Rarotonga is a small, tropical island with about 11,000 inhabitants. The distance around the island is 32km, so you can actually walk around it. It's the largest of the Cook Islands and consists of two main groups, north and south. The southern group, where the majority of the population live, are islands mainly of volcanic origin. The language of Rarotonga is Cook Islands Maori, although most of the people I met spoke very good English.
My arrival in Rarotonga was surreal. Having departed from Fiji on Wednesday evening, I arrived in "Raro" on Tuesday, the night before! I had crossed the international dateline and Rarotonga is 23 hours behind Fiji, so I had two Tuesdays and Wednesdays!
The airport in Rarotonga was small and looked more like a shed, but there was no hanging around or long queues like the ones we are used to in the UK. As I walked into the airport, a man was singing and playing his ukelele and a woman put a garland of flowers around my neck and greeted me with the traditional Kia Orana (hello). I already felt like I was in another world.
As a backpacker, I wasn't staying in a hotel. I stayed at Vara's Beach House, for people on a budget, which has a good reputation with travellers. It meant sharing a room with others, but single and double rooms were also available. The Beach House was idyllic and situated on Muri beach. There were lots of things to do such as sailing, diving and snorkelling. It really did look like the pictures in the glossy holiday brochures: lots of palm trees and clear, blue sea. It was relaxing to sit in complete isolation at night and listen to the calm sound of the waves and look up at the stars.
I had planned my trip so I would get there in the dry season, but of course not everything went according to plan. They had unusually bad weather for the time of year: it rained non-stop for two weeks. But this didn't spoil my time there. I found lots of things to do such as swimming, snorkelling and going out to restaurants. The "town", Avarua, is small and on one street. But it has the basics, such as banks, restaurants and a supermarket.
The perfume factory, Perfumes of Rarotonga, was definitely worth a visit. Most of the perfumes were produced from local flowers and smelt wonderful. They also had soaps, shampoos and other beauty products. On my walk back to the hostel I came across a goat with a bird taking a ride on its back! How often do you see that in London?
If you want a fun evening out then you should go to one of the island nights where dancing is very popular, with lots of banging on drums and lively singing. They certainly know how to move their bodies. I had to get up and dance on a box in front of everyone (and make a fool of myself). There was also a feast of traditional foods such as tropical fruit salads and seafood.
I got around the island by walking and on buses, which ran clockwise and anti-clockwise around the island at half-hour intervals. It took about 40-50 minutes to get round, a nice way to check the place out. I bought a ticket that would allow me to get on and off the bus at leisure. It was enlightening after the rush hour, train delays, road rage and congestion I am used to at home. Another way to get around is to hire a moped or car.
On Sunday, I went with some other travellers to experience a Cook Islands church service. I am not religious at all but it was an interesting experience. The service was in Maori and the singing was beautiful. As we were the only non-residents, everyone invited us to a buffet after the service. They wouldn't let us leave until we had eaten as much as we could.
Rarotonga had the best of both worlds. I could sit and relax on the beach, but was also able to keep very busy. I felt like I had stepped back in time, no one rushed about. Everything ran on island time, it was wonderful.
I would definitely go back there. It's lovely for couples and singles. Next time I'll go in the wet season, because knowing my luck it will be sunny!
Roxanne Levy visited Rarotonga in May 2000
