December 8-12th, Tiare Village Hostel

Our first four days on the Cook Islands have been spent on the North Side of Rarotonga at the Tiare Village hostel. We have a little A-Frame “Chalet” that looks more like something out of a Grimm Fairy Tale than a South Pacific jungle. Our front porch, strung with clothes line and pins, doubles as our “Dryer” for our perpetually damp clothing and towels. Inside, our kitchen has a mini-fridge, a hodge-podge of dishes, pans, cutlery and lizards. A 2 burner propane cook top – surrounded by burn & singe marks that tell of past culinary endeavors gone awry – takes up more than half of the counter space in our little kitchen. There’s not one item that matches another, but it’s kind-of nice to be reminded that I really don’t need any more than this cozy space provides.

The Chalet has 3 bedrooms that can be rented out separately or, as in our case, a family can take over the whole place! Upon arrival, Maddy quickly called dibs on the single bedroom downstairs and McKenna “Named & Claimed” the big attic loft. This left Curt and I with a small closet-like “Ward & June Cleaver Style Room” with two separated single beds opposite the attic loft. Not the height of romance here in the South Pacific – but this is a family trip.

Outside our Chalet – as well as throughout Rarotonga – there is a constant cacophony of “Cock-a-doodle-dos” because chickens are everywhere! I like the sound; it reminds me that I’m someplace other – other than home, other than what’s normal to me. Another inescapable quality of the topics is the super high humidity. It’s been the hardest on McKenna - our child whose internal heater enables her to jump into Glacial fed lakes in the early spring and wear t-shirts in the snow. She’s compensated nicely though, by practically living in the water. Tiare Village has a 10’wide x 4’deep pool and everyone staying in the poolside efficiency units knows her really well by now. Maddy’s affinity to Raro grew exponentially upon her discovery of pigs, pigs, and more pigs. Fewer in numbers than chickens, but almost as popular as dogs, her favorite animal is a popular choice here.

We opted not to get a vehicle during our stay at Tiare Village and consequly, have done a LOT of walking. Good exercise, good to get to see the off the beaten path view of Rarotonga, but not the most popular choice with our kids. The girls have been really good sports though and haven’t complained much at all. . (For 10 & 13 I think they are exceptional and well beyond their years in their adaptability and willingness to try different things.) One lady thought we were from France because we were walking everywhere, and for a few brief moments, the allure of being thought of as French almost made walking seem like the “Coolest” mode of transportation available! Those moments were brief, however – for the record, I did say, “Almost.”