DAY 34 - Nov 1: Avatiu, Rarotonga, Cook Islands! Another new country for us. There were no shore excursions offered in this port. This was a tendered port and the water was pretty challenging so the process of getting everyone off took time. There was a small market near the ship but most of the shops were shutting down by noon. There were very few offers for excursions on shore, just a couple of signs and people were not hustling to get business. We had no Verizon cell service either. We walked for awhile in search of a café or something. People didn’t seem at all friendly. Some did not even look up when you smiled and tried to make conversation. Finally, we came to a little café and ducked in to see if we could get a cold drink. They were at least friendly here! We ordered some tasty chicken wings and a ginger beer. The beer was bright and tasty with no alcohol content. The ginger was strong and we enjoyed the beverage. Once it was time to leave, we asked if they could call us a taxi. Of course, this restaurant and almost everything else is closed for the day. One of the ladies working there said it will cost too much to take a taxi and offered to take us back to the port. We took her up on that offer and she did reluctantly accept cash for the kindness. So, there were some nice and friendly people on the Cook Islands after all! Showered after we returned and worked on laptops until it was time to head to the Celler Master Dinner in Pinnacle Grill. It was delicious and quite filling. A brief stop in the casino and off to bed.
DAY 35 – Nov 2: At Sea. For whatever reason we slept in really late. Too much food last night and too much wine. However, we did make lunch at the taco bar! We played games all afternoon. When we were done friend Bill came by to chat. I went back to the cabin and Stuart stayed to visit. It is a pretty day but very windy. Tonight, it is steak and lobster in the dining room. We didn’t even go. We had lobster last night and tenderloin, which we could not even finish. We went to the casino and then visited with Ann and Eric. It ended up being a quiet but nice day.
DAY 36 – Nov 3: Vaitape, Bora Bora, French Polynesia. We have a sunset cruise tonight so we had a quiet day onboard. We left the ship about 3p. It is a tendered port so we were warned to allow at least 45 minutes, we made it in plenty of time. The cruise was a little different that we expected. There were 28 people divided into 3 small speed boats. The guide/captain/host was a nice young man. We went several places to see the coral reef area. The deepest point in the crater is only 100 feet. There are even some places where you can walk from the shore to the reef as the water is so shallow. The many colors of blue/green are just amazing. Since my first visit here I felt it is the prettiest place I have ever been. The sunset was beautiful. After returning to the ship, we cleaned up and decided on Canaletto for our dinner. Those meatballs from the other day were calling to us! We had the antipasti plate and the grilled shrimp, which we split. Upon ordering the main dish we both chose the meatballs over spaghetti noodles. We got such a huge plate neither of us could come even close to finishing! We saw dealer Musa come in for dinner. We had forgotten she was going there for her birthday. We sent them a bottle of wine. She is sweet and from South Africa. Maybe we shall meet again someday! It was a stop in the casino after that and chatting afterward with Ann and Eric.
DAY 37 – Nov 4: Utuora, Raiatea, French
Polynesia. We didn’t take a tour today. It was not a tendered port so we simply
got off and walked around. We hoped to find a restaurant but ended up back at
the port for the restaurant there. Of course there were the typical booths with
stuff, and most were pretty expensive. Interestingly, the restaurant was mostly
Chinese food. It Was fun for Stuart to use a bit of French, which is what they
speak here of course being French Polynesia. We came back to the ship and
decided to sit by Sea View Pool and play games. It was so windy we had to
switch to the Lido Pool area. It was an enjoyable afternoon. We headed back to
the cabin and then realized they were having scenic cruising with a commentary as
we leave the port and edge our way out to sea by the reefs that are very close.
We couldn’t hear a lot of what was said due to wind and people talking, but it
was a lovely experience. We are guessing the narrowest part was a couple
hundred yards. Such a beautiful place with the reef, shallow aqua water flowing
to turquoise, to dark blue. We were still full from our big Chinese lunch so we
simply grabbed a bit from the Lido. It was a stop in the casino after that and
chatting afterward with Ann and Eric.
