Day 137: Rarotonga, Cook Islands – 22/05/10

How lovely to sleep soundly in a bed that doesn’t move.  Absolute bliss.

We hear from the yacht, A Lady, that they are just a couple of hours away and so that we can be back at the dock to help them tie up we leave early without having breakfast and head off to the Saturday market.

We quickly find a stall selling suitable breakfast stuff – my beloved Portuguese custard tarts and almond croissants – yummy, and so totally not fattening – I wish!  The market is awash with the a mixture of the usual tourist tat, fast food, fresh produce and local crafts and it is heaving.  After a quick wander around we go to the bank to see if we can get my card back and are successful, although whether it will work is another matter.  We’ll probably have to contact the bank in the UK to find out what the problem is.

Walking back we pass loads more pearl shops.  They seem a bit cheaper here but the quality doesn’t look quite as good, although a pair of pearl studs do manage to find their way into my possession.  I just don’t know how this sort of thing happens.  But that’s it.  No more pearls (apart from the really cheap Chinese imported champagne coloured freshwater pearl necklace that I saw in the market, so cheap in fact that it would be churlish not to buy them, but that doesn’t count!).

We walk around town to get the feel of the place a bit then go back to the port to wait for A Lady to arrive, which they do shortly after and Mike helps them to tie up.

We start on our way to the liquor store to see the prices of the NZ wine and decide to call in on the fishermen on the way past.  As we walk down the ramp we are called over by Papa Joe and his mates, who are obviously well into their crate of the amber nectar!  As soon as I am on the boat they pretend to pull the boat away so that Mike can’t get on and they have me to themselves, but then let him on after all.

Photo:  Chief Papa Joe and me

As soon as Mike accepts a beer we are told that I am now the property of Papa Joe, one of the island’s chiefs.  Apparently I am payment for Mike accepting his hospitality.  Mike seems very unconcerned about this as he downs his beer.  That’s what happens when you are into your 30th year of marriage, is it?  Papa Joe tells me I am his new wife and thinks I am wonderful – very beautiful and with lovely white teeth.  In fact, he is very taken with my teeth and I have to keep showing them to him.  Lovely man, I just hope he is not measuring me up for the pot.  He tells Mike that his arthritis will be cured if he covers me in oil and caresses my whole body every day.  I could cope with that.

After a couple of beers, we say goodbye and resume our journey to the supermarket.  On the way we notice that there is a police blockade – the Commonwealth Games start soon and the flame is being carried around the island – and is just about to arrive where we are.  There are groups of people dressed up ready to take their turn carrying it and there’s lots of excitement.

Photos:  Excitement over the Commonwealth Games baton

We do eventually get to the liquor store and find all my favourite wines at the same price as we get them in the UK, so I stock up a little bit ready for when Johanne arrives.  None of it is for me – yeah, right!!

By the time we get back to the market to buy the cheap necklace, it has already closed so no more pearls for me today.  Back at the port, we see Dreamcatcher coming in so Mike helps them tie up then Ronja comes in behind and he helps them too.  We have decided that Mike and I are now officially ‘Jeannius Rally Control’ for our little breakaway party, and organise for everyone (except A Lady who have a prior arrangement) to go for a curry later on.  Poor Brown Eyed Girl are still slowly on their way – they are having problems with their engine cooling system.  Poor Judith must be going spare.  If their crossing is anywhere near as bad as ours, she’ll be as sick as a dog.

The meal at the Indian restaurant is good, and everyone except Mike goes for the buffet.  Mike orders from the menu and as usual, over orders and ends up sharing it out.

Photos:  The crews of Jeannius, Dreamcatcher and Ronja enjoy a curry

It’s a good evening but one that ends quite early as all the other crews are tired after their crossing.