38. A Half-Day in Rarotonga, Cook Islands and Transfer to Papeete, French Polynesia (11/5/2024)

Taking a walk in Rarotonga, Southern Cook Islands

       My main activity during our half day on Rarotonga, besides catching up on sleep, was taking a walk outside the gates of our resort. In addition to some exercise, walks give you the opportunity to see a little bit of what life is like in a place without a tour. It's not possible to see the unique details from a 10-min taxi ride at 30 mph.

       After a late breakfast of banana bread and coffee,  I grabbed my binoculars and water and headed out of the Club Raro Resort.  Even though Rarotonga is the largest in the Cook Islands group, it takes only 45 minutes to circumnavigate the volcanic island on its main road. There is a second, inner ring road with very little traffic and that's where I walked. 

       Because we are continuing to deal with the aftermath of mom's dog bite in Fiji, I was on high alert for Rarotonga's population of 'wandering dogs'. Whereas Fiji is known for its strays, almost all of Rarotonga's dogs have owners. What the island doesn't have are fences or leash laws. When we asked a couple of people at the airport yesterday, we were first told that Rarotonga dogs are safe because they have no teeth (a common joke, I gathered) or that they are very friendly. Within 5 minutes, I encountered my first small pack of three dogs from two neighboring homes.  After a few seconds hesitation while we sized each other up and ascertained intentions, the dog love fest commenced. I can't wait to get home to have a dog love fest with a dog that doesn't smell like it sleeps in the dirt. During the rest of the 4- mile walk,  I repeated the dog love fest encounter a total 8 times. I also passed another dozen houses in which the dogs looked up from where they were dozing,  barked a few times, and then decided i wasn't worth the energy to get up for. 

       I didn't see any farms, but many houses had an adjacent plot of land planted with taro, papaya, banana, or breadfruit. I passed a few houses with goats or pigs tied up outside, and feral chickens were everywhere.  

Banana (protected in plastic bags) / guayava trees

       I stopped and took a photo of a small cemetery with the forested mountain rising behind it,  but I looked around and couldn't see any adjacent church. As I continued, it became apparent that people kept their deceased loved ones close to home. At least a quarter of houses had a corner of their land occupied by a few concrete tombs under a roof. Most were adorned with fresh frangipani,  hibiscus,  and greenery from All Saints Day late last week. I later read that this practice began when the cemeteries on the island began filling up. Additionally, people are not buried in the dirt, per se, but rather encased in concrete because of the cultural taboo of throwing dirt on women. What makes it even more interesting is  that all land is owned by Cook Island families and not available for purchase or title exchange. That means that many people on the island, a Cook Islander or not, are living on leased property from the original land owners and don't necessarily get permission from the owners before burying their family on the land.

Open burial plots

Uncovered graves on personal property

Mountain range in background

Covered graves on personal property

I couldn't help but think of my brother-in-law, Armando, upon seeing this

       Upon my return to the resort,  mom was pissed off and frantically trying to pack my luggage. I left around 9:45 & was strolling back in with just enough time to clean up and get out the room by 11. While i was gone, Mom's relaxation time by the pool was interupted by management telling her that checkout was at 10 and we owed $25 for being late and there was no grace period after 11. We managed to get me showered,  packed, and out of the room by 11:10, but then had to have a conversation with the manager about the information we were...and weren't...giving verbally or on paper during check-in. It was one of several frustrations we had during our 20-hour stay. One of the other frustrations was having to pay cash at every bar/restaurant because the check-in clerk hadn't run the credit card for incidentals. Another one was mom waking up in the morning with a collection of bug bites under the waistband of her pajamas.

       After working things out with the front desk and arranging a taxi back to the airport, we sat in the lobby making the most of our prepaid 2GB of data. It's election day and both Mom and i are experiencing anxiety about the results.  It's been interesting to the perspectives of non-Americans on our election. The cab driver of Indian heritage in Fiji was pro-Harris, whereas yesterday's cab driver wanted Trump to win for the entertainment factor of the crazy $%@# he says. The margin for either candidate will be small and we expect any result to be contested. Therefore, my personal plan is to look at a few headlines, make another donation to the campaign for future legal fees, and to spend the majority of my time getting Mom safely and comfortably to her goal of TCC #301.  With her injury, this now involves procuring a wheelchair upon arrival at the airport and arranging to have one on the other side.  I will continue in my role as chief navigator, administrative assistant, and counselor of staying hydrated. 

       The rest of the travel day was uneventful, although we were tickled by the number of chickens, the fact that our international flight only had 25 people aboard, and the photo with the ukelele musicans upon arrival in Tahiti.  

Air Rarotonga check-in (after accidentally trying to check-in with Air New Zealand)

The bigger of two Air Rarotonga planes on the tarmac - not ours as it turns out

Goodbye, Rarotonga!

'ia ora na, Tahiti!

A Tahitian welcome at the airport

       What really capped off the day, though, was checking into our very last hotel of the trip. It is a true resort. Our room has a kitchenette, separate rooms for WC and shower, a desk, a couch and coffee table, and a balcony overlooking the South Pacific Ocean. I'll be on my own here for the better part of the two days that we have before leaving on Friday. Mom will be making her final push the TCC locations and will spend both days on planes. I thought about trying to see the island, but its supposed be raining most of the week, so perhaps I will just find the hot tub, rent some snorkel gear, or have another facial. It's bittersweet that the adventure is coming to an end, but we are both really ready to come home. But with the election results, what future country will we be coming back to?  

Te Moana Resort lobby

Lobby centerpiece

The view from inside our room

The view from the balcony