The island was so incredibly gorgeous and so lush green. As the sun and clouds would move through the day, I would see so many different shades of green. Ed and Mad have a beautiful garden and landscaped yard that they work very hard on, including cutting it back constantly. Everything grows so quickly and the flowers are all so wonderful. It was rainy season while I was there which means hot and humid and lots of rain (and unfortunately mosquitoes). We even had the tail of a cyclone pass near Rarotonga one day. We had roaring winds and pouring rain all day. The three of us stayed housebound and watched through the windows as the wind and rain whipped the trees and vines around. There was some major tree destruction, but fortunately at their home it was just tree branches and vines down.

Rarotonga is one of 15 islands making up the Cook Islands. It is the “main” island in the group and is the government seat, along with holding the international airport. It is only 22 miles around the whole island! The settlements and homes are built on the rather flat and gentle sloping land within 1/2 mile of the circular coastline. The center of the island is steep volcanic mountain peaks. Ed and Maddie’s A-frame house is on the east side of the island on a "back road" about 1/4 mile from the coast and up a small hill. Their incredible view into the central mountains includes the island's highest ridge with a peak of 2500 feet. There doesn’t seem to be much change in Rarotonga since I lived there 7 years ago. Most of it still looks the same. I borrowed Mad’s push bike (bicycle) a few days and rode around. When I lived there, I could ride around the island, but my bum (rear) is not in condition so I only worked up to about 8 miles each way to snorkel or to town. Otherwise, I would take the hourly bus or get a ride with Ed on the motorbike.

Ed and I went diving one Saturday before Maddie returned. Maddie loves to snorkel but is not a diver. We thought we would get our dive in before she came home and snorkel later. That worked out well. We went with my old instructor from whom I got my rescue and divemaster certifications 7 years ago. He and his wife have their own business now. It was fun to see some of the different types of fish I remember and don't see in Hawaii. I enjoyed diving the Cooks again but I do think Hawaii is better diving.

I did get in several days of snorkeling both by myself and with Maddie and Ed. Muri Lagoon is known as the good snorkel spot. It has a sandy bottom with big bommies where the fish hang out. It was a protected area but they opened it a few days before Christmas for fishing. Mad said it is very different than when she snorkeled in December because the large fish are all gone.

My other plan was to do some hiking. The cross island trek is well known and a good little (challenging) hike. I did it when I lived there before. I ended up not going during this visit because of all the rain it would have been really muddy and slippery. I did however get to do a fantastic hike with Ed. Ed is a biologist and his life’s work for the last 12 years has been with the Kakerori (Cook Islands endemic, endangered fly catcher bird). The birds were down to only about 36 in 1998 and are now at about 200. Rarotonga is the only place they are found! There is now a Conservation Area set aside for the protection of the Kakerori and other endemic birds. Ed was currently counting the fledglings to see how many new birds were hatched this year. Other times of the year, he sets traps for rats (which is the main predator) or bands birds to get an idea of their life span.

What an amazing hike, or tramp as they call it. Another gentleman joined us and I felt well taken care of as they wielded the machetes in front of me, clearing the path. With the cyclone only 2 days before, there were lots of trees and limbs down that had to be cleared from the track (trail). And lots of mud. We followed stream beds to get into the area, then at one point we climbed up a hillside that was so muddy there were times I wasn't moving as my feet would slide in place. When we got to the top, we were on a ridge and as we walked the narrow path, it looked straight down on either side. I kept wondering how I had even gotten up there. Trees clung to the top sometimes hanging out almost horizontal. I was happy for one of those trees when I slipped once and could hang on instead of going down the cliff. I feel bad that both of the men ended up getting stung by wasps walking over nests that were blown down in the storm and fallen on the path. I had warning since they were in front of me and I went the long way around to avoid the nests. I did get to see one new Kakerori fledgling on our tramp. It flew up close to check us out, wondering what these new creatures were since it was probably the first time it had seen humans. We actually made noise on purpose so the young bird would come investigate. It stayed around about 5 minutes flying from limb to limb and I was able to get a pretty good picture of it. The young are beautifully colored and turn to gray by age 3 to 4 years.

A day later, we walked the main trail/road to the Conservation Area to inspect the storm damage. This valley, only one over from where we were the day before, was badly hit by the high winds of the cyclone and it looked like a disaster area. There were 41 trees down across the road and many were snapped like toothpicks. We were climbing over, under, and through to make our way up. This is the route they use to take daily nature tours; the tours will be adventure hikes for a while. There is no such thing as logging crews or cranes on Rarotonga. It will be a long time for them to get it cleared.

Of course there were lots of wonderful dinners and, of course, daily afternoon tea. So civilized! And I made lots of new friends. A Dutch Canadian couple were staying in the house next door and we had some fun evenings and walks. I taught Maddie and her friend the card game that I play with my friends in Maui. We played several nights, including the day of the cyclone.

I had taken my new notebook computer along with me. I was very happy to have it as I was able to use Ed’s ISP and keep up with email. Plus I talked to Neil through Instant Messenger almost daily. I don’t think I will be taking another long trip without him anytime soon! I missed him too much.

Written May 2001