LES TRUCK

                                         Various Grade of Truck

     I have ridden numerous forms of transportation in my many travels, but was not aware of les truck until my visit to the South Pacific.  The first such ride was in Bora Bora, Tahiti. Tahiti is both an island and a country, and Bora Bora is one of the three major islands in the country.

     As it turned out Bora Bora’s les truck was the most luxurious of all such rides.  The open air mini bus was decorated with live hibiscus flowers that wound around the truck’s poles. Palm fronds accented with red torch ginger flowers decorated the inside of the bus. It was all tropical and very pleasing to the eye.

    This  ‘tour bus’ stopped frequently, as Bora Bora is an incredibly beautiful island with a photo  op around every curve of the twenty-two mile road circling the island.

    On the island of Aitu in the Cook Islands where we literally surfed from our anchorage to the island shore, the les truck turned out to be literally a pickup truck with wooden benches lining the sides of the truck bed. It was the only transportation on the small island. The friendly people preformed some native dancing and provided a delicious feast of fresh fruit/food t for us.

     Padded chairs in the truck bed of les truck  provided a bit more comfortable ride on the island of Aitutaki. The single road around the bigger island was also in better condition than the rutted tire road on Aitu.

     Arriving in Raratonga, the largest of the Cook Islands, les truck gave way to real buses, albeit small ones. The two yellow public buses ran around the island on a semi-regular schedule. One ran clockwise while the other ran counter-clockwise (island expression). These buses can be flagged down anywhere and stopped anywhere, even with service to your door, if you live on the main road.

     Les Trucks were colorful, romantic and fun. I do believe generally one would be more comfortable driving one rather than riding in one, with Raratonga being the exception..

JUNGLE TREK

                                         Pa and the Jungle

     When in the Cook Islands on Raratonga, the largest of the islands, I learned its interior was rugged, mountainous and covered with dense, lush green vegetation---in other words jungle!  The narrow valleys and steep hills make it difficult to populate, and it is an area few visitors venture into.

     However, in spite of my age, I thought I was fit enough and brave enough to trek into the jungle with Pa, who billed himself as a medicine man. The 58 year old native Raratongan sported blond dread locks and wore a tie dyed pareu wrapped around his middle resembling a diaper. It hung to his knees and I wondered if he might have left a load in it.  Looking at him I had a moment of pause—did I really want to do this trek?  

     Only one other fellow from our boat was among the 16 of us brave souls willing to go into the jungle. Pa told us he had hiked into the mountain  over 1000 times. He pointed out several plants and trees  used by natives for various ailments. This was my area of interest.

     Passing some old plantation ruins deep in the valley we followed a stream into the lush greenness. It was up and over fallen trees, down on the other side, balancing on rocks in the stream to get on the other side and then repeat the same process again, and again and again. Although Pa was several years younger than I , he certainly was agile and none of the young people in our group could keep up with him.

      I wore long pants, long sleeves and a hat, then doused all exposed areas with mosquito juice. The pesky mosquitos were insistent and I was glad the repellent smelled a lot better than it did in my youth.

     A couple miles in to the jungle we arrived at a marae. Before we could step on it Pa had to talk to his ancestors and bless the site. Because he was a high ariki (kahuna, priest) he could do that.

     A marae is an open air temple in a clearing used for investiture of a new tribal chief.  Carried by warriors onto the marae, the chief sits on a stone at the head of the temple. A pig is brought to him and he is required to chew off an ear and eat it; after that the celebration begins.

     We all did step on the marae for a short rest. At that point when asked if we wanted to continue that much farther to the needle it was an unanimous decision to turn around! We returned to the stream to an area where there was a small but picturesque waterfall.  We settled in for lunch surrounded by dinosaur ferns. It was quiet and peaceful with only the sound of rushing water to break the silence. Thankfully the mosquitoes went elsewhere for lunch!

     Raratonga was the last stop on my Tahiti/Cook Islands adventure so we had disembarked from the ship to a hotel for a couple of days. Getting back to the hotel after the jungle trek neither I nor the fellow from the same ship could hardly walk. We both made it to the pool to soak our sore leg muscles. The next day was a Sunday and the entire island was closed  so we hung out at the hotel which was probably a smart move as the following day we would be coping with airports. This gave my small group a chance to visit with each other and to relive our fantastic trip.

ATIU,COOK ISLANDS

                        Atiu, A Cook Island Paradise

           Atiu is 130 miles northeast of Rarotonga. Early afternoon we loaded zodiacs to surf through the breakwater’s narrow opening to the beach where we were greeted by conch blowing and drum beating warriors. The whole island turned out to greet us, and friendly gals gave each of us a fresh flower lei. The fragrant plumeria lei is my favorite.

 We were ushered to their open-air recreation building where we were given a feast of delicious fresh island fruit served on palm fond woven plates. The friendly islanders put on a very good dance demonstration for us.

Then we loaded les truck for a ride around the island. Our transportation was literally a pickup truck with benches placed in the truck’s bed. This is the only means of transportation on the island. The island’s many narrow roads sometimes were nothing more than tire-tracks. The vegetation was lush and thick. Atiu’s high central plateau at 233 feet is a contrast to its neighboring flat islands. The island is surrounded by low swamps and a 66-foot high raised coral reef.  Dense forest grow on the west coast and low growing bird nest ferns provide a thick green cover. The cliffs of Makatea contain extensive limestone caves.

 Atiu’s 900 residents live in five villages, in clustered groups inland, different from Tahitians who live around the perimeter of their islands. In 1777 when Capt. Cook discovered this volcanic island he named it Island Enuamanu meaning land of birds. Coffee, taro, pineapple, papaya, and oranges are grown for export to New Zealand.

            While sipping  fresh coffee at the  small Atui Coffee Company we were told. “There are two types of coffee beans grown in the world: robusta and arabica. Robusta beans are dried in their shells absorbing caffeine and acid in the process. Because this would be too bitter to drink plain, these beans are combined with arabica beans which are dried without their shells. Arabica beans are only grown in a few places, Atiu, Kenya, and Costa Rica among them. The beans are separated by size before roasting to produce even roasting. The size of the bean does not determine flavor; they are all the same. The longer the bean is roasted the less caffeine and acid, as it is lost in the roasting process. That is why dark roasted coffee has less caffeine. From January to June the cherries are handpicked and within six hours the cherries are pulped to expose the bean. Atiu coffee is 100% sun dried.”

            In the center of the island we stopped where many years ago someone paced off the island north to south and east and west and determined this to be the center of the island. More recently surveyors repeated the process with modern instruments and found the original marker off by only two meters!

A docent accompanied us to several ancient sites saying, “These ancient temples are called maraes.  In times past the High Chiefs would gather here to decide if they would or would not go to war. There are three tribes on the island now, each ruled by its own chief. Leadership is passed on to the oldest son.”

            We stopped at Atiu’s only hotel. Tourism is in its infancy here so its four cabins were apparently adequate to accommodate the island’s 600 annual visitors. The owner, an Englishman, met my wife in New Zealand more than 25 years ago. She is Tahitian and after a holiday on Atiu in 1979 they decided to move here, arriving on the first plane. He built the quaint and comfortable bungalows using native woods.

            Our final stop on the island was at the small beach where Capt. Cook landed. The lovely island would be great for a relaxing vacation, but I’m afraid a bit too small for me not to suffer a little island fever.

RAROTONGA, Cook Islands

                   Cook Island's Capital

            Rarotonga is the largest of the Cook Islands, its capital, and is spectacularly beautiful. Shaped like a small round bean, it is surrounded by a protective reef with brakes in 5-6 places. There are four atolls within the lagoon on the east side of the island. The well known white beaches nearly surround the coconut palm fringed island. The turquoise blue lagoon is full of colorful tropical fish.

            Rarotonga, directly south of Hawaii, is the same distance south of the equator as Hawaii is north of the equator. Thus the climates are similar except the seasons are reversed. Extremes of humidity and rainfall are uncommon.

After truck or van buses on other smaller islands, here we had real buses, smaller than a greyhound, but a real bus as we know them. The island perimeter road is twenty miles long. There are two roads, the two-lane coast has one lane in each direction, except for a short distance in down town Avarua where the road widens to four lanes; the two lanes in each direction are divided with a wide grassed median. The second road is a half mile inland and connects with many small side roads that wind through banana plantations and farms. The inland coral road was built in the 11^th century by Chief Toi. The road, later fitted with large hand cut lava rocks, was covered with macadam a few years ago.

I observed few cars on Rarotonga’s roads but a lot of mopeds. The very quiet bikes are obviously a very common and economical means of transportation. I also saw a lot of bicycles. The yellow public buses run around the island on a fairly regular basis following a printed schedule. One of the two buses runs clockwise, the other anticlockwise. (We say counterclockwise, they anticlockwise)  One can flag down a bus anywhere and request special stops. After 6PM only one bus runs every two hours until 11PM. Friday is party night so the buses run until 1AM, and the buses run only to church on Sunday.

            The island, home to 11,000 people, is divided into two districts, each run by a powerful clan chief known as an  ariki. Avarua, the main town and capital of the island, stretches along the waterfront. Avarua is the commercial center for the island  and where  one can buy bananas, black pearls, flower leis, a souvenir carved figure known as Tangaroa, a pareu, woven baskets or fans, or any number of other souvenirs. Its one main street is easy to navigate and landmarks are easily identifiable. The island is often referred to as Raro and everything is on Raro time. Merchants open 8-4 weekdays and 8-11 on Saturday.

            Missionaries brought the people from the island interior to the coast where they live in small settlements surrounding a church. Today people live evenly around the perimeter. Hotels and guest houses are located all around the island as the beaches are good everywhere. To retain the picturesque charm of Rarotonga, a local restriction allows no building taller than the tallest palm tree. The rugged and mountainous interior of the island is covered with dense lush green growth. The narrow valleys and steep hills make it difficult to populate. The Needle, a rock pinnacle ,in the center of the island stands 2000-feet  above the fertile valley. It is the highest point on the island and a vigorous hike over a razorback ridge, one few tourist attempt. People were friendly and helpful. English is widely spoken, although everyone is bilingual, speaking their own language as well.

Homes were larger than on the out islands and many were made of concrete block with metal roofs. There are a few ‘native huts’. Telephone poles are concrete as no pine trees grow on the island.

            After leaving our small ship, World Discover, we headed to our luxury hotel. My room had sliding glass doors that led out onto a wooden verandah for an incredible view of a white sand beach, lagoon, and the breaking surf over the reef.  Diesel generators provide electrical power 24 hours a day; the smaller out islands turn off all power at 11PM. Two natural springs provide a good amount of the water supply, but islanders are still dependent on rainfall and all homes/buildings have catchment systems. Water now is piped into homes but is not treated so individuals and businesses all have filtration systems.

            The island is dependent on many imports, most of which come from New Zealand. The coco-net arrived in Rarotonga three months before our visit. Coco means to wander, thus the name of the cellular phone network!

Restaurants were plentiful with something for every palate. Local delicacies include octopus, ika mata which is raw fish marinated in lime juice, then combined with coconut milk and other ingredients, often vegetables and/or salad greens. Motu roni is the innards of the sea cucumber which I was told resembles spaghetti. These are cooked with butter, garlic, and other spices. Many natives eat motu romi raw. In this part of the world, sea cucumbers are called sea slugs which does little to tickle my palate! The slugs grow about a foot long and are plentiful in the lagoons near the reef. After extracting the insides the slug is thrown back in the water where it regenerates its losses and in 6-8 weeks is again ready for repeat punishment. Poke is a paw paw pudding. The paw paw is the same as the papaya. It is mixed with tapioca and coconut cream. Orange in color with  a funny texture it has a rather bland taste. Coconut is served with each meal, and since I love coconut I was a happy camper.

            I hope Rarotonga can remain as lovely as when I visited and not grow into a tourist mecca like Hawaii. I have my doubts, but maybe its distance from everywhere but Down Under  will discourage many a traveler. The world needs some of these lovely idyllic places. 

           

COOK ISLANDS

AITUTAK

  Aitutaki, 155 miles from Roratonga, is generally referred to as an almost atoll because of its unique structure  The island  actually consists of lagoon, coral reef, and scattered sand islets with  a high volcanic island at the northern end. It covers only eight square miles and is the northern most island of the southern islands in the Cook chain. A low barrier reef protects its triangular shaped lagoon which has 15 small uninhabited islands in it with the whitest of white sand beaches and beautiful clear water, all fringed with coconut palms.  

The rolling hills are lined with banana plantations and coconut palms. Until 1960 these were the main exports with most of the fruit being shipped to New Zealand.

            We left the ship in the zodiacs about 8AM. We maneuvered through a cut in the reef but we did not have to surf as we had at Atiu. The flower lei is a symbol of love and peace and we each were  given one.

    We walked, uphill to a large recreation hall where we sat on benches to watch a dance demonstration accompanied by a small island band. The dancers ranged in age from kindergarten age  to those in their late teens. Some of the older dancers were very good. After the dancing we were offered a cool drink before loading les truck for an island tour. These vehicles were a bit more comfortable than the ones on Atiu.

Arutanga is the main village. Religion is a large part of island life. The Congregational Church is the major religion of the Cook, Society, and Samoan Islands, and the large white church was built by English missionaries in 1821. Baskets woven from coconut leaves and finished with braided looped handles made from hibiscus fiber are a popular island craft.

            This island was lush with foliage, and the large heart-shaped elephant ear leaf of the taro plant was everywhere. Coffee, pineapple, breadfruit, papaya, mango, guava, and oranges are also grown . Cows, goats, chickens, and wild pigs grazed everywhere, but there are no dogs on the island. Fish is the main protein source of the island diet. A boat with supplies arrives once a month. Nearly everything, except fruit and vegetables, needs to be imported.

Life is ruled by the island council. Each of the seven villages has one representative to the council. All the land belongs to the people and the government must lease the land for their buildings. The total island population is 2500.

Tourism is a major source of income. The island’s two hotels and seven guest houses are able to accommodate the island’s 1000  annual visitors. Tourism is in its infancy and the yet unspoiled island paradise is what Hawaii was in the 40s and 50s before its tourism explosion.

There are some public cemeteries, but there is no law prohibiting one from burying relatives in their yard and many do. Yard graves and memorials were a fairly common sight.

There are four primary schools on the island but for higher education one must go to Rarotonga.

Small boats took many of us out to the sand bars to snorkel the reef. The numerous fish could be seen with the naked eye as the water was so clear. Venturing into the deep holes revealed an underwater spectacle. I swam among the fish until I got chilled and then reluctantly got out of the water to warm up again in the tropical sun.

I was really taken with Aitutaki and certainly could spend a wonderful peaceful restful vacation there.