Cook Islands-Final Tally
Tuesday, June 8th, 2004BEST thing: The lagoon in Aitutaki and the lagoon cruise we took. The water was crystal clear and warm.
WORST thing: Piles of trash burning all the time. You can see the columns of smoke. Waste removal is a big problem in the island so people just burn their trash, including things that give off toxic fumes.
Oh, I almost forgot… the SEA CUCUMBERS that literally cover every inch of ocean near the beaches!! UGh!
Food: Island food is tasty and interesting. There is kumara, taro root, paw paw (papaya), and they have a dessert of baked banana with milk that is good. Also omnipresent is a dark green thick sauce-like thing that looks like it is made with spinach. They also have food that is cooked underground like in New Zealand. As far as western or other types of food, there is plenty and they are also some very nice and reasonably priced restaurants there. Food from the supermarket is mostly imported from NZ so it is quiet expensive. You can get freshly baked bread and goods that are great, tho.
Cost: Raro and Aitutaki weren’t cheap, but they weren’t expensive. Hmm.
Favorite Place Visited: Since we only visited two places… Aitutaki.
Most Overrated: Maybe snorkeling on Rarotonga. Whenever we tried to go, the water was a little murky and you couldn’t see much. Also it rained several times so we couldn’t snorkel.
Most Underrated: Hard to say. Maybe the food…I don’t know.
What I’ll Miss the Most:Snorkeling on the lagoon cruise on Aitutaki. Perfectly clear, warm water. White sand and shallow enough to touch the ground before we snorkeled off the boat. [sigh]
Kelly