James & Tracey

July 3
We got the bus to Vara's and headed up the hill to our new home (only for 3 nights then we have to move to a double room). Its more like a house, it has a kitchen, bathroom, TV, DVD player - All very nice and brand new!
We headed back into town on the bus as now we had food shopping to do - sounds very easy except the shops here aren't quite like they are at home and don't seem to sell the things you want! We also got a couple of DVDs to watch for the evening - Pirates of the Caribbean 3 and Next.

July 4
The weather was a bit cloudy today so we decided to chill out in the house and catch up with internet stuff, all very boring!
We went to the DVD shop again and took them up to the house. We watched Shooter and Die Hard 4 (with German subtitles when they spoke in another language!)

July 5
Today was pretty much the same as yesterday, except it was raining today.
We ventured out in the afternoon once the rain had settled and walked along the beach. On the way back James went one way and Trace the other saying they'd meet up at the DVD shop. Trace waited for 1/2 hour thinking James had got lost. James had walked round the block twice as he thought Trace had got lost - All turned out ok in the end. We got a couple more pirate DVDs from the proper DVD shop and walked back in the rain to the house to really make use our own TV and DVD player
We watched The Invisible then Fantastic 4, but had to stop watching it as it was a rubbish copy and kept skipping bits out.

July 6
We packed our bags again and headed only next door to another room in a house up the hill. We introduced ourselves to the other guys in the house only to realise a couple that were moving out the next day had been on Kuata island in Fiji at the same time as us. We went down to the beach, we swam across to the little island on the other side of the lagoon. The water here is gorgeous, its like a big swimming pool with tropical fish in it. trace can stand up anywhere in the lagoon - perfect! (this is definately what Paul and Jon had described to us - Paradise) We walked around the whole of the island about 1/4 mile, so didn't take us very long, then swam back to shore the long way! We must have done over 1/2 mile swim by the time we got back. We decided to hire another scooter from Vara's. We then headed to Black rock Lagoon, had a swim and watched the sunset.
We went back to the house washed up and went out on the Bike into town to Salsa. We both had really good pizzas. James was going to have the Cookies and Cream Cheesecake, but again this week they didn't have any - Gutted!

July 7
We got up reasonably early and headed into town for the local market. We had a good look around and bought a couple of things. Hundreds of tropical flowery shirts for sale - James managed to resist them though.
We went to the supermarket to stock up on food supplies and headed back to the house. On the way back James started to slow down, when asked what he was doing he said "I think we are breaking down again". Luckily when Trace stuck her thumb up the couple from Fiji were just going past in their car so gave Trace a lift back to Vara's. James started to push the bike back and after about 40mins in the hot midday sun, decided he had sweated enough and stopped for the best can of coke he'd had in a long time. The calvary then arrived and gave him a lift back. We got changed pretty quick then went straight to the beach and waded across to the island, carrying our bags on our head. We enjoyed the afternoon sunshine and stayed on the beach until the sun disappeared over the hills. When we got to the other side James stood on something on the waters edge that got stuck in his little toe - a thorn from some kind of marine animal - Trace got it out for him but it was beginning to sting by then so we drove back up the hill to try and investigate it. There was nothing else in there but didn't stop hurting until the following morning.
We stayed in for the evening and watched another DVD.

July 8
We had a bit of a lazy morning chilling out by the house, reading and doing Sudoku.
After lunch we got picked up and went to the dive shop to get kitted out. They took us into town to their boat and we went about 200m from shore to the first dive location - Edna's Anchor. We went to 26m, there wasn't a great deal to see there, except an anchor. The anchor was from a boat years ago that had to cut it loose in bad weather, the boat then proceeded to go to another island for shelter but couldn't drop anchor as it had been cut off, therefore it sank! So the anchor is here and the wreck is on another island. Saw a porcupine puffer fish just before we went up, Trace got a picture of him!
We had our surface interval back on shore and were served with Hot Chocolate and ginger nut biscuits. The next dive we went to the site Paradise. We went to around 14m. Here we were followed by the local Triggerfish called Tommy, he followed us for the whole dive as a local usually feeds him a sea urchin each dive and think he was expecting something from us too. There were loads of different fish, most of which come really close to your mask. We saw a green Turtle eating some coral.
We then went back to the dive shop to clean up.
In the evening we went into town to Trader Jacks and had fish for dinner. It had started to rain so we had to get back on the scooter and get a little wet.

July 9
We got up early and went to the beach with the good snorkelling. It was still windy there and the sun wasn't out but we still went in. trace got out a bit early as she was freezin! We walked along the beach for a bit, the sun still didn't come out so we went back to the house had a hot shower and headed into town to pick up a few food supplies. After lunch the sun still wasn't out so we read and chilled out outside by the house, until it got a bit chiully and we had to put our jumpers on - This is meant to be the tropics?
In the evening we drove to the Flying boat for fish and chips by the sea. The restaurant is made out of an old boat. We sat by the sea and ate delicious fish and chips from a basket.
When we got back we sat with the others from the house and watched a couple of DVDs.

July 10
In the morning we had to give our scooter back, so walking from now on. We walked to the island opposite Vara's through the lagoon to get a bit of the sunshine that seems to stay on the island all day. Whilst snorkelling James found a huge fish (think it was a tuna, unfortunately didn't have time to catch it though as it swam off!) We walked back through the water for a spot of lunch then back out again. This time the tide had come in a bit so the water was a bit deeper, Well for Trace anyway! Once the sun went behind the trees we decided we had had enough of the sun and walked back to our room up the hill. In all of the sunshine today Trace had got Panda eyes - nice! We watched another DVD and noticed that the Geckos on the wall made really wierd screeching noises.

July 11
We had to get up and pack our bags this morning and walk down the hill to put them in storage for the day as our flight isn't until this evening! We were going to go to the beach and have a swim as it is our last day in paradise but the weather decided otherwise as it was intermittent rain and sometimes huge downfalls (just trying to make you guys feel a bit better in the UK it rains here too!) Spent the afternoon chatting to a couple of English girls whilst they sat at the dinner table sticking in a million different tickets and flyers into their scrapbooks.
In the evening we went to the local Italian for fresh pasta and a few drinks.
Got taken to the airport and waited for ages. James got called back to check his baggage as there was a lighter in his bag. He had no idea where it was because he put i tin there when he left England just incase we needed fire and hadn't seen it since. They re-scanned the bag and said it was in the middle, then in the side pocket, then in the other side pocket, then finally at the top. So after unpacking his whole bag they finally found it and discarded it. We left Rarotonga on time but they told us they didn't have enough fuel for the plane so would have to make a detour.

written by

James & Tracey on July 3, 2007 from Avarua, Cook Islands

from the travel blog: James & Tracey World Tour

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