Cook Islands by Daniele Somenzi
Stato: COOK ISLANDS (CK)
Cook Islands
This landing in the middle of the night it was hard, obviously the pilot of the Boeing 767 of Air New Zealand, has not slept well and was stanchetto, but the visibility is excellent, there is common ground here in the fog.
In my life with more than 600 flights to my running, I was afraid to swirl 3 times and the worst landings I remember, it's only this, surely they did control the trucks later.
Nicholas I and we are lead by a pick up until the other side of the island of Rarotonga, in a small house on the edge of the sea, with a drop of 3 meters from the sea, which should never have been moved because of the reef, but few days after we discover that it is not so.
The owner is a gentleman of about sixty that profession rises to walk barefoot on the palm trees to bring down the coconuts. Piri puruto is his name and the name of the place. Sleep in the big room where the living room and kitchen, we are separated from this room by a simple tent, where there are our 2 single beds.
The place is quiet, only 4 more bedrooms up Quelo hostel. Me and Nicola, we mount our bikes Graziella 2 and solve the problem of how to walk to the island. moreover, we are comfortable to go to Avarua, the capital which is located about ten miles from them.
Every time we pass in front of an apartment complex built in the green, the works were stopped years ago and it is evident from the vegetation that has invaded the buildings, it is a pity that they have not finished, we say, would become a beautiful resort. call and tell us we have blocked the work when they learned that to build it was the Italian Mafia. They even go to the other side of the shame we should riconoscere.che.
In all the trips that I have done, we are riconusciuti with strange names, type, Maradona, Spaghetti, Pizza, and not always the name Mafia.
We make a visit on the first day to see how Avarua to organize the week, send a postcard to a Gilberto dell'autoscuola Casalmaggiore, and Nicola is developing a film, that after 1 hour is ready., Many of Cook males, have the skirts as women, which is found in some islands in these parts, even to Samoa do so.
We discover immediately that this is another world, no crime, no robberies no rapes, or vandalism, we do not happen anything like this, people greet us when we spend with our bikes, are very Catholic and all go to church to sunday. I stopped myself and I went to church, and fills in the church, I have noticed, when: scambitevi a sign of peace, in 4 or 5 came from me that I was standing near the exit, a string the hand.
Here is a local radio station and a local newspaper, and I jokingly> Nicola we joked that, given the lack of news, they did an article on us, "landing on the Italian bike and walk to the island :, or have said on the radio, thinking that they were reviewing whether a case was the seizure of the car to a local citizen, because he had not paid the stamp, and then he like to go to work without a car, has a family maintain, and no car is too far away, lose the job, and has little money to pay the stamp duty and has a large family, etc. etc., these bè, for example are the things that the captain in this quiet archipelago of islands with high Cook influence of New Zealand. go to the dollar of the new zealand dollar worth of Cook, the supermarket and pay with either coins. The dollar Cook of iron, however, is to steal one of the collectors, because it is triangular and round. The plates are taken for collection, I have bought a registration office, as if I have a car to bring home to Vanni that sticks behind its Fulgoni duchy.
Here are the courses to be Underwater in a week, and I ask Nicola to take this opportunity, and he accepts. So every day we go by bike to the diving center, not far from Piri puruto to do the theory on the blackboard outside under a canopy that ripare sun. I already patented it, do a hand to Nicola, especially for translating the English speaking Teacher .. In the afternoon a couple of hours of practice with the cylinders in a pool of a 4-star hotel in the area.
And day after day marra also the time to dive into the sea, I stare at from gommone filmo nicola descending and is ever more comfortable with the equipment and water.
One day, we decide to do a ride around the island of Rarotonga, and we see that it is populated with houses here and there for the entire circumference of the auto burglary here who do not go more if held to rot in the garden of the house, say, to be used again for the spare parts, and also because there is no one on sfacsino or rottamaio .. The course ends and nicola was promoted, now has a patent that lasts a lifetime, then we decide to fly to Aitutaki all'atollo where we are 2 days, with a Dornier aircraft from 15 seats to two propellers. Rarotongan the air. Sleep here in a very humble house, and here the owner, we make it to the neck a necklace of fresh flowers as welcome. The island has only one policeman and one road. But: and this is to tell, the store hut, the greengrocers, failing the rest by me, the mistress, I was paying, in the middle of the ground, a banana with a credit card, and has also worked. while looking to sell what you do.
The day after a speed boat with us to make a tour to the lagoon, scuba mouthpiece with a paradise of warm water full of coral and aquarium fish, then in an island for lunch made by indigenous people, of course based fruit and fish. Then still in the sea with a splendid sun. and who are you? 2 hostesses and stewards 2 dell'Alitalia on vacation. In the evening, we return from this memorable day with the speedboat, and then by bus to the airport for the flight to return to Avarua, where we waited at the airport to our bikes.
That night the sea is stormy and the high tide the waves come right under our house by Piri puruto, Donato and I go to bed agitated that evening, a small tsunami, just last night.
Takes off with the Boeing 767 that night, luckily the take-off is always sweet
hello hello