by Mandeep Gaygoat
We returned the scooter early as we had a busy day with the lagoon cruise. I was happy and confident at riding the scooter, especially as I got up to 80 kmph. We popped into Kuru Cafecnext to the hire place – good vibe there and some great art on the walls by a local artist.
We had booked (chartered the boat) the lagoon cruise through Wet n Wild, a family run business, the captain’s name is Quinton a very decent and knowledgable guy. His wife Melo picked us up from the hotel and drove us to the dock. There we met Quinton and their youngest daughter Alana. The business has been running for ten years. The islands around Aitutaki are amazing there is one called Honeymoon islands which is just idyllic. There is another called One Foot Island which has the worlds smallest registered Post Office on it. You can get your passport stamped there! We had a great time on the cruise, an amazing lunch and really enjoyed chatting to Quinton about Aitutaki, the world and its people and God (or the ‘force’ as Quinton says). now feels like we have known Quinton for a long time!
Honeymoon island
Afterwards we got dropped back at the hotel and relaxed there as our flight was due to leave around 7:10pm the receptionist called Nina said it would be fine to leave around 6:30pm
The flight was very easy we checked in our backpacks and waited outside, literally 50 yards from the runway. We met a German couple who were backpacking for 5 months they had travelled to South America first and stayed in Aitutaki for 12 days and were heading onto New Zealand. They have booked all their accommadation until the end of November!! They said “perhaps that was not a good idea, as if they liked place they could not stay longer.”
The plane had arrived it was a cosy 15 seater, you could feel the bumps and air traps! Definitely not for people scared of flying. The co pilot came out and gave the emergency evacuation speech, nice and simple “life guards are under your seats, enjoy your flight!”
By the time we got to Rarotonga it was 8:15 and dark, not sure what it is but a place always seems unwelcoming in the dark. We asked the security office if they could book us a taxi, we made the mistake of not asking them how much it will cost before ordering. After about 15 minutes the taxi came along with two plump Rarotongan ladies, we asked about the cost, they said $20 per head to take us to the hostel! We did not have much choice so went along. Once we arrived at the hostel the reception was closed (closed at 12 noon even though we had a booking for the night), a lot of hostels the reception closes, at a certain time which can be very early in laid back places like this so it is always worth asking them this. Sangeet went to the hostel dining room and asked other hostellers how to get hold of the manager they gave her the out of hours emergency number and Paul the manager said he is around the corner and coming. He checked us in and showed us our room. Slightly different to the accommadation in Aitutaki. The shower had a carpet of ants in it!
As we were both hungry we walked to a Chinese restaurant, we ordered a stir fry vegetables to go. Sangeet specified to make it strictly vegetarian which we hope they did! Walking back to the hostel we stopped at the grocery, where we bought sprite, baked beams and rice pudding
Back at the hostel Sangeet decided to have the baked beams in a cup followed by rice pudding. A true hostel meal. I had the Chinese not bad for $8.
We decided to sleep in our mummy liners, these are a thin silk sheet which usually fits into a sleeping bag, so when travelling it is easier to wash, instead of having to wash the sleeping bag. It also keeps the bugs away. Also it gives you a peace of mind that at least the mummy liner will be cleaner then the bed sheets!
by Mandeep Gaygoat
After a big breakfast, (I ate seven passion fruits) where we also got mango which tasted amazing and like they had just been picked from the tree, we decided to book a island boat tour through reception for the next day. lovey, one of the Etu Moana staff said ahe knew of a guy called Quinton who could take us out charter. The price is pretty high as we have chartered a boat just for us two so we can go to the islands (called moths here) we want to go to.
We had a walk to Paradise Cove as they offered scooters for hire, the owner was not there and the kitchen staff said he would be five minutes (Aitutaki time for whenever he gets here!) luckily we only had to wait half an hour or so, we noticed that in reception they also advertised companies that offered private charter boat trips, one company was half the price we paid unfortunately he was attending to boat maintenance. This is a good point, check tour prices at hostel/cheaper hotels, usually you would just get a better price for the same tour. However, another company, Teking, quoted almost double the price from Quinton!
As the owner was busy with other people we decided to go back to our hotel and order a scooter ar the reception, from a company called ‘Papota Rentals’ the price is the same throughout the island $25 for 24 hours. This company come and pick you up. We got a 125cc scooter for $30, neither of us have ridden one so this will be fun. I got on the bike to test ride it. I pulled too hard on the throttle and nearly went into a wall. Not a good start. Next I managed to straighten it up and before you know it I am heading for the lagoon!!!’
By now the lady from the bike hire company came out, she looked nervous. She asked if I was confident I said no! She responded ah you will be fine. Once I got slightly better, Sangeet decided to get on the back. We rode to Tauono’s Garden Cafe for lunch, where we were also were meeting Weston, Helen and Tyler. Lunch was great, Sangeet ordered the breadfruit lasagne and they did a Chinese stir fry for me. As we entered the restaurant, Sonja mentioned they had made us a vegan cake….looked forward to that. The restaurant was busy but luckily there was space on our table for Weston and his family when they arrived. We are very fortunate to have met them they have a very good mind set and great personalities. After a fantastic lunch and great conversation with plenty of laughs it was around 4:45pm – we started lunch at 12:30! Sangeet and I rode around the island.
The nervous owner!
The south of the island seems a lot more quieter and the lawns were manicured, the middle of the island you have the hospital, school and power station.
After a ride around the island we passed through the bike shed to have a vegetarian meal, a bit difficult as all the fried items are cooked in the same oil as meat and fish. So we stuck with rice pudding and ice cream. After the dessert, Sangeet had a go at riding the scooter and found it very easy until I got on the back when the scooter started to wobble all over the place! A family walking along the road quickly moved their young children to one side when they saw us coming! Sangeet got the hang of riding with me on the back quickly and before we knew it was speeding along to the resort.
In the evening we got a DVD from reception called ‘message in a bottle’, this time we both fell asleep half way through!
by Mandeep Gaygoat
The mosquitoes in the Cook Islands are vicious! Nothing seems to distract them , we bought the local repellant called Bushman but that has not worked, we even tried locally made deterrents but that has also not worked. Perhaps we deserve it for all the sweet treats we had in America!
by Mandeep Gaygoat
At the moment we are in Aiutaki, the Internet is very slow and expensive. Updates will be posted When possible.
by Mandeep Gaygoat
After a good walk along the beach we decided to grab some lunch, the restaurant was a five minute walk away. When we got there we found out they do not take card payments, so we had to walk to the ATM which was around 20 minutes away. As the day was getting much hotter and the restaurant was only serving lunch for another 40 minutes we decided to head back to the hotel to pick up a couple of bicycles. The cash machines belongs to ANZ and the transaction was nice and easy as they accepted Visa. We then cycled back to the restaurant:
Tauono’s Garden Cafe
PO Box 1,
Aitutaki,
Cook Islands
T: + 682 31 562
w: www.tauonos.com
e: [email protected]
This restaurant is great, they grow all their own vegetables and fruit. They do offer some meat dishes, here in Aitutaki it is not possible to find an all vegetarian restaurant.
Sangeet ordered the bread fruit lasagne (not cheap!) which we shared, it tasted great. I also had coconut bread which was also good. After a tasty meal, Sonja, the owner, came out to talk to us and the family sitting next to us, they were from Auckland, New Zealand. She told us how her trip to Aitutaki was only for the day, 15 years ago. This is where she met her husband and has stayed ever since. They have a couple of plantations in the hills where they grow everything, unfortunately a cyclone hit the area a couple of years ago and has devastated one of the plantations, this is where they used to grow coffee and bananas. This all happened 3 months after her husband passed away. Sonja is a keen believer in getting WWOOF’ers onboard to help with the gardening, unfortunately the plantation which is damaged needs to be bulldozed and started again from scratch. She is a very interesting lady and seems to have many stories to tell. She told us about her travels and also how much Aitutaki has changed in the last 15 years. She is a real defender of the mud crabs!
Bread fruit lasagne:
She then asked us all what do we do, I responded that I am in IT so was Whiston from Auckland. She said her Apple Mac had sound issues, we responded by saying we are PC/Window’s guys and get a PC! We then offered to take a look so she brought out her Mac. So now you have four people around the Mac, Whiston, Tyler (their son) Sonja and myself, I powered the laptop, so I class myself as first line support, Weston who we class as second line support has a quick look and passes it to Tyler who said they have around 300 Mac’s in their school. He resolved the issue!!
Tyler resolving the issue:
Problem solved!
The tech team!
Sonja was happy but commented that the two IT professionals did not know a thing! This sounds about right!!
It was a fantastic lunch, full of good food, good company and good laughter! You just could not script this!
After lunch Weston, Helen and Tyler mentioned they were hoping to have a look around Etu Moana, we invited them to come along with us. They came with us and liked the resort. We had good conversation and then they decided to head off for a swim.
Sangeet and I grabbed the bikes and cycled into town….well the one grocery shop that is there….the canned foods, cereals, cheeses, chocolates are imported from New Zealand so are very expensive. Take for example a box of coco pops is $10 NZ which works out at £5 British pounds! Sangeet’s small fruit and nut chocolate cost us $3.50 NZ!
The staple diet of the island is fish and chicken…..you can see chickens / cockerels everywhere, they wake you up VERY early you almost cannot blame the locals for eating them!
On the way back to the hotel we passed three other grocery stores. All have similar produce, at one store I asked the lady “who offers free wifi?” she responded “nobody you will just have to hack in!!” Okay that sounds like a challenge! We bought the following from the groceries – there was very little choice!
Crackers
Peanut butter
Tomato soup (concentrated!)
Vermicelli (made from green beans)
Soya milk
Sugar
Fruit and nut chocolate
Sprite
In the evening we watched the sun set over the ocean which was fantastic.
I enjoyed peanut butter with crackers and sameeya (sweet vermicelli dish) for dessert.
The hotel we are staying at had a selection of DVD’s we borrowed one, called “The Holiday” it was a good movie, unfortunately I fell asleep before the end…………….Sangeet filled me in!
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