Rarotonga
We arrived here after another flight from hell – it was bumpy all the way, a bit like being in a tube going thru a tunnel which keeps hitting the walls. Not to mention the 2 hour delay on the tarmac in LA as one of the drivers of the luggage trucks managed to knock an aerial of the plane & it had to be fixed before we could take off! Lovely to be back flying with Air NZ though – their cabin crew was top notch & so much nicer than the Delta Airlines crew that we flew with back from New York – not to mention that on Delta you have to pay for all your meals & drinks & in flight movies & headphones!
Just being here is relaxing – we got upgraded to an ocean view room with sun loungers & a palm tree right outside & the ocean just 10 metres away, the staff are really nice and look after us very well, great not to have to worry about tipping all the time. Lovely lagoon with little islands you can kayak to which are all inside the coral reef. From now on Craig thinks whichever hotel we book into he’s going to tell them we are on our honeymoon & Tess is pregnant & it’s amazing what upgrades you get! Last night we had dinner at a restaurant right on the beach – the tables are at the high water mark & the floor is all sand, great for bare feet. Stunning meal and the menu had gluten free choices, the first time we have seen that on all our trip.
Craig has cycled around the island to keep himself entertained while Tess had yet another sleep – the mountain bike hire people said that it normally took between 2-3 hours to get around & the fastest they’ve had to date was 1 hour 30 mins, of course once Craig heard that it was a red flag to a bull & he managed to do it in 1 hour 18 to the astonishment of the hire centre – I think they are more used to people doing things in relaxed island time! Not to mention the hire bike wouldn’t change gear, had flat tyres, buckled wheels & no brakes at all (a bit like Trev’s bike). We decided they don’t do a lot of maintenance around here – although our hotel is new & the asian gardener works very hard (with scissors!). We are both looking forward to being home tomorrow – just a pity the flight leaves here at 1.15am! Looking forward to seeing our new houses & land and will let people know what it’s like soon – plenty of room for visitors!
