by Chris Caldwell
Up at 4am Toronto time. It’s dark outside and I feel awkward but proud that I have accomplished something that many have slighted me for…I’m up early! At least locally anyway – maybe God’s way of telling me I’m meant for living here? Nah – just jet lag.

Once the sun was up you could see Wailea, Maui is beautiful – something pristine and valuable. The people are very conscious about keeping it that way. No Tim Horten’s cups and cigarette butts blowing around on these streets – there is a pride of home and I suppose living on an island induces that ethic. Too bad more people do not realize we all live on an island in space. Real estate prices are in the millions, but when in near perfect climate you can be pharaoh here.

After shedding my first skin, I venture to one of the eateries, the one with the almost unpronounceable name – Humuhumunukunukupua’a – yes for real. Who cares about names when 100% Kona coffee is pouring down your throat.

A fierce storm blew in tonight while eating dinner. The rain actually assaulted the patronage with a sideways blow. Didn’t stifle the meal but quite something to see how rapidly the weather came and went. Good thing I wasn’t out for a three hour tour.

Then day 3 arrives

Read’em and weep people of Toronto. It’s a sunny day in Maui after a deluge the night before. Now it’s 27 degrees and slight breeze but ‘they’ say there is more trouble tomorrow night for Wailea, South Maui.

Wailea offers world class golf and has a world class spa here at the Grand Wailea resort.

The word ‘wai’ (water) was combined with the name ‘Lea’, a fertile sea of fish and also the goddess of the canoe. Finding the perfect koa log to carve into a voyaging canoe was important to the survival of the population and culture.

With a revival in heritage teaching, students and elders are rebuilding these vessels as they had hundreds of years ago. Recently, a group has shown that travel throughout the Pacific is possible by reading waves, wind and stars by undertaking a trek – as would have been done when the people of Hawaii settled this area of the Pacific.

How to make a poor man’s martini. When the mini-bar isn’t working for you, get thee to a mall and locate premium ingredients. One part hotel room glasses, one part walking down the hall with the ice bucket. You get the picture. Cram ice into one glass and pour vodka until full. Stare at it for 20-30 seconds because you just realized there is no way to shake it. Then applaud yourself for thinking of using the hotel room coffee pot. Pour a load of ice and vodka into the coffee pot and shake. Re-glass. Enjoy.

Related posts:

1. Maui’s Grand Wailea
2. Maui Moments: en route
3. Cook Islands: Rarotonga

What better way to spend New Year’s Eve than in a place so close to the International Dateline that you are completely confused about the time let alone the date? En route to Vancouver from Australia and New Zealand, Rarotonga is a little rock, insignificant in the vastness of the Pacific Ocean, yet the vibrant center of the Cook Islands.

Its almost a circle, about 34 km in circumference, dominated by surprisingly high mountain peaks and home to lush rain forests that cascade to a palm-fringed shore. The island is almost completely encircled by a reef, with a lagoon of clear turquoise water between you and the reef drop off, marked by a colour change to deep blue. The lagoon is delightfully calm, offsetting the backdrop of waves that crash against the reef edge in a hypnotic cycle. Swimming, kayaking, snorkelling and small craft sailing are prominent on the menu of aquatic activities.

Arriving late at night on a massive Air New Zealand 747, it was hard to imagine a vast vessel landing with any space to spare at Rarotonga’s International Airport on the North Coast. But land it did, and skillfully so. It was dark and had been raining, but all visitors were welcomed with friendly smiles, music and live crooning, and the mandatory leys: but of fresh flowers, not plastic imitations.

Accommodations: There are plenty of places to stay in Rarotonga. Staying at the premium Muri Beach Club Hotel on the south east edge of the island assured a chauffered ride in a late model, luxury import (BMW perchance) and efficient check-in. It’s a privately owned boutique style resort, not a chain, and had a surprising list of amenities including free Internet access, a boon when really feeling the remoteness of this little island from ‘the rest of the world’. The restaurant is great, there’s a large swimming pool, shopping and business services, and a spa – all the amenities we’d hope for.

Commercial centre: Avarua is the main town on the island and is the commercial centre of the Cook Islands. You’ll find a good selection of shops, banks, cafes and visitor facilities. It is also the main port and where you can find many cruising yachts docked.

Getting around: This is a small yet fascinating place, and getting around is easy. Two main roads circle the island on the Ara Tapu coastal road, through villages and past beaches; or you can take the older inland road, which winds through fields of taro, pawpaw, bananas and local farmlands. The island bus is inexpensive to ride, runs multiple times each hour, in both directions (one circular roadway, so you go either clockwise, or anti-clockwise). Car rentals are available, but many visitors rent motor scooters, as we did for four of our five days there. What fun that was – it provided complete flexibility and made the entire island accessible on demand. You have to pick up a licence to drive one in Avarua, but it’s an easy process.

HIGHLIGHTS

The people: Rarotongans are charming without being effusive. They are never ‘in your face’ and rarely intrude on your privacy. However, show a Rarotongan some genuine interest and they will respond with beaming smiles and friendly warmth.

Home comforts: There’s a brilliant cafe opposite the international airport, owned and operated by a New Zealander, we  entered coffee nirvana with excellent baked goods. The patio became a daily haunt. The food was delicious throughout the island, with the hotels such as the Pacific Resort (near our hotel) reaching international standards while also tempting us with traditional island dishes.

Tahitian pearls: Before discovering the convenience of scooter rentals, and stranded in Avarua waiting for a bus in the rain, a local pearl farmer and family kindly rescued us in their pick-up truck. On the way back to the hotel they stopped to pick papayas from their friend’s papaya plantation, and insisted that we took some for ourselves, each timed in sequence to reach the peak of ripeness on each successive day of stay: the best papayas ever. Better than that, they opened their pearl store on new year’s day for a private shopping moment. They have their own island from which they farm oysters, and know the provenance of each beautiful pearly offering. The two pearls we chose were sized and graded, offered to us at amazing prices, and came complete with an official provenance. There’s an entire science to pearl buying, and their depth of knowlege was truly appreciated by us.

New Year celebrations: The entire island came alive. Starting with cocktails at Trader Vic’s in Avarua and an appetizer or three – the place was humming – then, at sunset, heading back to the Muri Beach Club Hotel for champagne. We kicked off our shoes and strolled along the white sand beach to the Pacific Resort for dinner al fresco along with, it seemed, the entire tourist population on the island. It was packed, it was noisy, and the music was loud. It wasn’t really a fifty-plus scene, though pleasant enough, prompting us to head back to our hotel to herald in the new year, just the two of us, with more bubbly on the sand outside our beachside suite – cosy, yet exotic at the same time.

Local culture: Saturday is market day, and it’s a must-see event. Exotic produce, colourful textiles, ‘fast’ food and cultural items abound, including characteristic wooden carvings (that clearly had Viagra users as models). Apparently the whole island came to market day, and the music, sights, smells and mingling with the locals was a heartwarming cultural experience. Touring the island by hiking into the peaks, driving the inner roads, or wandering through the farms gets you off the tourist track instantly and allows you to appreciate the geography and the people.

For something off the beaten track, a little out of the ordinary, and a stop-off point on the way to or from Australia or New Zealand, it would be a shame to miss the Cook Islands.

Related posts:

1. Maui Moments: quest for sanity

The Red Centre of Australia is home to what the Australian boutique group, Voyages Hotels and Resorts, describes as a ‘Luxury Australian Outback Experience”. About the luxury, they are not lying.

When you want to combine a faux camping experience in the wilderness with luxury accommodation and memories for life, Longitude 131 is a world apart – a pleasant surprise when compared with the touristy bustle of sunburned arrivals at the airport, destined for the ‘other’ resorts. Tempo Toronto travelers paid their own way for a visit to Longitude 131 in December, when the heat is fearsome and the sunshine relentless, but the luxurious surroundings made it a truly pleasant sojourn.

For what it’s worth, the marketing blurb on the web site reads thus: “Luxurious, eco-sensitive and romantic, Longitude 131° lies at the gateway of the dual World Heritage listed wilderness of Uluru-Kata Tjuta National Park, complete with 5-star luxury and private views of the sun rising and setting over Uluru (Ayers Rock).” Longitude 131 hosts 3,400 guests each year, 68% international, and 17% from North America. There were no fewer than four other Canadians during our stay (including two people traveling alone), a total of five from Toronto. Even at full occupancy, it never once felt crowded.

HIGHLIGHTS:
The ‘tents’ – there are just 15 private luxury tents with all modern amenities, including wireless Internet on the property. When we say tent, we are referring to a 400 square foot suite on stilts. The white dome roof is triple tented to create an illusion of camping but more so is designed to stay cool in summer and warm in the winter. The amenities are complete eco-sensitive luxury with reverse cycle air-conditioning, solar water heaters for instant hot water, CD player with spa music, iPod docks, and a wall of glass overlooking Uluru optionally shaded by motorized flick-of-a-switch blinds. No expense has been spared to make it a haven for rest and relaxation. Each tent’s interor décor is custom designed to reflect some part of the history of the area, for added interest.

Related posts:

1. Maui’s Grand Wailea
2. Cook Islands: Rarotonga