Cook Islands Wrap Up

We didn't know that much about the Cook Islands when we decided to spend nearly a month there. We knew there were beaches, the google images were solid, and it was cheaper than Fiji. Choosing a spot for our wedding wasn't easy. I worked with a “wedding coordinator” (I'm using quotation marks properly) who really was just a shmo from Small Guide Travel who got kick backs for pointing people to resorts that her website had deals with. Having seen the place Mandi with an “I” recommended to us, I'm glad that we got wise to the jig with her and did it ourselves.

Rarotonga is the largest of the Cook Islands – it takes nearly an hour to circumnavigate its single road. The island is volcanic which means fantastic produce, a giant bump in the center than can be hiked over, and v. strange weather systems. We had nearly a week of full sun before the rains began. Some days in our bungalow I thought trees would be uprooted; some days they were.

Unlike other vacation destinations, Rarotonga isn't super built up. Most people that go are from NZ, and rent bungalows rather than staying in hotels. The biggest resort is tiny compared to a major chain hotel. The beaches are public and quiet: no one is selling sarongs, or hair braiding, banana boat rides, or herbs packaged as weed. There is just ocean, beach, jungle and the road to putt around on a scooter.

For climbing.

Which isn't to say we were bored. I snorkeled almost every day we were there. The island is surrounded by coral. On the downside, this means there are only some areas where the ocean floor is soft and sandy for wading. On the upside, one can snorkel from the shore anywhere on the island and see tropical fish that are beyond amazing.

Being on Rarotonga made me wonder why we ever lived in a city.  Waking up in the morning to the sound of the ocean, wandering to the beach to snorkel for an hour or two at a time, scootering to the local gas station/video rental/grocery store/fish and chippery in the afternoon, it makes one think about chucking it all. We came up with a fairly detailed business idea that is still being batted around.

Meeting so many formerly-corporate New Zealanders who've sold off and opened small businesses on the island makes one think. The men are thin from tennis playing and are so tan that the creases around their eyes are bright white when they aren't smiling, which happens rarely. They work outside on their property, or pour gin for their seasonal friends, or teach tourists how to sail. They're professionally relaxed.

Ed asked my when we were in Koh Lanta how long I thought I could stay at the beach and not get bored. I thought a month would do it. I was wrong. Apparently my tolerance for the slow paced life is virtually inexhaustible.

For looking.