Rarotonga

South Cook Islands

July 28, 2002

We arrived at Avatiu Harbour, Rarotonga after a pleasant sail from Bora Bora in pretty nice conditions. The only real issue was our arrival was at 10:00 pm and coming into a strange harbor at night is not something we would normally do. But, the weather was forecasted to get blustery and, after four days at sea, we were ready to drop the hook. The problem was Avatiu is probably the smallest harbor in the world. Fortunately, there are range lights that you can line up and follow in. If you do it right, you won’t go on the reef on either side. Also, Greg on s/v Gitana stayed up for our arrival and reassured us in on VHF radio that our navigation lights showed the boat in the right place. We had a difficult time seeing as there was no moon at this hour and we were blinded by the very bright shore lights. But, we made it in fine and, once again, breathed a sigh of relief when the hook went down.

Avatui Harbour, Rarotonga

July 30, 2002

The photo above shows just how tight quarters are in Avatui Harbour. The freighter is up against the wharf on one side of the harbour and the small coral breakwater can be seen at the entrance on the left side. Yachts drop an anchor in the harbor and then back into a spot. Then you run lines to moorings on the concrete wall behind you. If there is any weather out of the north, it gets very nasty and rolly in the harbor as there’s simply no protection from a northerly sea. You really take your chances coming here!

Our transportation in Rarotonga

The line of motorbikes along the quay were "hired" (rented) by the cruisers. It was an incredible deal. A motorbike cost only $7 U.S. per day. So, Suzy & I each had one every day we were there. What a bargain! In fact, the whole island was a great bargain, unlike French Polynesia. The Cook Island currency is tied to the New Zealand dollar. And, when we were there, $1 NZ = $0.45 US! We probably circumnavigated Rarotonga ten times while we were there on these motor bikes. We also crossed the island over the mountains on a really great hiking trail with spectacular views.

Entertainment at Avatiu

August 2, 2002

One of the more entertaining things to do for diehard sailors was to sit on the deck and watch the big freighter come into the harbor and turn around. If any boat was anchored off the quay, they would likely be asked to leave so there was room for the big ship to turn. You could wait outside the harbor until things settled down and the ship was secure to the wharf. Then, you could return. This happened several times while we were there. We would set up our chairs, grab a Cooks Lager, bring the binoculars and VHF radio along and watch the "fun"! Note Biaggio on Little Gem, the boat next to me. He positioned himself under that green shaded canopy and stayed cool … smart guy.

Looking for the right chart

August 18, 2002

We stayed in Rarotonga for 21 days and had a ball. We even went to the only movie theater there and saw the new "Star Wars" and "A Beautiful Mind". But, the weather turned rainy and cool and ,yes, it came out of the north. We braved one battle with the swells coming into the harbor. But, decided not to push our luck. So, I got out the charts and we left Rarotonga bound for Beveridge Reef, about 600 miles away and only a slight detour off the course to Niue.

To continue the adventure to Beveridge Reef, it’s a good one, click here!

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