On October 26th, the day before I left Auckland, I arrived in Rarotonga, despite the plane's technical problem. I traveled through time, in fact, here in Rarotonga we are -23 hours behind Auckland. I crossed the date line with just about 4 hours of flight.
We arrived around 9 PM, exhausted from a long day of waiting at Auckland airport. Apii, the taxi driver suggested by Paul Brown who manages the Rarotonga Backpacker where I booked a single room with shared facilities in February, was waiting for me.
The Auckland-Rarotonga flight was the first flight of the trip that I booked. I am very happy to have finally arrived where I wanted to go for such a long time.
The place where I am staying is directly on the beach, my room is ok and costs little. The people who come and go for a few nights are young and also less young, so I feel good. If I feel like chatting, I do, otherwise, I mind my own business. By chatting, however, you learn many things, both practical like where to go swimming, where the nearest free Wi-Fi is, or how to take the bus, as well as about the different countries of origin. The bus here, actually there are two, one goes clockwise and the other counterclockwise, hence the name. It works well but you mustn't miss it, otherwise, you wait an hour for the next one or half an hour for the one in the other direction and you take the whole island tour, which takes an hour. There are no bus stops, you raise your hand on the side of the road and the bus stops, there isn't even a button to call the stop so when you want to get off you have to get up and tell the driver. The procedure is not always easy for us tourists who realize too late that our stop has already passed… I tell the driver as soon as I get on, or if it is far away, I check on Google, and when I am close, I go to the driver and communicate my destination. Well, I saw a couple of people having to redo the tour but generally, everything goes smoothly. There is a card with 10 rides for 35 N$, otherwise, the normal ride costs 5 N$. The Anticlockwise bus finishes at 4:30 PM and today it caught me off guard because I forgot, so I had to wait for the Clockwise bus and take the long tour to return. On Sunday, everything is closed, and only the Clockwise bus runs but only until 5 PM, I think, then you are on your own for how to get back. In reality, the islanders are very nice and if they see you on the road they stop and give you a ride, it has already happened to me several times. You meet very talkative locals who tell you anecdotes and even gossip ;) They are nice, and since the island is very small with only about 6000 souls, they want to know where you come from, why you are here, what you do in life... I have had various proposals, from casual relationships to leasing land for a B&B ;) all very soft and not annoying at all.
Apart from the bus, I got around with a scooter and a bicycle rented here at the accommodation. I don't have a license for the scooter, but here in Rarotonga, it's not a problem. If you go to the police station, they give you a provisional A1 license, you have to take a small test and a practical trial. The license lasts only a month and they issued it to me without any test or practical trial. I paid 20 NZ$ and that’s it. I suspect I wrote something wrong in the application form. They told me they simply rewrote my license. I didn't comment, but I don’t have the A1 license. Well, anyway, done :) The Danish girls who were with me to get the license had to do everything, I guess they thought I was too old not to know how to ride a scooter ;)
So with various means of transport, I toured the island far and wide, it doesn't take much as you can imagine. There is a road that goes all around, 32 km long, another concentric road, and those leading towards the mountain.
I met a guy who makes cocoa, I was riding the scooter, saw a sign, and followed it to find someone who at home simply prepares cocoa, without any additions. Bitter as you can imagine, the guy was nice but not in great shape, teeth needing toothpaste for years… Anyway, he explained, made me sit on a plastic chair, showed me the cocoa fruits, told me they collect them all over the island. To support the locals, I bought a small jar of black liquid for 10 NZ$, incredibly bitter. I tried using it for milk and cocoa or with sweet banana, but nothing… bitter and insoluble, so fatty. Anyway, it was nice. I met him again this morning at the market in Avarua and he remembered me, which doesn't take much, probably the only visitor in who knows how long. He offered me a liquor with vanilla, I believe, as they also produce that.
I swam a lot, mainly to look at the seabed and fish, which are hilarious! The corals are wonderful, and the coral reef is too impressive. In the afternoon, with the help of low tide, I managed to reach the reef, where the waves break and the open ocean begins! A fantastic experience, there were locals looking for something—I believe pearls. Here there are black pearls, and they are beautiful! I bought two small and deformed ones for only 10 NZ$ each. The perfect, jet-black ones are very expensive, but Sophie and I like imperfect things, so perfect for us ;)
The lagoon is beautiful, the Muri part also has some islands inside the lagoon. I took a kayak ride, had so much fun, and went around one of the islands. The water in the lagoon is very shallow, there is no danger of drowning, but in some points, there are passes where the reef is interrupted, and there the current is dangerous. The water is much darker and deeper. In these points, swimming is forbidden. I went on a pier to see one of the passes up close, and it is impressive. Getting there wasn’t easy, and it is actually forbidden, but I saw kids and people fishing in the previous days, so I went even if nobody was there. I have to say the water to reach the pier is shallow up to your waist, but I tried to swim and couldn't manage, too much current ;)
Another wonderful thing, besides the colors and deserted beaches, are the whales that pass just outside the lagoon, playing or fishing. Sometimes one, sometimes up to three; once, I saw a small one jump. It is such a beautiful and relaxing show to see them in their element, so close and alone on the beach, just for me :) Rarotonga is also the island of chickens and roosters, which are abundant and everywhere, they belong to no one, are free, and go anywhere. You find them on the beach, on the roads, in the woods, on the mountain, even around the hospital. They told me they used to belong to locals, but over time people stopped eating them, and since there are no fences in Rarotonga, these animals go wherever they want and reproduce exponentially. I saw many hens with chicks around! It’s definitely Manie's island who loves the ocean and chickens!
At the hostel, there is also a cat. I don't like cats, but this one is friendly. In short, I had a good time. Next time I think about wanting to go to a desert island, I will think of Rarotonga. Living here is hard. I asked the locals, and they told me the young people leave, and for those who stay, it’s difficult. They earn little, and labor is hard to find. Everything imported, which is 80% of the products, is very expensive. You learn to eat seasonal local fruits, and they have many! But of course, it’s not enough. The Saturday market in Avarua is practically made for tourists, the locals don't buy there; it costs too much.
Now I am leaving to Tahiti. French Polynesia, here I come...
Comments