We left on Friday evening on a direct flight from Christchurch to Rarotonga. It was just a 4.5 hour flight so not too bad, but what is interesting is that since you cross over the international dateline, it is actually a 22 hour time difference! It is one thing to get used to the time difference from NZ to the USA after being on a 13+ hour flight but after a short haul flight it was a little strange.
When we arrived we de-boarded the plane right on the tarmac and out into the warm Raro weather. We arrived at about 2am their time - all the flights leave and arrive at really odd times in the Cook Islands for some reason. We got into the tiny airport (we had no idea actually what a tiny airport was until we got to Aitutaki! More to come on that in the next post) and as we waited for our bags around the tiny baggage claim there was a local man playing the ukulele atop the baggage claim! Next, we went through customs and the customs officer stamped our passports and said, "Welcome to paradise!" He wasn't joking! The people of the Cook Islands are just simply the nicest people you will ever meet in your life - and best of all, they are totally genuine. They are not being nice for a tip (no tipping) or anything. Just friendly people with a carefree attitude. After all, everyone is on "island time".
Once we exited customs, we were greeted by another local woman who asked where we were staying and pointed us in the direction of our proper shuttle. We were pointed in the direction of a lovely woman who gave us each a lei which smelled incredible. Even as we landed we could smell the frangipani scent wafting through the air - like nothing we have ever smelled before. We were a little concerned though when the woman who gave us leis seemed a little surprised to see us when we gave her our names. We had originally had flights coming in a little later in the day (not 2am) but arranged with the hotel to check in early and pay a small fee.
We got on the shuttle with a few other couples and headed to the hotel - about a 10-15 minute car ride. When we arrived at the hotel with another young couple they seemed to have a room for them but they, as we gad feared at the airport, did not expect us until later. Trey showed the man at the hotel the paperwork confirming us to arrive when we did and he quickly said that there were a few cleaning ladies who lived right down the road and they would come in and make up our room. Turns out they did have a room for us but it just had not been made up yet. In some ways though it wound up being a good first impression because we both got the feeling that even if we had made the mistake and did not have a confirmation, they would have handled it in the same way. And for some reason, perhaps the relief of being out of the cold or the warmth of the Rarotongan people we had already met, neither of us seemed to care too much. Two island women rode into the parking lot a few minutes later on their motorized scooter and made up the room at 2:30am while the man who greeted us sat with us underneath the stars and gave us recommendations of what to do on the island. Once they showed us to our room, he walked us around and showed us where things were. They talked about giving us a room upgrade, but in the end we felt that we had already been given the best room at the hotel! The room was not beachfront but was the only room that had a view of the water and the sunset without being right on the beach. The units on the beach were actually separated by the pool/bar from the beach and that is a place where people tended to congregate so I imagine it could have been noisy at times in those rooms. Also, our room had an outdoor shower which not all of the rooms do. It wound up being one of our favorite features of the holiday!
The next morning we woke up in time to get the last bit of the continental breakfast provided by the hotel. Just basic stuff: islands fruits, cereal, toast and jam and tropical juices. The restaurant is right on the beach and has a full sand floor as most restaurants and bars do in the Cook Islands. Luckily Jocelyn figured this and did not pack any heels :)
The first day we took the opportunity to laze about the pool and lagoon/beach. One of the first thing we noticed on the island is the animals. There seemed to be dogs roaming everywhere. Some with collars and some without. They were all pretty friendly and would just lay down next to your lounge chair. We found one who we particularly like who we named Snoop. While we lounged around the pool and beach, the staff was all too happy to bring your drinks to you after you went up to the bar to order them. We also took the opportunity to have lunch at the restaurant a few days so we would not have to disrupt our relaxing. We also took a dip in the lagoon which had unbelievably crystal clear water and we could see tropical fish and other sea creatures. We even took a few photos of blue star fish or as they are called there, blue sea stars. The pictures we took of them were just walking down the beach!
The first evening we went a few resorts down the beach to a restaurant that had been recommended to us called Windjammer. It had gotten incredible reviews and did not disappoint. We took the opportunity to take a nice romantic walk on the beach there and back. Unfortunately on the way back we got caught in the rain but again, it did bother either one of us. We had already converted to our island state of mind.
The next day we headed off the property to check out the Saturday markets that had been recommended to us by the hotel staff. We took the shuttle bus that goes around the island. There is everything from jewelry to food to crafts. You do need to be careful though. Some things that appear to be authentic such as the black pearls are actually from Asia if you look closer. We wound up having some tropical fruit smoothies and bought an authentic black pearl ring for Jocelyn after much searching. There was music, dancing and just in general an amazing atmosphere. It was super hot that day as well. After the markets closed around 1pm we decided to head to the opposite side of the island from our hotel to Muri Beach which we had heard was a little more "touristy". We hung out on the beach outside of the Pacific Resort where friends of ours had stayed previously. It was definitely more "commercial" though not what we are used to in the USA. The lagoon was lovely and was suited more for swimming than snorkeling like where our hotel was. It was a really nice change. We also had a bite to eat there for lunch (we tried what they call island fries which are island sweet potato and taro - which if cooked wrong can apparently be poisonous) but had to leave earlier than planned since the last shuttle left to go back to our hotel around 4pm. We had planned to go to Island Night that night back at our hotel which had also heard great reviews about.
We got back to hotel in time for happy hour where lots of people from the hotel seemed to congregate. After that, we had just enough time to shower and change before we went to Island Night. It was really convenient that it was at our hotel. We got a great seat and before the evening began the staff had everyone go around and say their name, where they were from and what brought them to Rarotonga. It was a nice touch to be introduced to the fellow guests. Most people were Kiwis of course. Raro seems to be to Kiwis what Mexico is to Americans. The meal was buffet and we were pleasantly surprised - not expecting much from a buffet. It was very tasty though and we even got seconds! Jocelyn's favorite was paw paw fruit with yellow curry sauce on it. Mmmmm. After dinner is when things really got started. First they set up the band and then brought in the dancers. They were a variety of ages and there was even one tiny little girl - about 3 years old. So adorable! They did traditional island dancing and during the next portion, grabbed people from the audience to participate. One of the first people they grabbed was Jocelyn. The one little girl who danced with her was a tough cookie and kept telling her she wasn't doing it right! LOL Very strict little girl. But her coaching must have paid off because at the end they chose one guy and one girl as the "winners" and they got a free drink coupon and Jocelyn won! The final part of the show was an incredible fire show. The reviews had all been right. It was a great night. After the show, some people from the hotel were hanging out and we chatted with them for a bit, drinking and sharing stories.
The final day in Rarotonga we used mainly to chill on the beach at our hotel and snorkel in the lagoon. We saw some really interesting fish and more blue sea stars! The weather remained beautiful the entire time. We also did happy hour that day to hang out with some of our new friends and while we were enjoying the sunset, we saw some whales out in the distance! It was once of the coolest things. We could not watch for too long though because Trey had planned a special/surprise evening for us. He rented a car and drove to the other side of the island back to the Pacific Resort where there was a private outdoor hut on the beach away from all the other guests lit by tiki torches. There were flowers and a bottle of champagne waiting for us. We even had a private waiter! The food was exceptional and the company was obviously outstanding :) It was a lovely surprise for Jocelyn and a perfect way to enjoy our last night in Rarotonga.
When we got back to the hotel we saw some of our fellow hotel guests from Island Night. We had some drinks with them and even exchanged emails since they live in Christchurch.
The next day we left the hotel and headed to Aitutaki on Air Rarotonga. We got a shuttle from the hotel to the airport. The domestic terminal at the Rarotonga airport was even more bare than the "international terminal". On to part of paradise!!
