Cook Islands

We chose the Cook Islands as a break in the journey to New Zealand and flew into Rarotonga for a 2 night stop. It is truly a tropical paradise with surely the best beaches in the world and wonderful coloured sea. BUT it still rains here. On day 1 we used the bus to go around the Island. 32km and 45 minutes on the one main road, the only decision is whether to go clockwise or anticlockwise. On day 2 we hired a couple of bikes to explore about a quarter of the island. It is the first time I have been on a bike in 52 years! I am typing this standing up! There is a lot to be said for spending time here. The people are so friendly and so relaxed. Quite a lot of them are very large but still look as though they can run after you fast so it is not worth a confrontation, but that just does not happen here. The girls are lovely with flowers behind their ears as the norm, and their skin tones are beautiful. There are no high rise buildings and even the parliament building was quite unassuming. Hard to believe but there are adverts for the other islands so you can get away from the hustle and bustle of Rarotonga!!