The Cooks Part IV

The Hardcore Traveler in front of One Foot Island

I heard something rustling around in the bushes...OMFG I thought, what was making that sound? My heart was beating at least a thousand beats a second.... The sound got closer and closer until....I looked over my shoulder and there it was the culprit, a wild/feral pig digging around in the bushes! Having hiked extensively throughout Hawai'i I knew not to mess around with these guys due to their sharp tusks. I slowly moved away and continued my journey home!

After a close call with the wild pig, I felt I was just about “out of the woods” until the path turned into nothing but bushes! I had made it too far to turn back, so there was no other choice but to push on and hope that somehow I’d find my way out. When I finally returned to the bungalow I started calling

Te King

around to local snorkeling tours. Unfortunately most were either full or did not go out on Saturdays. Luckily, I found a tour with some guy who called himself “The King” or “TeKing”.  He claimed his family was and still is the ruling class of Aitutaki. Who knows whether or not any of that was true or not!

The only thing that mattered was the jaw dropping, out of this world, incredible scenery! I really don’t feel words or even pictures can begin to give justice to all the beauty I witnessed!

The excursion began with a stop off to feed the locals. Within several seconds of dropping bread into the water countless fish of every size, shape and color swarmed our boat in an attempt to grab whatever piece of the action they could. After the offering to the locals we continued through the lagoon until we approached what looked like a GIANT purple and green colored coral reef. The coral turned out to be a giant clam, which are famous for its ability to grow beautiful black pearls.

One of the giant clams below the surface

The snorkeling was outstanding! I have snorkeled in Hawai’i, The Great Barrier Reef and even the Ningaloo Reef in Western Australia, but none of them could compare to what I experienced in Aitutaki!! After drying off, our adventures continued through the lagoon by touring several different islands/atolls, one of which was used in the hit American reality TV show, “Survivor”.

Picture perfect! The One Foot Island coast!

However, unlike in the TV show, “Survivor”, where contestants are forced to eat insects or other weird things, we were treated to a full buffet lunch. Before we hit the buffet line we had some spare time to explore One Foot Island on our own. Although the island is larger than a foot, it was so small it took only ten minutes to circle. Most spent the time shooting pictures of all the beautiful scenery in and around the island. I had never visited One Foot Island, but felt a sense of deja vu. Maybe it was because I had visited Hawai'i so many times or the fact I had been in Polynesia before? It was likely because every tropical calendar, desktop wallpaper and/or screensaver has the exact same scenery.  

The Hardcore traveler eating lunch in the water! YUM!

The buffet lunch was delicious with lots of wonderful fresh island fruits to go along with our meal! And, the dining arrangements could not have been any better, picnic tables literally knee deep in the water with fish swarming beneath us looking for a handout. One fish who was especially aggressive in the pursuit of a handout was a stone fish they

On the left is George!

named George. The locals told us not to feed him saying, “George had enough food for the day!” I reckon George must frequently crash the buffets.

Following our delicious lunch, it was time for………hermit crab racing! TeKing instructed us to go out to the beach, find a hermit crab and meet back in 20 minutes at “the racetrack”, a mere circle drawn in the sand. I had no idea what the criteria for choosing a hermit crab was, so I randomly picked up a guy in a white shell. The goal of the race was simple; your hermit crab had to stay in the circle and get to the middle! First one to reach the middle won. 

The hermit crab race track!

After a brief pep speech to my hermit crab I placed him in the circle hoping for the best! Unfortunately my crab had a mind of his own and left the circle several times finishing near to, if not last. I was disappointed, but proud of him for giving it his best! After the race I eventually returned him and his shell to the beach where I found him. Last I heard he never did make it to major league racing and decided to live the rest of his life hold up in a small hole.

One Foot Island through the inches deep lagoon

When we headed back to shore the clouds began to thicken. I started to feel hot, but was puzzled why since the temperature was cooler and I was sure I'd covered my body in suntan lotion.

Thickening clouds as we leave One Foot Island

To my horror I looked over at my back and it resembled the color of a well-done lobster. My worst nightmare had come true; I forgot to put suntan lotion on my back!! Ooops! In only a matter of hours the sunburn went from uncomfortable to bad to painful to feeling as if my back had been lit on fire! Being that Aitutaki was a tiny island I had no way of finding any type of relief for this very painful burn. And to make matters worse I was flying back to Seattle via Rarotonga then to LAX and then home to Seattle, totaling nearly 20+ hours of traveling!!!

Luckily the Air New Zealand flight attendants had a type of cooling gel on them, which helped me survive the flight. When I got home to Seattle the burn only intensified! Although it was very painful it failed to dull my warm and happy memories of The Cook Islands!

Heading home on Air New Zealand