January 2nd... It's a public holiday in the Cook Islands. And that made it hard to do almost anything from booking dinner reservations to hiring bikes.
Plan B for today was to do the Cross Island Walk. A relatively new feature of Rarotonga, this walk was supposed to take about 2.5 hours. We taxied to the trail head.
NOTE: Taxi's are pretty much NZ $15/person if you go less than half around the island. There is a bus for $5/person, but it comes clockwise or anticlockwise about once an hour and it seems Mark and I are destined to just miss the thing!
Due to the recent cyclone the trail was wet and covered in downed green leaves straight from the jungle itself. Slippery is an understatement. This was one long, overgrown, tripping hazard too.
Plan B for today was to do the Cross Island Walk. A relatively new feature of Rarotonga, this walk was supposed to take about 2.5 hours. We taxied to the trail head.
NOTE: Taxi's are pretty much NZ $15/person if you go less than half around the island. There is a bus for $5/person, but it comes clockwise or anticlockwise about once an hour and it seems Mark and I are destined to just miss the thing!
Due to the recent cyclone the trail was wet and covered in downed green leaves straight from the jungle itself. Slippery is an understatement. This was one long, overgrown, tripping hazard too.
The peak is called the needle. It offers an amazing view over the island is totally worth the hike - which is not for the faint-hearted, FYI. It took us a vigorous 2 hours to reach the top - of the trail, not the needle itself. You'll never get me up there!
The hike down was just as hard, involving a steep trail over jungle roots, frequent river crossings and not insignificant portions by which one has to absail using the attached knotty rope!
We were DRENCHED in sweat and 100% humidity. Falling was part and parcel of the journey and so was being incredibly proud of our efforts, at the end. :-)
Speaking of the end... with no cell reception and having once again missed the bus, you might be asking how we made it back to our hotel in time to shower and change for the cultural performance and impressive dinner we had reservations for?
We hitch-hiked. Yep. Met a lady near the trail head who told us to "stick out a thumb". For the quickest way around Rarotonga is by friendly local transit, we were told. It took all of 1 minute for someone to pick us up. Mauna was her name and I cannot tell you how grateful (and surprised) we were that anyone would offer stinky, wet us, a place in their personal vehicle. Thanks, Mauna!!!
Now there was a bit of time to relax before dinner too.
Later on... Oh dear God! The dinner and show was so great, but man did sitting front and center end badly for us. We were called on stage not once but twice to participate in island dancing! Arrgghhhh.
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