Cook Islands II

I thought I'd start with some snorkelling stories.... I say stories, they're mainly pictures. I don't believe my words would do it all justice, in fact I'm not sure that my camera did either. The water was crystal clear and the colours of the fish were amazing. The fish so inquisitive that I could practically reach out and touch them, and they regularly brushed my legs and arms while swimming. I also saw a couple of coral snakes, which swam away from very quickly! Apparently they are more afraid of you than you are of them, but I didn't like to test the theory. Below are a few images of the many fish I saw, I'm not sure what they are all called, but I do know two types of  trigger fish (first and second image - I saw loads of these), zebra fish (third image), butterfly fish (fourth image), and the moray eel (fifth image). The others I don't know the names of, but thought I'd post some pictures of them anyway.

I also got some good photographs of some interesting types of coral, and a really cool starfish. 

As well as the amazing snorkelling, the sunsets were also fantastic. I got some brilliant photos, with both Yogi and some of the locals included. I think they are probably my favourite pictures of my time in Rarotonga.

That's about all for now, had quite a busy weekend so having an early night. Will update you on my antics from this weekend on the next post. Until then......

Cook Islands - Part I

The last two weeks of Mum's visit were spent in the Cook Islands, more specifically, on the island of Rarotonga. The island itself is located in the South Pacific, and is surrounded by a large lagoon. Rarotonga is fairly small, with a population of around 13,000 people. There is one main road encircling the island (around 30km long), and just two main bus routes - clockwise and anticlockwise!  Our accommodation was a beach-front studio apartment located on the west coast, roughly a 10 minute scooter ride from the capital city of Avarua. 

The view from our apartment was fantastic, and we could step straight out on to a beautiful deserted white sandy beach. We had our own private decking area complete with BBQ which looked out over the water.

The apartment even came with its very own dog. She was very friendly, and came looking for leftovers every day. She would even come and sit with us when sunbathing, and loved to come swimming out in the lagoon with us. Yogi (as I decided to call her) had just 3 legs, but that certainly didn't stop her from running alongside me when I went cycling. I just wish I could have brought her back to New Zealand with me.

Our time in Rarotonga was extremely relaxing. I spent most of it eating, drinking, sleeping and snorkelling. On Saturday mornings there was a food market held in Avarua, full of local produce and delicacies. Mum and I tried several new foods including raw fish (white fish marinated in lime and coconut cream - absolutely DELICIOUS!), Soursop (a fruit that tastes like an apple and banana smoothie and looks like a spiky mis-shaped pear), and breadfruit (a round, lumpy looking fruit that is actually more like a potato - it is very starchy, and is eaten boiled, baked or fried). I also ate a lot of paw paw, had some fresh coconut, and mum enjoyed some juicy pineapples.

For the two weeks we were there I hired a bicycle to get around the island and explore. I saw many interesting things - far too many to put on here, so I've just selected a few pictures that I took on my travels. I took photos of 'Black Rock' (a well-known snorkelling destination), the local Courthouse, an interesting looking bus stop, the Cook Islands Football Association, the residence of the Queen's Representative, a nice looking church, Pa's Palace, Wigmore's Waterfall (complete with local in the photograph) a few of Avarua, and some very beautiful scenery.

This is just a brief selection of photographs and stories, part II of Rarotonga shall include some snorkelling images and some really beautiful sunsets - be sure to look at the next instalment!