Rarotonga 05May08
After a nine and a half hour flight from LA (relatively painless) we arrived on Rarotonga shortly before dawn. The airport is very small and laid-back, and you exit the plane onto the tarmac and walk to the terminal. As we did the sun was just starting to come up and the island was very quiet and still.Everyone took the opportunity to take photos in front of the plane - including us.
Inside the airport we were greeted by a local guitarist playing polynesian music.. Very festive!
Anyways we made it through customs easily enough, even though we had camping gear and had been to a farm recently (they didn't seem to care). However we had trouble getting local money. Even though we had notified the bank ahead of time, our ATM cards didn't work and the airport bank was closed. Fortunately the hostel folks didn't mind and later loaned us 20 NZD for bus fair to the bank downtown. Problem solved :)
The hostel had a van to pick us and several other guests up at the airport, and the ride around the island in the quiet, early dawn was spectacular. I lucked out and got to ride in the front seat (wonder if they call it "shotgun" here?) The island has one main road that circumnavigates the island and is all of 32km long. There is also an inland circular road that goes around most of the island and is very scenic... more on that later. Anyways, we were on the main road and most of the time you have fantastic views of the lush, volcanic mountains, the beautiful coral lagoon or both. The buildings are mostly rustic cinder block construction with corrugated metal roofs. Some are brightly painted and all have many chickens, dogs, goats, etc wandering in the yard. The vegetation is lush and tropical as you would expect, but I'll leave it to the flora expert (Justin) to describe it in more detail :)
We're staying at Rarotongan Backpackers on the west side of the island - at the hillside location. The hostel is in a great place, tucked into the lush hillside with views of the ocean, and the beach only a 5 minute walk away. The hostel has a beachside location as well, but it is more crowded and closer to the busy main road, so I think we made the right choice. We lucked out and got to stay in a bungalow for the first two nights with our own private bathroom, kitchen and balcony because our standard double room was still occupied. We were tempted to pay extra to stay in it the whole week, but decided that wouldn't be a good way to start off our "budget" trip ;)
Our first day here, we took the bus into town to get cash and groceries, and had lunch at a nice little chinese restaurant. I know Chinese sounds funny, but there weren't any inexpensive local cuisine shops!
Buying groceries was an experience as well. We stocked up on local fruit (papaya, starfruit, avocado, lemon) but the meat and drygoods are mostly imported and very expensive! Fresh milk was $7NZ per liter, but fortunately we found the cheaper UHT milk (milk in aseptic cartons that doesn't require refridgeration until opened - like the individual half & half for coffee in the states.) We decided to make a big batch of curry and rice to eat for several days with a curry packet. And for breakfast we got the cheapest cereal, Wheatbix - a NZ staple (kind of like wheaties but compressed into bars like big shredded wheat.) Tastes fine, but goes soggy instantly.
Of course our first day wouldn't be complete without a visit to the ocean... We went to the nearest beach and waded way out in the lagoon. In some places you can walk all the way to the coral "wall" separating the lagoon from the deep ocean without even getting your knees wet. There are millions of sea cucumbers here (although we did not snack on them raw as the locals do!) And you have wear sandals in the ocean to avoid cutting yourself on the coral. The beach is gorgeous and we got to watch a very nice sunset.
After it got dark, we went back to the bungalow where I got to display my MacGyver talents (haha)! For the curry and rice we needed two burners, which we thought we had, until we realized that one would only light and flicker for a minute before going out. Using a needle from my trusty sewing kit I was able to clear the clogged gas outlet and voila, we had two working burners! and Justin thought it was silly to bring sewing supplies... now if I can only find a dual use for those knitting needles...
Link to full flickr set
5 comments:
Wow! sounds like all kinds of fun! those pics of both of you are very cute - i love the 40's swimsuit. :)
i believe the fellow playing music is playing a baritone or tenor ukulele... i only see 4 strings, but it's hard to tell in the photo. ;) still very much in keeping with polynesian music! yay!
I cannot find out how you got to RAR direct from LAX. I see direct flights on Air New Zealand is supposed to be how, but I cannot actually find a schedule that would let me do it. Is it seasonal?
The direct flight from LAX to RAR isn't seasonal, but weekly. It leaves once a week on Sunday night. Not much demand for it...
You will find a use for those knitting needles the moment Justin talks you into leaving them somewhere!
Maybe you can sell them to some local someday for just the food or ride you need to survive. =)
Oh, oh.. or self defense!
Self-denfense knitting needles! Now that is a great idea :)
Post a Comment