Jumping off bridges

Perks of living in the South Pacific? Exploring the South Pacific! I got to spend my two-week break in Rarotonga, which before Peace Corps I had never even heard of (and you probably haven’t either).

The Cook Islands are East of Samoa, across the International Dateline. The funny thing, though, is that there’s no way to reach the Cook Islands except through New Zealand, which is the complete opposite direction. I wasn’t too bothered by this fact because New Zealand is my favorite country ever. So, Becca and I headed to New Zealand after Term 1 of school got out. We had about 15 hours in Auckland before our connecting flight to Rarotonga, so naturally we went bungy jumping!! When in New Zealand, right? We jumped off the famous Auckland Harbour Bridge. I’ve already been bungy jumping at the largest bungy in New Zealand, but that didn’t stop my fears this time. I was terrified! We both survived the bungy and needless to say, that was the best layover ever.

Somehow I actually look graceful in this (yes, that's me).

Once we finished bungy jumping, we headed back to the airport (casual). Now it was time for the Cook Islands! Why the Cook Islands? Well, my cousin’s mom (my ex-aunt) lives in Rarotonga and owns a tourist accommodation of bungalows right on the ocean. We went and stayed with Aunt Heidi in a beautiful bungalow. Our bungalow was lofted up so that on one side all we could see were giant waves and on the other side all we could see were giant mountains. It was the best! Rarotonga was surprisingly different than Samoa because of the waves and mountains. In Samoa, there aren’t many coasts that have waves because we’re surrounded by a reef. The waves in Rarotonga were mesmerizing! Our mountains here are all volcanoes, so they plateau at the top. However, in Rarotonga, the mountains had steep peaks. It was gorgeous!

Pretty great house for vacation!

Our bungalow was about a fifteen-minute bike ride to a beautiful, touristy lagoon perfect for swimming, snorkeling, kayaking, paddle boarding, etc. Most mornings Becca and I would bike to the beach and spend the day there. It was incredibly relaxing and beautiful! Muri Lagoon has four mini islands right off the coast, Motutapu, Oneroa, Koromiri, and Taakoka. Throughout our vacation we ended up swimming, kayaking, and paddle boarding to all four islands. Once on one of these mini islands, you could look back at Rarotonga and see the mountains. I could’ve stared at that view every day (and I mostly did)! Muri Lagoon is also full of resorts and restaurants, which makes it perfect for vacationers. In Samoa, we barely have any restaurants (there are none on Savai’i), so we took full advantage of having real food options. It was a delicious trip! There’s even a night market in Muri full of all different vendors, including a crepe stand and a pie stand.

Paddle Boarding around the crystal clear water.

A couple days we ventured away from beautiful Muri Lagoon. One day we biked around the entire island! This probably sounds more impressive than it actually is. Rarotonga is only about 20 miles in circumference. It’s the biggest of the Cook Islands, but it’s still tiny! Throughout our trip we probably went around the island at least 15 times, but only once by bike. I have to admit my biking skills are not quite something to talk about, but I did survive (with a very sore butt). It was a super cool way to see the island! We got to see the touristy parts, but also the residential parts. Even though it’s a Pacific Island, there were still many differences to Samoa. Every house had walls and plantations were actually planted in organized rows! It was very interesting to compare cultures and lifestyles.

Our modes of transportation for the week!

Another non-beach day was spent hiking across the island! Again, it’s a tiny island, but we walked from coast to coast straight across the diameter. The Cross-Island Track takes you straight up to “The Needle”, or Te Rua Manga peak. The Needle is a very accurate term for it because the peak is straight up. Many American hiking trails wind a little bit, but this really took us straight up and straight down. Once at the peak, you could see both coasts and only mountains in-between. It was gorgeous and a perfect day activity!

Becca and I at "The Needle" with the ocean in the back.

All in all, in was a great vacation. It was so sad to leave, but we had a blast! Rarotonga provided the perfect mix of relaxation and adventure that we needed. It’s the cutest little island, surprisingly catered for tourists. We biked around it, hiked across it, swam, kayaked, and paddle boarded to four surrounding islands – it was active, but not too active. I loved seeing another Pacific Island and finding the similarities and differences to Samoa. Getting out of Samoa definitely gave me a much-needed break and now I feel ready and refreshed for the rest of my Samoan adventure. Plus, who can say they’ve been to the Cook Islands?! I’m living a pretty nifty twenty-third year of life. Thanks Aunt Heidi for hosting us, thanks Becca for accompanying me, and thanks Rarotonga for being so wonderful!

Easter brunch with Aunt Heidi.

Now it’s back to Samoa for Term 2!