The Cook Islands were great. As we expected there was not a lot there - the main island is only 32 km in diameter, but it's a great spot for a relaxing trip. There is not a lot do so, which makes you just chill out and relax...which we did.
The highlight was probably the snorkelling. The water straight of our hotel was amazing. Soo many fish, really good coral and generally great conditions for the kids and adults to snorkel.
Another great memory will be the stars. When you are in the middle of the Pacific (7 hours from Sydney, 7 hours from South America), there is not much light to interfere with the stars. They were stunning. On one night we just sat on the beach and gazed at the stars, mars, venus and the milky way - we all felt very small and insignificant when we looked at the billions of stars in the sky.
The lowlight of the Cook Islands was the we all got the cold and head temperatures, runny noses and headaches!! It was also Winter, and not quite as warm as we had hoped for - still good, but when the wind blew it was a chilly 23 degrees......really...
We stayed on Rarotonga - the largest of the 15 islands that make up the Cook Islands. Other than snorkelling we enjoyed, local markets, a trip to the church (see below), a walk to a waterfall, lots of trips on the local bus and a fair amount of beer and food.
We had much better singing at the main church. We picked a Sunday that was a special event (some new hall was opening). The church was packed, the 15 chiefs of the Cook Islands were all there. The singing was amazing. The polynesian hymns sounded great - often the guys sing a line, then the women - it was like being at a rugby match. A great experience for all.
Back to Sydney and back to Winter. Skiing in 5 weeks should help us cope!
Ken
