Rarotonga, Cook Islands

[EdH]

My wife and I went on our dream trip to New Zealand for our honeymoon earlier this year. To rest up after cycling across the south island of New Zealand, we spent five days relaxing on the island of Rarotonga in the Cook Islands. It was one of the most beaufiful places we have ever seen.

Some of you might have seen a few of these in the Landscapes forum but I thought our five days on Rarotonga was worth posting to the Journeys forum as well.

We arrived on Rarotonga at about 2:30am. We had booked our house on the internet and were really hoping that it would be as nice as it was described. When we woke up we certainly weren't dissapointed with the view!
http://hetheringtons.smugmug.com/photos/68111156-M.jpg

We were hungry after getting in so late so we headed out for some food. Seafood was ridiculously cheap in the Cook Islands, this meal was about $25 (USD).
http://hetheringtons.smugmug.com/photos/68111677-M.jpg

After our meal the beach chairs were beckoning.....
http://hetheringtons.smugmug.com/photos/68106284-M.jpg

I don't think you can get more relaxing than this!
http://hetheringtons.smugmug.com/photos/68113103-M.jpg

View from the chair....
http://hetheringtons.smugmug.com/photos/68146739-M.jpg

The sunset on our first night was like nothing we had ever seen
http://hetheringtons.smugmug.com/photos/68114015-M.jpg

http://hetheringtons.smugmug.com/photos/68114445-M.jpg

http://hetheringtons.smugmug.com/photos/68114937-M.jpg

Each night a group of very friendly dogs would come out to explore the beach.
http://hetheringtons.smugmug.com/photos/68115375-M.jpg

They would play in the surf until the sun started to set
http://hetheringtons.smugmug.com/photos/68115503-M.jpg

Once the sun started to set they would all stop and watch until it disappeared below the horizon
http://hetheringtons.smugmug.com/photos/68115063-M.jpg

It was amazing how quickly the colors can change. This was just a few minutes after the shot of the dog above
http://hetheringtons.smugmug.com/photos/68116479-M.jpg

We never ate out for dinner because there wasn't a restaurant that could top the view from our deck.
http://hetheringtons.smugmug.com/photos/68117345-M.jpg

The next day we went fishing for marlin. We didn't catch anything but I got a good shot of the island.
http://hetheringtons.smugmug.com/photos/68119377-M.jpg

When we got back from fishing we decided to take the kayaks out. The island is surrounded by a barrier reef that creates a perfect lagoon for kayaking.
http://hetheringtons.smugmug.com/photos/68107669-M.jpg

http://hetheringtons.smugmug.com/photos/68107948-M.jpg

Soon it was time for another perfect sunset
http://hetheringtons.smugmug.com/photos/68119509-M.jpg

http://hetheringtons.smugmug.com/photos/68119874-M.jpg

The next day I wanted to try out the underwater housing for our SD400. These shots were taken about 10 feet from the shore in front of our house.
http://hetheringtons.smugmug.com/photos/68109638-M.jpg

http://hetheringtons.smugmug.com/photos/68109994-M.jpg

http://hetheringtons.smugmug.com/photos/68110099-M.jpg

Of course no day was complete without another unbelievable sunset.
http://hetheringtons.smugmug.com/photos/68122787-M.jpg

http://hetheringtons.smugmug.com/photos/68122437-M.jpg

And since it was our honeymoon we can't leave out a cheesy honeymoon shot
http://hetheringtons.smugmug.com/photos/68123486-M.jpg

On our last day we explored the island a little bit more. In 1993 a group of investors tried to construct the island's first and only five star resort. The Mafia connected construction company embezzled the money and construction on the Sheraton resort was halted. The buildings have sat almost finished for the past 13 years.
http://hetheringtons.smugmug.com/photos/68125159-M.jpg

After we got tired of driving around we thought we would kayak to the other side of the island. We ended up at Muri Lagoon which is the most well known and built up areas of the island. Our guidebook said it was crowded on this side of the island. By crowded they must have meant 20 people on three miles of beach!
http://hetheringtons.smugmug.com/photos/68110687-M.jpg

Soon it was time for our last dinner before our plane left at midnight
http://hetheringtons.smugmug.com/photos/68126013-M.jpg

http://hetheringtons.smugmug.com/photos/68126652-M.jpg

We were treated to some beautiful clouds as some rain squalls moved past us out at sea.
http://hetheringtons.smugmug.com/photos/68126460-M.jpg

http://hetheringtons.smugmug.com/photos/68128604-M.jpg

We couldn't have finished the trip without one last amazing sunset
http://hetheringtons.smugmug.com/photos/68126933-M.jpg

Hope you enjoyed some shots from our trip. Our full gallery from the Cook Islands is here: http://hetheringtons.smugmug.com/gallery/1433053

[thebigsky]

Wow!

[jwear]

:thumb concrats :clap

[Prezwoodz]

These shots are absolutly incredible. Especially the sunsets! Probably one of my favorite photo sets I have seen yet! You definatly just made the Cook Islands a mandatory stop on my list!

[ian408]

Gorgeous!

[gluwater]

http://hetheringtons.smugmug.com/photos/68116479-S.jpg
Wow!!!!

After going through this thread the first thing that came to my mind was "I need to go there some day". Excellent series.

[Shima]

Those are gorgeous!! I want to go there really bad now....

...need...to win...lotto....

[Swartzy]

Those sunsets are unbelievable. Great shots. What a great honeymoon with fabulous photos to boot.

[chuckh]

Very nice pictures and story, thank you so much for sharing!

I wish the two of you a life-long partnership of love and happiness.:ivar

[ronphoto]

I am so very impressed with your post. These are unbelievable moments that you have captured in such exquisite photography. I really really enjoyed reading and viewing all of it. Thank you!

[Seamaiden]

Holy Cow! My husband's been to the Cook Islands once, he never told me just how lovely it is there. And that BEACH! Far better than the cobblestones we had to navigate when diving in Tulamben, Bali. Doing beach dives through those huge cobblestones was a real misery for me, I'm just not as strong as I used to be. That sand.. (p.s. your wife is ripped!).. just gorgeous and so inviting.

If you'd like to know what fishes you took shots of, let me know (although the quality of those U/W shots leads me to guess you may already well know).

Our U/W rig was hosed on our recent trip to Puerto Rico. Doing fine the first dive, then during the 2nd dive I noticed a few drops of water inside and then WHAMMO! Whole thing flooded, Oly 8080 nicely wet down with saltwater. It was the flash unit casing that went. I'm guessing that someone on the boat must have hit it and we didn't notice, because hubby takes very good care of the casing. Anyway, I've been asking him to just give that SD card a try on the reader, since we managed to get a few shots in before the hooey hit the fan, it'd be nice to get something out of it.

[truth]

Amazing. We are in the ealry stages of planning a honeymoon right now. Anyway you could email or PM me some specific details about where you stayed on Rarotonga?

[EdH]

Amazing. We are in the ealry stages of planning a honeymoon right now. Anyway you could email or PM me some specific details about where you stayed on Rarotonga?

Thanks everyone for your comments!

Truth, I'd be glad to answer any questions you might have. We did a ton of research before going so I have a pretty good idea of some of the options on Rarotonga.

To answer your question, we stayed at Whitesands Beach Villas. They are three villas owned by a local islander and his wife. The web site is here:
http://www.whitesands.co.ck/

The villas are very well kept up, not luxury by any means, but perfect for a very low key stay at the beach. There is a kitchen, bedroom, bathroom, and living room downstairs and the "master" is a loft that looks down on the living room. There is no a/c but plenty of screened in windows to let in the cool air. Its hard to see from the pictures but about two hundred yards from the shore is a barrier reef where the waves come crashing in. The sound at night is unbelievable!

We explored most of Rarotonga and I would say these are on the best stretch of beach on the island. The south side of the island has some of the best lagoon for snorkeling and is also the least crowded stretch (not that any of Rarotonga could be considered crowded). We saw maybe 10-20 people per day walking by. As you can see from the pictures, the beach juts out just enough so that you get the perfect sunsets over the water.

We really weren't looking for super luxury since we had already lived it up on our New Zealand trip the previous two weeks. If you are looking to live the high life you might want to check these out:
http://www.reflections-rarotonga.com/
http://www.rumours-rarotonga.com/
http://www.sea-change-rarotonga.com/cook-islands-beachfront-villa/
We walked by all of these and they looked beautiful. Only problem is you can't see the sunset from their location.

I would also check out lodging on Aitutaki. Its a nearby island that is famous for having one of the most beautiful lagoons in the world. We didn't have time to make it over there but everyone we talked to who went absolutely loved it. If you are a Survivor fan, its also where the newest season was filmed.

Feel free to PM or e-mail me if there is anything else I can answer for you. I would absolutely recommend you seriously consider the Cook Islands for your honeymoon. Its like Bora-Bora without the crowds and ridiculous prices.

[EdH]

Holy Cow! My husband's been to the Cook Islands once, he never told me just how lovely it is there. And that BEACH! Far better than the cobblestones we had to navigate when diving in Tulamben, Bali. Doing beach dives through those huge cobblestones was a real misery for me, I'm just not as strong as I used to be. That sand.. (p.s. your wife is ripped!).. just gorgeous and so inviting.

If you'd like to know what fishes you took shots of, let me know (although the quality of those U/W shots leads me to guess you may already well know).

Our U/W rig was hosed on our recent trip to Puerto Rico. Doing fine the first dive, then during the 2nd dive I noticed a few drops of water inside and then WHAMMO! Whole thing flooded, Oly 8080 nicely wet down with saltwater. It was the flash unit casing that went. I'm guessing that someone on the boat must have hit it and we didn't notice, because hubby takes very good care of the casing. Anyway, I've been asking him to just give that SD card a try on the reader, since we managed to get a few shots in before the hooey hit the fan, it'd be nice to get something out of it.

Thanks for the compliments on the u/w shots (and my wife enjoyed the compliment as well)! You're giving me too much credit though because I took those on a Canon SD400 with the underwater housing! I am into fish so I did know what I was taking pictures of for the most part. The snowflake moray hung out in front of our villa and always came to check things out when I got into the water.

Sorry to hear about your underwater housing. Our trip was the first time I had used one and I was VERY nervous the first time I stuck the camera in the water!

[truth]

Thanks EdH. As we get closer to pulling the trigger I might just have a few things to ask ya.

[ed_h]

Thanks for sharing, the Cook Islands have always been on our wish list but are drawn back to Bali because of its surf and proximity, We really have to spread our wings. If we ever get to the Cook Islands it will be your pictures that gave us the motivation.
Ed

[EdH]

Thanks for sharing, the Cook Islands have always been on our wish list but are drawn back to Bali because of its surf and proximity, We really have to spread our wings. If we ever get to the Cook Islands it will be your pictures that gave us the motivation.
Ed

Funny when I saw your post this morning I was confused as to why a post from "ed h" was the newest post since I hadn't posted to this thread!

You should definitely take the trip out there. If you are going just for surfing it wouldn't be a good choice but for everything else its perfect. My wife and I have considered Bali as a choice for one of our next trips. You have any pictures?


On an unrelated note, does anyone know how this thread became a "sticky". I don't mind in the least, just curious.

[Mickey57]

Hi Ed

Been married to the same girl for 26 years this month. I gotta tell you that your pictures are soo nice, I am thinking about marrying her again just to go on the same honeymoon.
Now you ask any guy married that long and he will say...those must be beautiful pictures!!! :D

Ok I am kidding. I still love her to death....but they are beautiful pictures.
Maybe a retirement trip

Dan

[ed_h]

Funny when I saw your post this morning I was confused as to why a post from "ed h" was the newest post since I hadn't posted to this thread!



:rofl It stopped me for a second also. I don't have any photos of Bali, haven't been up there since we've owned a digi camera. the hard copy photos and negs were lost in a house fire, I'm sure thats something a lot of people don't give a second thought to.
We're involved with a not for profit org. with a small village near Ubud, if interested PM me and i'll send the URL.
Ed

[Skippy]

My wife and I went on our dream trip to New Zealand for our honeymoon earlier this year. To rest up after cycling across the south island of New Zealand, we spent five days relaxing on the island of Rarotonga in the Cook Islands. It was one of the most beaufiful places we have ever seen.
We were treated to some beautiful clouds as some rain squalls moved past us out at sea.
http://hetheringtons.smugmug.com/photos/68126460-M.jpg

Hope you enjoyed some shots from our trip. Our full gallery from the Cook Islands is here: http://hetheringtons.smugmug.com/gallery/1433053


What a beautiful series of shots :clap the waters look so inviting.
The sunsets are quite stunning, Im sure even your great photos dont do those sunsets justice ........ you just have to be there dont ya :D

Love that wild weather shot you have in your series, check out the layers of activity in that storm cell that is a really cool shot :thumb

Great report Ed ........ Skippy (Australia)