Around the world in 37 days!

Thirty hours after leaving home we arrived at our hotel in Rarotonga the largest island in the Cook Islands. We flew over with Air New Zealand who were excellent though maybe our opinion was influenced by the fact we came business class so we had more space and better food. The staff on both legs of the journey, London to Los Angeles and Los Angeles to Rarotonga were both friendly and efficient. On the first leg I had quite lengthy chats with the Cabin Manager Sam, who was originally from Belfast but has lived in Stockport for the past sixteen years so we had plenty to talk about regarding Stockport then and. now. The highlight of the first flight was flying over Greenland which was apparently unusually clear. The sight of the mountains covered in snow for mile upon mile was quite remarkable.
Had a couple of slight security issues en route.at Heathrow I was able to do the advance check in and print my boarding cards but Jane couldn’t . When we got to the desk at Heathrow we were told that all was OK but Jane would be subject to some additional checks prior to boarding. Ultimately this just involved a chat about electronic goods ie iPads, Kindle that she was taking - panic over.
When we arrived at LA past experience told us that American immigration can sometimes be a bit painful but we’re encouraged to see E checkers where your passport is checked electronically and the process is much quicker. Well it worked fine for Jane but for me, no! I had to have my passport manually checked which meant a queue for 45 minute along with many others who had also been told the same.
Anyhow enough of the journey over Rarotonga is beautiful. It is only a small island but the locals are very proud of it . Each weekend in every village a party of locals will go out through the village and tidy up an action that is encouraged by the local government.
Our accommodation is on the south side of the island on a beach that is reputedly the finest on the island for snorkelling. We are in a one bedroom apart just yards from the beach and it is quite lovely. A great place to relax and recover after a long journey.
I think that’s enough for today, more to follow in the days ahead.Read more