We spent three weeks on the Cook Islands: altogether 9 days on Rarotonga, 7 on Aitutaki and 5 on Atiu. The Cook Islands were definitely a highlight in our trip and those Pacific Islands that matched our ideas of the South Seas.

The highlights of this trip were definitely:

(x) Riding our scooter around on Atiu on roads surrounded by thick lush primary rainforest and still hearing the waves breaking on the reef. (x) The many attractions on Atiu: to the different caves as well as the eco-tour with “Birdman George”, the historical tour with Papa Paiere or the visit to the coffee plantation with Juergen followed by the visit of the Atelier of Andrea. (x) The Lagoon Cruise in Aitutaki. (x) Riding our scooter on the back road on Rarotonga through the greenest possible vegetation, passing small plantations full of exotic fruits. (x) An evening at a Tumunu on Atiu, enjoying homebrewed beer in a Bush Pub with the locals. (x) Shopping the freshest tropical fruits, all kinds of herbs at Tauono’s Garden on Aitutaki and cooking delicious meals following Sonja’s recipes. (x) Snorkelling in Aitutatki near the old runway.

When thinking back of the Cook Islands, the following will always stay in our mind:

(x) Impressive tropical scenery and Aitutatki’s breathtaking lagoon. (x) Extremely friendly people, especially in Atiu. (x) Travel really off the beaten tracks: we were only 5 tourists on Atiu. (x) Extremely expensive supermarkets with no fresh food except potatoes and onions. (x) Locals waiting for weeks for goods arriving on the monthly cargo boat. (x) English backpackers descending on Rarotonga and doing nothing but hang out at Vara’s. Many of them are on the so popular “One World” Round The World Ticket: London - Bangkok - Sydney - Auckland - Fiji - Rarotonga - Los Angeles - London, all of it English spoken!

Of course, few things we should have done differently:

(x) Spend less time on over-advertised Aitutaki, which really only has a lagoon to offer to tourists. (x) Spend maybe one or two days more on Atiu, it is so pleasant and there is so much to do. (x) Try to see other and more remote islands, but unfortunately Air Rarotonga forces tourist to go through Rarotonga for each island, which makes it tiresome and expensive.

Conclusion?

The Cook Islands are a great destination in the Pacific: they are very scenic, offer the so much longed for South Seas flair and are very different. Budget accommodation is widely available. Hopefully, the outer islands, especially Atiu, get the attention they deserve.

Yes, we all know that the Pacific islands are extremely expensive, not talking about cost for getting there. But the Cook Islands are an interesting option for traveling in this region, not only because of their beauty but also for the fact that you can travel on a reasonable budget and still enjoy yourself!

Of course, you can “honeymoon” there, spending up to 800 Euros per night for an over water bungalow, eat in exclusive restaurants, hire a 4-wheel drive or even charter a plane to remote islands. We met people doing this, but we do not think we enjoyed ourselves less.

In 3 weeks, we spent 1.540 Euros per person. That much? Here is how much we spent for what …

Traveling between the islands is in our opinion a MUST but it is expensive: Rarotonga - Aitutaki - Atiu - Rarotonga cost precisely 300 Euros per person.

Accommodation can be kept at a very reasonable level if you are not looking for the ultimate luxury “South Seas feeling”. We could have kept the budget for a double room at about 32 Euros per night. But since we treated ourselves with a bungalow on the beach and swimming pool in Aitutaki (70 Euros per night), we spent 43 Euros per night for accommodation.

Almost in every budget and midrange accommodation, you have kitchen-use, so the budget for eating & drinking can be kept at a very reasonable level, even if you do not want to eat corned beef or canned raviolis. We spent 350 Euros per person on food, even though we cooked very tasty meals.

Last but not least, we rented a scooter on all three islands, with a total cost including gasoline of 90 Euros per person. We also had many activities like one two tank dive in Rarotonga, two Lagoon Cruises in Aitutaki, many tours in Atiu … That cost 210 Euros per person.

Another important aspect to consider is the major difference in prices between the islands: Atiu is by far the cheapest one and Aitutaki by far the most expensive one. So reducing the time in Aitutaki, where there is anyway little to do and spending more time on Atiu might strongly help to cut costs. That is what we should have done!

So yes, the Cook Islands were an expensive destination in our Round The World, but mainly because we treated ourselves with many little luxuries and spent much time on the more expensive Aitutaki, looking for a “South Seas feeling”. Expenditures could have been cut by at least one third if we were on a budget but still enjoying many activities.

Since we needed to bridge the time between our arrival from Atiu and the departure for Auckland / New Zealand at 03:40 am, we stayed these 15 hours at the “Aquarius”, a brand new accommodation right across from the airport.

They have great rooms with ocean view, modern and perfectly clean dorms and a nice pool, but no beach to speak of, very little shade to hide from the sun and no kitchen-use. The pluses outweighed the minuses in our case because we only needed this place to crash for a few hours.

Once in Rarotonga, we rushed to an Internet café, since we could not find any reasonable connection on Aitutaki and absolutely nothing on Atiu … Yes, we got addicted to the web!

The evening we spent at the well-known Nu Restaurant & Bar across from the Aquarius, enjoying plenty of good food at a reasonable price and few glasses of wine going over our three weeks on the Cook Islands and planning the months to come.

As already mentioned, we stayed at the Are Manuiri Guesthouse, a very good choice. This typical bungalow residence in the center of the village, very comfortable and cheap (33 Euros for a double room), offers a pleasant living room, kitchen-use and three bedrooms. And there are no mosquitoes there, a real pleasure after being under attack in Aitutaki! As everywhere on the Cook Islands roosters compete crowing against each other around 03:00 am, something we could not get used to.

The owners of the house, Juergen und Andrea, a German couple who has lived in Atiu for 26 years, also has a coffee plantation and an Art studio. Of course we toured the plantation where Juergen explained and demonstrated the process of growing and processing Arabica coffee and who their costumers are. It was fascinating to listen to his success story that without any doubt is the result of hard work, determination and wisely cooperating with local people.

Andrea’s studio left Heidi in an emotional uproar, because of the high quality and beauty of the textiles produced by her and two local women. It started in 1986 with a single sewing machine and is today a dynamic three woman team in an 80 square meter studio, gallery and shop. Frankly, we had expected another one of those “artists” who decided to live on an island, but what we saw there was mind-boggling.

The art and craft work combines colorful Polynesian patterns with contemporary design and innovative techniques of sewing and embroidery. They are most famous for their Tivaevae, a kind of patchwork, where unquilted pieces of textiles are applied to larger pieces, often embellished with intricate embroidery. Heidi could not leave without at least purchasing two “souvenirs”.

Weeks before we came to Atiu, we had heard and read about George Mateariki, or “Birdman George”, as he is called on the island. He was put in charge of various bird recovery programs, like the one for the almost extinguished Rarotonga Flycatcher.

Another project he participated in was the reintroduction of the Kura, a brightly colored bird that became extinct on Atiu. Their beauty was also their demise: their brightly red colored feathers were used for the headdresses of the chieftains. Last year 26 of those birds were directly flown in from Rimatara, one of the remote Austral Islands in French Polynesia, where they only survived because the last queen protected the birds with a “Tapu” (taboo).

Luckily, we spotted four of these cute birdies that seem to be happy in their new home, some have even ventured out to nearby islands, 16 kilometers away.

Other birds we saw were the very rare and tiny Rarotongan Flycatcher, the also rare Chattering Kingfisher, and the beautifully speckled Pacific Golden Plover, various Fruits Doves, Pacific Wood Pigeon, Grey Ducks and a few others … It was so exciting waiting in silence, searching the canopy with our binoculars and being rewarded for our patience. Of course, George knew exactly which area or tree was a favorite of his birds.

He also explained the use of various plants like “candlenuts”, which can be used as a candle or “Nui” fruits that smell like old cheese and are used as medicine. We further learned which tree was a native and which was introduced on the island and why.

The Minah bird from India was also a species introduced to fight a bug that was killing the palm trees. They did their job alright, but now, with no natural predator, these cheeky creatures turned into vegetarians, eating fruits and vegetables not meant for them, a real nuisance!

At the end of the afternoon, Birdman George took us to a nice beach where we enjoyed a very pleasant pick nick, with food cooked in an Umu, accompanied by many local fresh fruits. An Umu is a Polynesian specialty: stones are heated by putting them on top of burning wood, then the food is wrapped in banana leaves and left in the pit to be cooked, layers of banana leaves serve as regulators for the heat. This is a special treat that George offers his customers on Sundays.

One morning we spent with Papa Paiere, a retired history teacher and local of Atiu who worked in Rarotonga for many years. After retiring, he returned to Atiu and is now sharing his knowledge with the very few tourists. And this is what we learned…

The first people arrived in Atiu about 700 years ago and settled down near the swamp and the lake where they found water to plant taro. Oh yes, Captain Cook also anchored here in 1777, but as Papa Paiere stressed, did not come on land: he only sent some people ashore with a Tahitian translator to get food for the crew and the animals on board.

The first missionaries arrived around 1820 and made the population move to the center of the island. Why? We can only guess, to facilitate and control church attendance. They established three zones for the 2.000 inhabitants, who were divided into 20 different tribes. These sectors can still be identified today as well as the adherence to certain families. To this day three are Arikis, as the ancient rulers were called in Atiu, who are influential in various affairs. To underline their status nowadays, they still have their own seating area in church for example. Only in the early 20th century was the land surveyed and what used to be common tribal land was assigned to the respective family living on a certain lot.

Since colonial times, different cash crops were introduced in Atiu: coffee, oranges, pineapples, vanilla… Except coffee, none has survived since transport is simply too expensive.

After this extensive trip through hundreds of years of history, we were invited to Papa Paiere’s home where we sampled breadfruit, mango, his own homegrown coffee and coconut juice. Papa Paiere also rents out a few superb, spacious, self-contained bungalows with a porch. We truly loved to listen to his stories and childhood memories, when the only contact with the outer world was the random arrival of a cargo boat.

During this tour we also visited one of the five churches on the island and thus decided to attend mass on Sunday. An unforgettable experience, we did not understand a word of the preaching, all in Maori, but the singing brought you close to tears. Especially the women were dressed to the nine, with elegant attires and amazing hats, most men arrived in a suit, some of those wearing flip flops however.

Before we came to Atiu, we had read about the Tumunu ritual and immediately realized this was something we had to check out! Nowadays, the Tumunu is best described as a community meeting place, mainly for men, where issues are discussed and problems solved. It turned into an unforgettable evening.

Before the early missionaries arrived around 1820, drinking “Kava”, a mud colored liquid made from the root of the kava plant was widely practiced. The missionaries disapproved and outlawed the growing, manufacturing and consumption of Kava. As a consequence, many of the locals met secretly in the bush to make and drink homebrew. In Atiu, the men took their drinking seriously and invented the Tumunu for their “bush beer”.

Nowadays, even though the laws are quite different, these “Tumunu” remain a local tradition. Only men are allowed, even though female tourists are most welcome. We chose to go on the busiest day, Friday night. Together with Thomas, who also stays at the Are Manuiri, we arrived shortly after the “official” opening at 05:00 pm. By then a group of about 20 men was already sitting under a tin roof in a circle enjoying the brew. One “barman” was in the middle handing out the drink in a small conical cup made of half a coconut shell, polished to perfection.

We felt a bit awkward dropping in like this and quietly sat in a corner listening to the men conversing in Maori. Heidi was the only woman and she relaxed a bit when we were given a faded guest book that made it evident that female tourists had attended this ceremony many times. After a while the barman knocked the drinking cup against the bucket that held 20 liter of homebrew. This was the sign for a short prayer and after that we were officially welcome and asked to introduce ourselves.

The cup was being passed around and around and we all soon started to feel the effect of alcohol. Even though the cup contained only a tiny gulp, it took its toll, because the beer was mega strong, we supposed as strong as wine!

As the evening proceeded, the locals grew louder and louder. By then everybody was talking to us. The evening for us ended with a wild photo shooting session: everybody wanted to have their photo taken.

When the three of us exchanged the information we had collected the following day, we discovered that our local drinking buddies are all very important men on the island: the highest commissioner, the school principal, the manager of the telecom and what not …

Legend says that in a battle between two tribes, one succeeded in trapping the other in a narrow spot and killing all the warriors from this tribe and threw their bodies in a cave. So many lives were lost that nobody in those days had a system to count them. So the cave was given the name of a tree with supposedly 500 leaves, the highest number known, hence being called The Cave of 500 Leaves or Rimarau Cave.

There again, the tour started with a short trek through the amazing Makatea. This time, we were more cautious and covered ourselves with insect repellent and actually successfully kept the mosquitoes away.

After passing through the thick jungle, we reached a huge mound of fossilized corals with a giant Banyan tree on top hugging the rock. Even when we had climbed up, we only saw the extremely narrow entrance after the guide pointed it out: it was hidden among the tree’s many airborne roots.

We slid into the cave with a ceiling full of small stalactites, so we carefully watched our heads. Inside the guide pointed his flashlight at a few skulls and bones in various corners which were not spooky at all. The guide explained that the water entering the cave eventually will wash all the bones into the deeper abyss of the cave, hence the little number of bones remaining.

The inside was interesting but the best part of the excursion was the hike to get there and disappearing into this tiny entrance.

Atiu is known for its numerous limestone caves, but this one is probably unique in the world. We expected to walk, crawl through a series of caves until we would eventually see the famous Kopeka birds. Well, we were in for a big surprise!

The caves can only be accessed by crossing into the Makatea: jagged, fossilized corals covered with primary rainforest, a biosphere only found in Atiu and two neighboring islands. This 30 minute walk leading to the cave is an adventure in itself. It passes through dense rainforest intercepted with palm trees of all kinds. While marveling at the spectacular scenery, you have to watch your step, since there is no trail and the ground is made of completely irregular rock formations that can be razor sharp. There, you do not want to slip and fall down! We forgot to apply repellent so the mosquitoes had a feast while we stumbled through this undergrowth of the Makatea…

The entrance of the cave is in a deep pit, so we had to climb down a wobbly ladder and then dove into a small opening. What a surprise that after a few minutes we entered a big opening with lots of stalactites, a kind of dome that opened on one side into the tropical rain forest with the sun sneaking through the thick foliage. The view left us speechless!

As we continued our trek, we slipped through tunnels and passed into two more stunning openings also with the jungle as a dramatic backdrop. At the last one, we settled down and listened to the romantic legend behind the caves.

We then crawled deep into a cavern, the nesting place of the Kopeka bird, a small black and grey bird that makes clicking noises as part of its navigation in the dark. This cave and another one on the island are the only place in the world where these tiny creatures can be found. They never land outside the cave and only venture out to hunt insects before returning to their shelter.

The reward for this difficult walk is a dip in a chilly pool deep down in a cavern. However, when we saw the steep and slippery descent, we decided against the pleasure of cooling off.

After only two days, it came clear to us that Atiu was definitely THE highlight of the three islands we visited within the Cook Islands. It was here that the words “unspoiled nature” and “travel off the beaten tracks” took on a completely new meaning for us.

True, it lacks the awesome sight of a lagoon like in Aitutaki that plays on the mythical “South Seas Feeling”. But all this dwindled into insignificance after riding our scooter on dirt roads, overgrown with weed, surrounded by thick lush primary rainforest and still hearing the waves breaking on the reef. We could sense every second that we were in a very isolated and remote place.

From the dirt road circling the island, small trails lead to spectacular beaches embraced by sharp fossilized cliffs. The shallow stretch separating the nearby reef from the shore is a maze of flat rocks covered by a few inches of water and shallow light blue sandy pools.

And there is sooo much more to see than in Aitutaki or Rarotonga! The Kopeka Cave, the Burial Cave, a historic walk with Papa Paiere, a retired history professor and the incredible nature walk with “Birdman George”. Spending an evening at a Tumunu, a “Bush Pub”, chatting with the locals and a visit to one of the five churches on Sunday is not less exciting. Last but not least, visit a coffee plantation and learn about how to grow, process and market coffee or drop in at “Atiu Fibre Art”, a studio where three ladies produce textiles of a quality that blow your mind.

There were so few tourists here - 7 altogether when we arrived, but only 5 over the week-end - that we were treated with immense curiosity in the village while throngs of small children besieged our front porch on the way back from school. Once two cheeky young boys brought their little pig into our front area, which after they left it tied to a post started digging up the whole area. The squeaking became a nuisance and we very firmly told them to take their piggy somewhere else!

This island is VERY different from Rarotonga and Aitutaki: here, we finally had that feeling of really being on a remote Pacific Island and not just another tourist destination. On a speck of land, 27 square kilometers in size, in the middle of the Pacific with 630 inhabitants, we are among the seven tourists presently on the island! According to our host, more than in the past few months which had been very quiet, with almost no tourists coming to Atiu.

Together with Thomas, a young man from Munich, we shared the pleasant facilities of Are Manuiri, a guesthouse in the center of the main village. We occupied two of the three bedrooms, a communal kitchen and a living room with a porch onto the main road. And we loved it! Within one afternoon, two cars passed and all the children walking home on their way from school dropped by to say hello.

On our first evening in one to the two restaurants on the island, the Terangi-Nui Café and Craft, we had the privilege to witness a very unusual event. In the midst of their children, grandchildren and great grandchildren, a couple was celebrating their 55th wedding anniversary, all adorned in colorful “ei”. We later were told by our hostess that they have 12 (!!!) Children, but most had moved away to New Zealand, as so many islanders do.

All the adults gave speeches after the big meal; the celebrating couple was presented what seemed to be a gift by each speaker, a little “something” in an airmail envelope. Most amazing was the behavior of the 12 children seated on their own table: their manners were impeccable - no shoving, no fighting over this and that.

After the party had left, the owner of the restaurant told us her family story. Her German great-grand father shipwrecked in French Polynesia and stayed after he married a local woman. She proudly showed us a sketch of Henry Wichmann, her grand father. Next year the whole clan, about 600 people, including the branch still living French Polynesia, will met in Rarotonga.

Our trip between the islands of Aitutaki to Atiu was supposed to be swift and relaxing, since we were able to get on the direct flight from Aitutaki to Atiu, which only leaves once a week on Wednesday afternoon.

However, the day of our departure we were woken by Steve, our host, around 08:30 am, who shouted through the screen door of our bungalow that we had to be at the airport in … 15 minutes! Change in plans, schedule whatever: “Hurry up”! We stumbled out of bed, stuffed all our belongings into our backpacks and jumped into Steve’s jeep waiting for us.

At the airport we literally jogged straight from the jeep onto the airfield and climbed into the tiny plane and took off. What destination? Rarotonga!

Our 15 fellow travelers gave us this typical harsh look destined for people who are always late. In the course of all this rushing and running, we learned about the reason why we first had to go back to Rarotonga, the main island, and then fly out to Atiu. The direct flight was cancelled "as usually", we were told afterwards.

Once we caught our breath, we stopped complaining to the other passengers because we arrived in Atiu two hours earlier and saved 110 NZD per person, not paying for the flight to Rarotonga, which other tourists naturally did, who were told the truth right away that they cannot go directly.

After having been on the Cook Islands for more than two weeks, we thought we had to attend one of the typical “Island Nights”. The first one we wanted to go had been cancelled because there were not enough reservations. Our second attempt took us to “Samade on the Beach”, a very nice restaurant right on the lagoon. The buffet was superb, with lots of local traditional dishes. We truly enjoyed it! The dance performance was nice, especially since the dancers seemed to have lots of fun, laughing at the many mistakes they made. Nevertheless, it all seemed a little amateurish.

Once we also went snorkeling, since we had decided against scuba diving. We went to a spot much recommended by locals, near the end of the old runway. That was first class snorkeling: we saw lots of colorful fish, giant bright-blue starfish and miraculously, lots of healthy looking coral. The current was very strong though, but going inland so it was not dangerous.

We also tried to discover the lagoon by kayaking around its shallow waters, but never made it further than the nearest Motu...

To get a view of the entire atoll, it is best to walk, bike or to scooter up to the summit of Mount Maunga Pu, with 147 meters the highest point. From there, one has a 360 degree spectacular view of the entire lagoon.

Another Motu we stopped during the Lagoon Cruise is called Akaiami Island, which has an interesting aviation history. It was part of the line of defense against the Japanese in World War II and from 1951 to 1960, this vast lagoon was the stopover for the Tasman Empire Airways flying boats.

The famous “Coral Route” started in New Zealand with the final destination being Tahiti, with refueling stops on its way in Fiji, Samoa and Aitutaki. At that time it was the only air service available to both the Cook Islands and Tahiti, neither of which had an airport.

These giant four-engine planes were extremely comfortable, with luxurious cabins and gourmet food. There, they would tie up at the jetty, refuel, while the passengers and the crew swam, sunbathed and was served refreshments. Many famous travelers passed through Akaiami in the Aitutaki lagoon, like Marlon Brando and the Crown Prince of Tonga. In its sweet Polynesian way, it was one of the world’s great classical travel experiences - like a journey on the Queen Elisabeth.

A local lady whose family has land on Akaiami remembers those years. Her family would go out in a big canoe and watch the sea plane land. “We seemed so isolated, so remote, yet, for a brief instance Akaiami would be the only place in the Cook Islands where we would be so close to the outside world”.

Aitutaki’s biggest attraction is its lagoon, which we explored by boat, a “Lagoon Cruise”: We started off in torrential rain, but the weather improved soon and we missed none of the amazing views. Our boat passed a string of “Motus”, small uninhabited islets surrounded by turquoise water. On the way we, stopped to snorkel around a small reef that is the natural habitat of the very rare giant clams.

Around noon we arrived on One Foot Island, the most spectacular Motu: a tiny, round island covered with coconut trees and surrounded by a white sandy beach. The sandbar about 100 meters off-shore in this ocean of ever-changing-colors provided the ultimate “South Seas feeling”. Plus, the island is mosquito-free. We simply could not stop repeating how magic that place was!

The stunning beauty of the atoll and its many islands in the lagoon made it the venue for filming 13 serials of the TV reality show Survivor in 2006. The contestants had to survive 30 days on whatever food and water they found on the different islands, the winner pocketing a million USD! During these three months of filming, 280 international crew members and 78 shipping containers descended on this tiny atoll with only 3.000 inhabitants, obviously all with little disruption. The very struggle of the Survival competitors took place on a few remote Motus around the lagoon to secure absolute secrecy.

Another picturesque Motu is Honeymoon Island, where many couples who come to the Cook Islands to get married, plant a palm tree. To enhance the romantic flair, legend says that the growth of that very tree is symbolic for the relationship of the couple who planted it. Needless to say that hardly any of the couples ever return to check on “their” palm tree. On top of that, the islanders take great pleasure in telling anybody who wants to listen that all these palm trees on Honeymoon Island were whipped out in the last cyclone.

The beaches in the Cook Islands make great photo options, white beaches lined with palm trees and turquoise waters, but they are not ideal for beachcombers. The white sand is often mixed with rough pieces of coral and sea shells and only very few beaches are suitable for swimming, because the water is too shallow and often the ocean floor is covered with sea slugs of all sizes.

Soon we developed an understanding of what living on a remote island like Aitutaki involves. Yes, it is peaceful, quiet and scenic, but that can soon turn into boredom.

Fishing, snorkeling, sailing, rowing and participating in the local dance group are popular past time activities for the locals and rugby is a very serious sport here. The local teams practice every evening on a field next to the ocean, probably one of the most scenic rugby fields worldwide.

Friday night, we tried the only two bars down at the harbor, together with Walter and Doris, the German couple we had met. The Blue Nun looks like a shed from the outside, the inside décor is a concrete floor with wooden benches and the blasting music made us shouting at each other. Eventually this became tiring, besides this huge structure remained rather empty, so we tried the Sailing Club across the street. The architecture of this place was even less inspiring: four pillars and roof made of concrete. But the music was quite nice and we sat right on the ocean enjoying the breeze. The few locals there were getting hopelessly drunk and around 11:00 pm, we decided to call it a night, since we doubted that anything exciting was going to happen. We had hoped for a little dancing, but probably during the high season in June and July, there might be more action.

From Steve, our Australian born host, we learned about other bleak sides of living on such a remote island. For instance, people wait for months for items that we are used to buy in a shop around the corner, like a table for the garden, a brush to clean the pool and god forbid, computer equipment.

Although there is a tiny hospital, the doctors are said to be inexperienced, which Steve has every reason to believe! He told us about the circumstances in which his wife, a local of Aitutaki, died six years ago. She had gone into the hospital to get a shot to cure her back pains. After a sudden asthma attack, she received no help and died in the very hospital. We were immensely touched by this tragic story and at the same time became a bit traumatized, especially when riding our scooter, without helmet needless to say: there are none here and there is no law enforcing to wear one.

In the course of the week, we met all of Steve’s family, and two year old Quinton won our hearts. He loves jumping into the pool, paddling with his feet and holding his breath until he is lifted out of the water by his grandfather Steve. Only then he is taking a deep breath, very calmly and proudly looking at everybody to repeat this jumping over and over again.

In general, people seem overly friendly on Aitutaki: they greet you passing by on their scooters, the main mode of getting around, or wherever they meet you. According to Steve, family ties are very close and everybody knows everybody and everybody’s “business”, but this is hardly surprising on an island with no more than 900 inhabitants.

Only being here for a few weeks, the biggest current political controversy did not escape our attention. The government plans to build a sport complex for no less than 7 million NZD or 4 million Euros, to host the Pacific Mini Games 2009, a costly project in a country where police stations on the outer islands do not have computers or Internet. The opposition against this project is strong and heated: spending so much money for a single event is one argument, but more criticism is voiced over the fact that a Chinese company was put in charge to build it and not a local one. Ironically, the same Chinese company that built the police headquarters: an ugly cement block, plagued by water leaks due to the use of inferior material and poor craftsmanship. So why turn to Chinese expertise? Many of the small countries in the Pacific are courted by China and Taiwan, each hoping to get the vote of these tiny countries whether to acknowledge Taiwan as a sovereign state or not. Eventually China has been buying its way into other affairs.

Our enthusiasm for this paradise was a bit dampened when we first set foot in the main store of the village. Except onions and potatoes, there was not fresh food whatsoever: everything is canned, packaged or deep frozen. The shop assistant recommended us another place, where we did find tomatoes and spring onions, but at the check out the kind lady luckily gave us a warning before we paid. Since those precious vegetables are flown in from New Zealand, they are very, very expensive: the tomatoes were 9 Euros per kilograms for instance! So we put most of the veggies back and limited ourselves to four tiny tomatoes and slowly started worrying about what we were going to eat the next seven days.

Rumors said that the following day, the monthly boat bringing stuff from Rarotonga and New Zealand would arrive, with only three weeks delay by the way, and it sure did. We witnessed the emptying of the container right in front of the shop. The newly arrived merchandise was proudly advertised and listed on a board “Just arrived”, but sadly it was mainly clothes and toys. Scouting the store without much success, we ran into a German couple that knew of an Austrian lady who grew lots of goodies in her garden, all organic and fresh.

Immediately we jumped on our scooter and hurried over to Tauono’s Garden and went on a shopping spree: star fruits, passion fruits, cherimoyas, papayas, pineapples, cherry tomatoes, lemon basil, garlic onions, mint, spinach, bread made of taro and coconut cake was carried off in our little scooter! Sonja, the owner, also advised us how to turn these into tasty dishes and we left with a promise to return soon.

And what we experienced was indeed unique! For instance the salad made of spinach, garlic onion, mustard leaves, lemon basil, star fruits and passion fruits with a little lemon and olive oil was a culinary highlight! The fruits as well are so different from what we experience in Europe that we had to return the next morning to Tauono’s Garden and buy another load of vegetables and fruits, filling our small refrigerator to maximum capacity.

After spending a month on islands in the Pacific, we could not avoid coming to the conclusion that a large number of people are overweight, many of them obese. Being such a touchy subject, we never dared to ask anybody, but Sonja, the expert on healthy food, brought up the issue herself. Well, she claims it is a diet of corned beef, taro and coconut that is responsible. We figured that with all this fish, chicken and fruits available on these islands, the eating habits might be different.

Aitutaki is one of the world most beautiful lagoons surrounded by a triangular-shaped reef. Within the lagoon nestle three volcanic and twelve coral islands in the midst of crystal clear turquoise waters.

Air Rarotonga took us in a small 26-seater aircraft to this little paradise in 40 minutes. There, we checked into Ranginui´s Retreat on the northern part of the atoll. This very quiet place with a view of the lagoon has 8 simple but comfortable bungalows on a pleasant beach from where we can actually swim and a nice swimming pool. The owner, Steve, is very helpful and very relaxed, making you feel welcome at your new home. There are also kayaks for guests.

It is also the most expensive place we have stayed during our whole trip, but we wanted to get at last a real “Pacific Island feeling” staying in one of those bungalows at the beach! As it is the low season, it is very quiet, we really feel in a secluded paradise where we can just rest and turn even lazier than on Rarotonga…

Our bungalow on Ootu Beach is opposite a tiny island, which is solely occupied by Aitutaki Lagoon Resort & Spa, a luxury resort with bungalows for 400 to 600 Euros per night. We also heard that the guest have to pay 68 Euros for the use the ferry after 10:00 pm to go the 50 meters across to the island! It seems they want to keep them prisoners there to spend all their money in that place. We can hardly believe we are enjoying the same view and tranquility like these people for so much less: we pay 70 Euros per night. Ironically, for this huge difference in price, we also share the only downside of this heavenly place: mosquitoes are merciless, especially now in the rainy season.

Nevertheless, this seems to be the most peaceful and quiet place on earth! On the first evening we rode our little scooter, it comes with the bungalow, into the main village 9 kilometers down the western coast. We passed individual spacious bungalows often surrounded by meticulously cut lawns which are then are bordered by lush vegetation.

Despite its beauty, living permanently on any of the Cooks Islands seems to less attractive than one might think. What else could be an explanation for the fact that a lot more islanders live in New Zealand and Australia than on the islands themselves?

This has not been a very active week! For the first time, we spent eight nights in the same place, a real luxury. We both needed to rest and recharge our batteries before resuming further serious traveling like crossing New Zealand by car. So we turned very, very lazy and enjoyed doing very, very simple things.

We cooled down regularly in the pool and drove our scooter around a great deal, checking out every corner of the island. In the evening we cooked great meals with fresh local ingredients trying out new recipes: tuna steak in ginger sauce, breast of chicken served with a sauce made from papaya and coconut milk, accompanied by kumara mash, a pure of sweet potatoes ... Our fellow travelers in the communal kitchen of the hostel simply marveled at out culinary caprice, most of them living on pasta, ice-cream or canned food.

There is a back road running parallel to the one circling the island close to the shore and riding along this on our scooters almost daily, we felt as if we were passing through the Garden of Eden: mango groves, banana trees, pineapple fields, big trees full of breadfruits and taro patches, all this intercepted by the omnipresent brightly red-colored hibiscus bushes.

Another great experience was the Saturday morning market with all its local food and artifacts, designers “pareos”, masks and statues carved of wood, pearls of what we thought were of low quality and jewelry designed of shells and pearl mutter.

The market was also the location of unforgettable dance presentations with dancers dressed in costumes all made of local material, like coconut fiber. The dances are often very fast, with those hips flying, but they can also be very slow and sensual. Like on the Easter Island, the male dancers were equally impressive.

Off Muri Beach are a couple of tiny islands and one late afternoon we waded across, carefully avoiding stepping on any of the zillions of gross looking sea slugs in the shallow water, a local specialty by the way. On these small islets, we found lots of small crabs that had occupied small shells, carrying these around on their back and hiding in them whenever necessary.

Kayaking between the shores and the reef was another pleasant activity, with the water being so clear you did not need to snorkel. Even though we went out there in the morning, we had to return to the shore within an hour to get out of the sun.

Although we had considered doing the trek across the Island, we actually did not. Probably, we simply were too lazy to do a 4 to 5 hour long hike, especially in this heat. Another excuse was the price: “Pa”, the only and so famous guide offering this tour, charges no less than 30 Euros per person. Neither did we dare to go on our own, since we heard the route is badly marked and lots of people got lost, wandering around for hours in the heat under mosquito attack./p>

Often in the evening, we watched the islanders working out on the beach. Obviously sport seems to play a very important role in the people’s life here, which made us wonder why so many are overweight.

First thing, we decided to rent a scooter, a very wise decision as it turned out: it gave us a lot of freedom. But in order to rent one, you need a local category A driving license. Since we neither have a motorbike driving license nor a local / New Zealand one, we had to get one at the police department. After 10 minutes and paying 10 N.Z. dollars, Gilles was in possession of a local A & B driving license, with no one asking any questions. What a great souvenir! Then we rented a scooter from Budget, since the scooter for rent at the Vara’s Beachside Resort, are not covered by any insurance whatsoever!

We are on this scooter every day exploring this tiny island and every day we discover something new, although we have passed the place many times before. One thing that nobody can possibly miss is the incredible number of churches, with Seventh Day Adventists being by far the most prominent one. So early and present day missionaries did a hell of a job here! Their influence is most likely responsible for the long list of restrictions regarding the sale of alcohol superseding American bible belts laws. The other striking sight in that category is the many tiny cemeteries that seem to be part of family properties.

Apart from the spiritual well-being, dealing with worldly matters is not less obvious. Ministries are spread out through the village of Avarua, the main settlement on Rarotonga and thus naturally the seat of the government of the Cook Islands. Those ministries are usually low bungalows painted in green or grey. Now to give a more accurate description of Avarua, its main commercial buildings are lined up along the waterfront which can be crossed on foot in 15 minutes and urban it is not.

Residential dwellings are tucked under thick green vegetation. In case we have not mentioned it yet, all shop in Avarua close at 04:00 pm and the wildest night is Friday’s, when a few bars stay open until 02:00 am. This is only to complete the picture of a very small, very quiet place being the capital of a U.N. member state…

The most hilarious thing was to watch Cook Islands TV: all commercials present businesses we regularly frequented and often we wondered if we might be on TV one day.

After doing some unforgettable diving around Fakarava in French Polynesia, we were in such a swing that we could not resist the glossy brochures promoting diving around Rarotonga. So on the second day there we dropped by Cook Island Divers. Since the man we talked to was nice and knowledgeable, we booked a two tank dive for the following morning.

During our first dive we saw hardly any impressive fish, but lots of dead coral. It was like floating through a former war zone or across the surface of the moon. Low visibility and the fact that we were often around 27 meters deep increased the impression that we were in a world of blue with grayish rocks but no other colors!

According to our diving instructor, this is due to two factors: there is a starfish like animal eating the coral, but how much coral can such tiny animals devour? The more plausible explanation was that three years ago, five cyclones hit the island within a month, with at least two of them being very destructive. All the corals were destroyed in this natural disaster and are only very slowly recovering!

But at least our second dive offered a few highlights. The first was the biggest Giant Moray we ever saw: maybe 2 meter long and 15 to 20 centimeters diameter! We then found two Whitetip Reef Sharks parked on the ground in a cave. Finally, we played “hide and seek” with a huge, deep green and really cheeky Napoleon Fish. This was great fun! He even seemed disappointed when we finally moved on…

Our dive on the Easter Island was probably the most disappointing. We chose the Rapa Nui Dive Center over the Orca Diving Center, because we found them to be a lot friendlier.

Even though visibility is supposed to be outstanding on Easter Island, it was rather poor that day! There are a few tropical fish to see, but we saw no big fish: the only highlight was a turtle that swam nearby. On top of that, the underwater Moai is a fake and really a joke, you do not need to see it, even though all dive centers sell it as the supposed highlight!

After a 2.5 hour flight from Papeete, we finally arrived on a Pacific island that met our expectations of the paradisiacal “South Seas”. Rarotonga, the main island, is mountainous with bizarre formations, full of lush vegetation, zillions of coconut trees and an equal amount of brightly red-flowered flame trees.

Everywhere on the island, you can hear the thunder of the sea and almost everywhere see the big surf breaking on the outlying reef. The beaches of white sand lined with palm trees are often narrow but rather empty. Each time we go or drive around, we take in the tropical landscape, the lush vegetation, the view of the sea through palm trees and the quietness of this place!

There is no danger of getting lost in this paradise, since the very road circles the island: on our scooter we can do the 32 kilometer long loop in less than an hour. The very comfortable local bus is a convenient and pleasant way of touring the island. The drivers are super friendly, helpful to the inquiring tourist and there are always some local ladies with incredible flowery headdresses on the bus.

We settled at Vara’s Beachside Resort, a budget accommodation for about 30 Euros, a very reasonable price for this island. They have beachside rooms and nearby hillside bungalows with a brand new, fairly-sized pool and kitchen-use. One of the latter, we share with an easy going and very friendly British couple from Liverpool, Colin and Kerrie. They are also on a trip around the world, but our routes hardly touch, except here in the Pacific and parts of Southeast Asia.

They taught Gilles card games, since this is how they like to spend the quiet evenings here. Now at this point, you may wonder why we do not all immerse in exciting nightly island activities… Well, there are none! This is indeed one of the quietest places we have been to. The rainy season makes itself felt during the night, when we had a few violent downpours.

The rooms and the property are really nice, with pleasant common areas to relax or meet other guests. But there are a few small things that are rather bothering. We do not talk about the millions of rooster literally crowing at any times of the day and unfortunately also during most of the night: they are everywhere and people in five star resorts also got to hate them. To give a warm welcome is not what the staff at the reception is eager to do. It is hard to find truly service orientated businesses, the simply fact that every shop in the village, except the supermarket, closes at 04:00 pm explains it all.

In 1830, the name Cook Islands was first used by a Russian cartographer, 50 years after the death of Captain James Cook, who explored many of these islands. It is a unique Polynesian country with an independent government “in free association with New Zealand”. This means that Cook Islanders carry New Zealand passports and New Zealand takes on many of the responsibilities of Foreign Affairs, including defence.

The resident population is estimated to be around 13.000 but declining. Although only 80.000 tourists visit the Cook Islands annually, tourism is the most important money earner for the islands. The most common language is English and Rarotongan Maori, but there are different dialects on most islands.

We visited three of the fifteen islands that make up the Cook Islands: Rarotonga, Aitutaki and Atiu, all very beautiful and intriguing, but very different from each other. These 15 islands are scattered over an area close to the size of Western Europe. They physically and socially divide into the northern group of six islands and the southern group of nine islands. The islands we visited are all in the southern group, since these are much more easily accessible.

A little bit of paradise!

We think of discovering the main island of Rarotonga, before we move to the idyllic atoll of Aitutaki and maybe also to the island of ´Atiu.

Of course, a few dives will be part of our program.