Four-Wheeling in the Cook Islands

#4Wheeling_Cook_Islands

My adventures has led me to Rarotonga  which is the largest of the 15 Cook Islands scattered across 2,200,000 square kms (850,000 square miles) of ocean in the South Pacific
   
So this is why i included a map to show you how remote is part of our planet is
How far you ask; it would be another 6+ hour flight from Hawaii (4700kms (2900miles) to The Cooks, but i like different so i decided to visit here before heading to Australia 
  
Now the Cook Islands is a self-governing & in-free association with New Zealand;
so basically it means Cook Islanders are New Zealand citizens who can live or work in either area but also the islands do have its own currency with some unique $2 triangle coins (cool souvenir)

Because the islands main industry is tourism it has felt the effects of the downturn in travel because of COVID, its far away location & just availability of flights (as it is not easy to get here from North America as i found out) 

 

My two guides, who were great with the information on the history & culture of the island.

They told me because the population is so small with 17,000 citizens  (with 65,000 Cook Islanders now living in New Zealand with another 30,000 in Australia because again of the downturn in tourism) that it creates a lower tax base to support the administration & infrastructure costs, plus because of rules it has a limited private sector activity
For example, if you wanted to retire here you would need to apply for a visa or permit.
For this to happen you would have to prove sufficient funds for all of your stay, medical coverage & not be allowed to work or own a business

Now part of the tours fee was to include a lunch, so when i asked about it ( as i could not see any coolers in the vehicle) the guide said its at our next stop
Well he walked around to the front & pulled off a few bananas that got suddenly ripe from its green beginnings with the heat from the engine 

So much for what i read about the local seafood, tropical fruit or some taro or cassava.
But all in fun as i got to experience engine cooked bananas 😂

Now there is a road called the Ara Tapu that circles the Island of Rarotonga (32kms / 20 miles long) which has no traffic lights & will take you maybe 45 minutes to drive
 But my guys had other plans & took me on what they called roads 😀

I was told there is a government bi-law that no building can be higher than a coconut tree
No such worry on this road as i see no civilization 😄

Fun Facts;
A) Captain Cook never was on Rarotonga & only physically walked on the other island of Palmerston.
 He actually named the islands The Hervey Islands but it was the Russian explorer & map-maker Adam Johann Von Krusenstern ( an admirer of Cook ) who changed the name to his idol
 B) The Cook Islands has a combined landmass of 236 kms (91 miles)
 C) There are 9 airports in the Cook Islands with only two that are paved, as a lot of runways were built during World War Two
 D) Survivor Season 13 was filmed in Aitutaki
E) No poisonous snakes or spiders on the Cook Islands, but of course lots of mosquitos & red ants to feed on you
 F) The Cook Islands are worlds second largest producers of black pearls & all from the Island of Manihiki

As my guide keeps an eye on things 😀 you understand why you need a Four-Wheel Drive Vehicle on this tour

The island is known for its lagoons, coral reefs, isolated beaches, rainforests, waterfalls, caves & so on

Some great spots for snorkelling here in Rarotonga ;
 A) Tikioki is one of the permanent Marine Parks; so an array of parrotfish, butterflyfish, puffers, surgeon, moray eels, angelfish etc
B) Aroa Beach; the location has water that is shallow & the lagoon is a smooth sandy bottom
Expect to see moray eels, schools of trevally, butterfly fish, wrasse & sea bream
C) Blackrock is one of the calmest places to snorkel, it also has the black volcanic rocks surrounded by the sand, plus has a Social Centre for families

While at any of these sites;
 A) Do not leave valuables in the open on the beach or inside the rental scooter seats
 B) Do i need to say this 😏 please do not feed the fish or touch the living coral reef
 C) Avoid the sunscreen with Oxybenzone as that chemical harms the coal reef as it causes bleaching & stops reproduction
D) The water does contain some poisonous fish; Scorpionfish, Stonefish & Lionfish but most times they are located in the coral or rocks

The first Polynesians arrived in Rarotonga around 800AD sailing from the now French Polynesia & were the only inhabitants until the 1800s
 (There were a few Spanish explorers visiting in the late 1500s plus Captain James Cook in 1773-1777 but no one ever stayed)

Then in 1821 some English & Tahitian missionaries were the first to settle
 They then established a theological college plus had an influence on the type of government for the next 50 years
Fearing on what had happened to some of the nearby islands with a French takeover & with the help of the United Kingdom (with a protectorate) New Zealand eventually annexed the islands