roomy beach-side apartment with glass patio door,
the sea being just a few steps away
Islands of the Pacific
November 2003
Los Angeles - Tahiti - Cook Islands - New Zealand - Fiji - London
Cook Islands
Arriving at Rarotonga, Cook Islands at 7 am, we had a free morning to catch on some sleep. In the afternoon, we are going to see the island with a bus.
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| One of the best accommodations on the trip, a very roomy beach-side apartment with glass patio door, the sea being just a few steps away |
A nice sandy beach at the Pacific Resort, Rarotonga | |||
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| A bus tour of the island, downtown Rarotonga |
Take a guess what this one is the God of... |
Cook Islands Parliament | Volcanic rocks | |
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| Landscape on the other side of the island, at the black pearls shop |
Back just in time for a sunset |
The next morning, we are visiting Aitutaki |
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Aitutaki is supposed to be one of the most beautiful islands in the Pacific, and it lives up to this reputation. This was also the location where they were filming the well known The Blue Lagoon movie, starring Brooke Shields.
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| Welcome to Aitutaki, we got flowers and a coconut drink |
Driving to our resort, we made a quick photo-stop at the local port | One of the nicest and best arranged beaches we were on |
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| Equipment like canoes and snorkeling gear were free to borrow. Waters are very shallow here though, except for the dug up trench right at the beach. You could easily walk to the island across. |
Bungalows at Aitutaki Lagoon Resort |
Hammocks were comfy, too... |
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| This is where I was staying on Aitutaki |
As most Pacific islands, Aitutaki is mostly volcanic in origin |
There are some 500 locals living on Aitutaki, and are extremely friendly. We caught them at one of the greater social events, a football match. |
What a hard time we are having at Aitutaki... | |
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| An evening show by the dinner |
Waking up to a calm morning | Another day, another boat trip around the island |
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| Aitutaki has lots of small, uninhabited islands, perfect if you want some piece and quiet. We've made a few snorkeling stops on the way, and had a grill lunch on the boat. |
Of course, some local songs come with a trip. |
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| Our destination, One Foot Island on the edge corner of Aitutaki |
A few hours time off to explore the island, go swimming and snorkeling | |||
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| Lots to see around worth taking a photo | Another coconut peeling demonstration |
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| Beautiful beaches on Aitutaki | ||
Late in the afternoon we were leaving Aitutaki by plane back to Rarotonga, where we would spend the last night on the Cook Islands. A picnic dinner was organized at one of the bungalows, featuring one of the most expensive hams in history, and early in the morning we would be reluctantly joining Air New Zealand once again on their flight to Auckland, New Zealand.
Next page: New Zealand