February 1th, 2025
Today’s stop is the Island of Ratotonga, the largest of the 15 islands that form the nation of the Cook Islands. In 1901 the UK government made the Cook Islands part of New Zealand. In 1965 New Zealand granted the Cook Islands self-governing status. The total population today is approximately 14,000, with 7000 living on Rarotonga. The maximum timestay here is 30 days for tourists and 90 days if you are a NZ citizen.
The stop today is a tender port. This means we have to board the small boats to transfer us to shore. During our transfer to shore we glazed at the shoreline covered by white sandy beaches. We arrived as I would say a small marine port with a wooden gazebo which functioned as a small information booth. The booth was staffed by 3 lovely ladies who gave us directions and an overview of things to do. Unfortunately many tours don’t operate on Saturday and Sunday. Luckily as it was Saturday today, there was a weekly market going on. A large contingent of the local population visits this market to socialize, buy their produce and listen to music. The music you hear sounds a lot like Caribbean reggae om. After a 5 minute walk we arrived at the market. It was a very lively place with numerous tourists mingled with the local crowd. Our first attempt to buy a good looking raisin scone was unsuccessful, as they only would accept NZ dollars. On our way through the market we spotted an ATM with a line up of people with the same problem. After it was our turn to get a few NZ bucks, the ATM machine decided to go out of service. Meanwhile the dark clouds in the sky decided to open up for about 20 minutes in an old fashioned tropical downpour. After the rain subsided a bit, we ventured out further towards the town. We luckily spotted a bank with an ATM machine. After getting our money , we felt it was time for a drink. We enjoyed a few coconut drinks with fresh banana bread. After we got a few $ we returned to the market. There was a colorful local native dance band performing at the market. We continued on through the market, till we ended up at the information gazebo. After a short break we decided to return to the ship. I think we did well today considering that Carol is still recovering from her surgery and myself dealing with a stubborn cough. For the night I laid low, as I didn’t want to cough over everybody, while Carol ventured off to the show with some friends.
Overall a good day. This location would be good to come back to and relax for a week. Nice temperature, very safe and friendly people.
Cheers
Cor and Carol
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