Welcome to paradise! The beautiful, friendly island of Rarotonga is the largest of the
Cook Islands, a group of 15 islands in the southern Pacific Ocean. The islands are an
independent protectorate of New Zealand. English is widely spoken, although the locals
speak their own language closely related to New Zealand Maori among themselves.
The center of the island is full of beautiful green hills - most of the population of
11,000 lives around the outside of the island. The perimeter of the island is approx
32km (20 miles) and the island is almost completely surrounded by shallow lagoons, with
water temperatures often reaching almost 30 degrees.
It is possible to walk across the island from North to South in between 4 and 5 hours.
At the end of the walk, nothing is more welcome than a cold beer, sitting on the verandah
of a cafe, with a view of the beach and the lagoon.
The islanders preserve many of their traditional cultural activities, such as
dancing, fishing and weaving. Particularly recommended for a good overview is
the Cultural Village, which offers morning tours every day, and is located on
the west side of the island.
The islanders make great use of the coconut tree. The fruit is used for food,
milk and as a skin oil, and the leaves are used to make grass skirts, baskets
and other woven goods. It is not a good idea to sit under a coconut tree -
you never can tell when another one will fall!
A visit to the CICC (Cook Islands Christian Church) in the capital, Avarua,
is a thoroughly recommended experience. The singing, all unaccompanied, is
exquisite, and the very friendly congregation invite all the visiting tourists
to lunch provided in the hall afterwards. Please respect the locals by dressing
appropriately - as can be seen from this picture, people dress in their 'Sunday
Best' for church - sleeveless T-shirts or shorts would be inappropriate.
It is worth a walk up the 'hospital hill' on the west end of the island to
see the sun setting over the pacific ocean...
