Aitutaki, spiders, and my first sickness
As with all things there is an end. I close out my time in the tropics with a 4:45 am flight to Auckland tomorrow morning. I spent my last few days in the Cook Islands on the island of Aitutaki staying at the Matriki beach cottages. Once again I was the only guest. My last night in Rarotonga was spent at an “Island Night” where I watched examples of native dance and percussion music performed. On Friday, I caught a ride to the airport with a neighbor of the place where I was staying as the buses don’t run on Good Friday. I had a 15:30 Air Rarotonga flight to Aitutaki. Flying on Air Rarotonga must be what flying was like in a time before terrorism reduced flying to the somewhat miserable experience it can be today. There were no metal detectors or security measures that I could see being taken. A member of the staff called out when it was time to board, and we just all slowly ambled from the waiting area to the plane. It was a small, probably 30 or so passenger, Saab 340 turbojet plane.
After a short flight, I was picked up at the Aitutaki airport which consists of one small building by Matias, the German owner of the beach cottages where I was staying. I was shown my cottage which was designed for three people. The cottage had a front sleeping area, one double bed, and a single bed with mosquito netting. Behind that was a small kitchen area with a sink, camp stove, and refrigerator. At the very rear was an outside cold water shower which was protected from prying eyes by a plywood wall. There was an external shared bathroom. I rented a bike and found a grocery store to buy groceries. The supply of groceries was very limited as the main stores were closed for Good Friday. My diet while I was on Aitutaki was very simple, consisting mostly of canned meats and instant noodles. Restaurants are very expensive here often charging a minimum of $25-$30 NZD per plate. I spent Friday night visiting some people I met while I was staying in Rarotonga. They were staying at another guesthouse. This guesthouse was run by a couple who decided to rent out the extra bedrooms in their home after their children had grown. As I entered the guesthouse, I encountered the couple as they were lounging in the living room watching TV. They directed me to the bedroom of the person I was visiting and went back to watching TV. I guess after awhile one gets used to strangers just walking through your home.
Before going to bed on Friday night, I encountered a huge spider the size of my hand in the bathroom. Fortunately I didn’t see it until after I was finished as I have a strong aversion to spiders. The spider was a Huntsmann spider which I knew inhabited Australia, but hadn’t realized they were here. They are harmless but grow to gargantuan size. After making a hasty exit, I went to my cottage only to discover a mini-me version of the huge bathroom spider enjoying my bed. I tried to catch him while shuddering with revulsion with a huge wad of toilet paper. I failed and it scuttled to some unknown portion of the room. That night I slept with the mosquito netting tucked tightly around the bed.
On Saturday, I took a lagoon cruise with Matias on his sailing catamaran. His wife Riki (hence the name Matriki) and their son Keegan came along. Once again I was the only guest. We first went outside of the reef encircling the island and I got to snorkel with some huge sea turtles. We then went back into the reef and had lunch cooked over an open fire on one of the lagoon islands. The lunch consisted of tuna and fish we caught. It was baked in it’s skin. There were also numerous fruits, including papaya and star fruit, as well as coconuts from the surrounding trees. After lunch, I went snorkeling again and saw giant clams. I watched as they open and closed in response to pressure changes in the water.
On Sunday morning I had planned to go to an Easter service at the Cook Island Christian Church where they perform traditional acapella music. My plans were thwarted when I woke up sick with a very upset stomach. I had made it all the way through Fiji sometimes drinking questionable water with no problems, and then I get sick in the Cook Islands which are much cleaner. It’s hard to pinpoint the cause of the illness as it could be caused by so many things. I took some Imodium and went back to bed. I woke up a few hours later and felt better. I did manage to spend the next few hours bicycling around the island and climbing to the highest point. By the time I got back (some time after noon), my symptoms had returned. I spent the rest of the day reading at the cottage and staying near a restroom.
I woke up this morning feeling better. My bathroom symptoms have gone, but I still have an uneasy and achy stomach as I sit here and type this. I am staying at a hostel across the street from the airport as I have to leave here tomorrow at about 2:30am to catch my flight to Auckland. Most international flights leave here at horrible times. When I get to Auckland tomorrow, I plan to find a hostel and spend a week or so seeing the city and then renting a car for about two weeks to drive around the North Island.
I will post the Cook Island pictures in a few days from Auckland, and yes, they have people in them. Also, I had heard kava may be bad for the liver, but I figured one time couldn’t hurt. Besides, if I had refused to participate, it would have been considered very rude by my hosts.
Tags: Aitutaki, Cook Islands, Travel
cjun
April 9th, 2007 at 6:02 pm
Take care of yourself. Glad to hear your doing well.
Looks like the adventure continues. By the way – you have some nice pics online.
Be safe!
Dogwood
April 9th, 2007 at 7:31 pm
I am still laughing picturing you chasing your 8-legged bedmate.nrnrSorry about your GI illness. It sounded uncomfortable but not too serious. Hopefully it was just a random bacterium trying to take up residence in your jejunum.nrnrHave a good time in Auckland. Hope you find some better things than spam and Ramen noodles. Starfruit sounded interesting.nrnrHeidi
April 11th, 2007 at 8:27 am
You mean you didn’t take a picture of either spider? I’m disappointed, but if any arachnid had shown up on MY bed, you’d have heard my screaming back in Texas. Glad you’re feeling better. The giant clams sound really cool.
April 12th, 2007 at 2:21 pm
Priceless mental images there. Happy Easter!
Where are your pictures?
Peace, G