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