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Cook Is 🏝️ 25 yr Anniversary
  • Cathy Sertori
  • Cathy Sertori

Cook Is 🏝️ 25 yr Anniversary

A 9-day adventure by Cathy Read more
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  • Trip start
    July 27, 2025
    Cathy SertoriCook Is 🏝️ 25 yr AnniversaryTraveler

    A sloooooow start

    July 27, 2025 in Australia ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C

    We got to the airport in plenty of time and luckily we did. The queue for Jetstar check in was unbelievably slow. Slowest I’ve experienced. We were grateful we didn’t have young kids or an impatient Ted 😉. Managed to have a wine and dinner snack. Boring first post, just starting the blog. It can only be up from here 🙏Read more

  • Cathy SertoriCook Is 🏝️ 25 yr AnniversaryTraveler
    Raratonga airport and our little plane!
    Arriving at AitutakiRoom with a viewLunch at the barCocktail 🍹 of the dayHike to Maunga Pu lookoutWeather closing inWalk downhillSunsettingDessert 🍨

    Paradise after a long haul 🌺

    July 27, 2025 in Cook Islands ⋅ 🌬 22 °C

    The flight was relatively painless and amazingly I slept for a bit, considering the flight was only 5.5 hours. We landed at 3am Sydney time, 7am Rarotonga local time. Pete hadn’t slept much at all. We had to wait until 11.15am for our flight to Aitutaki, only a 50min flight . They can’t land on the island on a Sunday until church is done at 12pm. We are staying at the Pacific Resort and it’s beautiful, see video of our accommodation. It’s a little windy which makes it feel cooler. We unpacked, Pete had a rest and then we headed for lunch at the bar with a view. Club sandwiches and a cocktail 🍹. We then walked to the summit of the island, Maunga Pu. It looked like the weather was closing in on us, we managed to escape. Just what we needed to clear our heads, a lovely 6km walk. Back for a relax before dinner at the resort. Dinner was lovely and a bit of a laugh, they mixed up drinks; dinner came before drinks and Pete’s Pina Colada he ordered arrived as a Pinot. Pete said he was fine to have the Pinot then it was whisked away and given to the neighbouring table (even after Pete had had a sip) and his Pina Colada was delivered. We are tired and happy. A great first day.Read more

  • Cathy SertoriCook Is 🏝️ 25 yr AnniversaryTraveler
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    Relaxing despite the wind 💨

    July 28, 2025 in Cook Islands ⋅ 🌬 23 °C

    We tried to watch a movie last night, soon Pete was sound asleep, I was tired and couldn’t sleep so took a tablet and then bliss until the alarm.
    We enjoyed breaky and saw whales in the distance. Our sailing tour was cancelled due to the wind (high winds all week). We booked onto a lagoon and snorkel tour. It wasn’t the best conditions, we made the most of it. A lovely captain - Black Jack and his 8 year old grandson (reminded me of Sonny), Pete and me. We took off on a tour of the blue lagoon and the colour is turquoise. We stopped off at One Foot Island, Survivor Island (filmed there in 2006) and Honeymoon Island, where there were plenty of kite surfers. Each island we explored for about half an hour. Too windy and not warm enough to swim. We went to 3 snorkelling spots and the last one Pete jumped in. The rest were too murky and too choppy. Pete swam with huge trevally fish. I was happy to see them from the boat. Despite the poor weather it was a great day out. Back to the resort where we enjoyed the cocktail of the day and shared a club sandwich. During the arvo I reclined on the deck chair on the beach in front of our Bure, read and may have had a snooze 😉, Pete chilled doing the same on the deck. We then went for a walk along the beach to sus out a place we liked the sound of for dinner. A 10min walk along the beach. It was lovely. We had a cocktail there and booked in for dinner. We wandered back via the beach and trekked back in the dark for dinner. The food was delicious and we had the same table where we had drinks. Pete had seafood chowder and I enjoyed a seafood curry. We wandered back in the dark along the beach and will try and watch the rest of the movie. Another lovely day !Read more

  • Cathy SertoriCook Is 🏝️ 25 yr AnniversaryTraveler
    112113

    25 years ago today… 😍

    July 29, 2025 in Cook Islands ⋅ 🌬 23 °C

    A leisurely breaky of eggs and a view, no whales this morning. We decided to hire a scooter and explore the island. It took a little while for me to get used to no helmet, optional, and being on a bike. Luckily slow speed limits and a chilled island. We went to the Pilkari lookout and then did a long loop along the coastal road. Part of this was an unpaved trail. Very lush and tropical. It took about 1.5 hours with a few stops to circumnavigate the island. We stopped at the Blue Lagoon restaurant and booked in for our anniversary dinner. The only time we could get (because of the chef’s timing) was 5pm. As we had a late breaky and no lunch we decided it would work for a sunset drink and early dinner. It’s a 10min drive from where we are staying and we have our scooter for 24hrs. We stopped off for a coffee and coconut drink before heading back to the resort. After some chilling we went out kayaking. The sun even came out! We paddled out to the end of the reef, quite windy and blustery out there. A lovely kayak tho. We then had the cocktail of the day, as they are always interesting and rude not to try. More reading and relaxing before heading out for dinner. We got back on the scooter to the Blue Lagoon for dinner. We thankfully got the money seat as requested. A simple menu and a beautiful view. I had yellow fin tuna steak, Pete had a chicken burger - he was scarred by the marlin we tried before, which wasn’t nearly as nice as today’s tuna. We chatted to a NZ couple, enjoyed the sunset and dinner. Rode back to the resort and are now relaxing back in our room. Another fun adventure. 25 years young.Read more

  • Cathy SertoriCook Is 🏝️ 25 yr AnniversaryTraveler
    On the boat
    Avatea cafeFish tacosCocktail of the dayDinner

    Elusive 🐋 whales & turtle 🐢 snorke

    July 30, 2025 in Cook Islands ⋅ 🌬 24 °C

    A spontaneous boat trip out to try and swim with whales. A couple at dinner last night told us about a snorkel / whale swim excursion and we thought we’d try our luck and booked last night. We had breaky and hopped on the moped down to the marina. Another windy and gusty day, the sun was out which was nice. We searched the coastline for whales and as it is earlier in the season they were elusive. After 1.5hours cruising the coast, we stopped for a snorkel. The coral and fish were beautiful and it was warmer in the water than out. We found a channel where there were about 6 or more sting rays gliding on the bottom of the sand in between the coral reefs, moving quite quickly. We then swam over to another spot and found two big turtles swimming, so majestic, one emerging from a cave. We hopped back on the boat and tried further up the coast in case a whale might appear. Unfortunately our luck was out today for whales. We came back to the resort to change and warm up and then back on the scooter to another recommended cafe. It was a 10 min drive inland, very lush countryside and tropical vegetation. We enjoyed a delicious lunch, see fish tacos pic, and a lovely mojito to wash it down with. We meandered back to the resort. As luck would have it there was a massage availability in 10 mins, so I obliged. It was wonderful. I joined Pete back at the room and we read until time to walk along the beach to dinner at the place we had found two days earlier. We enjoyed a yum marlin and prawn pizza, salad and a chardy. Chilling back in our room and deliberating on whether to watch a show or not. Relaxed.Read more

  • Cathy SertoriCook Is 🏝️ 25 yr AnniversaryTraveler
    Rosie approved smoothie!
    No ID neededOur viewLots of sentimental music 🎵

    Travel to the big smoke - Rarotonga

    July 31, 2025 in Cook Islands ⋅ 🌬 25 °C

    A nice leisurely start to the day packing and our last breakfast on Aitutaki. We had delicious smoothies (Rosie approved) and eggs… still no whales to spot, which actually we were glad of seeing as we couldn’t swim with them today! We are flying to Rarotonga for 3 nights. Smooth and seamless flight, no need to show ID, just state your name…glad we were on the list! We got picked up and taken to the wrong hotel (a sister hotel), maybe he was distracted by his discussion of politics and NRL with Pete. We got picked up soon after and taken to where we are actually staying. It’s beautiful. Our room wasn’t ready so we enjoyed a cocktail, beer and coconut water and discussed our plans for our time here. As it’s the 60th anniversary celebrations of the Cook Islands (Aug 4), there are no hire cars available. To hire a scooter you need to do a test at the police station and get a licence, if you don’t have a motorbike licence. You even have to wear helmets 😉. Quite a step up in rules and bureaucracy from Aitutaki. We decided we’ll book e-bikes instead- as it apparently only takes about 3 or so hours to circumnavigate the island. It will give us opportunities to stop off where we like and without the hassle of the scooter tests. Since checking into our room, which is beautiful, it has been raining quite heavily. We’ve done some more planning, reading and chilling. We think we’ll wander to a neighbouring restaurant and bar, a 5min walk away. We wandered and found we could get a table and scored the perfect spot and enjoyed a lovely fish curry and lemon chicken. A great guitarist and fun evening.Read more

  • Cathy SertoriCook Is 🏝️ 25 yr AnniversaryTraveler
    It started out easy
    The needle1Climbing up the cliff face1At the summit1The needleClose up where we climbed1Beach walk1Post hike cocktail 🍹Tamarind House

    The hardest hike ever

    August 1, 2025 in Cook Islands ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    We decided to go with a guide on the Cross Island Trek, we were advised it’s not well marked and easy to get lost. Not having a car we were able to be picked up and dropped off. Our pick up was at 730am. We went with local guide Bruce and 7 other hikers. Boy I’m glad we opted for a guide. It started off gently for a short distance and then we hiked a hard ascent using roots and rocks to help us up 413m to “the needle”, see pics. There was an optional 21m vertical climb up the side of the rock. Only 4 of us did it, I was encouraged by Pete to do it. I think it was the scariest thing I’ve done. It was a sheer drop if you slipped and OH&S isn’t high in the Cook Islands. It was gripping chains and ropes while you hugged the rock. Bruce and Pete helped direct me and calm me up and down. Talk about living dangerously and out of your comfort zone. Then we had a steep 200m descent, 5 river crossings, sliding down the slippery clay mountainside while holding onto trees and ropes. It was a tough hike. We eventually made it to the waterfall where a few swam. Then a fire trail to the beach for the last 1km. We were rewarded with a delicious tuna roll overlooking the beach. It was certainly harder than any of us anticipated and we were proud of ourselves for doing it! Back to the room to relax. We then went for a snorkel directly in front of our room. Saw some starfish, fish and coral. A great refresh after the hike. We then wandered along the beach checking out the area. Then time for a cocktail 🍹 and ready for sunset. We had a drink where we are staying and then got a taxi to dinner at Tamarind House. It was the best meal I’d had on the island. We then walked to the Game Fishing Club and had an amazing blend of NRL and island music. A very fun evening.Read more

  • Cathy SertoriCook Is 🏝️ 25 yr AnniversaryTraveler

    Cycling around the island

    August 2, 2025 in Cook Islands ⋅ 🌬 23 °C

    We had a relaxing slow start to the day and enjoyed a leisurely breakfast. We rang around again and found there were still no rental cars available. The resort had e-bikes we could hire, so we opted for that wanting to tour the island. There was a slight drizzle of rain in the morning and being slightly stiff from the hike, I was hoping it wouldn’t be too hard. It ended up being the perfect way to see the island! First time on an e-bike and it was great! We were on a mission to find Cook Island gin, you can only buy it here on the island in a few places, beach spots and a recommendation for lunch. The whole island is around 32km and it took us about 1hr 45mins. First stop Aroa Beach, beautiful spot. Too windy for snorkelling so we didn’t bother lugging our gear. Next stop was a wine shop that was meant to be the primary stockist and they were sold out. We tried a random petrol station and miraculously they had stock. Then we stopped at the markets and continued on to Trader Jack’s for lunch. A perfect spot overlooking the reef and whale spotting, which we did. I never tire of looking for them and spotting them and we saw quite a few. Delicious fish and prawn tacos for lunch with their local pineapple cider. Back on our bikes and stopped at a couple of picturesque spots on the way. Back to the room for some R&R. We wandered to the nearby botanical gardens, a two minute walk from our place. Our last sunset cocktail and dinner. What a refreshing get away.Read more

    Trip end
    August 4, 2025
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