Black Rock, Cook IslandsRarotonga – on the weekend
It rains on the Saturday market
The Saturday market in Avarua is
famous in Rarotonga, no question we are heading there today. As we drive into
the town, we can see a cruise ship!!! Yes – I guess the town will be busy. And
we discover the parking is tight but they have a big grassy area where we can
park. As it looks like it drizzles a bit we bring the umbrella along for
emergencies!! We walk up and down the stalls with lots of tourists from the
cruise ship, lots of food to eat and fabric to buy…. And then we discover that
they have a dance performance, now that is super cool – so we head to the
covered gazebo and it starts to rain only a bit – we go to the side to not
block the view and are under cover (best choice we made), we are super close to
watch the drummers and the warriors and maiden dance, it is a lot of fun and as
it happened it started to rain.
Nearly at the end it started to
pour…. I mean really hard, so we decided to wait a bit and hope that it slows
down a bit…. It was fun to see the kids jumping in the water puddles as they
formed super fast!!! We also get wet feet and are close together as we head
back to the car and then we go fabric shopping. We also have a quick stop at
the harbour to check out the Cruise ship – as even Paul didn’t know that cruise
ships are coming here.
Some backroads to where Paul
stayed
As far as Paul remembers, where he
stayed he walked down the road and came to the beach close to our hotel, and so
today we went into the backroads and drove along there to check out more of the
local neighborhoods. We did end up at a dead-end road where the asphalt
converted into grass (that means time to turn around) on the wet soggy grassy
road without getting stuck. And as we headed down the road back to our resort
we did came by the house where Paul stayed when he lived here over 20 years
ago!!
Out with the Kayaks
The good news is, that it stopped
raining and we can have coffee outside with ocean view as we have our loungers
perfectly set up. After a break we decided to go out with the kayaks: this time
we paddles towards the reef where the waves break and I think the tide is
higher today – we were still far off and sometimes the waves were so high they
crashed over the reef and made waves inside the lagoon and Gine got wet on the
paddleboard and Paul’s kayak also jumped over the waves. Also, we could see how
the weather got a bit better and there is some blue out and we could see the
needle!!! and some of the mountains. We did paddle by the restaurant but the
fish are not here (maybe tomorrow we have to bring some bread with us when we
are kayaking)
In the sun!!
A swim in the ocean and a jump
into the pool and we decided to head to our loungers to hang out in the sun as
the sun is coming out not completely but still we got a bit the vacation
feeling in. And because it was so nice we were late for the shower and late for
supper…. No big deal – we still had music and met another couple from Canada.
Pouring Rain and blue Sky
We woke up and already could hear
it: it is raining – pouring. We were really hoping for a nice day – not another
grey cloudy day… and as we have shower and get to breakfast: we can see the
blue sky and the sun coming out – What!!! Yes, we have a gorgeous blue sky with
a few small white clouds and lots and lots of sun: our day is made –
finally!!!!
Visiting Ararongi CICC
Today is Sunday and one of the
things to do in the Cook Islands is
visiting one, today is also no housekeeping they will only change the towels
because on Sundays they will give their staff time to go to church and that is
what we are doing too. We decided to go to Ararongi CICC, because the CICC is
the oldest and main church in Rarotonga and this one is the closest to the
resort. The interesting part is that they speak everything in Cook Island
Maori… so we didn’t really understand anything. But we did enjoy the singing
which is amazing and very special. Also all the women wear a hat and a dress
and the guys are in black suit with shirt and tie…
Sunshine at the Black Rock
Beach
We head back change into our swim
suits and then head out to the Black Rock beach – and yes, it is “busy” today
but still lots and lots of space and the first thing we do is go into the water
as here is a wide area with no corrals, perfect for swimming (no worries it is
still not deep and you can stand everywhere). It is a lot of fun and then Gine
goes for a walk to the black rock as where Paul sacrifices and stays with the
towels. After two hours in the sun and in the water, we decide to head back for
a coffee and shade break.
Cook Island Time at the Resort
Afterwards, we head to our beach
and here it is super cool to jump in the water too and now we have what we
thought it should be in the Cook Islands: blue sky – warm and crystal clear
warm water so pretty we enjoy the water until we thought we become mermaids and
then we head to the pool so we can get a nice massage for our shoulders…. That
is vacation life. We find two loungers under the palm trees with lagoon and
ocean views and it is hard to sit still and relax because the view is so
wonderful out on the water – up to the clouds or the palm trees… I think we
have a too relaxed afternoon….
Chinese food at the Muri Night
market
What’s for supper is always the
big question – Gine wants something on the ocean and Paul doesn’t want to be at
the same place with the same view all the time as well he is not into more fish
and chips, so it takes us forever to decide what we want and we finally settle
on a Caesar Salad with Chicken and when we wanted to order we discovered that
they don’t have salad… What!!!! We decided to go to the Muri Night Market – and
once there today there are a lot more people and we feel like all the other
tourists and we get Chinese!!!! And it is a lot (I mean so much that we are
both over full and still haven’t eaten it all when we saw on the next table,
they order two meals (they must be really hungry)!!!!
2025-05-23