We were scheduled to be in Rarotonga, Cook Islands today. In fact, we arrived just before 7:00 am. The seas were extremely rough, and the Captain did put the tender boats into the water. I watched the boats from our balcony rock violently in the water, as the Captain came on the shipboard intercom to tell us that it was not safe to use the tenders to get passengers to shore. This was another bummer as this is the third port that we are missing because of unsafe conditions using tender boats at ports that do not have direct docking. However, any of us who saw the tenders in the water knew that this was the correct decision.
Even though we did not get ashore, I can relay some of the information we learned about this site. Rarotonga is the capital city of the Cook Islands. The centerpiece is Mount Te Mango (standing at 2139 ft) and the surrounding rain forest. Muri Beach and Aroa Beach have crystal clear waters and vibrant marine life. A popular activity is circumnavigating the island by using the Cross-Island Track. This island, as with others we have seen, are proud to perform traditional Polynesian dance, show off craft markets, and their local festivals. The local cuisine favors seafood and tropical fruits in specialties like poke and umu (earth oven cooked dishes).
I do have a couple of pictures of the shoreline from the ship. On to Pago Pago.
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