The Cook Islands
I've had a great time in the Cook Islands. After nearly missing the flight in LA and being a bit indifferent to it at the time, I'm really glad I made it. I've been staying on the main Island of Rarotonga which is around 8 miles across. It is a island with a mountainous interior covered in rainforest. The beaches have perfectly turquoise water created by the protection of the rocky outer reef. In the lagoon there is a large amount of coral supporting a wide range of fish. Snorkeling in the coral was amazing and I'm looking forward to see if the photos I took have come out.
On Rarotonga I have been staying in Vara's beach house. This is a hostel which used to have a bit of a reputation as a party destination with all night parties. Now in addition to the hostel they have opened some snazzy beachside apartments and to keep everybody happy it has led to new strict house rules. No noise after 11pm which is too early, especially as there are no bars nearby.
I met a great bunch of people here, everybody who was staying here at the time was late twenties to thirties and we all got on really well. It's great to hear other people’s experiences of their travels.
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Cross Island Trek and Island night
Tuesday was my last day in the Cooks and a busy one. I was doing the Cross Island Trek which involves a 6 mile walk through the rain forests and the mountains. After having probelms finding the finish of the trek and the start, we finally set off. I was trekking with Martin from Germany and he set a fair pace. The interior of the island is completely different to the beach I was useful, full of lush thick vegitation and incredibly humid. Not the best conditions for walking.
After a just over a hour we reached the summit and had a spectacular view over the island where you can see both sides at once. The descent was a bit dissapoining as it dragged on for 2 hours before finally arriving at an inviting pool waterfall which you can swim in to cool off.
The evening was Island night. A display of local dancing and music. Its colourful and entertaining.
