Day 136: Bora Bora to Rarotonga, Cook Islands – 21/05/10

Mike wakes me at half past midnight; it’s our 29th wedding anniversary but he wakes me to go on watch, not because he is eager to celebrate.

The winds are still strong and the sea lumpy and choppy.  Sometimes it sounds like the boat is about to break in half.  I can’t believe how loudly the waves crash into us.

I feel marginally better and manage to watch TV on watch to make the time go faster but four hours can feel like an absolute age.  When I wake Mike up at 4.30 am I immediately fall into the warm space vacated by his body and fall asleep after a relatively short time.  When I wake up, land ho, Rarotonga is in sight.

Mike calls the harbour master when we are outside the harbour wall but there is no answer so we get the sails down and head through the channel.  I get on the VHF while Mike manoeuvres the boat (it’s a very small space).  The harbour is in two parts.  One part looks like it is where the cargo ships come in and the other has fishing boats and one yacht.  Eventually we get a reply from harbour control – go to the first berth – but looking around it is not easy to determine where that is and when I call them back no one replies.  We head into the fishing fleet part and immediately can see that there is nowhere to go in there (and hardly any space to turn around again).  All the fishermen on the quay start shouting happily that they have salvage rights!  Oops!  Mike turns the boat like it’s on a sixpence (looks quite impressive when he does this) and heads out again.  We park up in the deeper area of the commercial port and some of the fishermen come to take our lines.  The only other vessels here are a naval/coast guard boat and a small cargo ship.  Stationary at last, I realise I no longer feel ill.

Mike goes to the harbour master’s office to check in.  While he is gone we are inundated with people coming over to look at Jeannius.  First, the fishermen come over in little groups, each group inviting us to go and have a beer with them on the fishing dock later in the afternoon.  Holiday makers on rented scooters come into the port specially to come and talk to us and take a closer look.  Everyone seems fascinated and say what a lovely boat Jeannius is.  I don’t think they get many yachts here normally and we are quite a novelty.

The food inspector turns up and checks what frozen and fresh goods we have on board.  He checks our frozen chicken (luckily the packet is kite marked to the required standard) but confiscates our two oranges and one lemon, for which he apologises profusely.

A couple from New Zealand come over to take a look and we get chatting.  Janine and Mark are really friendly and we invite them on board to take a look as Mark is interested in buying a catamaran.  They offer to take us on an island tour in their rented car later on in the afternoon before they fly home tonight.  How amazing is that?

We have to move Jeannius as we are in the way of some of the large fishing boats so we untie from the dock and go to the middle of the port, drop the anchor and back Jeannius in stern to the harbour wall.  What’s obvious, however, is that it’s going to be difficult getting off Jeannius as the bottom step is five foot below the wall.  We put our gangplank up and Mike manages to scramble up it but there’s no way I’m going to follow given my habit of falling in!  Mike goes to the harbour master’s office again and arranges for a ladder to be delivered.

When he gets back another health inspector turns up but looks very worried about boarding the boat using our gangplank although he does eventually manage it, wobbling down in true Johanne style.  We pass inspection although we can’t pay the NZ$10 fee as we haven’t yet been to the ATM – he lets us off although Mike is adamant that he will leave it with the harbour master.

The ladder eventually arrives but we need to use the dinghy to get to it.  This means though that we can pull the boat forward to make sure that we keep from banging the harbour wall.

Photo:  The ladder delivered and installed especially for us

Janine and Mark turn up to take us for our island tour just as Mike leaves to go to customs, so they take him there then come back for me.

We need to get some NZ dollars so we start our tour off at the nearest ATM.  It says Mike’s card is out of date and spits it out even though it still has over a year to go.  I try mine.  It says my card is out of date and swallows it even though it too has over a year to go.  Mike eventually gets money out on his credit card.  The bank is closed so we will need to return in the morning to try to get my card back.

When we get back to the car, Janine remarks how lovely it is to see a couple who have been married for 29 years and who have been cooped up together on a boat for months still hold hands to cross the road.  Ahh!

The complete circumnavigation of the island (all 32 kilometres of it) takes less than an hour so we stop for a drink at the Waterline beach bar on the west coast of the island.  It is a lovely spot, and with good company and (to my immense excitement) a lovely cold glass (or two) of Oyster Bay Sauvignon Blanc, my favourite New Zealand wine, we spend an enjoyable hour or so.

Photos:  At the Waterline beach bar with Janine and Mark

The island has a very mountainous interior and although not anywhere as dramatic as the Marquesas, it is somewhat reminiscent of them.  The whole island is as well cared for as the islands of French Polynesia, but with New Zealand prices – much better.

Janine suggests Tamarind House for our anniversary meal and we go to check it out and book a table.

Photo:  We book this table for dinner – what a position!

The views are beautiful from our table, not that we will be able to see them when we eat as it will be dark by then.

They drop us back to the port around 6 pm.  What a lovely couple and how friendly their offer was.  We get ready then decide to walk to the restaurant which takes us over half an hour but we need the exercise.  The restaurant looks completely different at night, with lights all around the palm trees and lanterns scattered all around.  We can hear the waves breaking on the reef – it’s a lovely setting for an anniversary meal.

Photo:  29 years on

The walk back is less hurried and amazingly seems shorter.  We talk about how lovely the island and its people seem.  I think we’re going to enjoy our few days here.

 

Our position is:  21 deg 12 min S, 159 deg 47 min W

Distance so far:  7399 nautical miles