New Year Plans

Next week, if the weather is good, Chris and I are going to do a day tour to a neighbouring island on New Year's day. Check it out the tour package details Here. And try not to be too jealous...

Merry Xmas to You - Raro Style

Happy Dance

I have been offered the job I applied for at the CI newspaper. Yay! Of course, assuming my work permit goes through, it means no more long lazy afternoons sipping G&Ts out on the deck while the palms trees sway overhead, but six months of being retired and I am ready for a new challenge.

& No, I won't have to wear a Hawaiian shirt - CI news is one of the few places that doesn't have a uniform. Sorry to disappoint.

Catch-Up

I may be coming back out of my "retirement" as I have dusted off my CV and have applied for a job with one of the local newspapers. The job involves assisting with their website and creating graphics for adverts. So, please cross your fingers for me. Speaking of websites, I am helping the Cook Islands Library, where I volunteer, create their own Blog. Check it out HERE.

On the home front, Chris has just completed his diving PADI course. On his last dive they saw Eagle Rays and reef Sharks. Eeepp!

Every day is Jandal’s day in Raro!

I’ve been a bit slack again & have missed out on reporting the end of the local canoe festival. I also understand I missed National Jandal’s Day in NZ.

So I thought today in honour of the two events I missed I’d post some photos of the building of the traditional canoes. Why? Cos every day is Jandal’s Day in Raro!

Powertools and jandals. That’s hardcore.

End of Year Xmas Function

The big CITC staff Xmas do was held tonight. The theme was a “Night at the Oscars”. The best part of the night was the skits - lots of men in drag, and some well thought out dance routines. The admin/pharmacy team won. They acted out some recent movies, and Chris was Lucy Lui from Charlie’s Angels. But with his long black wig I thought he looked more like Yoko Ono.Pictured: Giant polystyrene Oscar statues and red carpet lead staff into the party.

The Sounds Of Summer

Summertime means being outdoors and cranking up the radio. Raro has quite few radio stations and I’ve found one that you too can enjoy.

Quote:

The station [Radio Cook Islands] is heard via AM all over Rarotonga, the
Southern Group islands and in the Northern Group only by car radio's with wires
strung between coconut trees.

Click here for the programme guide. It is also streamed over the Internet. Listen online.

Here Comes the Sun

It turns out the Cyclone Season (which I have found out lasts from Nov to the END of April and is to even my limited numerical skills longer than a season but in fact Half a freaking year long) is also known as the Rainy Season.

We’ve had grey skies and torrential downpours for weeks now, since my Downpour Post, when I foolishly thought that particular rain shower was an anomaly.
How wrong I was. And when I saw Dunedin made 28 degrees recently I was sure it must be some sign of the End-of-Life-As-We-Know-it-Mr-Spock.

Thankfully, the SUN returned yesterday, so I am posting a pretty picture to celebrate, happy in the knowledge the natural order of the World is restored. For now.

Ester Honey Foundation

There is a charity here called the Ester Honey foundation, which acts like an SPCA. (Although there is also an SPCA here too, go figure.) Outside their premises they have a sign saying ‘free puppies’ so I have to give Chris credit for not giving into temptation. But I’ve noticed every time we drive past the foundation he mutters under his breath “Free puppies”.

We went there to look around ages ago and they had a litter of about ten tiny wee puppies that were very cute. Not sure what breed. Most of the dogs here are a strange looking bunch, especially the ones with big heads and little short legs.

Mad about Cars

Aside from the ubiquitous scooter the vehicle of choice here is the ute. I think of them as the island equivalent to a convertible because generally there are people in the back, stretched out and sitting as comfortably as if they were on a couch watching TV. There seems to be some unspoken rule that you must sit on whatever is in the back of the ute, whether it’s a plastic garden chair, a motor scooter or a rider-on lawnmower.
If they’re not sitting, people often stand up behind the cab, positioned so they are cooled by the rushing breeze, and sing.

Pictured: Our Car. Rental Car Agencies advise…Don’t Park Your car under the coconut tree.

Gotta love the Infinity Pool

Sad News

For the last few days our neighbour’s Brown Puppy has been looking very forlorn as she sits alone on our deck. Where is Black Puppy we wondered? We have since learned that Black Puppy was hit and killed by a car on Friday night.

While the terrible duo’s antics won’t be forgotten it is the good times we will think on. Black Puppy curled under my chair as I read on the deck. Black Puppy bursting with excitement to be patted by Chris when he returned home from work.

So, Black Puppy, while out nights will be quieter without you howling outside our window, our days will be less entertaining and our hearts less whole. RIP little dog, we never knew your name but we always called you friend.

Downpour

It’s been a very hot week, blue skies, sunshine and highs of 28 degrees everyday. So this evening when we went down to the harbour to view the making of traditional canoes (vaka) as part of the Vaka Eiva Festival (canoe racing) and we were caught out in our first tropical DOWNPOUR, I must admit it was just what I needed.

It’s a Small World after all

Are You Breaking the Law?

Some old laws regarding treason are being reviewed in parliament currently. The CI News has also brought to light some interesting laws still in existence:

In Rarotonga is it illegal to Practise Witchcraft, including fortune telling.

You will not be charged for killing people using the "Power of your Mind", unless you frighten to death anyone who is sick or under 16 years if age. That’s illegal.

Shopping List for the Week

• 1 pair of jandals
• 1 snorkel

Lily Pond

Lily pond outside the Perfume Factory.

Go Postal!

A parcel from my cousin in the UK reached us two days ago. He posted it over a month ago & I was surprised how incredibly long it took to get here. But then, I conceded, maybe the address had something to do with that…

Thanks Paul & Nicola, your parcel really made my day. =)

Awww What?

No chopped nuts or flake? You’re freaking kidding me.

The Call of the Wild vs. the Dulcet Hum of Civilisation

I was just sitting at my desk, contemplating my love/hate relationship with the ukulele when I heard a hauntingly familiar tune go past my window and I had one of those moments of clarity. Suddenly I understand what separates civilisation from the wild untamed kingdoms.

And Rarotonga, despite it’s tiny landmass, an ancient volcanic isle lost in the deepwater of the pacific blue, is still as civilised as any massive booming city I have been too like Auckland or the humid exotic metropolis that is KL, because here on Rarotonga we have a Mr Whippy.

I think now I finally understand how S&G felt when they were going on about prophets and subways. Excuse me now, I have an ice-cream to buy.

Life Long Learning

Over the weekend Chris did the first of four parts towards getting his PADI - which I think means he can go diving without an instructor. Diving is a good pastime in the warm waters of Raro, but in Dunners? Might bump into an iceberg.

I’m not so keen on doing the beginners’ course anymore. Turns out I wouldn’t be allowed to take a big stick to keep the fish away. Shesh! They’re wild animals—they might bite! I hardly think I’m being unreasonable.

There goes the Neighbourhood

Well on Friday the Miss Mataroa was sunk off the western side of Raro, along with 400 tonnes of asbestos roofing, as reported by TVOne News tonight. They forgot to mention also on board were a few truck bodies and other rubbish. The news article implied this decision was two years in the making - 2 weeks more likely.

Also on Friday we learned our favourite swimming beach, and a popular spot with locals, has an open sewer being spilled into it.

Paradise is beginning to feel more than a little unclean.

Dawn viewed from Club Raro

Evening Sunset Viewed from our Clothesline

Tis the Season

Cyclone season has begun.

All Souls Day

The 31st of Oct is celebrated in the Cooks as Turama, the vigil night of All Souls Day. Graves are tidied up and lovingly decorated with bright flowers and in the evening holy water is sprinkled over them while the families gather to sing hymns and remember their those who have passed on.

No Watery Grave Just Yet

Due to rain and high seas on Monday the Miss Mataroa wasn’t sunk as planned – which ‘gave them more time’ to carry out other ‘extra’ operations like remove the 500 litres of lube oil, along with about 8000 litres of oily water still on board her. Uh yeah. Probably a good thing they removed that, but I’m no expert.

Certainly this whole event is the main topic of conversation about town and has been making the newspaper’s frontpage for the past days and keeping the letters to the editor well stocked. Apparently Greenpeace has been called in, and on today’s frontpage a protestor was pictured waving a placard that said “Whale sanctuary – Yeah right”. Only in Raro could they use a beer slogan to push environmental concerns…

Library Learning

I was putting books away while volunteering at the library yesterday, when I glanced up and there in technicolor on a poster of Flowers of the Cook Islands was my Freaky Flower. Turns out it is a Gloriosa Lily. Mystery solved.

I just had a quick look on the net and saw ten stems of it sells for US$125. Yikes! Maybe we shouldn’t have lawnmowed it.

Horrors from the Deep and other News Stories

Let’s see, it must be time for a round-up of recent Raro events:

The 30th annual Round Raro Road Race took place earlier this month. While I am no slave to the temple of fitness, I quite like the idea of running around a whole island…

A Muumuu Fashion Competition was held last week at the National Auditorium. While I don’t know the results I am sure flounces and flowery prints were the winners on the day.

The Cook Islands Government has taken a blugeon-2-birds-with-one-stone approach to some trickery items they have been dealing with.
Firstly the problem of the Miss Mataroa, what to do with this once proud vessel that is now a rusting hulk in the harbour?

Secondly, what to do with several tonnes of asbestos roofing left out in the open, gradually disintegrating in an unsecured pile out in the jungle?

Solution = sail the Miss Mataroa out into deep water and sink her. But then they thought aha, we’ll wrap the asbestos loosely in black plastic with brown parcel tape, load it up on the Miss Mataroa and sink both our problems.

This Final Solution was supposed to take place today, but anyone wandering down by the harbour as we did over the weekend couldn’t help but notice that the Miss Mataroa had developed a rather pronounced list to the starboard side. So apparently the asbestos is being repacked as I type and the big event will take place tomorrow.

Er…. Am I the only one having seconds thoughts about this plan?




Pictured (far left): The Miss Mataroa in Avarua Harbour when she as just an eyesore, not an eco-terrorist.

Just an Observation.

A full moon is always glorious to see. But a full moon on a tropical island is magical.

Let the Count Down Begin

Five days until the beginning of Cyclone Season.

Diving Adventure

Chris has had 2 scuba diving lessons through The Dive Centre.
On the second dive they went out beyond the reef where they dived down to the “Pue Coral Garden” - about 12 metres down. I think he really enjoyed it and is keen to do more, maybe even is PADI. He's keen for me to try the beginners day which I might do because it's in the lagoon and won't be more than 2 metres deep and of course - no sharks!

Just a Perfect Day

Oh boy it was hot today! There was no cooling tropical breeze like I’ve come to rely on, so it made the temperature of 27/28 degrees seem hotter than normal. After Chris came home from work we drove out to Blackrock beach for a swim.

For the first time since I’ve been here I can vouch for that expression about Raro lagoon water being like a warm bath. It was glorious! The tide was in and the water calm, so I just lay on my back, floating, and listening to the glinkgloink of the lapping water, the local kids playing, and when I looked up into the sky and all I could see was blue blue blue.

In the evening at home I sat out on the deck, enjoying the last golden rays of sunlight stream through the palms, with a book in one hand and a vodka cruiser in the other. Bliss.

Snails

Cocktail – Volcanic Isle

I am very pleased with how this cocktail turned out. A pleasant balance of sweet and sour this drink is foamy and delicious.

Makes enough for 2 glasses:

½ ripe pawpaw

Dozen red glace cherries (not drained)

½ lemon

6-8 dessert spoons of vodka (I used Stil Vodka)

lemonade

In a blender pulp the pawpaw. Add the cherries and juice from the lemon. Blend again so the cherries are diced but not mushed. Spoon in the vodka and hand stir together. Place it in the fridge to chill for a few hours. Once chilled spoon the mix into 2 glasses so they are about 2/3 full. Top up the glass with lemonade. Stir gently—the mixture will froth like molten lava & a nice creamy yellow foam form on top. Enjoy!

So Long and Thanks for all the Fish

I haven’t seen the whales for a while and a quick flick through my Jasons guide reveals the whales migrate past Raro from June to Oct, so that may explain it. Well it was good while it lasted.

I am reminded of something that Nan “the Whale Lady” told Chris about whale songs. Apparently only the male humpbacks sing and they sing the same song for a year and then it changes to a new one. Interesting, huh? To hear what the whales are singing this year, & you have broadband, Click Here or Here if you don’t.

Eco-Friendly Building?

I hope you can see this photo clearly enough. The roofing iron has been cut to allow the frangipani tree to grow through it.

And, No, this isn’t the pharmacy where Chris works. This building is part of the Ministry of Health.

When Cocktails go wrong

I’ve been slack on creating a new cocktail but we’ve just got a new bottle of vodka, so I hope to have a new drink up by the end of this week. Until then I thought I would share one of my less than successful combinations: I made a coconut/lime mixture that Chris said tasted like a fish marinade…

Down by the Sea

Sunset reflected in water, view from our beach

More Flowers

Check out this freaky flower/weed I don’t know what that I found in the garden. Looks like it should be able to catch stuff and eat it!

Dog Gone it!

The neighbour's 2 puppies have decided to adopt us. I guess they like our garden better. This has provided us with some amusing and some not so amusing incidents. A few weeks back they were keeping me hostage inside as every time I went outside they threatened me with their horrible little muddy paws. If that wasn't bad enough they nicked a pair of jocks of someone's line and tried to get me to play fetch with them. But most recently they’ve decided to drag people’s rubbish up onto the deck: old nappies, jandals, dishcloths, tincans, rotting hunks of tuna. But today they out did themselves. The black puppy managed to steal a machete.

Personal Goal setting: Learn to DRIVE

Today Chris gave me my first driving lesson. Doing figure 8s around the garden under the tamarind trees.
I can report no wild chickens, stray dogs or cats were harmed.

Thirsty?

Ok. It’s hot here. So I have to drink a lot of water. I found I quickly got sick of plain old water. I started making my own flavoured drinks: lemon tea (very refreshing), or ice coffee (very delicious). But sometimes I can’t be bothered slicing lemons and straining coffee grinds so I reach for a packet of kiwi summers long past. You know what I’m talking about. Raro.

End of an Era

I forgot to mention the island's only monkey, Lulu, has passed away. R.I.P our little primate friend.

Cook Islands A to Z

Having said farewell to our first visitors, I was thinking about where others planning to visit Rarotonga might go for information. Apart from reading the Lonely Planet or the free visitors guide produced by Jasons, I’ve found an online resource the Cook Islands A to Z which isn’t too bad. I especially like what they have to say about Coconuts.

Night Adventure

Chris wrote about this in an email, so I’ll just quote him:

Went out to the beach the other night with the torch to see if we could see fish, etc. I was wading in the water when suddenly I saw a snake eel. Bloody hell it scared the hell out of me, and I was out in a flash. I'd seen them before and they were scary then, but at night and being in the water as well was worse. My mind knew what it was, but the body wasn't convinced. Those buggers look like sea snakes, man. Let's just say I'm not wading in the water at nighttime anymore. But I will set up a burley bag one night and see what gets attracted to it. Worked real well when we went snorkelling at the marine reserve. Heaps of fish, some looked like trevally, and I got a wee nip by one.

Flowers

The flowers here are gorgeous and abundant with bright colours, large and varied petals, and pleasant aromas. The most popular are: Frangipani, Gardenia, Hibiscus, and Bougainvillea. And whatever the occasion, formal or fun, it’s standard issue to have a fresh or fake flower tucked behind an ear, or worn in garlands around the neck or head, called an “ei”, (pronounce it like you were Fonzie: aay) - elsewhere known as a Lei.

I’m told what to look for in a head ei is good mixture of colour. Also you can make them last a few days by putting them in the fridge. I made mine into a centrepiece for the table – I’m like an island Martha Stewart.

Until We Meet Again

We left M & A at the airport last night. Their flight left Raro at 3.50 AM!!!! (Remember that if you’re planning on visiting – I doubt it’s a good end to a restful vacation.) So they should be well and truly home by now, back in Dunedin, and probably very tired.

Picnic

We had a sunset pizza picnic at BlackRock, our fav swimming beach, and followed that up with the local Coconut flavoured icecream, which is incredibly delicious - it tastes like homemade coconut-ice.

Money Shot

Having raved about the Coral Club, one of our fav resturant/cafes here, because it has reasonable prices (almost a miracle in Raro!) and great food we took mum and Alice there tonight only to discover, of course, that the prices had gone up and the food had gone down.

Not to worry 'cos humpback whales were swimming past so M & A got to see their first whales and a great show it was: spouting, breaching and tail slapping like it had been scripted.

So much to do, so little time

We did lots of touristy things today with Mum and Alice. We went for a walk up above Hospital Hill to see the view. Visited the waterfall. Went snorkelling, which was very cool as there were Lots of pretty tropical fishies, like Butterfly fish. (Really need to get a waterproof camera!) [And snorkels 'cos we only had masks] And topped it off by attending the Edgewater Resort "Island Night" buffet and Cultural Dance. Phew!!!

Deep Dark Secret

OK, before you condemn me you’ve got to realise that TV options here are slim. There is only one channel and during the day it mostly shows English language tutorials and Religious programs, so in the evenings I confess my DDS is that I have started watching Shortland Street.
Regularly.
And I like it.
Shhh!!!
Don’t tell anyone, I feel unclean enough as it is.

Crafty

Shell craft is very popular here and carving Mother of Pearls Shells and even onto Black Pearls is very much in vogue. Check out this local artist: Tokerau Jim that we visted today.

It's a Dog's Life

Intrepid Explorers

Mum and Alice have been enjoying swimming in the lagoon. Alice found 2 giant blue starfish. Also they say they are upholding the tradition of being tourists by pointing at stuff a lot.

Safe and Sound

Just a quick note to let everyone know Alice and Lynn arrived safe and sound here last night. We spent today just resting at home as it was very HOT. We had a lovely swim in the lagoon and Alice invented a new style of swimming which she calls the Alice Flop.

Cocktail - Pacific Pacifier

This is it! The best ever cocktail. It takes a bit of effort as you need to make the coconut milk but it is definitely worth it. (Canned milk might be ok as a substitute, but I can’t say I’ve tried). To make it I cut up a coconut and placed chunks of the flesh in a blender with some water. Whiz it up and drain off the liquid through a sieve. (Apparently squeezing it through muslin is better but I don’t have any).

Pacific Pacifier:
o Fresh coconut milk
o Banana
o Vanilla essence
o Cocoa powder
o Cherry Bandy Liqueur

Ok, so take two cups of coconut milk, and blend with the banana and 1 teaspoon of vanilla essence and 2 teaspoons of cocoa. Place in freezer until slushy. Blend in 1 tablespoon of cherry brandy. Pour into wine glass and garnish with a sprinkle of toasted coconut. If required these can be left in the fridge for about half and hour before you need them.

You can toast the leftover coconut flesh from making the milk by lightly frying it – without using oil. It can then be used for making coconut ice or Kura’s Rum Slice-recipe to follow at a later date.

Compulsory Viewing

Being a sucker for a photo-op I have been dying to go visit Wigmore’s Waterfall, quote: “Rarotonga’s only public waterfall.”
Easier said than done. Despite being marked on what passes for a map here there are no roadsigns. Fortunately, due to some local directions and a lack of candidate roads we found the correct path first attempt. Unfortunately the mosquitoes had arrived there first.

Holiday Fun

Mum and Alice will be visiting us in a few days. YAY! Here are a few holiday activities I have lined up for them:
- lying in the sun
- hermit crab racing
- walks through the "jungle" past taro patches and rusted-out cars to buy fresh bread from the local bakery.
- cocktails and fresh fruit on the deck in the dappled shade of the gently swaying coconut palms.
- watching the sun set into the Pacific ocean.

Chris has planned:
- plane spotting
- feeding the wild baby chickens
- more plane spotting

Compulsory Fun – Part 2

Well it rained. But still, fun times were had all round. Chris scored a bullseye in the darts challenge and had to climb a tree to find a stuffed toy. Other challenges included canoe paddling, cycling, puzzle making, flag building and drinking Raro’s famous—or is that infamous—“Noni” juice, which is a reported cure-all tonic. It has a fearsome reputation for being vile tasting.

Chris’s team came 2nd overall in the race. They are pictured here building their flagpole.

If that wasn’t enough excitement for one weekend, Chris is currently off on the Marine Research boat having a close up view of the whales.

Compulsory Fun - Part 1

This afternoon after work Chris has to attend a team building exercise. Him and the other 200 or so people that work for CITC. The event is meant to be like the Amazing Race where teams compete in quirky challenges. I get to tag along to take photos, so hopefully I shall have something interesting to report back here.
The weather today, if you can believe it, is actually overcast and drizzling and a “cool” 20 degrees. But that’s probably a good thing as they think the “race” will take 4 to 5 hours & I don’t think I could last just being outside for that long on a normal day let alone imagine how tough it would be for the competitors. We shall see.

Monkey Business

Despite popular belief on what flora and fauna should be found in abundance on a tropical isle, there are no parrots, macaws, parakeets or similar feathery specimens that might be suited to perching on the shoulder of an eye-patched individual other than those painted on murals outside the theme restaurants.

However we have learned there is a monkey. How did we learn? Chris received a prescription for it…er, her.

A tan, what’s that?

I have these strange brown squares on my feet where my skin peeks through my sandals. Is it? Could it be a tan? Of course maybe it’s not the beginnings of a very faint tan, maybe it’s just dirt.

Weather Forecaster

Pictured at Muri Beach.

Click on image for full size photo

Messing About with Boats

Some evenings we drive down to buy a burger from Palace Takeaways located on Avarua harbour. While waiting for our food (I recommend the Special Burger) we like to check out the boats. Big boats, little boats, rusty containerships and sleek catamarans nestled with charter boats that will take you “Big Game fishing” or a glass bottom boat to view the coral reef. Click on image for full size photo.

Raro Sling - Cocktail

This drink recipe is giving me a bit of trouble, despite its simplicity. Currently I think I’ve made it too sweet so I might think about swapping the lemonade for tonic water, or possibly using homemade lemonade instead of fizzy…

Anyway, here’s what I’ve done so far:

Sweet Raro Sling
- Lemonade
- Vanilla rum
- Grenadine
- Glace Cherries
Freeze sliced up cherries into ice cubes. Stack ice into cup. Pour in lemonade. Carefully spoon in Grenadine – don’t stir! Add a splash of rum. + optional cherry garnish.
Serve with fresh fruit platter.
Pictured here with: watermelon, oranges, pawpaw and starfruit.

It's all about Me

Have I mentioned that "Kura" is a common name here? My entire life (so far) in NZ I never met another Kura.

I've already met 2 here and I know if you're looking for a place to stay while in Raro there's Kura's Kabanas and if you're hungry you can eat out at Kura's Kitchen.

Stand Down from Code Brown

Phew! By late yesterday evening the water had returned to normal. I have invested in a bottle of hand sanitiser just in case it happens again.
; )

Not so smug now

Just in case you thought I was a bit smug in my previous post, as you can see it’s not all clean living here. And I thought Dunedin water was bad. We are at a loss to explain the sudden mud (?) content in our tap water. I guess we weren’t being over cautious by buying our drinking water ($7 for 19 litres). But the question remains, will we be showering tonight?

Picture Perfect

I haven’t posted any nice pictures for a while. So how about this? A bit cliché for a tropical island I know. But in the evenings wherever you are, imagine me as I wander down to the bottom of the garden and see another gorgeous tropical sunset. Sometimes clichés are worth their weight in gold.

Click the image to see it full size.

Drag of a Household Chore

Yesterday morning it rained and I thought I would use the cool temperature to drag out the vacuum cleaner, as that is too hot a task on a normal day due to the horrendous amount of hot air that blasts out the filter. I mean drag quite literally because it doesn’t have any wheels. It must have had them at one stage but where they are now I can only guess.

Island Food

The “island food” as they call it, meaning what the locals traditionally eat (why don’t they just call it food?) is very nice and we have tried a great deal. We also got a cookbook from the library so we can have a go at it ourselves. I particularly like the Rukau (taro leaves) boiled with coconut. And Chris really likes the Ika Mata – raw fish marinated with lime, coconut and onions. But my overall fav is an island/western hybrid junk food - fresh homemade coconuts donuts that we buy when they are available from the Saturday farmers’ market called the Punanga Nui Cultural Market. SO yummy.
We haven’t been able to try any breadfruit as it’s out of season – I know, who would think food would be seasonal here? Avocadoes are also out of season : ( Fresh fish is very well priced compared to NZ prices – tuna at $14 a kilo.

Black Pearl Jewellery

Despite the fact there is sooo much black pearl jewellery here I decided to get some loose pearls (had to pay retail prices, choke!) so I can make something nice for myself.
I got these lovely pearls (9-10mm) from “Fisher’s Black Pearl Jewellery”.

Will post photos as they develop into a necklace but unfortunately currently my drill is broken. Fortunately Mum & Alice may be able to bring my spare drill when they visit. But for now a cool breeze is blowing in across the lagoon, the sun is shining and a book and a fresh slice of pawpaw await me on the deck…

What's the Time Mr Wolf?

Just a technical note, I have finally changed the timezone on the blog from NZ hours to Rarotongan time, which is 22 hours behind NZ.
I find it easier to think of Raro being 2 hours ahead but a day behind. For example 12pm Aug 12 NZ time equals 2pm Aug 11 in Raro.

Coconut Logistics

Despite the many wonders of living in such a place I must say I am very disappointed that a coconut does not conveniently fall every three days or so. To begin with we only had 3 drop in 4 long weeks. But now we’ve had 5 drop in 3 days. Quick – I need coconut recipes!

Whale of a Good Time?

I have lost count of the number of times I’ve seen the whales now from our back lawn.
We’ve met the local whale biologist, Nan, and she has said she’ll take us on the whale research boat one day to get up close. Chris is really looking forward to that but I’ll have to give it a miss unless the researchers don’t think the whales would suffer greatly if I puked on them. Ahh well. Hopefully Chris will be able to take some good photos!

The Cinderella of Internet Cafes?

I don’t think I’ve ever seen such an exact closing time. I wonder what happens at 12? Do the computers turn into pumpkins?

Wildlife

Aside from the creatures in the lagoon, we haven’t encountered much inland other the domestic cats, dogs, rosters and pet shipping containers. As for The-Bug-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named, let’s just call them “Rockpoaches”, the less said the better. If you call them they will come…

A far less threatening creature (although they give you a hell of a fright when they suddenly appear) are the little house lizards. I’ve heard they are good for keeping the flies down, but whenever Chris finds one he chucks it outside. The other night he did that and he went to turn the porch light on to make sure the lizard was off the deck to see one of the cats having a good chew on something… And that’s what they call the food chain.

Shipping Containers

There are a large number of shipping containers here there and everywhere. I have no idea why, but I find myself wondering – what’s in them? And what happens to them in a hurricane?

The one pictured here has a very nice location, perched on the harbour it enjoys a view if the ocean and the iconic bar Trader Jacks.

Domino est requiem

We were fortunate enough to have a new friend take us to the grand old CICC church the other Sunday. The service was interesting and varied with good dashes of humour, and in most cases bilingual.

There was a perfect balance of sitting down and standing up – those seats were hard, so standing up was a relief. The singing was great and I found the people watching very entertaining.

Also the old church itself is very nice, although the upstairs level is not so good for people like myself who are afraid of heights.

Tallship

I photographed the Soren Larsen tall ship sailing into the harbour the night before last when Chris and I were walking on the beach.

Catch-Up

I’ve been a bit slack posting to the blog and things have been happening. The well-respected former Cook Island Prime Minister Sir Thomas Davis, affectionately known as Papa Tom, has passed away at the grand old age of 90. He was given a state funeral and I was fortunate enough to see some of the procession and glimpsed the casket, bedecked in beautiful flowers, as it was driven by in the back of a Ute.

This month marks the islands independence and the “Constitution” celebrations are in full swing. Last night we went off to see a cultural dance/performance contest. And last Friday we saw the Constitution parade.

This year’s parade theme was based around Christianity coming to the islands. In keeping with the Rarotongan’s quirky sense of humour, some of the floats harked back to pre-Christian days of cannibalism and they had one guy tied to a spit and giggling tourist volunteers sitting in a giant cooking pot.
Not quite sure how the replica of the pirate ship the “Black Pearl” fit into the scheme of things…

Free Show

This Saturday past an entertaining show of dance and drums was put on in the carpark of CITC where Chris works to launch a new cultural dance DVD.

Funny Money

While I knew on coming here that Rarotonga used our NZ currency I didn’t realise they also have some coins of their own (which of course have the same value as ours).

They are quite interesting to look at and must be very easy for visually impaired people to distinguish between. There’s a scalloped-edged $1, a triangular $2 and whopping great big 12-sided $5 coin. (I put the NZ 20cent in to give an idea of size)

I haven’t seen the legendary $3 note yet, apparently they are quite hard to come by as tourists take them home for souvenirs.

Weekend Pastimes

We went for a swim at a beach called Black Rock recently. It’s popular with locals and body-boarders because it has a good swell beyond the reef. We didn’t go very far into the lagoon, only to about chest height. Although I think maybe it doesn’t get much deeper anyway. Black Rock is a nice area for a swim & to go watch the sunsets and as it is just beyond the airport there is good plane spotting for Chris also.Plane watching here is a popular past time for tourists and locals alike is. Or more to the point, people gather when a plane is about to take off so they can stand in the Jet-blast zone.