Susie and I hired motorbikes for a day so that we could tool around the island and not have to rely on the vagaries of the buses. I passed my test the second time around (salvaging what was left of my dignity) and they even gave me a class AB license, which means I am legally permitted to drive a car in the Cook Islands, despite not being able to. I was a little wary of riding a motorbike - I crashed one once many years ago, and I was nervous even sitting on the back of James' bike when he hired one, although he was a great driver. I bit the bullet and, after a shaky start when we both went in opposite directions and wobbled around a lot, we motored around like Tom Cruise in Top Gun. Almost. Susie came a cropper when the bike fell on her as she stopped at a junction and her big toe - "Mr. Baldy" to his friends - which had already lost its nail after being trapped in a toilet door in a bar in Australia, bore the brunt. It was not a pretty sight and I felt very sorry for "the Baldster." She bravely soldiered on, and we drove around the inner road, passing lots of pigs, horses, goats and chickens. We got chased by a pack of dogs and took a tortuous cross-country route to find a waterfall, but had to turn back in the end.

I've had such a relaxing week here on Rarotonga - lazing on the verandah overlooking the lagoon and Muri Beach; kayaking out to the island; checking out some random bars in Ararua, the main town; and generally just enjoying being in one place for a while and not having much to do. The toughest decision of my day is what to have for tea. I don't think I could live here forever, but after a while, your pace slows here, and it's quite soporific. I reckon I could handle the gorgeous beaches, nice people and generally great weather. I met a professional surfer from Hawaii, who travels around the world surfing and doing photo shoots for magazines. What a job! Actually, it would be my worst nightmare to be stuck on a piece of fiberglass on the face of a 70ft wave, but if it was the kind of thing you liked, it would be a fabulous lifestyle.

I'm off to Tahiti tonight, which is prohibitively expensive from what I've heard, so I'm going to stock up on instant noodles and a couple of tins of baked beans to see me through. It sounds like the kind of place where you'd have to pay for your dinner in gold bullions, or with the promise of your first-born son. I'm looking forward to going there, but sad to leave the Cook Islands. After 15 months away, I get settled quite quickly in places and I find there's a slight wrench leaving the familiar and having to start again with new people in a new place. But, hey - I'll make the effort of going to Tahiti if I have to. It's a tough life, but someone's got to do it!