Travel Photos - Aitutaki and Rarotonga, Cook Islands

Yes, this is paradise on earth! Deep turquoise water; soft, white, deserted sandy beaches; blue sky and a cool breeze. Perfection! Aitutaki is one of a small group of islands that form part of the Cook Islands. If you go to the Cook Islands - its a must visit and if you can afford it, stay there.


We stayed in Muri Beach on Rarotonga at the Muri Beach Resort (http://www.muribeachresort.com/). We were more than happy here, the villas, including tranquil gardens and pool, weren’t far off paradise with a short walk along the sandy beach of the lagoon to various places to get something to eat or drink in the evening.

Lying here on a sun lounger things couldn’t be more perfect; the sun is shining, while fluffy clouds float in the sky and a cool breeze rustles the coconut trees and banana palms. When we arrived, what struck me was how well manicured the island seemed to be – certainly not as rustic as the backyards in other tropical places. The Cook Islanders are proud of Rarotonga – and so they should be. Rugged emerald green mountains soar hundreds of metres above sea level at the island’s interior dropping down to small plateau circling the island which in turn gives way to white sandy beaches and a crystal clear, naturally protected lagoon. Waves crash on the outer reef and an array of coral and reef life keep the snorkelling fanatics happy!

Our trip to Aitutaki was a real highlight - here really was a perfect paradise and we whiled away the day wandering along pristine white beaches, snorkelling in shallow waters and lazing at the waters edge on our own private sand bar at One Foot Island (see photo above). It felt like a special day and that time we spent lying on the soft sand with cool water lapping around us was blissful – I shall remember it for a long time.

Sunset over Muri Beach

We’ve had some other lovely moments here too – I think Helen really enjoyed her Birthday here - she seemed touched when I presented her with some hand picked red hibiscus and a bottle of bubbly for her birthday. We had a lovely stroll along Muri Beach that evening and as the sun set on the far side of the island the sky turned pink and the lagoon lay as still as a mill pond – it was truly beautiful. We had a good evening at the Pacific Resort (http://www.pacificresort.com/). Not having booked a table we end ed up with a lovely spot under a gazebo on the sand – we watched flying fish play at the waters edge and had perhaps the best bottle of wine of our trip – a Seven Terraces NZ Sauv Blanc. We also ate at the sail club, Stefano’s and the Muri Beach Club Hotel, but that night at the Pacific was one of the best. The days would drift into each other, we would laze by the pool and after lunch set out onto the lagoon in a kayak that the resort has. The water was quite still in the lagoon and you could see right through to the bottom. Out in the middle of the lagoon the bottom is sandy and much more tempting for a dip than at the beach edge. We would beach the kayak on the small volcanic motu (islet) of Taakoka and swam out to a series of large coral bommies which teemed with shoals of silvery fish and black and white butterfly type fish so curious they’d stare you straight in the eye, 6 inches from your face! We also saw Box Fish (x 2), rainbow fish, batfish and all the usual suspects. We’d cruise gently around for a few minutes and look behind – sometimes up to 30 or 40 curious fish of all descriptions would be following making us feel like the South Pacific’s very own Pied Piper! We had some gorgeous afternoons – just messing about in the kayak and in the water. We’d scoot around and then jump on with our mask and flippers when we felt like it. Occasionally we would tip the kayak over and we would both fall in, laughing as all the gear floated off. Getting back in was always a struggle and quite humorous! It was a great time here – totally carefree and loving life. It was a special time for me and I shall try and remember always that life is for loving and living and fun like that is the best way to accomplish those feelings. I shall be sad to leave the Cook Islands – we’ve had some good times here and very special moments.

Travel Photos - Dead Vlei, Namibia

Dead Vlei is an amazing sight to behold - its just one of those places that you feel chilled out in although the temperatures are incredibly hot. All around are sand dunes that seem alive and nearby are the famous dunes 17 and 45.

A lengthy drive to a small garage/bar/shop (Solitaire) for lunch on our oasis over land truck (http://www.oasisoverland.co.uk/) – a white lion rug, zebra and springbok heads adorned the walls in the shop. On to camp for a quick dip in the pool before squeezing into a pickup for a trip out to the dunes of Sossusvlei.

The landscape on the days drive is quite stony plains with more rocky outcrops – not the orange sandstone that we saw at Spitzkoppe, these are greyer and many formations have flat tops. We walked with an extremely informative guide out to Dead Vlei – a limestone pan which previously held water now dried up, the trees have died but they do not rot as the heat is so dry. Dead Vlei is 1.2km long and the trees 900 years old. A new sand dune is building across the Vlei and dividing it into two parts, burying the trees underneath it. We learnt so much from our guide, beetles which run 50kph across the hot sand, stand on top of the dunes to catch the morning fog in ridges on their shells and excrete a sunscreen which gives them a bluish tinge. Spiders which bury themselves in tunnels and the oryx which conserves energy by not running from it’s enemy – just waiting and then spearing the attacker with their long horns. We learnt more about the San people or “bushmen” so called because they would hunt by hiding behind bushes. They lived like animals killing infrequently and eating up to 10kg of meat at a time. People used to hunt bushmen. We stopped on the way back in the truck to see Dune 17 and then Dune 45. Dune 17 is often pictured with a Camel Thorn Tree in front – that’s actually 2km away, such is the effect of perception of distance in the desert.

Dead Vlei was the highlight for me this day, the distances were so misleading and it was such an eerie place to be but a real must when visiting Namibia - truly amazing! You've just gotta go if you're in Namibia