Stormy weather in Rarotonga

Kellie's comments

Sunday evening - A propane tanker hovered outside the harbor waiting for the waves to calm enough to attempt entry. Cresting waves hit the breakwater, refracted inside and bounced off the seawall behind the boats. The masts waved back and forth like saplings in a gale. Two cruising boats pulled anchor to move out of the freighters way at 6 pm. The whole island had run out of propane, which is their sole way of cooking. Before dark, the Bele rested safely at the wharf and the cruisers came back in. This kind of thing makes for great local entertainment. Cruisers videotaped the action and locals lined the quay. Twenty five to 30 knot gusts continued all night and blew in the clouds. Pete and I haven't slept well since we left Bora Bora, as the waves rock the boat back and forth, up and down and side to side. Pete added a third anchor off the bow "just in case".

Monday morning - The wind still gusted outside, as the rain clouds backed up against the mountains. We're eager to see as much as possible in a short time here and be on our way. No more dilly dallying until we get to Tonga. We explored town this morning, looking in shops for souvenirs and gifts. The kids asked for everything, so shopping got called off. I'll go again alone. We ate hamburgers at a small "take away" restaurant and headed to the library/museum. What an amazing thing it is to be back in an English speaking country. The Cook islands are associated with New Zealand, so if you can understand the Kiwi accent, it's easy to communicate. The kids could have stayed in the library reading books all day. They haven't seen new books in a year. The tiny museum's collection included a whale blubber boiling pot (supposedly people were cooked in earthen ovens, not big iron pots), shell jewelry, carvings and an immense shell display. Shell collecting has been a favorite activity on the trip, so seeing such a great collection inspired us.

Art galleries line the streets showing local arts and crafts. Paintings, carvings, shell jewelry, and weavings make up the majority of art here. Tangaroa, the local god of fertility and the sea, dominates the subject matter of carvings and keychains. His anatomically correct likeness leaves nothing to the imagination when it comes to his ability to carry off the fertility part of his job. We haven't decided yet who is going to get one for Christmas.

After emerging from the library to the warm sun we stopped by a playground on the way back. The kids haven't seen a playground since CA. What a treat. Everyone got thirsty, so we came back to the boat. Inspired by the sunny skies, I opened all the hatches and the dodger window. Ten minutes later, Omazey and Dolphins invited us to "get a wiggle on" and catch a bus to the botanical garden. We had less than five minutes to fill the water bottle, grab shoes and the backpack (still packed from the morning), dinghy ashore and get to the bus. The garden, a five year old project by a local woman, had a cafe and seven acres of plants. I must say, the design and tidiness didn't impress us, but being outside looking at flowers and interesting plants was fun. A lot of the plants are considered house plants at home. The ice cream afterwards made a hit with the kids. Just as we were enjoying a quick rest in the cafe, a bus went by back towards town. It got us thinking about when the next bus would come. The lady inside said they came by every 30 minutes. Just about that moment the sky opened up in one of the torrential downpours we've come to admire here in the tropics. Pete said, "Are any hatches open on the boat?" "Oh yes," I answer, "all of them." The cafe waitress let us stay a few minutes after closing, but we ended up standing in the pouring rain in our shorts and tank tops for a good twenty minutes. The bus driver, a very grouchy man, refused to drive us the main route through town past the boats. He was going the back road. Rob pleaded and used the 8 kids as an excuse, but he said we needed the exercise. Astrid threatened to cry. In the end, the 14 of us were the only ones left on the bus by the time we got back to town, so he relented and took us to the wharf. Luckily our computer had been tucked away and was not sitting in it's usual place under the open overhead hatch. The cushion covers were soaked along with our wall map, but paper and fabric dry. We're just hoping this weather blows over soon, and we can enjoy more of this fabulous island tomorrow.