A long great sleep with usual grand breakfast. A last cloudy lagoon swim and pool swim. Shower and packing. Lunch at Tamanu Beach.

We have our room until our transfer from Etu Moana to Aitutaki Airport. 45 minute hop to Rarotonga. Big crowd at airport.

Some time to kill in Rarotonga before the almost midnight flight from Raro to LA. Our hosts at Etu Moana recommended Tamarind House Restaurant for dinner and it was superb.

I must comment on the unspoiled nature for the most part of the Cook Islands. It has been a refreshing change of beauty, culture and pure type of island life. Meitaki Maata Cook Islands.

I was given an option to borrow a scooter and did so. A great solo roll around the island.

I came back and got Mariella convinced I could manage a grandma scooter ride down to the north end of the island for lunch and a surprise and she hesitantly agreed. The surprise was the aquatic nature center that farms… clams.

It was a big treat for Mariella, as well as me, which we thoroughly enjoyed. It was an amazing kaleidoscope of colors and sizes. We had lunch at the the Boatshed Restaurant with a colorful history and museum. Jimmy Buffett looked like he could have been here. Maybe he has.

On the scooter we hopped and I showed Mariella the Aitutaki Lagoon Villas. She was nervous on the scooter but, was a real trooper.

A long swim in a cloudy lagoon then the pool. Dinner at Sam and Beverly’s and it was lovely. Larry an American ex pat ate with us and it was a real nice evening. Lasagna with salad and passion fruit ice cream. Sam and Beverly were great hosts. They go to Raro for the weekend.

Peace out Tres

We had heard that Fiji was hit with a cyclone and the tail of it would cause some storming in Aitutaki. It did. Big swells of waves going over the lagoon reef with high winds and intermittent heavy rains.

My wife sent me out for breakfast in the rain. Poncho man.

We read for awhile and our room was made up. After a couple of hours and the rain had subsided some we went for a walk down the road to Pacific resort.

Lunch in room with short nap the pool swim. No snorkeling in lagoon today. Cleaned up and went to town for the Amuri village presentation of dance, music and singing in what is known as Koni Raoni. It was great. It is only done 2 times per year, Christmas and New Years.

Quick ride home.

Dinner at Sam and Beverly’s. Lamb shank to die for with rice and vegetables and passion fruit ice cream. Peace out Tres

I may start to sound redundant but, a lazy rollout, grand breakfast and fairly nice weather. Mariella informed me directly after breakfast that I needed to take a bike ride before she would be ready to kayak and or snorkel in our backyard lagoon. The road and I obliged. I got a different bike, a mtn bike, and off I went.

I headed north toward the airport.

Then went to see some places I had considered to stay at before deciding to stay at Etu Moana. Also the view from Boatshed Restaurant.

The helper from our lagoon cruise Joel. Real great guy.

I returned to find Mariella ready to snorkel. There are lots of fish where we are at. It was great we snorkeled for an hour and a half. Same underwater pics as before with a couple of new finds. Visibility already deteriorating.

Shower, lunch of tuna fish, nap and reading got us to a great dinner time stroll down the beach to Sam’s. Polynesian heaven. Storm coming. Stay tuned. Kia Orana Tres dog