Cook Islands 2003

Rarotonga 2003

We left for Rarotonga in the Cook Islands on August 29, 2003. We flew to Auckland via Wellington
and then on to Rarotonga. We arrived in Rarotonga on August 28, 2003 (you gotta love that date line).
We were to return home on September 5th. Due to mechanical problems, we didn't make it until the 6th.
An extra day on the beach. Sometimes life is really good.

The Resort

We stayed at the Rarotongan Beach Resort and Spa. I chose it because
it was the only place I could find that listed a kids club. The travel agent said that she had checked it out
and it was a very nice place for the kids.

On the bus heading for the resort

The Rarotongan

We thought that we had a garden room, but ended up in a beachfront room. I am not sure if the resort did
that or if the package that we had included a free upgrade. It wasn't in any of the documentation that we saw.
Most of the people that we saw with kids in the 2-4 range seemed to be on the side of the resort where we were.
Maybe they were just putting the kids all in one spot. I wanted a beachfront room, but couldn't justify the cost,
so I were really pleased that we ended up there anyway. It was great to just to sit on the deck and read and Graham
could just go play in the sand and be right next to the room. The main building for the resort and restaurant split
the beach. The side where our
room was seemed to have fewer people (here again, maybe they were putting the young kids away from the couples). We were
in the room farthest away from the lodge. There was another group of rooms further out then us, but they were working
on them so there weren't any guests there. There wasn't anyone in the second floor rooms as far as I could tell. The
resort wasn't very full and that kind of surprised me. It was also very nice. It was quiet and peaceful.

Our Room

The view from the room

We really didn't do much this trip. I guess that was the point. We spent a lot of time reading or just sitting on
the beach. We hardly went anyplace. We fed the fish. We went kayaking in the lagoon most days. Once Graham went to the kid's club he
was hooked. Whenever we asked him what he wanted to do it would be "go to kids club". The kids club was open from
9am-12pm and 2pm-5pm. They also showed a movie from 7pm-9pm. Kids 3-12 could go as much as they liked. It was
completely free (well for people already staying there). What a great thing for parents. They had a big play area for
free play including a swing set and a trampoline (all indoors). They would also do cultural things
and have outside activities. One day they were having crab races right outside of our room. I also saw them on the
tennis court with a beach ball one day. Not sure what they were doing. They had snacks each session. It was a great
place for the kids and Graham loved it. We did too. Gave us some quiet time and we could go do things without Graham.
One of the best things was taking him to movie night and getting to eat a meal in peace. We did that several times.

Sleep

Look at the fish

Rarotonga is surrounded by a reef (well at least where we were, I think there are parts on the other side of the island
that doesn't have the reef). This keeps the big waves out on the reef and creates a lagoon that is fairly calm. It made
for really nice kayaking. We went in the kayak most days. Sometimes Graham came with us. Sometimes we went when he was
in kids club. We had the most fun (Graham included) when we paddled out close
to the reef and tried to catch the waves. Surfing in a kayak. It was lots of fun. Graham loved it when the waves splashed
on him. He kept yelling for more and was disappointed when we went back to the resort. We were told that the snorkelling
was very good. I have never had much luck snorkelling and wasn't very interested. Scott kept saying that he wanted to,
but never did.

The Itinerary

Day 1
- Leave Dunedin around 11:30am
- Graham waits impatiently for his kids meal (served on longest and last flight)
- Arrive at resort 11pmish
- Realize we have a beach room
- Look at stars
- Graham bounces around room until midnight but finally goes to sleep
Day 2
- Play in the sand/ocean
- Rain
- Take bus to town and wander around in the rain
- Graham does his first poo in a toilet (a momentous occasion)
Day 3
- Tami spends a good part of the day in the spa
- Scott and Graham check out the cultural market in town
- Umukai feast and Polynesian dance troupe
  - Forgot camera and missed lots of good pictures include Graham dancing on stage
Day 4
- Watch whales playing during breakfast
- Walk to cafe for lunch
- See the waterfall
Day 5
- Graham goes to the kids club for the first time and is hooked
- Walk to cafe in the other direction for lunch
- Kayaking in the lagoon
Day 6
- Back to the cafe for fish and chips
- Kayaking in the lagoon
- Look at sunset
- Realize that the restaurant across the road is pretty good
Day 7
- More kayaking this time with the camera
- Graham to kids club for the movie
- Quiet dinner at the restaurant across the road
Day 8
- 4am wake up call "go back to sleep the plane isn't coming"
- Stay an extra day courtesy of Air New Zealand
  - Graham goes to kids club
  - Tami reads
  - Scott does a reef walk and then an inland walk (too hard for Graham)
Day 9
- Leave Rarotonga 2am
- Arrive Dunedin 9am
- Go to grocery store
- Go home and light a fire :-(