Rarotonga

South Cook Islands

July 28, 2002

We arrived at Avatui Harbour, Rarotonga after a pleasant sail from Bora Bora in pretty nice conditions. The only real issue was our arrival was at 10:00 pm and coming into a strange harbor at night is not something we would normally do. But, the weather was forecasted to get blustery and, after four days at sea, we were ready to drop the hook. The problem was Avatiu is probably the smallest harbor in the world. Fortunately, there are range lights that you can line up and follow in. If you do it right, you won’t go on the reef on either side.  Greg on s/v Gitana stayed up for our arrival and reassured us on VHF radio that our navigation lights showed the boat was in the right place as we made our approach.  We had a difficult time seeing the range lights as there was no moon on this date at this hour and we were blinded by very bright lights on shore.  We made it in fine and breathed a sigh of relief when the hook went down.  The photo below shows just how tight it is going through the narrow entrance and finding a clear place to drop the hook and have at least a little swinging room.

Avatui Harbour – one of the smallest harbors in the South Pacific

The Quay at Avatui Harbour, Rarotonga

July 30, 2002

The photo above shows just how tight quarters are at the quay in Avatui Harbour. The freighter is up against the wharf on one side of the harbour and the small coral breakwater can be seen at the entrance on the left side. Yachts drop an anchor in the harbor and then back into a spot. Then you run lines to moorings on the concrete wall behind you. If there is any weather out of the north, it gets very nasty and rolly in the harbor as there’s no protection from a northerly sea. You really take your chances coming in here!

Our transportation in Rarotonga

The line of motorbikes along the quay were "hired" (rented) by the cruisers. It was an incredible deal. A motorbike cost only $7 U.S. per day. So, Suzy & I each had one every day we were there. What a bargain! Unlike French Polynesia, the whole island of Rarotonga was a great bargain,. The Cook Island currency is tied to the New Zealand dollar. When we were there $1 NZ = $0.45 US!  We probably circumnavigated Rarotonga ten times while we had these motor bikes. We also crossed the island over the mountains on a really great hiking trail with spectacular views.

Entertainment at Avatiu

August 2, 2002

One of the more entertaining things to do for obsessed sailors was to sit on the deck and watch the big freighters coming into the harbor and turning around. Boats anchored off the quay would likely be asked to leave so the big ship had room to turn around and position itself to unload and exit. You can wait outside the harbor until things settled down and the ship was secure to the wharf. Then, you could return. This happened several times while we were there. We were at the quay.  So, we’d set up our chairs, grab a Cooks Lager, bring the binoculars and VHF radio topsides and watch the "fun"! Note Biaggio on Little Gem, the boat next to me. He positioned himself under that green shaded canopy and stayed cool in the afternoon sun… smart guy.

Looking for the right chart

August 18, 2002

We stayed in Rarotonga for 21 days and had a ball. We even went to the only movie theater on the island and saw the new "Star Wars" and "A Beautiful Mind". But, the weather turned rainy and cool and, yes, the wind and waves came out of the north.  We braved one battle with the swells coming into the harbor. But, decided not to push our luck. So, we got out the charts and left Rarotonga bound for Beveridge Reef, about 600 miles away located just a slight detour off the rhumb line course to Niue.

To continue the adventure to Beveridge Reef, it’s a good one, click here!

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