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Bird
on a Goats back
The
little bird sat on the goats back without a care
in the world. He was going to have his piggyback
ride whether the goat liked it or not. – This
was the sight that greeted me as I arrived in
the land of the fertility god. I felt as if I
had gone back in time and I had literally,
having crossed the dateline.
Rarotonga is a small and stunning tropical
island in the South Pacific. It's volcanic and
surrounded by lagoons, reefs, palm trees and
stunning white beaches. The distance around the
whole island is 32km and has only 11,000
inhabitants. It's the largest of the Cook
Islands, a widespread chain of 15 atolls and
volcanic green islands, consists of two main
groups, one in the North and the other in the
South. The name stems from Raro meaning
‘down’ and tonga meaning ‘south’.
The airport is small and looks more like a shed
and I had to show proof that I had booked
accommodation and an onward ticket, to avoid
being turned away. I didn’t need to buy a visa
and was given one free for 31 days.
This time can be filled with lagoon diving,
snorkling, kayaking, windsurfing and swimming.
Muri beach is with its clear blue lagoon and
white sandy beach is the perfect setting for
this. If you want an insight into local life and
traditions, then look no further than a church
service or an island night.
I had been told that a Cook Islands church
service was something I should not miss -because
of the singing. I went to the Cook Islands
Christian Church (CICC) in the village of
Ngatangiia. It’s a beautiful landmark, built
of coral and lime. It was originally known as
the London Missionary Society (LMS) whose
missionaries brought the Gospel to the Cook
Islands on the 26th October 1821. It reached
Rarotonga on July 26th 1823 with pioneer
missionary Rev John Williams and a native
Tahitian preacher Papehia, on the vessel called
Matamua
The original Ngatangiia church was built in
1833. The first preachers were Rev Charles
Pittman and Rev Aaron Buzacott, both from
England. It was the centre of worship for the
whole island until the other villages decided to
build their own churches. The present church was
built in 1912 and named Ebenezera, - "the
Lord helped us"
I wore a Pareu and a Rito hat to wear to the
service. The Pareu is similar to a sarong, a
large piece of fabric which is worn in different
styles, as a dress, skirt, trousers. Pareu come
in many different colours and patterns. Some are
tye-dyed and are worn casually. Screen printed
ones are worn for special occasions. The rito
hat is made of Pandanus leaves, the uncurled
fibre of the coconut palm. They are decorated
with hatbands made of small pupu shells, painted
and stitched on by hand. The hats are worn by
women for church on Sundays. I felt like a local
in my beautifully crafted attire.
The service was in Cook Islands Maori - a
language which has only 13 letters in the
alphabet. The singing was vibrant, musical and
spiritual. Harmony singing is highly developed
in church music and I could see the devotion in
the people's faces. I was one of the only
tourists there and I felt honoured. After the
service I was invited to a buffet and made to
feel extremely welcome.
The Islanders made sure that I ate well and I
was asked to talk about myself to the
congregation. Everyone spoke excellent English,
so I asked them to teach me some Maori. The
language has no differentiation between male and
female. The word Aia expresses, he, she, him and
her. Consonants are pronounced as in English,
apart from ng which is pronounced like the ng in
singing.
If you'd like to experience more singing, then
experience the five-week long Song Quest. Held
in July, musicians, singers and performers come
to Rarotonga to compete for a chance at stardom.
Dancing is also very popular in the Cooks and
there are numerous, hotly contended competitions
each year. The annual dance festival week is
held annually, in the third week of April. Each
island has its own dances which are practiced
assiduously from childhood. - You shouldn't miss
the Island Night.
The Rarotongan Beach Resort, Edgewater and the
Pacific Resort hold them on Friday night.
There’s lots of drum banging and lively
singing. Cook Islanders are renowned for their
dancing and certainly know how to move their
bodies. Male dancing requires bending your knees
a little and knocking them together. The women
and shake their hips, side to side and remain
flat-footed whilst they do this. Men and women
wear dancing skirts made of long green leaves (rauti
or coconut fronds) and dried bark strips from
the hibiscus tree. Their waist is adorned with
shells, seeds, leaves and flowers. This
decoration also aids the shaking/swinging
process of dancing.
I
had to get up and dance on a box in front of
everyone, I had flowers around my neck (and make
a fool of myself). There was also a feast of
traditional foods such as tropical fruit salads,
seafood and Umukai - food cooked underground
with hot rocks and banana and coconut palm
leaves. Dishes might include Iki Mata - raw fish
in coconut milk, lime juice and spices, Taro -
the Kumara which is a sweet potato or even
roasted suckling pig.
If
you have always looked at those glossy holiday
brochures with skepticism, the scenery of
Rarotonga lives up to them. Walking is the best
way to discover this. You’ll be drawn into the
fragrances and colour of the luscious flowers
and fruits which lay along the roadside.
One of the most popular walks is the three-four
hour Cross-Island treck which runs via the sheer
413m 'Needle' (Te Rua Manga). The treck takes
you across the jungle-clad, hilly centre via Te
Rua Manga. Towards the end of the walk, you'll
be drawn into the sight of Wigmore's waterfall -
a stunning waterfall plunging into a fresh,
sparkling pool. Take a guided walk with 'Pa' or
Tangaroa Tours, or go alone. Good walking shoes
are helpful as in some parts it can become
slippery and dangerous if it has rained.
And rain is exactly what it did - when I arrived
in the dry season - non-stop for two weeks.
Rarotonga, is usually pleasant all year round.
The Hottest and wettest months are from
December-March (29c) but even in winter (June,
July, August) it's around 18c.
Unlike the weather, which as I found out isn't
always predictable, the bus service is. Getting
around the island is easy. The bus service runs
at regular half-hour intervals around the whole
island. They run clockwise and anti-clockwise
along the same road taking about 40-50 minutes
to get around the island. A ticket allows you to
get on and off the bus at leisure. There is no
service on Sunday as it's a holy day.
You can also hire a moped or car. This enables
you to check out all the areas off the one main
road bus route. I had a UK drivers license so
all I had to do was go to the police station,
fill in a form, have my picture taken, pay $10
and I was given the license. It also made a
great souvenir. If you want to rent a car it
costs from $30 a day. Renting a moped costs $15
a day. To ride a moped you have to take a test
– you ride up and down a street. If you stay
on the bike, you’ve passed.
What better way to celebrate passing your test
than to go shopping in Avarua - the 'town'.
Don’t imagine you will be completely cut off.
There is a supermarket called Foodland,
restaurants and even a cash point machine. It is
situated on the Ara Maire Nui on the waterfront,
lined with palm trees. There are numerous gift
shops where you can buy a variety of handicrafts
such as woodcarvings, shell jewellery and
baskets. Its a lovely place to people watch,
local women, hover around on their mopeds and
wear bold, tent-like dresses with eye-catching
prints on them.
A favourite item to pick up at the gift shop is
the Tangaroa – The god of sea and fertility.
He is a well-loved symbol of the Cook Islands
and featured on their one dollar coin. The early
missionaries banned Tangaroa and other Gods, in
order to banish paganism. For as while, the
carvings were sexless, but nowadays, they are
well-endowed and display their all and sundry
with splendour - So, I bought a statue for my
mum.
If the fertility god doesn’t have the desired
effect, then buy some local perfume -
The Pefumes of Rarotonga -. I could almost smell
the place before I saw it. Most of the perfumes
sold are produced from local flowers such as
Fragipani and smell wonderful. They sell
handmade soaps, coconut oils, shampoos and other
beauty products. They are all reasonably priced
and make great presents.
If you want something rare, buy a $3 note. Only
one other country in the world has one. I bought
mine at the local bank.
Rarotonga had everything. I was never at a loss
of things to do: Dancing, diving, walking and
lagoon cruises. The people were relaxed and
welcoming and although I traveled solo, I was
never alone and always felt safe.
A week is generally sufficient to spend on
Rarotonga but take longer if you want to visit
some of the stunning outer islands such as
Aitutaki and Atiu.
I stayed at the budget-priced Varas Beachouse on
Muri Beach, but there's accommodation on the
island to suit everyone
In Rarotonga, no one rushed about because
everything ran on island time. I will definitely
go back there - If only to see the bird taking a
piggy- back ride on the goat.
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