Pretty much every day here is a little surreal. The colours, the light, the scenery and the people are so delightful that it’s sometimes hard to believe I’m actually in a real place, on the same planet as my home, London. I was met by Karsten on my return from Aitutaki, and he and his…
Some time ago, whilst in Britain’s Lake District, I saw the most incredible stars in the sky, with clouds of stars clearly visible. At the time, I wasn’t up to speed with my photography, so all I have is a magical memory of that night. I determined to be better prepared for my travels around the…
There were a lot of hermit crabs in the Cook Islands, especially on Aitutaki. I thought they were very cute and photogenic, as well as a bit grumpy when you pick them up. Hermit crabs differ from other crabs in that they have soft abdomens. They’re as slow as any other crab so they have…
When I was planning this trip back in March, I had a look on Google Maps and found Aitutaki, an island about 45 minutes by plane north of Rarotonga. The thing that immediately arrested my attention was the incredible turquoise of its lagoon, as seen from space. I knew that I should definitely look into…
I’ve dived a fair few places in the world, and on this trip, I’ve dived Koh Tao, in Thailand, and the Great Barrier Reef. I think I’d have to rank Rarotonga as up there with the best places I’ve dived in the world, and a far, far better experience than what I discovered in Thailand…
There’s a lot of talk on Rarotonga about “Island Time”. At first glance, the idea is about an easygoing attitude to punctuality. I suspect it’s a conceit aimed at tourists escaping the rat race for that ephemeral week or fortnight. Mostly things run “on time” here. I discovered that “Island Time” is really something quite different,…
Q: Why did the chicken cross the road? A: To get to the beach! Rarotonga is the spiritual home of Free Range Chicken. Chickens roam freely around the island in vast numbers (my google-fu isn’t strong enough to get any estimated numbers). It’s quite interesting, whilst lazing in a hammock, to watch them scratch and…
I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little nervous about coming to the Cook Islands. I had heard that it was full of honeymooning couples, and assumed that they would be so engrossed in each others company that I’d be a little lonely. I’d enjoyed the camaraderie of hanging out with other travellers…
I woke in Cairns on 9th June 2012 at 0230. I arrived in Rarotonga after about 16 hours of travel on 9th June 2012 at 0130. Read on to find out how: I was at Cairns airport by 0330 – much too early for my 0530 flight. The usually busy check in desks were deserted.…
After my 5 day stay on board the Liveaboard, I still had two nights in Cairns before my onward journey. In my haste, I hadn’t booked a place to stay in Cairns for those nights, so the captain very kindly let me use his internet connection to book a room at Caravella Backpackers. The transfer…
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