $7, jam - $5, pop - $10 for 2 1.5 liter bottles, and ice cream - $5. But at least we would have Christmas dinner. For christmas eve dinner we went to the restaurant next door (overlooking the beach) and had a fancy, expensive dinner. They thought we were strange we didn't want free bubbles with dinner. The appetizers were gross (mostly fishy things) but dinner was fantastic. I had turkey and Craig had ham. Then we had a yummy plate of goodies for dessert. This is the most expensive dinner we have ever had. Probably the last too. But it was romantic!

Day 3 - Rarotonga

Today we found out that the hot spot for the internet was put on backwards so still no internet for today. (But they should come fix it and knock on our door when it's done). Today we went up in the hills for an island heritage visit. (similar to the polynesian cultural center in Hawaii). We went up to some land that one of the queen's donated to share the island culture with visitors. We had an awesome guide named Donny. (I swear he was LDS even if Craig doesn't think so). He shared stories of wars and traditions with us, showed us around their amazing plantation, and then we enjoyed a "light" lunch of chicken, sandwiches, potato salad, salad, coleslaw, island fries, island spinch in coconut milk, and fruit. We were stuffed. And we had to go back later in the evening for the buffet and dance show. We went back for a quick nap and a swim in the lagoon. Then it was time for a buffet of all their native foods and a fantastic dance show showcasing their history. We had lots of fun.

P.S. At the end of the night, the internet finally worked. Veeeeerrrryyy slooooowww but working.

Day 2 - Rarotonga

Still no internet so today we were off to rent our luxury BMW convertible. Ha-ha-ha. Nothing luxurious about this car. It squeaked everytime you opened the doors, the convertible was taped together with duct tape, while driving it felt like it was going to fall apart (luckily you can only drive 30 mph), and sometimes the key would just spin in the ignition and the car wouldn't start. Yikes. I think we may have had better luck with a scooter instead. So then we headed to the police department so Craig could get a Cook Islands driver's license. Luckily he passed. He almost didn't because I filled out the application wrong. Instead of month day year, they put day, month, and year.
After paying our $20 fee we were on our way. Our next stop was ANZ bank. We proceeded to open a savings account and exchange some money. We want to return ASAP. Then we drove around the island to see what Rarotonga is all about. There are 3 chapels on the island, a massive Hilton Hotel that went under during construction and has been left to rot, beautiful beaches, and lots of lush greenery. That night we decided to go see a movie. The theater is called the cinema 3 because they have 3 movies to show. Each movie is shown every three days. On the day we went, A Christmas Carol was supposed to play at 8pm. So we went back a few hours later and it was a $5 special that night. The owners were afraid no one would come. So they also didn't pop any popcorn. So we had ice-cream cones instead. They love their ice-cream here. So the movie began. Then all of a sudden the movie stopped and the lights came on and everyone but the tourists, left. I thought this is just like the Silsbee theater. It hardly ever works. Then we saw everyone coming back with more goodies to eat and drink. They stop the movie for an intermission for 15 minutes. The movie started again and we enjoyed listening to all of the island kids laugh at what I thought was kind of scary and weird stuff. It was a fun night.

P.S. Still no internet. The girl at reception told Craig that he is on island time now. Relax!!!

Day 1 - Rarotonga

Today we left for our dream vacation for 2. We left the kids in Utah with Craig's parents and headed for the South Pacific. The Cook Islands are amazing. Our first stop is a week on Rarotonga. Today we boarded the largest plane I have ever seen in my life. We began with a 10 hour flight to Rarotonga. We left at 11 pm Sunday night and arrived at 6:15 am Monday morning. We were then greeted with a beautiful lei and whisked away to our island get away. We stayed at Te Vakaroa Villas on Muri Beach. It was a new, very nice, condo-style villa. We were on the ground floor and our villa faced the beautiful views of Muri beach and the lagoon. The time change is only 4 hours behind the central time zone. Amazing. We were greeted with an amazing platter of yummy island fruits that we would enjoy every morning for breakfast. Today was all about settling in, exploring, and taking a nap. We couldn't get on the internet, because it was broken. (Just our luck)

Interesting observations:
1. Dogs everywhere (on the beach, roads, driveways, yards, etc)
2. Drive on the left side of the road
3. NO shortage of fruit availabe on this island
4. Satelite TV consists of a half dozen channels airing a mix of networks and shows
5. Kia Orana is the "hello" of the cook islands
6. Everyone is soooooo friendly here
7. People drive scooters or small pick up trucks with kids piled in the back.
8. No seat belt laws here
9. Recycling is a must on the island
10. Loved ones are burried in yards of family members
11. Island time is whenever they feel like it!