February 25
Kia Orana! The weather is gone, and
it's a glorious day for the island wedding down the beach, which
we're keeping an eye on from afar so as to give the wedding party and
assembled guests the benefit of the privacy we've ourselves been
enjoying here in Rarotonga. The wedding is taking place behind the
fellowship hall of the church, which faces the street and backs up to
the beach. There's an arch that's been prepared, and it's covered
with greenery and beautiful flowers. The native bride is radiant, her
lovely skin a dark tan, in sharp (and very attractive) contrast to
the snow-white flounces of her long wedding gown, which traces a
smooth finish in the sand as she walks slowly towards her Prince
Charming...oh, sorry...I got carried away with myself. It is a very
romantic scene, to be sure, and all of us down the beach send them
our very best wishes and most hearty congratulations as they exchange
their timeless vows. May theirs be a marriage that lasts a lifetime
and brings them and their families every happiness.
 |
| Photo by Bob. All rights reserved. |
The sore throat has been greatly helped
by the Hall's that Bob found, and the ibuprofen has done the trick.
Also the Pepto Bismol. I guess I caught whatever virus Karen had. So,
I didn't feel 100% this morning, but I decided to join the group for
the glass-bottom boat lagoon cruise at Muri, Captain Tama's
(www.captaintamas.com). Am
I ever glad I did!
Our “cruise director,” Brown Apera,
aka Captain Chocolate, aka Brown Island Boy, aka just plain Brown,
was simply incomparable. He's full of energy, very charismatic,
supremely knowledgeable about marine life (whale research) as well as
island life.
 |
| Fun times at Captain Tama's. Photo by Chris. All rights reserved. |
While we waited at Muri Beach for the
outing to begin, “the boys” entertained us with drumming, ukelele
tunes, jokes, and “get acquainted” moments such as the “dance
lesson” for a hapless man and woman in the crowd. This part is all
designed to relax and please, and it succeeds on every count.
Once we were all loaded up into the
boats and the count had carefully been made – one wouldn't wish to
be lost in transit – “the boys” took us snorkeling “at the
giant clams” at Fruits of Rarotonga. Now, I'd seen some largish
clams on our other snorkels, but these ones were much, much larger.
And instead of being tightly closed, with just the bright, purplish
blue border showing, these ones were wide open, the
membrane/muscle/diaphragm stretched out. I could see the clams
“breathing” in and out rhythmically. It was absolutely
mesmerizing, something I'd never seen, a wonderful and beautiful
display. I was thrilled.
 |
| Cooking for us. Yum! Photo by Chris. All rights reserved. |
After that, we motored over to one of
the little islands in the lagoon for a BBQ prepared just for us. The
guys cooked a really tasty meal of yellow-tail tuna and bananas and
onion and potato salad (with coconut cream...come on!) and cole slaw
(with coconut cream again) and pawpaw and “coconut rice” (grated
coconut, freshly done right there in front of us in record time) and
starfruit and watermelon. It was all served buffet-style. Help
yourself, but please eat it all. Remember: This could be your last
meal!
I naturally was drawn to the “kitchen”
area during the preparation, because I love to observe men at work.
But I was told to “get out of my kitchen, woman!” Okay, fine.
Just put down the big knife you're pointing at me, dude.
 |
| Grating the coconut. Photo by Chris. All rights reserved. |
Again, grace was said before the meal.
So, the luau the other night wasn't a fluke. And then, after lunch,
“Chocolate” demonstrated opening and grating the coconut and
making coconut cream, which he put on the arms of the ladies – to
very good effect, I must say! It makes your skin so soft, and it
smells amazing. Naturally, all of this was done in his enthusiastic,
humorous way with informative running commentary.
Next, we were shown about a dozen
different ways to tie a pareu, using two young and beautiful tourist
ladies. There was a “costume malfunction” when one of the ties
didn't quite withstand a tug. I guess that's why there was an
admonition to wear a bikini under the pareu at all times. Oops!
 |
| Nice tats, eh? Photo by Bob. All rights reserved. |
Several of the guys have the most
beautiful Polynesian tattoos. Brown especially. His are amazing, done
the traditional way. And the fact that he wears them so well
certainly does no harm. The nipple piercings with the black pearls
were are maybe a bit over the top, but what do I know? I'm not up on
these things.
There's a vaka (a Polynesian sailing
vessel that looks sort of like a catamaran) joining other Pacific
Voyagers sailing from New Zealand and Tonga and picking up more along
the way through Tahiti and the Marquesas to Pearl Harbor to
peacefully and respectfully ask the Navy to stop sonar experiments,
because it harms the whales. After that, they'll come on a good
will/cultural exchange/ecology education mission to San Francisco,
from where they'll head south along the California coast, then make
their way back to their individual islands. Brown plans to
participate. We said we would see him in California. [Note: He did
participate. We eagerly followed the voyagers' progress through the
Pacific Voyagers website and Facebook page, and I watched online as
the “canoes” came under the Golden Gate Bridge last summer. What
a sight it was! We went to Treasure Island for the “meet and
greet,” and we spied Brown charming the people on the vaka out in
the water, where they were getting a ride. It made us smile.]
So, when you visit Raro, be sure to go
to Muri Beach to hang out with Captain Tama's Boys. We all considered
this outing to be a wonderful bargain as well as a highlight of our
visit to the Rock. Don't miss it. You won't be disappointed.
And to remind you of another attraction you won't be disappointed to check out, here's a video taken by Jo (all rights reserved) of some of the amazing dancing at Te Vara Nui Village.
Interesting factoid: The cigarette
packs down here have the most graphic and gorey pictures of various
cancers caused by smoking. Ick. Jo is collecting them to show to
folks back home, and the Aussie kids in the Hibiscus smoke. So,
they're saving the packs for her. I guess the images don't really
encourage people to stop smoking.
Hint: Don't park under a coconut tree.
I heard that's how you can tell the tourists from the natives, but
I'm sure that's a joke. Although, natives would know that sort of
thing. And tourists would soon figure it out. Coconuts make nasty
dents in roofs and hoods. No, not ours.
Another hint: Look to the
right-left-right before crossing the road, instead of
left-right-left, or you could easily be hit when stepping into
traffic. And remember not to drive on the right, or you'll hit
someone head-on. No, not us. Traffic cones...watch out for those.
 |
| Harry and I on the beach at sunset. With Jack, the three-legged dog. Photo by Bob. All rights reserved. |
Tonight, we went to a burger stand for
a burger and fries (very good fries). I asked for the Palace burger
for Harry (2 meat patties, cheese, eggs, bacon...the kitchen sink).
But they were out. How can that be? So, I asked for the next burger
down the menu. Sorry, not making it. Why would they take the time to
describe it to you, only to then tell you they don't have it?! So, we
ended up with Hawaiian burgers and chips. Not bad. Not bad at all.
Oh! Paper products are very expensive
here, and there isn't a lot of space for a county dump. You might
have to ask for a napkin. You will get one small paper napkin. One. A
small one. Try to make do with it.
It's our last night in Rarotonga, and
it's hard to believe we've been here nearly two weeks. The time has
flown by, and I'm not ready to go home. Today has been a great day.
Tomorrow is going to be hard for me.
