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We took off from sunny, blue Rarotonga this afternoon and landed in grey, rainy Auckland 28 hours later (remember the international dateline?). I didn't realize how far south New Zealand is. The South Island is well below the Australian continent and only the southern tip of South America is farther south in terms of the major inhabited parts of the earth. It feels a little like Yellowknife in May here. It feels good. Deb and the girls could have taken another week or so of the sun, but I was satisfied. Ever since I got sun stroke a few years ago, I just can't tolerate the heat like I once could. There were lots of shady places to crawl into though so it was just fine. I was just getting used to falling back asleep after the "fowl" wake up call at sun rise every morning too.
The food situation on the Cook Islands actually improved as our stay went on. We found a couple of farmers' markets and a better super market which made the cooking more enjoyable. We got into a nice routine of doing school work, music and post cards in the morning and moving to the beach in the afternoons. In our last few days on Rarotonga we rented two scooters and toured the Island a few times. Deb and the girls were a bit nervous at first, especially with the left hand drive and the complete absence of helmets, but in no time we were keeping up with the locals. We made reservations at a lovely beachside restaurant on the west side of the island and enjoyed a great meal as the sun sizzled down into the South Pacific and proceeded to light up the horizon for a stunning half hour or so before dark. The girls were amazed by how fast the disc of the sun dropped under the horizon. I still haven't seen the Southern Cross but did get a great view of upside down Orion with his belt pointing to brilliant Sirius a few night back. It felt like home to recognize a familiar northern hemisphere constellation.
One of our travel rules this year is "no early morning flights." On this, our last morning in Raro, we slept in, finished off some post cards, packed up and then headed down to the beach for a last feel of tropical waters for a month or so. The girls tried their hands at single kayaks and stand up paddle boards and really enjoyed themselves. At noon we put our packs on our backs and walked out to the main road to catch the anti-clockwise bus to the airport. It was sad to see the deep blue sea and palm trees disappear into the clouds as we took off. The Cook Islands are fabulous, but only worth the time and cost to get here if it's a stopover en route to New Zealand or Australia. Kinda sad to bid farewell to a place that I'll likely never see again. Now the kids, they say they'll be back. If only to check up on Yaps Alot and the Roosters.
Tonight we are staying at a motel near the Auckland Airport as we fly to Christchurch on the South Island tomorrow to pick up a camper van for three weeks. There have been fireworks exploding since we arrived. At first we thought it must be some important New Zealand holiday, or maybe a rugby victory for the All Blacks. Nope, Guy Fawkes night or, for the Newfies and Cape Bretoners, Bon Fire Night. I remember this always being a big day as a kid and it was good to relive those memories.
We're excited to start exploring New Zealand but have a bit of planning work to get out of the way first. Two tasks stand out. The first is securing tourist visas to India. I wish I'd done more research on this before I left Canada because it's shaping up to be a proper pain in the arse. At first we thought we might be able to take care of this in Bangkok next month, but we won't have enough time. So, despite being tired from the time change and flight today, I'm heading to the business centre tonight to fill out a notoriously finicky on line form which must be printed and mailed to the Indian High Commission in Wellington along with our passports, birth certificates, 2x2 photos (not standard passport size) and answers to a million obscure questions (what's my religion? Does rum count?) any one of which could result in denial of our application if they don't fancy the response or a word is spelled improperly. If everything goes perfectly, we'll get our visas back in 10-15 days. It appears that India is one of the most challenging places to get a tourist visa. I think it's just a hint of the madness that makes the sub continent such a love or hate destination. David and Amy and their kids plan to meet us in Kolkata when we arrive and have reserved a lovely four bedroom house in a quiet neighborhood. Right now this is our motivation to push through the Kafkaesque visa process.
The second big challenge is finding a place to spend Christmas in Vietnam. At first we were going to try and forget about Christmas all together. But realizing how homesick we were on Halloween, we have now resolved to make Christmas one of our few big splurges. It really hit home when we got off the plane in Auckland to find the airport decorated for the holidays already! And the gang at the Ledge thought I was Christmas mad!
The resorts in Vietnam cater to westerners at Christmas and, from what we can tell, do a pretty nice job of it. The only problem is that the good resorts on the beaches are booking up fast. We need to find a place and commit in the next few days. Our preference is not to lock ourselves into anything so far in advance, but this will have to be an exception. Thank God for the internet and Trip Advisor.
The kids are doing well and are having fun collecting stamps on their passports. Being in the land of the Hobbits is exciting for them. Me, I cant wait to get behind the wheel of the motorhome and "give her" around the South Island! We are hoping to meet up with Rick and Donna somewhere on both the south and north islands. Unfortunately, they are even more laid back about the details of travel planning than we are! Guys, if you're reading this, pick a day and a place to meet in the next three weeks and we'll navigate our tenement on wheels your way. Also, let Donna's sister know that we have some mail coming their way including, three million Hindu Gods willing, an Indian Visa!
Roit then mates,
Cherrio from Middle Earth
- comments
Mo Glad the time spent/food eaten on the Cook Islands improved as your time there passed. That would be entirely surreal to be stargazing in the Southern Hemisphere...I don't remember doing much of it in India ten years ago. And speaking of India, I REALLY hope that Ganesha (god of overcoming obstacles) smiles upon you and gets your Visas there 'lickity split'. Cheerio!
DaveyB James Hacker: All we get from the civil service is delaying tactics. Sir Humphrey Appleby: Well, I wouldn't call civil service delays 'tactics', Minister. That would be to mistake lethargy for strategy.
Mom Did you get my message re. pocket universe? Glad to see you are all safe and happy. All well here...wet snow as we speak.
Rick Laid back? I prefer to consider it flexible! We'll definitely meet you on the 26th in Auckland and have something arranged for a few days. Will confirm dates for South Island soon. BTW, Bon Fire night was even better than Halloween for a kid in Newfoundland.
pogue It's more like Bon Fire week here. That or the Kiwi's are at war with some neighboring island.