Adopted

Trip Start Aug 20, 2008
1
15
23
Trip End Jan 03, 2009


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Where I stayed

Flag of Cook Islands  , Southern Cook Islands,
Wednesday, October 22, 2008

Already at the planning stage of this trip, back in Iceland, it took me a long time to decide if I would go to Aitutaki or spend all my time on the Cook Islands on the "capital" island Rarotonga, as most people do. Aitutaki is advertised as a really beautiful place - a paradise on earth - where "all visitors wished they would have spent more time on than they did", mainly because of its 8 km wide lagoon outside the main island and an outer circle of 15 small islands (motu) and the coral reef. The problem was money. Flights to Aitutaki from Rarotonga are quite pricey for how short they are and accommodation is generally more expensive. I left the decision for the last minute, as always. Just before leaving the US I decided to go to Aitutaki despite the slight damages to my funds from recent falls of the icelandic krona.  paid for the flights but that cheapest accommodation I had found turned out to be fully booked. They recommended though another place which turned out to be even cheaper.
a Polynesian god
a Polynesian god
The place I am staying at is called Amuri and the hosts are a middle-aged family, Maraiti and Nga, who literally adopted me. Only the food they feed me every day is probably worth more than what I pay for a night here. They have a plantation of mangos, bananas, oranges and pineapples and fresh fruit is literally forced into the guests' mouths. Local culture does not allow to say no to anything people offer and today I developed a slight diarrhea, probably from the fried bananas with icecream last night...
Maraiti washes my clothes as soon as they are dirty and they sit with me and the others to eat dinner and tell us about island life.
Nga offered to take me and a NZ guy to tuna fishing in the open ocean. I had to be awake at 5 am that morning and be prepared. I set my alarm for 5 but the whole house was dark so I snoozed til 5.10 when it was still dark and so every ten minutes until 6 am when just fell asleep. It turned out Nga had been very tired and decided not to go fishing. There has been a lot to do though.
The Lonely Planet guidebook says that if Rarotonga is sleepy then Aitutaki is in a coma. Before coming here I met a german couple in Rarotonga who told me that for my five days in Aitutaki I should have at least three books to read so I expected to lie on the beach for five days and do nothing. Well into my fourth day I had not even had the chance to properly go to the beach.
After arriving on day one I met Callum, a NZ newly graduated doctor who was doing his practice in the local hosital. After having a few beers we went to the local fishermen's club where we had a few more and then we had to hide from two policemen in order to get on his motorcycle and drive home.
The rest of my stay on Aitutaki I spent kayaking, hiking, biking, going to church and attending the local Gospel day festivities, where everyone was dancing to hip hop music on a rugby field...
Check out the photos for more stories:)
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