Rarotonga - Really off the beaten track?

License Plate
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After having spend almost three weeks in Fiji our second part of the journey should take us to the tiny and remote Cook Islands. The Cook Islands consist of 15 islands, which are widely spread over a large area of ocean and are divided in the Northern and Southern Groups. There are approximately 14.000 people living in the Cook Islands, and many more overseas in New Zealand and the United States. The majority of the population is Polynesian while the population in Fiji was either of Melanesian or Indian origin. When we arrived in January 2006, we were really surprised how advanced in development the Cook Islands were compared to Fiji. . And the number of tourists as well as the tourism infrastructure were comparable to Fiji but on a total land area of just 241 sq km. Nevertheless the Cook Islands are still highly dependend on financial support from New Zealand

Black Rocks - Northeast Rarotonga
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Rarotonga, the high-volcanic main island and capital, is the tourism hub of the Cook Islands and has an airport which handles international air carriers. This is one of the reasons why the Cook Islands are becoming more and more accessible, already on the route map of Australia's low cost carrier: Virgin Blue. Hotels, Resorts, Hstels and pensions are spread all around the island. There are accomodation options for every end of the market. The coastal road easily takes you around the island in a 20-30 minute drive, and several other roads lead inland. Avarua is the main village of Rarotonga and has bars, restaurants, grocery stores, internet cafes, a movie theatre and souvenir shops. If you are self sufficient and not part of any hotel meal plan, the Cook Islands can be quite an expensive destination. The majority of goods you will find in the supermarkets are imported from overseas. The number of local products is limited and consists of several fruits, vegetables anf fish.

...we were really surprised how advanced in development the Cook Islands were compared to Fiji

Ruin of the Sheraton Hotel Project
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There are several sights which need not to be missed along the road in Rarotonga:

• Black Rocks, a number of sacred rock formations on the beach, which are located in Rarotonga's north-western part.
• Ruin of the Sheraton Hotel: A huge resort complex that was plannend and governmental subsidized in the 90's, nevertheless has never been completed.   
• Cook Islands Library & Museum society: introduction in the islands history and culture.
• Punanga Nui Market: daily market that really comes to life Saturday mornings with fresh fruits, vegetables, artefacts and the famous black pearls.
• Hospital Hill: located close to the golf course. Drive there by car and then take a short walk up the hill which offers magnificient views over the island.

Frangipani Flower
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Friday night is the main night out with plenty of opportunities to mix and mingle with the locals. A fun way to experience a great variety of what Rarotonga's nightlife has to offer, is the Island Bar Hopping. This organized tour departs either at the Edgewater Resort or the Rarotongan Beach Resort and you have to sign in in advance. Together with a buch of other people a bus then takes you to more than ten bars and clubs spread all over the island. The amuzed crowd is entertained by singing folk songs on the bus and playing drinking games whenever possible. The so-called Island Night is a good opportunity to experience traditional Cook Island culture. It takes place almost every night at different locations on the island and often combines Polynesian dancing and singing with a local dining experience.

Avatiu Harbour
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Muri Beach is located in the south-eastern part of Rarotonga and undoubtedly has the nicest stretch of beach anywhere on the island. There are plenty of opportunities to do water sports including Surfing and Kayaking. There are four uninhabitated motus (lagoon islets) just before the outer reef which can be reached easily in a short swim. Some cruise operators stop on the Koromiri motu for lunch during their lagoon cruises. The motus are an excellent starting point for snorkelling. The closer you get to the outer reef the better the snorkelling becomes. It is not the coral that makes snorkelling so special here, but much more the large schools of different fish. In less than two meters depth a school of 30 noizy parrot fish crossed my way here. There are several nice beachfront hotels including the Pacific Resort at Muri Beach. The Sails Restaurant offers a great view over the lagoon and provides exeptional cuisine at moderate prices. There are several small grocery stores along the main road in Muri. Vara's Beach House is a budget accomodation and Rarotonga's gathering place for Backpacker's located directly on Muri Beach. Beautifully located directly on Muri's western beach is a Rugby field. Ask locals when the next game is on. There is always a cheerful and enthusiastic crowd when the couple of teams play each other and almost the whole island gathers at the field.

Avatiu Harbour
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After almost a week of constant tropical rain we were happy to finally do the Cross Island Walk,via the 413m Te Rua Manga mountain, with Pa's mountain trekking company. Unfortunately our guide for the day was not the local celebrity Pa himself, but his nephew who was a priest and married to a German. He was just visiting his home island Rarotonga for a couple of weeks before going back to his ministry in southern Germany. He also played in the local Rugby team of Muri; a reason why we always referred to him as the punching priest. Our group consisted of around seven other people. When we booked the tour we were told that a certain physical fitness was required to handle the track and we were really surprised to see mainly couples, who have celebrated their fiftieth birthday long time ago and one british guy must have been 80. The track was relatively challenging with no signage, no secure mountings and after weeks of rain extremly slippery. After each leg of the track our english friend looked more like his last minute had arrived, but he always knew how to strike back in Fawlty Towers manner. After more than an hour of trekking we had arrived at the highest possible point: The Needle. Our guide elaborated on the actual meaning of this sacred spot for the ancestors. We had a short break and lunch up here. Another hour of trekking took us down to Wigmore's Waterfall, an unspectacular small waterfall which can also easily reached by car.

Cultural Market Saturdays
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One day I went out to do a scuba dive with a company called Pacific Divers. We took a short boat ride to the outer reef and started the dive. The visibility was amazing, between 20-30 meters, but unfortunately the most of the huge coral fields were dead. The guide later on explained that the reef had suffered immense damage in the last decade due to severe cyclones that frequently hit the Cook Islands as well as a recent starfish plague.

A really interesting encounter we had was with Ingrid Caffery, an emigrated talkative German, who has lived on the island for almost 40 years. She is happy to share any information on anybody and can tell a lot about changes on the island. After a ten minute ride with her in her car, we knew more about Rarotonga than any guide book could ever publish. She also operates a small pension called the Atupa Orchid Units, and runs German speaking daytours.