We woke up around 5am to see the start of a nice sunrise, not spectacular, but displaying some soft colors. It is one of the best times of the day, we think, when everything is quiet on the ship. We have been going out on the veranda on some mornings early just to take in the sounds of the waves hitting the ship with hopes of possibly seeing some sea life such as birds, flying fish, or dolphins. Today was not one of those lucky days. Actually, it was Happy Day of the Dead or Feliz Dia de los Muertos. We have always known this day, November 1st, as All Saint's Day.
By 7am, the Zaandam stopped off of the Avatiu Harbor of Rarotonga, Cook Islands, while the Captain searched for the "sweet spot" for the safest tendering. It was not looking too bad this morning, so we think it will be "a go". No need to drop an anchor for two reasons. One is that the waters are too deep here, and the other is to be able to move the ship to keep the platform from flooding. So for that reason, it was better to hold the ship with the engines all day.
We stayed onboard until 9:45am, then headed at the back end of the tender ticket group that had been called about 10 minutes prior. They were using deck A aft today, but we had to get off the elevator on deck one, line up with a handful of guests, and take the stairs down to A. Today every staff member knew our names and greeted us openly. No need for a tender ticket, since they all knew we had priority tendering. The good thing was that the sailors were not trying to fill the boats to the gills. Once we had a medium-sized group on the boat, we left for shore. Much better than bobbing in the water for 40 minutes.
The weather was mixed today with a little sun, lots of clouds, and even a light rain, which drifted down from the mountains most of the day. It helped keep the temperature around 75 degrees with 83% humidity, and 1.1 mph winds. We did hit some very deep swells the closer we got to Avatiu Harbor, but the skilled driver had us through the passes and alongside the dock within minutes. Getting onto shore was easy, thank goodness. One of us hates to pack a purse or backpack (never), but when there is a chance of rain in this part of the world, you have at assume it can be torrential. So we did bring the umbrellas, a fan, bottled water, and some ziplock bags just in case. Glad we did, since we used the umbrellas off and on all day.
There is a nice shelter at the top of the harbor where you can get island maps and more info. They are well done, and we always pick these up on the way to town. If you wait until you come back, chances are they will be gone. No souvenir tables were set up by the pier today, due to the sprinkles and the wind. However, the nearby Punanga Nui Market was in full production this morning. We did remember that Saturday is their biggest market day, but had forgotten times, which were from 7am to noontime or a bit later for the fast-food stands. It is described as a tropical montage of color, music, artisans, shopping, and casual food.
And to say it was super-crowded today is an understatement. Everyone and their brother that lives on the island must have been there shopping for fresh produce of papayas, pineapples, bananas, and a variety of veggies. Row after row of shaded tents were set up with souvenirs of all kinds such as sarongs, t-shirts, island jewelry, and even precious black pearls. Handmade ukuleles, quilts, woven pandanus hats and fans were for sale, as well as Rarotongan street food. The aroma of BBQ chicken filled the area and the Hot Sauce King, Paul Napa, was promoting his varieties of the hottest sauces in town. He also doubles as an Elvis impersonator. You had to have New Zealand dollars, because we are not sure they accepted US dollars here. Credit cards can be used, but don't plan on using Am Ex….they do not take it. This entire market had more of a carnival feel about it, especially when we heard the drums being played in the distance. Following the crowd, we saw the stage with several local dancers about to put on a show with audience participation. A few young Maori guys and gals along with some very little kids enticed some ladies from the crowd to come up and learn the Tahitian-style dancing. Very entertaining for the mixed crowd of locals and cruise ship guests. However, the little local dancers stole the show as they always do. As young as they were (5 – 10 years old), they had the all the right moves.
Not really needing anything, we just looked at the tables and continued to go out the opposite end. In hindsight, we were glad to have made a pass through this market, since on the way back after 1pm, it was already shut down for the day. The cars, people and the tourists were gone. All that was left open were a few food stands and they closed by 1:30pm. It appears some improvements have been made here with building a large open-air dining hall with tables and benches where the people can eat and watch the ocean on the opposite side and the market activity on the other. Today it was even more impressive because the Zaandam was sitting there in the bay for all to admire. There was another new driveway and a building where folks could wait for buses or taxis. Restrooms had been added as well at this far end and much of the walkway had been landscaped. Nice to see improvements for a change, but then this is part of New Zealand, and they take care of these islanders.
We took our time walking the busy road crossing bridges, canals, passing shops, stores, bars, restaurants, and the Courthouse. There is a bus that runs clockwise around the island from 7am to 10pm Monday through Saturday. The anti-clockwise bus ran from 8:30am to 1:30pm on Saturday. Bottom line: expect delays. We think the price was $3 for a one way trip. That may have been NZ dollars. Very reasonable if you are not in a hurry to get somewhere. And being that there were no ship excursions here today, every bus that passed by was filled with cruise ship guests. Even if you do not intend to leave the bus, it is a great way to see the entire island, which is about 32 kilometers around the base. Speaking of tours, there were some vendors willing to take the ship folks anywhere they wanted to go like a beach, or shopping, kayaking, hiking, or snorkeling off a boat. We are sure the prices were right since we saw many takers as we left the tenderboat. In addition, there are car rental places near the harbor, and many folks will do that for the day. A word of warning…. make sure before you do this, you know what your own insurance covers or doesn't cover when you rent cars anywhere in the world.
Our buddies Rosie and Randy were happy to have finally made it to this island since on previous visits, we could not tender here. They had lots to see and time to do it, even if the rain kept blowing over. It did help cool things off. Our destination was the Cook Island Christian Church of CICC as they call it. When you come upon the street it is located on, you are struck by the brilliance of the whitewashed coral blocks that created it back in 1853. When we are here on a Sunday, we always go when their church services are in progress. If we are lucky, we will hear the singing pouring out of the doors, and even more lucky if we are invited to participate in their after-service tea in a building next to the church. We are always dressed in our shorts, so we do not think it appropriate to mix with the totally white-clad parishioners in all of their finery. The cemetery surrounds the church as well, and it is interesting reading the monuments which date back from the 1800's to the present day. In fact, there was a memorial happening there today with tents set up over a couple of tombs that were covered with wreathes of flowers. It had just ended, so we sat on the wall and watched for a while as the group was heading back home.
We did go inside the church for a couple of photos , then we continued on to the Takamoa Mission House at the end of the road. This is another one of the colonial-era buildings that was created by the early missionaries in 1842. They had a huge influence on the local cultural heritage back then. This area is closed to the public, but you can take all the photos you wish. And we did.
Rosie and Randy were still searching for the National Library, which we think was located up the road and to the right. We turned left and headed back to the lunch venue at Trader Jack's. It is located on the waterfront and is considered an institution in the Cook Islands. The restaurant overlooks the ocean on two levels, one of which has the bar and casual picnic tables. One of their specialties is pizza….right up our alley. So we went up to the balcony and got a table for two right away. Lucky as the place was about full already since they had opened at 11am. We ordered two draft Trader Lagers, local brew, and a Hawaiian pizza to share. The large size was about 12 inches and more than enough. And really good too. We did add a slice of decadent-again chocolate cake with ice cream. Relaxing and taking in the views was priceless.
There is a small spit of pebbled beach right there below the restaurant, but the only ones we saw there were three local boys who could run through the sharp coral without shoes. School was out and the kids were enjoying the day like we all were. One table of four guests had ordered one of those large beakers of beer and tried sharing with everyone around them. They had a few takers, but we declined. They were not from the ship but were staying on the island for a few days from what we gathered. Somewhere we read that the Cook Islands is a hot destination for the Australians these days. Close to home for them, and the prices are good.
Time to head back, we took or time passing by the once crazy-busy marketplace that had closed up by now. The info hut at the harbor was loaded with folks doing internet or cell phone calling. The wifi must have been good here, and I had forgotten to bring the Kindle again. Got to do that in Bora Bora as some of the games have expired. A tenderboat had just arrived, and we boarded it with ease. Once outside the bulkhead, we could see the deep swells on both sides of the boat. Glad the ride was short, we boarded the ship with lots of help from the trained crew members, one of which was our assistant waiter, Debi. We were back to the room by 2:30pm and relaxed on the veranda and worked online until it was time for sail away. All of th birds we saw today were terns, and not the tropicbirds. Guess they were on a different part of this island today.
The Captain came on with his update around 4:45pm when all of the guests had come back from shore. The temperature predicted for Bora Bora was 80 degrees with winds up to 25 knots. We will have 539 nautical miles to go to reach the first French Polynesian island in two days at a speed of 18 knots more or less. He said to expect some rain, but a small percentage and 6 to 7 foot swells. The good news is that the Zaandam will enter the lagoon at Bora Bora and the tendering will be sheltered from the surrounding ocean.
Dinner was good starting with appetizers of small shrimp, hot tomato soup, and two different salads. We had decided on the sweet and sour pork, but one of us changed his order to the prime rib, something we seldom see on the dinner menu. His outside cut of meat was so good, it melted in your mouth. Should have ordered that…maybe next time. Dessert was one scoop of vanilla ice cream and a few slices of sweet watermelon. Both nice.
There was entertainment this evening with the comedy of Flip Schultz from many comedy venues. Or there was a movie, Coco, in the Wajang, one of the best movies we had seen on past cruises.
There had also been another Cellar Master Dinner in the Pinnacle Grill, so the dining room seems spotty tonight. We asked manager Arsa why they scheduled these specialty dinners on a port day, and he said because the lunch venue is closed on those days, giving them more time to prepare for the dinners. Makes sense.
Really looking forward to a day at sea.
Bill & Mary Ann
