Aitutaki 2022

Today is the last full day here. The wind has dropped considerably and the morning showed a glassy smooth lagoon. Perfect for another kayak expedition to see if there are any turtles. I did see at least two (or perhaps the same one twice) but they are very cautious and I only just saw the little head coming up for air and then nothing. A nice day for a paddle anyway. We have been visited by this kitten a couple of times. He's from next door and the owners tabby (Scratch) gave him short-shrift last night but here he is back again for another visit. We then pestered Steve to see if he had a car available and he didn't but gave us his ute instead. We headed off to get some more milk and a few more bananas for breakfast. Then off to the Avatea Cafe for lunch. This time I had the fish Tacos and Miriam had the Ikamata. My dish came with something neither of us had seen before - Sea Grapes. These are a type algae growing on the reef and are a delicacy. The 'leaves' are like fi...

Sunday in the Cook Islands is pretty laid back with most places closing - except the Koru Cafe. After breakfast of Corn Flakes and Banana/Pawpaw we set off for a walk around Ootu beach. The wind has dropped considerably so the lagoon was nice and flat. We saw plenty of activity in the water in only the first few inches. Quite a few grumpy crabs and even a small Puffer fish which quickly swam away when only half inflated! It may not look like it but grumpy crab is actually under the water, that's how still and clear it is! On the way back we passed the Koru Cafe and stopped in for a coffee and a Chocolate Croissant. Then we headed back up the channel where we snorkeled yesterday. Unfortunately, the tide was in and the current was just too strong to easily potter about around the coral heads and the water was more murky. We gave up on that and headed back. Back at our bungalow we had a slap up brunch using the remaining Baked Beans, a Fried Egg, bacon and toasted ciabatta. Then we se...

After lunch I decided to go out in the single kayak again. This time I paddled right around the private island just across from us. This is the Aitutaki Lagoon Private Island Resort. This was another 2 km paddle and again took just on 30 minutes. This time most of the first half was into the wind and then a cruise back down the channel separating the island from where we are. When I told Steve I had done this he said that we aren't supposed to do that! The shallow areas can damage the kayak but I never hit anything and I have already been and done it! We then headed off to the Koru Cafe to pick up our chicken breast, greek salad and fresh Ciabatta loaf we ordered yesterday. This will be dinner tomorrow night. Since we were there, we decided a couple of Coronas and a side of chips would go down well! Then it was back to the bungalow to collect our snorkeling gear and check out the pools just up the channel past where the Island Resort ferry boat crosses. This was an amazing find wit...

When we got back from the Aitutaki Liftoff I decided to go out in the single kayak again to see if I could spot a turtle. Apparently there are plenty in the lagoon at present and another kayaker said he saw one the day before across the other side from us near the main island. It took me no time at all to cross over the 1km or so to a navigation pole then I turned back into a stiff 25 Knot headwind. It was a bit harder and slower on the paddle back. Then I saw what looked like a piece of cardboard floating in the water but this had a head popping up for air! I had found my turtle. As I got closer, it took a couple more breaths and then turned its head to see me when I was about 4m away. In a flash it dived and paddled away. At least I saw one. The trip back was a bit challenging but ended up being just over 2km of paddling in 30 minutes. Certainly good exercise. We then cooked up a storm for lunch using the last of the toast bread for French Toast, 6 rashers of bacon and yet another co...

We started the day quietly with no special plans and a breakfast of Skippy Cornflakes and banana/pawpaw. With only the Koru Cafe within walking distance and no guaranteed access to a car, we are certainly doing this self-catering on the cheap! We then found out that the Aitutaki Liftoff was on today. This is a cross-fit type fitness competition with outrigger racing and a triathlon event. We wandered down to the venue and took a few photos and videos of the outrigger racing. I particularly liked Steve's Rigid Inflatable runabout he was using as the chase/rescue boat. These are called Seafarer and are made in Auckland. One of these would fit nicely in our garage! Price is around $25,000 with motor and trailer.

 SUCCESS!!! The plan, which was executed to perfection, was to take the double kayak along the channel and out to the coral head. Then paddle directly to the shallow spit into water about thigh deep (this was lovely soft coral sand not rocky). Get out of the kayak and, while Miriam held it steady, I swim back to the coral head using my mask and snorkel. The position was directly in line with a small jetty 100m to my right and all I needed to do was swim straight back until I could see along the jetty. Miriam meantime was giving me left/right arm signals to keep me on track. In no time at all, I located the coral head. In fact I bumped into it as, even with my mask on, the visibility was only about 1m. I grabbed the fin and swam back. Mission Accomplished. Now I need to try and find something like this to send back to Ted. On the way back we paddled around into next bay which is where we stayed last time. Previously known as Inano, the place is now called Tai Roto and costs about th...

After a great breakfast cooked by Miriam of scrambled eggs and bacon, we found a friendly face looking at us from the steps of our unit. It turns out this was Scratch, a slightly sinister looking tabby who turned out to be quite friendly. We drew the line when he wanted to come inside. He soon lost interest.   Having had no luck searching the internet for the type of fin I need to buy to replace the broken one from my windsurfing yesterday, I decided to have a look for the missing fin itself. Taking a single kayak, I went back to the area where I hit the coral head and paddled around a bit pretty certain that I knew, more-or-less, where it was. Remember, I am an expert at finding things underwater via kayak - i.e. my missing cray pot! The water was not as crystal clear as where we swim but the coral heads are obvious dark patches under the water. It didn't take long to find a likely candidate and, hey presto, there was the fin vaguely discernable about a metre down in top of the 2m...

Thursday night it was dinner at the Avatea Cafe. We found out that two of our neighbours here at Ranginui's (Janis and John from New Plymouth) were also booked for 6:30 and they were going to go on their scooter. We offered them a ride in our car instead and this worked out well. All of the others had the Fish Tacos while I opted for a Buffalo Chicken Burger. Great food but the wine selection was pretty poor - white (Pinot Gris) or red (Shiraz). The others had cocktails to start with while I just stuck to the local lager since I was the driver. It turned out that almost everyone from Ranginui's was there as well. This included a nice young Kiwi couple (Summer and Simon) who are here doing Kite Boarding (even though Summer is 5 or 6 months pregnant) plus a large table with the owners of Ranginui Retreat (Steve and Lani).  No photos since I didn't take my phone in with me. Paying the bill turned out to be a minor struggle as the cafe doesn't take cards - cash only. Luckil...

Today we decided get on and do a few things. Steve gave us the car for the day and we drove down the island to check out a Cafe we had been recommended. Avatea Cafe is relatively new and well reviewed so we have booked for dinner tonight. On the way back, we did a bit more shopping and found another new shop (opened in December) so managed to get some hydroponic lettuce for our lunch of (leftover) steak sandwiches. On the way back we stopped for a quick snorkel at the top end of the island. The water here is a bit too shallow for easy swimming (especially as it was low tide - Ed) but there were plenty of small reef fish to look at. The steak sandwiches were great - see photo. Then it was down the road 500m to the sailing club area where I hired a windsurfer for a couple of hours. Not being familiar with the gear it was a quite messy sailing experience but good fun. Unfortunately, I ran over a small coral head on the way back and managed to snap the fin off. Now I have to try to find a ...

Had a leisurely afternoon with a couple of Gins (including lemon - swapped for 4 bananas with our neighbours). The two Koru Cafe steaks with salads for dinner were great and we followed that by a relaxing evening doing our Wordle (we forgot this morning which is our usual time) and another early night. Here are some pics of the late evening view and our deluxe beach front bungalow.

 Decided to have a quiet day today and started with a walk along the outside of the airport. This is not a 'tourist' zone as it is close to the edge of the atoll with the airport runway alongside.  The sea is crashing onto the coral platform about 100m away. Last time I walked along here there was plastic waste everywhere. This time, almost nothing which is great to see. We met a local fisherman with a bag of about half a dozen small reef fish. His equipment was very primitive. Just a 2m bamboo pole with a piece of fishing line attached and a small hook. It obviously worked. No need for expensive fibreglass/carbon fibre rods and fancy pancy reels. There are also quite a few rusting lumps of metal from who-knows-when. Possibly WWII but maybe just dumped in more recent times. Here's the remains of a tractor: Next up was a swim in the lagoon to cool off (note different swimsuit) A lovely day so we then took a double kayak for a paddle to see if Miriam could get in and out. No ...

Tried the Aitutaki Village restaurant for lunch but no luck. They only open at 2pm (bar only) and then dinner from 5-8 (which we missed out on last night). So it was back to the Koru Cafe for lunch. Salt & Pepper Squid for Miriam and three beautiful fish sliders for me. I couldn't finish it all so M had one of my sliders. We then retired to our unit and spent the afternoon lazing on the loungers, swimming in the lagoon and I took a kayak for a quick spin. Now having an early night after some home-made flat bread and cheese & salami  which we brought with us. All wa shed down with a couple of gins and Chardonnay (duty-free purchases). For dessert - you guessed it - lovely bananas (I had two). Not sure what we'll do tomorrow but probably more of the same.

 Had a good night's sleep with just a sheet for bed covering. Slept well. Today is warm and sunny but there is a strongish breeze and some cloud. Very warm though so its shorts and jandals all round. After a cold shower the proprietor has now remembered to turn the hot water on! We had a pretty forgettable dinner at The Boat Shed last night but it was the only place open at 8:30pm! Breakfast was at the Koru Cafe and was the usual good value (eggs and bacon all round). Lots of chickens running loose as per usual with many chicks as well. The fact that no dogs are allowed on the island means the population growth of these birds is unstoppable. We have ordered some Ribeye steaks from them with salads for tomorrow night's dinner. They supply the packs and we BBQ it here at the unit. We asked Steve (the owner) about renting a car and he said I have one going out this afternoon but you can have it for an hour or so this morning so we could get some shopping done. He just handed me th...

Landed on time to a drizzly Rarotonga. Temperature about 23 so not great but warmer than home. Checked our bags for the flight to Aitutaki after getting concerned that one suitcase hadn't made it. It eventually turned up and we checked in with Air Rarotonga and headed across the road to the Islander Hotel for a jug of local lager. No food available though since it is island night tonight. We even saw a whale quite close to shore! Now having a snack back at the airport before our flight.

An early start. The alarm woke us at 3:15am - but we were more or less awake anyway. A TXT from Air New Zealand warned that Christchurch might be affected by fog. Fortunately, no such bad luck and we were airborne at 6:10. Somewhat chaotic at Auckland airport with all the security checks but we finally made it to the gate just in time to board. Now sitting in our seats waiting to go. Rarotonga here we come.