Graptolite - Rarotonga, Wear The Fox Hat?

Graptolite's Sailing Log
Martyn Pickup & Heike Richter
Tue 27 May 2008 10:31
21:12.00S 159:47.00W Avatiu, Rarotonga, Cook Islands Monday 26th May PM

Rarotonga brings us back to the English speaking world once more. A bit of
Maori is also useful but not essential to get by. As we approached Rarotonga
early on Sunday morning the temperature fell and we had some drizzly rain
just to make us feel really at home.

First impressions of Rarotonga are that it is a really nice place. The
natives are very friendly, the cost of living high on the hog is much less
than French Polynesia and the beaches, reefs and mountains are as good as
anywhere else in the Pacific. There are some quirky things about the place
though, one of them being that most houses seem to have gravestones of
ancestors in the front garden. Also every second building seems to be a
church of some denomination or other. Strangely, the churches don't seem to
be all that popular for burials.

Some new T-shirts were commissioned today as boat tropical uniform. The
design is based on Colin's tattoo. The title of this blog was taken from
another T-shirt we saw in a beach bar. Antipodean humour is so refreshing.

We rented a car for a trip around the island. Heike always drives in true
German style at high speed on the right-hand side of the road. This makes
for a white-knuckle ride for passengers when everyone else on the road
drives at small-road speed on the left. She claims she never has accidents
but the trail of destruction that must be going on all the time behind us
makes it hard to believe.

M