Just after sunrise, National Geographic Orion approached the jagged island of Rarotonga. We carefully entered the tiny harbor and were soon ready for our exploration of this capital island of the Cook Islands. With about 10,000 inhabitants, the people are concentrated now around the ring road that circles the island near the shoreline. Jagged peaks in the center rise to over 2,000 feet and a reef system protects the shoreline from the massive southern swell pounding the coastline. Today, the waves were quite dramatic on the south side of the island. We divided into different activities with some going on a cultural excursion, others choosing to snorkel, and some going SCUBA diving. I took a separated group of hikers on the cross island trek.
We drove a short distance before getting out and beginning our climb. Our local guide filled us in on many of the plants and food sources such as taro, papaya, and banana. We soon left the cultivated areas behind and entered the forest. Here, the calls of the Pacific Pigeon and Cook Islands Fruit-dove greeted us, while the single island endemic Rarotonga Starling shared its beautiful song. The trees grew in size and the trail got steeper, but we kept climbing and were rewarded with spectacular views from a jagged volcanic plug called the needle. Orchids and iris flowers were on the forest floor and tropicbirds circled around us, all with a background of vibrant green jagged peaks. Stunning! Soon enough, it was time to head down across to the other side. We followed a stream that was lined with giant ferns and felt much like a primeval forest. When we reached the end, we were rewarded with local fruits and sandwiches.
We all reconvened onboard for our final night of this trip. Some will be continuing on the next voyage while others will be enjoying Rarotonga for more days. A gorgeous sunset lit up the peaks we had explored earlier today and was a fitting ending to our day.
