Raratongo, Cook Islands

Bill made a new friend in Mr. Hunglo, a local guy

The little bay on the island

Sir Roy from England wins the unofficial portable Humidor contest

Local Beer at lunch

Our humidor room after dinner drinks, ties off.

Yellowfin tuna for lunch

Formal wear evening

We caught the first tender in as there are few taxis on this little island that is associated with New Zealand. We paid $30 US for the three of us to go to Muri Lagoon beach. We talked to others with three that paid $60, we had the honest taxi driver. Muri Lagoon is large and shallow but didn't have much in the way of snorkeling. We walked down the beach to the pacific reef hotel and got beach chairs in return for a promise of having lunch later on. Lunch was good and Bill had the raw tuna as usual cooked in coconut cream and lime juice. Dawn and I shared the fish of the day that was Yellow Fin Tuna with french fries. We also tried the local Island fries that were Taro root, plantain, and sweet potato. Bill started the day out strange. He didn't notice he had his swim trunks on inside out until he went swimming at the beach. Bill caught a local massage since we had lots of time. On the way back to the ship the taxi driver dropped us off he said, a short ways off so we could enjoy the walk. Turned out to be about a mile and a half away and we had to really move to make it back on time. On the way walking back we picked up an island dog that took a liking to me. His first greeting to me was to come up from behind me and take my hand in his teeth. He was gentle and a good boy so he followed us back to the tender dock where we made the final tender. they were calling off room numbers as they were worried about us making it.

Above is the shell fish offered for lunch in La Terraza, one of two such stations.

The inside smoking room on the ship is called the "Humidor" and is likely the funniest room of the ship after dinner when all the cigar smokers gather for congnac and cigars. It gets pretty loud and funny with all the stories told. The picture of Roy began with Harry bringing in his little $49 dollar portable humidor to show so Martin brought in his $679 dollar digital humidor and showed him up. The next day Jerry brought in his large suitcase and said it was HIS humidor. So Roy the next night got the crew to bring in a piano case and label it HIS Humidor. We are on day two of sea days today on the way to a small island of the Tonga chain. We passed near by the island nation of Niue at noon. Niue is a large upraised coral atoll, and is a standalone land mass in the center of a triangle of Polynesian islands made up o Tonga, Samoa and the Cook islands. It is located 2400 km north east of New Zealand. There are 1500 residents and they speak Niuean and English. It is one of the smallest stand alone countries in the world. Tonga coming up then three days at sea followed by Auckland and three more days at sea before Sydney.

Raratonga weather station

Dawn relaxing

Bill's Lunch