After leaving Tahiti and enjoying a sea day, we arrived at the Cook Islands, specifically Rarotonga, a beautiful and tranquil island in the middle of the South Pacific.
Our excursion for Rarotonga was a glass bottom boat ride that lasted 3 hours and included snorkeling, swimming and a beachside cookout. Thoroughly enjoyable.
The water is only a couple of feet deep for hundreds of yards off the island with pristine sand. The glass bottom boat was inches away from the ocean bed as we motored alongside the island to a place with an abundance of fish. We opted not to snorkel since we felt the view from the boat was more than enough and the view through the glass bottom boat was perfect – the big plus, was we did not get wet and needed to dry off. The Captain and crew also serenaded us with music while we sailed back.
The cookout by the captain and crew took place an a small isolated island with picnic benches and fire pit with a griddle. The crew showed us their technique for opening coconuts, removing the meat then squeezing the juice from the meat – they live on what the island provides. The food was a mix of fruits, breads, salads, grilled onions, plantains, yellow fin tuna steaks and sausages. Very tasty.
We returned to the bus which brought us back into town of Avarua where the ship was anchored off shore. We shopped and walked a bit prior to boarding the ship. The tender boat ride back was worth an “E” ticket ride as the waves and current rocked the ship and tender Getting from the tender to the ship took a bit of timing your jump or step!
Rarotonga certainly was a pleasant surprise for us, the island specifically caters to relaxation and having a fun time.
Next for us is 4 days at sea – however, our calender will show it will be 5 days since one day (January 24) we lose due to crossing the international dateline and we move our clocks ahead 24 + 1 hour when we cross the imaginary line. The instead of being behind time with everyone back in the USA, we will be 13 hours ahead of the USA. Our next stop is New Zealand – specifically the Bay of Islands, Waitangi NZ. Then 5 consecutive ports in the northern island of New Zealand.
