The main road is a ring road that hugs the beaches. In a cute twist there are two buses that circulate on this road and one is labelled “clockwise” and the other “counterclockwise”. I have rented a car and the total drive time is 40 minutes.
On Saturday morning the market in the main town of Avarua is a popular destination for locals and tourists alike. Mid morning they put on a free dance show.
After lunch I take the steep walk up to Wigmore Falls. Sadly during the dry season it is reduced to a trickle.
On the way down I wander through a bizarre tourist “attraction”, the derelict Sheraton Hotel complex abandoned in 1993. The story behind this is fascinating. In 1987 an Italian construction company presented the Cook Island government a proposal to build their first 5 star hotel. The Cook Island Government signed a $52 million deal with an Italian bank to fund the development. In 1990 at the sod turning ceremony a local family disputing the ownership of the land placed a curse upon it. Not long after the construction company went broke. A second Italian construction resumed work until the Italian Government withdrew its guarantee amid rumours of Mafia involvement. The Cook Island government remained liable for the interest on the loan which grew to $120 million, almost bankrupting the country. The resulting wave of government cuts resulted in a wave of migration to NZ.
We drive around the island stopping for photos.
Late in the afternoon we take a long stroll along the white sand beach and stop for a dip on the beach opposite Government House before our last dinner on the island.
