Rarotonga is the largest of the Cook Islands and is the only high, mountainous one of the group - like a small Tahiti. The jagged peaks and steep valleys are surrounded by a marshy area, then a flat coastal plain, white sandy beaches and aqua lagoons. The surrounding reef extends about 1/4 mile offshore. Most of the population was killed off by European diseases in the mid-19th century but with other islanders moving in, it's been built back up to around 9,000 now.
The missionaries arrived in 1823 and after that time, the islanders moved from their homes on the raised ground where they grew their taro and other swampy crops, to the flatlands on the outer edges of the island. Evidence has been found that puts early life there at about 5,000 years ago.
This is the only Cathedral we saw on our trip .. a slew of churches, cemeteries, etc. but only this one huge cathedral. Most families in the islands bury their family members in their garden or somewhere else on their property. It's unusual to western eyes to see these plots of land, but if you think about it, that's what the pioneers who went west did - buried their dead on their property.
Here's a look at the inside of the beautiful Cathedral - usually, the thunder and lightening starts when I enter a place of worship, but this time I stopped at the door and all was well.
Our driver was called Hopeless on this trip - a misnomer. We drove around about half the island and up to one of the higher flat places so we got a good 360 degree view. He also showed us how to get into coconuts - the easy way. We visited more warrior stones and had a good glimpse of what life is like on the island.
This was a lovely spot tucked away in the mountains - there were some young people swimming in the pool at the bottom of the waterfall and I think most of Rarotonga's mosquitoes were there, waiting for the hapless tourists. We made a quick exit.
This is one of the views from the high spot we drove to. While there, we joined up with another 4WD from the same tour company and their driver showed us how the natives made hats and bowls from the local plants - it was really interesting and they were surprisingly strong and durable.
Here's another view from the same place, looking behind us. A point of interest: Rarotonga means Down South. It's supposedly from a famous Tahitian navigator who visited the island once and some years later decided to visit again - he was asked where he was going and said "down to the south".
Here's one of the beaches where we stopped for a break on our drive around and up over the island.
This is a typical street in the outlying (more affluent) areas of Rarotonga - inland the houses are more like shacks in disrepair and with little amenities.
The ship was anchored outside the reef, meaning it was exposed to all the Pacific had to offer and you can see from this photo we had some pretty decent swells which made for hairy docking - but notice the color of the ocean - totally unretouched.
At Tea Time on board ship (4:00 pm) they had a local dance troupe come aboard to entertain us with local dances - it was great fun and extremely entertaining. How they get those hips moving like they do, God only knows!
Rarotonga is the largest of the Cook Islands and is the only high, mountainous one of the group - like a small Tahiti. The jagged peaks and steep valleys are surrounded by a marshy area, then a flat coastal plain, white sandy beaches and aqua lagoons. The surrounding reef extends about 1/4 mile offshore. Most of the population was killed off by European diseases in the mid-19th century but with other islanders moving in, it's been built back up to around 9,000 now.
The missionaries arrived in 1823 and after that time, the islanders moved from their homes on the raised ground where they grew their taro and other swampy crops, to the flatlands on the outer edges of the island. Evidence has been found that puts early life there at about 5,000 years ago.
This is the only Cathedral we saw on our trip .. a slew of churches, cemeteries, etc. but only this one huge cathedral. Most families in the islands bury their family members in their garden or somewhere else on their property. It's unusual to western eyes to see these plots of land, but if you think about it, that's what the pioneers who went west did - buried their dead on their property.
Here's a look at the inside of the beautiful Cathedral - usually, the thunder and lightening starts when I enter a place of worship, but this time I stopped at the door and all was well.
Our driver was called Hopeless on this trip - a misnomer. We drove around about half the island and up to one of the higher flat places so we got a good 360 degree view. He also showed us how to get into coconuts - the easy way. We visited more warrior stones and had a good glimpse of what life is like on the island.
This was a lovely spot tucked away in the mountains - there were some young people swimming in the pool at the bottom of the waterfall and I think most of Rarotonga's mosquitoes were there, waiting for the hapless tourists. We made a quick exit.
This is one of the views from the high spot we drove to. While there, we joined up with another 4WD from the same tour company and their driver showed us how the natives made hats and bowls from the local plants - it was really interesting and they were surprisingly strong and durable.
Here's another view from the same place, looking behind us. A point of interest: Rarotonga means Down South. It's supposedly from a famous Tahitian navigator who visited the island once and some years later decided to visit again - he was asked where he was going and said "down to the south".
Here's one of the beaches where we stopped for a break on our drive around and up over the island. 
This is a typical street in the outlying (more affluent) areas of Rarotonga - inland the houses are more like shacks in disrepair and with little amenities.
The ship was anchored outside the reef, meaning it was exposed to all the Pacific had to offer and you can see from this photo we had some pretty decent swells which made for hairy docking - but notice the color of the ocean - totally unretouched.
At Tea Time on board ship (4:00 pm) they had a local dance troupe come aboard to entertain us with local dances - it was great fun and extremely entertaining. How they get those hips moving like they do, God only knows!
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