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20.02.2008
The Cook Islands
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...[more] Category: Cook Islands
21.02.2008
Rarotonga - Paradise almost found!
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...[more] Category: Cook Islands
22.02.2008
Diving in the Pacific
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...[more] Category: Cook Islands
24.02.2008
Discovering Rarotonga
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...[more] Category: Cook Islands
26.02.2008
One week vacation on the island of plenty!
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...[more] Category: Cook Islands
28.02.2008
Aitutaki: we found paradise, a pricy one though!
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....[more] Category: Cook Islands
29.02.2008
Culinary experiences on Aitutaki
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...[more] Category: Cook Islands
02.03.2008
Life on a remote island
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...[more] Category: Cook Islands
03.03.2008
The blue lagoon of the Pacific
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...[more] Category: Cook Islands
03.03.2008
Aitutaki romantic travel of bygone days
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...[more] Category: Cook Islands
04.03.2008
Other attractions in Aitutaki
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....[more] Category: Cook Islands
05.03.2008
Turbulent travel to quiet Atiu
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, on 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...[more] Category: Cook Islands
06.03.2008
First impressions of Atiu
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...[more] Category: Cook Islands
07.03.2008
Atiu, highlight of the Cook Islands
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...[more] Category: Cook Islands
07.03.2008
Ana Takitaki - The cave of the Kopeka bird
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...[more] Category: Cook Islands
07.03.2008
Rimarau Burial Cave - The Cave of 500 Leaves
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...[more] Category: Cook Islands
08.03.2008
Tumunu - Homebrew in the “Bush Pub”
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...[more] Category: Cook Islands
08.03.2008
Papa Paiere - The last storyteller of Atiu
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...[more] Category: Cook Islands
09.03.2008
Eco-tour with “Birdman George”
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...[more] Category: Cook Islands
10.03.2008
Coffee & Art in Atiu
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...[more] Category: Cook Islands
10.03.2008
Transit in Rarotonga
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...[more] Category: Cook Islands
11.03.2008
Cook Islands - Budget
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...[more] Category: Cook Islands, Budget
13.03.2008
Cook Islands - Summary
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...[more] Category: Cook Islands, Summaries
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