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Kicking Back in Raro I spent the next two days traveling around the island of Rarotonga. Rarotonga is almost perfectly circular and, unlike many islands in the south Pacific which are flat, coral atolls, is very mountainous. Rarotonga, given its topography, reminded me of Kauai but is much smaller, only 20 miles around. About 11,000 people live here, almost all of whom live on the flat periphery of the island. Nearly the entire perimeter of the island is settled and there are lots of small "mom-and-pop" motels and convenience stores scattered around the island.
I figured this would be a good place to practice driving on the wrong (oops, I mean left) side of the road, in anticipation of my upcoming visits to New Zealand and Australia, so during my second day here I rented a car in Avarua, the main town on Rarotonga. It was strange sensation to drive on the left side of the road, so I kept telling myself, "Left, left, left," hoping that I wouldn't smash straight into an oncoming car or, more likely, a scooter. After a few hours, though, I got the hang of it and it became almost second nature.
Rarotonga, as I discovered during my tutorial drive around the island, is a pretty nice place. It wasn't the absolute tropical paradise that I had envisioned from reading that newspaper article in the Sunday Oregonian, being much more settled than I had thought. In fact, other than the rugged interior of the island, there aren't many places you can go on the island for seclusion. But still, I liked the laid back attitude on the island, the tropical weather, the beautiful beach at Muri where I was staying – and especially the cheap prices.
Above left: My studio at Vara's. Like most motels in the Cook Islands, it's equipped with a full kitchen. It's only 50 feet from the beach and, best of all, costs only US$35 a night. Above right: While still worrying about my laptop, I took a Sunday morning stroll on Muri Beach, the nicest beach on Rarotonga. 
Above left: Muri is lined with small hotels, motels and private houses. I think it's the best place to stay on Rarotonga. Above center: Tai's Weather Rock is used to forecast the weather on Rarotonga. As the sign says, if the rock's wet then it's raining. Gee, thanks Tai. Above right: Here's the main road on Raro, which goes completely around the island. This is a typical store and "takeaway" (or takeout), where I got a huge seafood dinner for only $6.
Above left: Avarua is the capital and largest city in the Cook Islands. Motorbikes are everywhere. Above center: Even the license plates here are friendly with their "Kia Orana" greeting. Above right: Which child?
Above left: Downtown Avarua. Above right: I rented a car on Rarotonga for a day and got used to driving on the left side of the road. I spent most of the day driving around (and around and around) the island and didn't manage to run into anything. So mission accomplished.
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