Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Michigan is a great lesson for Dems everywhere: when you have power…use it!

The republican caucus is covering themselves with something, and it is not glory.

Republican speaker of the house Mike Johnson is the bland and smiling face of evil.

The truth is, these are not very bright guys, and things got out of hand.

Too little, too late, ftfnyt. fuck all the way off.

Peak wingnut was a lie.

Never give a known liar the benefit of the doubt.

They are lying in pursuit of an agenda.

Incompetence, fear, or corruption? why not all three?

“The defense has a certain level of trust in defendant that the government does not.”

Within six months Twitter will be fully self-driving.

The next time the wall street journal editorial board speaks the truth will be the first.

“Alexa, change the president.”

It may be funny to you motherfucker, but it’s not funny to me.

I have other things to bitch about but those will have to wait.

We know you aren’t a Democrat but since you seem confused let me help you.

If you cannot answer whether trump lost the 2020 election, you are unfit for office.

The fundamental promise of conservatism all over the world is a return to an idealized past that never existed.

Today in our ongoing national embarrassment…

Pessimism assures that nothing of any importance will change.

Republicans are radicals, not conservatives.

Republicans don’t want a speaker to lead them; they want a hostage.

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You are here: Home / Photo Blogging / On The Road / Cook Islands / On The Road – way2blue – Aitutaki, Cook Islands [1 of 3]

On The Road – way2blue – Aitutaki, Cook Islands [1 of 3]

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way2blue

The 15 islands of the Cook archipelago stretch across ~1400 kms of the South Pacific.  They were first settled around 1000 AD by Polynesians thought to have migrated from Tahiti, ~1100 km to the ENE.  Aitutaki is the second most populated of archipelago, at ~1500 residents (Rarotonga has ~15,000).  Aitutaki also has a volcanic center albeit much more modest.  The island is horseshoe-shaped with inner and outer lagoons.  We stayed at a small resort facing the inner lagoon.  The husband In the bungalow next to ours headed out to fly fish every morning (intending to catch & release bone fish).  Very confusing for me as there aren’t any fly hatchings to speak of.  Found out he runs a fishing lodge in Alaska…

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AITUTAKI

I swear the propeller is attached to the engine.

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Ootu Beach

We weren’t staying near the main village, Arutanga, which faces the outer lagoon.  Nonetheless there were a few restaurants within walking distance plus a coffee shop which sold WiFi vouchers.  Our resort promised bicycles, but they were all in a repair shop.  Tried to rent a bicycle elsewhere to no avail.  ‘Fortunately’ our resort also rented motor scooters.  No helmets of course…

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Private Island

My favorite restaurant was on Private Island.  Which has a little ferry for crossing the channel.  You stand on the bank & wave for the ferry to come for you.  Very high-end resort which welcomed riffraff such as us.  The waiters here, as was common on Rarotonga, are Fijian with their traditional black sarongs.  I kept telling them how—when in Fiji years ago—I was struck by how happy Fijians are.  Walking down the street arm-in-arm, singing.  The waiters looked a bit skeptical.

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Private Island

A view from our table across the channel to the inner lagoon.

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Private Island

The dinner menu changed nightly.  This night (actually our last night), I chose Coconut Curry with goat.

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Aitutaki Golf Club

The motor scooter did allow us to explore the entire island.  Here, the golf course adjacent to the airport.

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Tai Roto Bay

Watch your toes…

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Island Hopping

We booked one excursion on Aitutaki—an island & snorkeling cruise in this little craft.  Just five passengers with Cap’t Cook as our skipper.  Perfect…

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Island Hopping

A map of the stops on our outer lagoon excursion.  I guess the island isn’t really horseshoe shaped.  More like a protozoa with a very long flagellum.  The lagoon is roughly triangular shaped, with small bits of islands (motu) defining its eastern rim.

Reader Interactions

9Comments

  2. 2.

    Chris T.

    I swear the propeller is attached to the engine.

    Camera shutters do weird things with revolving items (wagon wheels, airplane propellers, etc).

  4. 4.

    Butch

    Aitutaki was without question the best vacation of my life.  I’ll never forget walking along the beach, going back to our hotel, after dinner at a restaurant called Te Vaka, which I believe translates as The Canoe. The moon was shining, the waves were crashing on the shore, the air smelled of tropical flowers….the whole experience was incredible.

  8. 8.

    way2blue

    @eclare: That’s kinda a long story.  My spouse wanted to visit the South Pacific, and I said ‘fine, as long as it was somewhere I hadn’t already been’.  So we flailed a bit since I’d already visited several Tahitian islands and the main Fijian island.  Then my SIL came to the rescue, telling me that she’d loved the Cook Islands when they’d visited 10 years ago…  Plus Hawaiian Airlines just started a route to Rarotonga direct from Honolulu with a fairly low cost airfare.

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