Muri Beachcomber (October 14 - 17)

Day 1: Arrival in Rarotonga

Adam and I were very excited by the time we got on our plane to Rarotonga! The flight was only about 3-4 hours, but in that time we crossed the date line. So (somewhat confusingly), we left on Saturday morning, and arrived on Friday afternoon. We flew right past the island first and doubled back to land. 

 We were able to see the beaches as we flew in, but the mountains were mostly hidden by cloud.

When we landed we were greeted by a blast of hot air - it was 28 degrees! After customs we were greeted by our hotel's driver and presented with the traditional flower garland - it was later explained to us that these are called 'ei' rather than 'lei', as Cook Island Maori language has no 'l's.

Our first stop was Muri Beachcomber Resort. We checked out our room which was very nice, then headed straight for the beach! Seeing the beach was like being in a dream, it was very surreal coming from a cold, rainy Auckland morning just hours ago.

Our friends from Wellington Emily and Seb, who we had coordinated the trip with, tracked us down and we had a bit of a catchup. Later, after a shower and a nap, we headed back to walk along Muri Beach and find somewhere to eat. Muri Beach on the east of the island is the most famous (and popular) part of Rarotonga for tourists to visit. There are many resorts, restaurants and shops along this stretch. The whole island is surrounded by a lagoon, however in Muri Beach the lagoon is renowned for being shallow, sandy and sheltered, so a great place for swimming and watersports. The sunset was beautiful as the water in the lagoon was so calm that night.

Day 2: Punanga Nui Markets

The next morning, we caught the Anticlockwise bus (yes, there are two bus routes on the island - Clockwise and Anticlockwise!) off to the Saturday morning markets at Punanga Nui, in the main town Avarua. It was very hot and there was little wind, so it was a bit of an extreme introduction to the climate! We spent the rest of that day relaxing, catching up with Emily and Seb, and drinking cocktails.

Emily, Seb and Adam enjoying cocktails at the "Sands" restaurant (part of the Pacific Resort).

There are lots of animals roaming around Rarotonga. Emily and Seb made friends with a dog that night who followed them back to their villa at the place they were staying. When we got home to our room, this cat with very sad eyes wanted to get let inside, so we caved and let it in. We later found out she was a cat that lived at our resort called OJ, who apparently liked going inside people's fridges. I guess it is hot for a cat living in Raro!

 

OJ making herself at home, in the kitchen and on a spare bed in our lounge.

Day 3: Koka Lagoon Cruise

The next day was Sunday. A lot of things are closed, particularly after midday on Sunday, so if you go to Rarotonga don't expect to have much to do on that day. Fortunately though we had most of the day booked up with our Koka Lagoon Cruise! This involved boating around on a glass bottom boat to the south-east corner of the island, which is an area with great snorkelling and lots of fish known as the Fruits of Rarotonga.

One of two glass bottom boats that took our group out on the Koka Lagoon Cruise.

The glass bottom boat was fun and very entertaining, with the tour guides telling us a bit about Rarotonga and the lagoon, as well as singing and playing the ukelele and drums. Then we got to jump off the boat out in the lagoon and snorkel around the marine reserve. There were so many colourful fish, it was amazing!

This picture is from Google as my camera and phone can't go underwater! But you get the idea.

After the snorkelling, we went across to one of the islands out off Muri Beach called Koromiri for a buffet lunch of tuna, sausages, coconut and other tropical fruits, which was delicious! The Koka group sang us some songs while we ate. They all were called Captain something - Captain Awesome, Captain Cook (the chef), Captain Shiny, Captain Black Jack Sparrow... 

Afterwards Captain Awesome explained the differences between the different ages of coconuts and for what they are best used - for example, young coconuts are sweetest for drinking, and coconuts that have been left on the ground for 3-4 months are best for extracting coconut milk.

 Captain Awesome with a coconut that is ready to eat, and a coconut that is sprouting a new plant.

There was a tree climbing competition with 'warriors' from each country (Seb was selected to represent New Zealand), then Captain Awesome climbed a tree up and down in 7 seconds which was pretty impressive!

We were dropped back over to Muri Beach about 3 or 4pm, and took it easy for the rest of the day as we were a bit knackered. There were many cocktails and much delicious food!

 Having cocktails with the team at the Muri Beach Club resort - a nice place near us.

Adam and I on Muri Beach, with small islands Taakoka and Koromiri in the background.

 Going to have drinks at the Sands bar and restaurant, which is attached to Pacific Resort. 
This is where we stayed years ago (2008?) on our first family trip to Rarotonga.

It was our last day at the Muri Beachcomber. We really enjoyed staying here - the staff were very friendly and helpful, and it had a relaxed, humble vibe.

 The Beachcomber had a lovely path across a pond between our villa and the beach.

Day 4: Buggy rides + moving day!

We checked out of Beachcomber at 10am and left our bags with reception, as the hotel had helpfully offered to drop our bags off at our next place for us while we were out for most of the day. This was because we had booked into Raro Buggy Tours!

Again, not my photo - but it gives you the idea!

This involved driving around to the south of the island in a big row of bright yellow buggies. We then went up into the grounds of a derelict hotel (the Sheraton) and drove wildly around through the mud (Adam did anyway, harking back to his Hamilton boyracer days). Strangely I ended up with a lot more mud on me than he did, although by the end we were both pretty much covered! It was a lot of fun for all of us but I think especially for the guys.

The aftermath...

After that we drove up to a waterfall, where we caught our breath and then tried our best to wash some of the mud off (without too much success). The next step was to a nearby park where we all tried our best to get a hole in one and therefore win our buggy tour for free - unfortunately no luck. Finally we headed back towards Muri Beach for a yummy crumbed fish sandwich which was included with the tour.

 Finally, it was back to Muri Beach, and hopping onto the bus to go to our next resort... still covered in mud!