Tropical Rain: Tuesday, May 23, 2017

A restful night of sleep removed the brain fog I had accumulated from yesterday's long day of travel. I woke up and I could think. Wow! We walked the beach soon after a breakfast of cereal and fruit. It was warm and somewhat windy, not breezy but windy. The water was bath water warm. Beautiful walk in paradise. On our way back we walked the road and encountered a non-local who started a conversation with us. She owns and operates the Sea Change resort. Delightful lady. Difficult to understand her New Zealand accent so for most of the conversation we just nodded our heads. 

Throughout the island, there were graves, some at churches, some in mini cemeteries, and some in front or backyards. This is the grave in the yard where we stayed. Rarotonga is a small island, so I imagine there isn't much room for the dead. It's only 32 km in circumference.

These impatiens-like flowers grow as a shrub here. I bought some last summer for my hanging baskets. I recognized quite a few flowers that we grow in Washington as a house plant or annual, only they grow much larger on Rarotonga.

After returning we prepared for our first snorkeling. Ellen's first and my first since Hawaii 1975. We did well. The current was strong even though we were merely waist deep in warm clear water. How unique for two people from the Pacific Northwest to be in clear warm salt water and observe colorful fish and coral. We beached before the current took us out into the dangerous passage. We loved it.

The little blue fish was about four or five inches long.

We changed clothing and caught the "anti-clockwise" bus to the top of the north side of the island. Once there we found the bicycle rental and acquired two hybrid uncomfortable bikes. We gathered lots of food and alcohol from a market and then made the nine mile ride back home. Rain and strong wind were in our faces for most of the ride back. Traffic passing us were considerate. It took us over fifty minutes to arrive at our accommodations. I was hungry so I had a semi cold beer. Great tasting with chips and left over spaghetti was our late lunch. 

The wind continued. I guessed it was at 35-40 mph. The waves breaking at the reef were about 1/4 mile out from the beach. We watched them break and they broke high with tremendous force and a constant roar due to the strong wind. What a display of power. We each had a plastic wine glass half full and walked the beach. The wind was at our backs and the tide was high. Some of the waves that made it past the reef chased us to higher ground. The palms swayed north as the south wind blew against them. Coconuts were scattered across the sand under the palms. We were careful and looking up as we walked under each palm. As we headed back we encountered rain and strong winds working against us. The waves breaking on the reef were higher and louder. We were wet yet warm. Back home we filled our "glasses" with wine and enjoyed the weather, sights, and sounds as we lounged on the deck. It was totally dark by 7:00 pm. We had dinner and then watched our first movie via the iPad. It was too religious for both of us but the cinematography was outstanding. We were in bed by 9:00 pm. Bikes are outside ready to take us snorkeling in Muri Lagoon tomorrow. Great day today. Never saw the sun. Maybe tomorrow.


John

Still poor weather but we didn't let that stop us. We biked to Muri to look for a place to snorkel. The first spot we tried had a strong current flowing like a river. Plus it was really murky. I decided not to wear my rashguard, which kept me warmer. We biked a little ways back and found some coral and fish in the lagoon. The sky was cloudy, though, so there wasn't much color and the water was cloudy, too. I suggested we stop for lunch when John's lips were blue.

I have never seen him so cold. As we waited for our lunch at a garden cafe, he was shaking uncontrollably. Our lunch was delightful but expensive. We both had Greek salads minus the feta, two teeny glasses of Chardonnay, and a fruit plate to the tune of $77 NZ.

We biked back to Te Ava for a hot shower. Then we were off again to Fruits of the Rarotonga for snorkeling. Again, there were likely some good sights, but visibility was poor and it was cloudy. We practiced diving and called it a day.

I made tofu curry with mushrooms and broccoli over a brown rice-quinoa mix. I loved it and John tolerated it because he was so hungry. We enjoyed some wine while we watched our second movie, Flyboys, which was pretty stupid. We went to bed early in preparation for an early rise tomorrow.

Ellen