Rarotonga July August Sep 2021 chapter 1: Settling in at Pepe and first time snorkel

Chapter 1: Settling in at Pepe and first time snorkel

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http://enjoycookislands.com/stories/gerald-mccormack-and-the-mountain-tracks-of-rarotonga

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During the Covid period from the beginning of Jan 2020 till the end of 2020, we cancelled all our planned holidays for 2020. After waiting and waiting, in June 2021 New Zealand and the Cook Islands finally worked out a travel arrangement without having to go in isolation. Making up for all our previously cancelled holidays we wanted to make up for the non travel. When the Raro “bubble” started, we decided that Raro was it. We arrived Sunday 18 July 1 pm in Avarua. After being picked up from the airport by shuttle, we arrived in Arapati on the south side of the island and quickly got our togs out and had a dip in the 24 degrees warm seawater with our back door being 10 meters from the beach ! We love it here, this being our 9th trip to Raro.

There is a kayak for Bob, so he can explore the reef, which is some 200 meters from the beach, and this reef basically circles right around the island.

Above is the view of the beach 10 meters from our house, and on the right is a deep channel you can walk too at low tide, the current can be strong but just before the tide comes in again, the current doesn’t seem to bad. There are always people warning for the potential strong currents. Quite a few tour operators take tourists out to this channel at low tide because you can see turtles and stingrays when you are lucky. I went today but didn’t see any. But I saw lots of different fish on the edge of the channel. You basically swim in a meter deep water till you come to the channel, and then there is a steep drop off with potentially strong currents.

Here above the Avaavaroa channel in front of Turoa beach, and you can see Pepe on the Beach, the blue building on the right. You can walk and swim in meter deep water to the edge of the channel, but then it’s a steep drop off ! A sharp edge and it goes straight down, so be very carefull. In the photo you can see the dark blue being the deep channel. Today (Thursday 22 july) I swam to the left of the channel edge basically all the way to the sea front, I didn’t see any turtles or stingrays, but lots of beautifull rocks and colourfull fish.

Some snorkeling photo’s around the channel edge. You can see the dark blue water being the steep drop off point to the channel. Apparently the above Black Lionfish is very rare and poisonous, glad I didn’t touch it !

Arapati, our Pepe house right on the beach, 180 degrees panorama

I took the kayak to the reef in front of our house and took the following video….