Friday, January 19, 2018, Avatiu, Rarotonga, Cook Islands, Muri Beach Village

The spellbinding volcanic island of Rarotonga is the sleepy capital of the Cook Islands.  Once a New Zealand colony, its needle-like rock, Te Rua Manga, pierces the sky from the island's center.  Surrounded by a lagoon, its dramatic slopes rise up to scenic agricultural highlands where terraced farming provides the Cooks with fresh vegetables and fruits.  White sandy beaches lined with palms surround Rarotonga, luring visitors and locals alike.  Because of the mountainous terrain, a roadway encircles the island, but vehicles cannot cross the island's center directly; inland routes can be traveled only by foot.  Several ancient marae, communal gathering places typical of Polynesian tribes, dot the landscape and enjoy spectacular seaside settings.

We arrived about 7 AM and as we were preparing to head up to breakfast, an announcement came over the intercom that due to high swells, they were going to relocate the cruise ship from west side to north side of the island because the swells were so large it would be unsafe to load us onto tenders to get us to shore for our sightseeing.

One of the tenders had already gone ashore to pick up local customs officials.  After the anchor was raised and we began moving, another announcement was made that the seas on the north side was too rough, so the captain said we would not be able to go onto shore today.  It took almost two hours to recover the two tenders and safely load them back onto the cruise ship.  We watched as the last one was returning how severe the sea was and appreciated the captains decision to skip our stop today.

The photos below were taken from the cruise ship with telephoto lens so we could get a small taste of the island.