Post #300017 by bongofury on Tue, Apr 17, 2007 7:17 PM

We originally planned to take some friends with us, but events transpired (you know who you are) and we went by ourselves fortunately we were not charged for the vacant bungalow next to ours.

We flew into Papeete, as of April 1st Air New Zealand was cutting back the number of flights, but now direct to Rarotonga from LAX.....hour and a half layover....

I like this glass that was in all the South Seas Airports....

Tiki.....then our digs in Rarotonga...

Cool one bedroom bungalow on the beach. This place was perfect. Only 5 bungalows, a lounge (with some decor from Oceanic Arts...Bob had stayed there recently) where we had breakfast everyday, outstanding snorkling and kayaking out front.

The beaches never had more than a couple of people at any given time...

Nice beachcombing...I found that one about 8' down on some coral...

We were lucky with the weather as our fellow travelers said it had poured for the last 4 days. We had a few hours of overcast each day but the tradewinds blew it out.

I'm so lucky......and she likes tiki too......

Best restaurant (Paw Paw Patch) was right next door.....I had the broadbill fish with taro cooked both as a spinich and a wedge potato...

She had the spicy curry chicken.....

The vegatables everywhere were the best!!!!!Very fresh and tasty.

Some underwater stuff.....

This little 6" clam was shot from above on the kayak....

The guy in the middle was our guide on a cross island hike.....67 years old....

We took the bus over to the Rarotonga Beach Resort. Lots of Tikis here, but more geared to families with lots of activities. Too many people for our tastes and one of the larger resorts. Reviewed already by another TCer. I did like the art, food, and some cool beachcomber lamps......

Next stop.....Aitutaki.....

Dinnertime break.....I'll be back.

I'm Back....I liked that there was always musicians playing in the airports like old Hawaii. On Rarotonga we were welcomed with flower headresses, on Aitutaki, the traditional lei. That's our van driver playing the sparkletts drum...

This place had only 8 bungalows....

Again the weather was with us as they said it rained hard the 4 previous days...

A bottle of beer under her arm and a handfull of beachcombing.....

I was mesmerized by the giant clams.....this one was about 4' across...

Both islands were stunning, the people extremely friendly, all spoke english with a New Zealand accent, not overly developed.....a must see for a taste of the South Pacific....Aunty Lucky took care of us on Rarotonga and Lovey on Aitutaki, their given names, unfortunately their pictures were a bit blurred. This was the best meal ...our last night. I had the fish trio....Wahoo, Ahi, and Mahi Mahi, cooked to perfection...and for desert, homemade poundcake with passionfruit filling a la mode.....heaven. A scooter ride back in the dark with a black sky exploding with a trillion stars, we will return.....

I will be happy to answer any questions......Kia Orana!

[ Edited by: bongofury 2007-04-17 20:29 ]