Cook Islands
We spent a day in Aituktaki and one in Rarotonga. Both were very enjoyable. In Aitutaki, Cheron Kneedy and I had arranged to go on a private excursion (with our spouses); three other couples were on the excursion, which was the Teking Signature Lagoon cruise. We stopped in two places for some great snorkeling before lunch. Then we stopped at a couple of islands – Honeymoon Island and Unfaithful Island and had a BBQ lunch that included grilled Wahoo and grilled taro, eggplant, and bananas. Very good potato salad and coleslaw were also available. After lunch, we stopped at a third snorkeling area. Gail said that she never experienced better snorkeling. The first snorkeling area had amazing fish, and the third had beautiful coral. At that one, we also saw a vibrant blue starfish. Teking—the owner of the company—was our guide, and he was quite a character. He spent a considerable time picking on Mark Kneedy and a newlywed guy; Mark was an especially good sport about it.
In Rarotonga, Cheron had arranged a transfer from the tender dock to the Muri Beach Hotel; we had asked to make several stops at notable sights on our way to the Hotel. Ken and Sheila Simpson, Kathy and Al St. Vincent, and Polly Kosko also came along. In the end, our excellent driver/guide (George Williams) did a fairly thorough job of showing us around the circumference of the island—about ¾ on the way to the resort, and the remainder of the circumference on the way back to the ship after our time at the resort. At the Hotel itself, there was a nice protected beach (supposedly the nicest on the island) with powdery sand and also a nice pool which I had to myself for doing some laps. We had a nice lunch–most had Mahi Mahi burgers--at fairly reasonable prices, was the cost of admission to the resort and use of the facilities. One couple from New Zealand who were also from the ship (not part of our group) was getting married there, so it was interesting to watch the activities associated with the ceremony and the relatively low-key celebration afterward, including some friends of the couple and apparently some new acquaintances from the ship.
Dinners on the ship have been very good. Last night, for example, several of us had one of the main courses (herb crusted snapper) for an appetizer and another main course (flank steak with Yorkshire pudding) for our entrees. Complimentary wines have also been generally good. (As a repeat PG cruiser, we received a very good Oregon pinot noir that we enjoyed in La Verandah.
We have a sea day today, and then we arrive in Bora Bora tomorrow morning. We have a private excursion--Reef Discovery snorkeling adventure, which we planned with the Kneedys. (It was highly recommended online.) I sure hope the water isn't too cold in the morning.
That's it for now.
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Eugene (and Gail)
