Our stay in the Cook Islands was split into two – a full week on the main island of Rarotonga, followed by five nights in Aitutaki, a smaller ‘almost atoll’ 225km to the north.

The fishpond by the restaurant

Our days on the island fell easily into a routine. The morning began with an Island breakfast of fresh fruits and cereals in their restaurant overlooking the fish pond. Voraciously hungry, the water would froth with seething bodies, as if the long dormant volcanoes were erupting deep under the water as the fish struggled to snatch up any food dropped in. After breakfast we would cool off with a snorkel in the lagoon, before retreating back to the comfort of air conditioning in the middle of the day. The best snorkeling was found a short kayak trip away on the other side of a small motu, where the coral was undisturbed by casual swimmers, and the fish teemed around you.

There were many activities offered by the resort, ranging from a tour of the lagoon on a glass bottomed boat, to ukulele lessons and coconut gathering, to the traditional ‘Island nights’ held over dinner twice a week. Every school in Rarotonga must teach traditional island dance, (the equivalent of our kapa haka groups here in New Zealand), and the native tongue Cook Island Maori. These groups gain practice and fund raise by performing for the thousands of tourists that flock to the islands.

Some younger girls performing to Pate, traditional island drums.

Ranging further afield, we felt we couldn’t be living on such a small island and not walk across it. Rarotonga has a circumference of 30km, and a diameter or around 10km. The interior is rippled mass of volcanic peaks, covered in lush tropical forests. The most surprising thing is the lack of bird life. Apparently, on acquiring guns from Europeans, the natives used the indigenous avians as target practice, until the populations died out. Our trek took us up steep tracks, through, around and over the forestation, until we came out near a massive stone column, reaching up to the sky. Worshiped in pre-missionary days as one of the island’s gods, this idol is hidden from the skyline on the coast, gradually giving you a sense of scale as you draw closer.

Our destination, the stone idol.

The view to the Northeast from the stone idol, out over the highest peak on the island.

The walk ended on the south coast, coming out by a large waterfall. On the way down, one of the islands many thunderstorms had opened on us, drenching us in mere seconds. Even though it had passed, the humidity levels were up, and it was nice to fall into the swimming hole of fresh water to freshen up. (And for once, being fresh water from rainfall and springs, the water was actually cold!)

Cycling home again

On Saturday, Rarotonga holds their weekly market just outside the main town of Avarua. Almost exactly on the other side of the island to us, we hired some bikes and cycled around the island. The ring road is flat, with only a few natural rises and falls, but the heat takes its toll, and cycling 15km felt more like 150. The market offered a nice selection of island crafts, as well as fresh produce, and I picked up an eight string ukulele, a solid block of hardwood with lovely carvings, as a souvenir.