Marion’s generosity knew no bounds as she picked me up at 4 am. Before she left Auckland we though we should go watch the sunrise as we were going to be up at such an hour, yet when the pain of 4 am was in effect a unanimous decision to go to bed was made rapidly. 9 am rise for breakfast, attempted conversation with some folks at the resort, yet fell asleep in my chair a few times and hit the sack for a nap that lasted the majority of the afternoon. Up in time for a stunning sunset over the water, which we watched from a kayak at the edge of the reef.
Spent Friday driving around Rarotonga (a complete round takes about 20 mins at 30 MPH), taking photos and adjusting down even further my sense of schedule. Saturday we were up and off to the airport for our flight to Aitutaki. Flying in, I was amazed by the beauty of the Atoll from the air, a giant round sandbar spotted with islands. The sand glowed an electric turquoise as the white sand reflected the sun through shallow waters, the islands tropical green, and all surrounded by the deep, dark, blue of the Pacific. Landed at the smallest airport I’ve seen yet, the structure consisted of a carved piece of wood labeling it an international airport and an oversized gazebo with a desk. Two minute drive to Samade on the Beach, a collection of 9 cabanas overlooking the most beautiful water I have ever laid eyes on. The first day consisted of me sitting down in a lawn chair on the beach with a Dan Brown book, moving once for lunch, and getting up as the sunset extinguishing my light with only 20 pages left.
The following days were a blast. Kayaking a few miles one day, finding a deserted beach on a deserted island where I shucked some coconuts on a piece of coral for lunch. Renting a moped one day and drove it around in true “Guinn-boy” style including 4x4 trails climbing the steepest dirt tracks on the islands multiple times (1st gear and floored, the bike barely kept moving). “Island night” at the resort with a fantastic Polynesian dance performance and discovering that I should sit in the middle of the group of tables next time, lest I get called up to dance twice again. Teaching Marion to swing dance on the porch of our cabana (iPod speakers rival the invention of the wheel in my eyes) one sunset. Another sunset I got in touch with my retired side (as I’ve definitely been in touch with my inner child over the past 4 months). I felt the greatest pleasure in recent memory: sitting on the porch of the cabana with the sun setting over the lagoon, Ella, Louis, Etta, and Billie wafting through the breeze, and a glass of bourbon in my hands – I’m pretty sure all I needed was a medical problem to make me 65.
The last full day was filled with a “lagoon cruise”, which despite my skepticism was fantastic. An Australian couple, Marion and myself were driven about in a 20-foot motorboat for the day. We went snorkeling in a few places where we saw giant clams, an old tugboat wreck, and a moray eel the size of a Labrador retriever. Followed that up walking around some deserted islands that could make it into any coffee table book of the world’s most beautiful beaches.
Then dinner on another deserted island. Table and chairs setup in the sand, food served in freshly woven palm baskets, and Marlin marinated in seawater among other things that proved to be the best meal of the trip. Of coarse ridiculously tall palms leaning over a white beach surrounded by turquoise water and a beautiful sunset didn’t detract from making it one hell of a dinner.
The last day was great and long. Swimming, kayaking, playing around the resort for the day, then we went to take a picture of the airport’s runway. Early in the week we noticed that there is no fence on the beach side, walking up on the runway I though it would make a cool picture with my wide angle.
I checked with my telephoto and reassured Marion that there was not a plane waiting to take off. A couple minutes later I hear, “Trey… there’s a plane coming…” I looked up in the sky, found it empty, swung around a saw one coming down the runway rapidly in my direction. Scampered to the end of the runway and started swapping lenses.
Marion: “Trey, what are you doing?”
Me: “Changing lenses”
I was off the runway (by about a foot) so I decided to take some pictures of the plane taking off and enjoy having a plane take off over my head for possibly the first and last time of my life. Got some photos and then told Marion through an ear-to-ear grin we should probably leave before we end up in an island prison. (Back in touch with my inner child)
After our last Cook Island sunset we left from the same runway noticing the restricted area sign promising 3 months imprisonment for trespassing. From the plane spotted Orion during the quick hour flight back to Rarotonga. Dinner and saw Marion off at 11, then snuggled up on a metal bench, outside, under a bright light for a less than a restful nap before my 3 am check-in for my flight back to NZ. 4 hour flight time, 22 hours worth of time zones later, landed at 7 am in Auckland after having my Friday evaporate into the oddities of the dateline.
Now I’m back in Auckland and looking at emails confirming my Dad and Audrey’s 2 ½ week visit in May and Whitney’s 6 week visit over July and August. Coupled with my (fingers crossed) possible employment in Antarctica from October through December and my calendar is just darn full.
All smiles here, I hope the same is for you wherever you are reading this.
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