The Cook Islands

Firstly, please accept our apologies for not updating our blog for a fortnight - one avid fan in particular was incensed. Since our last blog, not too much happened in L.A. - though we did find a big pork scratching…

We are now in Christchurch, NZ, (having spent a classic couple of weeks in Rarotonga, the capital of the Cook Islands. We arrived in Rarotonga on 19th January to blazing sunshine and got to our hostel at about 6.30 a.m. The hostel was right by the sea, with fantastic views out over the pacific right from our bedroom window.

Our first couple of days were boiling. Indeed, on our first day, we reckoned it would be a good idea to walk into the main town on the Island. How we regretted that decision when, three hours later, we had still not hit civilisation! After the first two days, however, the heavens opened, and they didn’t close for 5 solid days and nights! I managed to get a morning’s sport fishing in on a clear morning, but unfortunately without luck, though the other two chumps on board managed to lose a marlin each (mind you, at least they managed to get a bit in the first place!

When it finally stopped raining, we decided to embark on our PADI Open Water Diving Course, which was fantastic. It was four days of studying, sitting at the bottom of a deep swimming pool, and then sitting at the bottom of the sea, performing tricks for Karen, our instructor. On my first dive in the sea, I came up against a white tipped reef shark (about a metre and a half; not sure about yards though Dad) which was very cool. Our instructor decided not to point the shark out to Lauren, who was initially a little nervous about the whole diving situation. We both passed the course, and are looking forward to many more dives (and sharks) over the coming months. Other daytime activities included trekking through the jungle across the island, watching the local rugby sevens tournament (very entertaining and very full on!) and mountain biking across the island - all good fun!

Our evenings in the Cook Islands consisted a bit of going into town (at least for the first few days until we got hold of our budget!) and then latterly of staying back in the hostel with a really good group of people playing poker and various other bits and pieces.

Anyway, we are sitting in our hostel in Christchurch now, ahead of our next epic adventure. Tomorrow, we are collecting a camper van and setting off on a tour of the South Island for twenty days. I have drawn the short straw and will be chief navigator for the trip. My driver is preparing herself for quite an ordeal…

Until next time!

Ps. Other interesting points:
Staying in our hostel in the Cook Islands was a chap from Seaview, Richard Giles, with whom we won the local pub quiz on the first night! Small world
Also in our hostel was a chap called Charlie who recognised me from school, and it also turns out that he is the cousin of a friend of mine!
Finally, half was through our stay, we were joined in our hostel by a girl called Abi, who is a barmaid at none other than the Old Fort…