Friday was our day off, and the day we were leaving, but we did have the morning and part of the afternoon to travel around the island a little. There was one major road that travels around the island, and we had the option of either going clockwise or anti-clockwise.
We chose to go anti-clockwise. I can’t remember what we saw on that drive, but I do remember it being quite pleasant. Most of it was travelling through villages that were spaced out every few kilometres or so. There was a regular bus service that stopped at each one: with a bus going clockwise and a bus going anticlockwise (really, that’s what was displayed as the route name).
We did get of the main road and travel inland for a bit, on a road that went from sealed to gravel to not much more than a dirt track. Eventually we arrived at a spot where the terrain made it impossible for us to travel any further, but it was quite a nice sight to see.
Another stop was at the Cook Islands National Museum, in Avarua, which featured exhibits on the indigenous culture and artwork. It wasn’t a large museum, so we only spent probably 45 minutes or so there, but it was still quite interesting. My boss, who is very much interested in such things than I was at the time, found it fascinating.
I can’t remember if we actually made another circle around the island — it took about an hour to do so — but I do remember going through some of the back streets of Avarua. I was driving at the time and a sight that I wish I took a photo of was of a red give-way sign. These were being phased out when I was a kid but there were still a few around, and I remember being quite… unsettled by them. Seeing one in Cook Island was quite something. Yes, that’s how I roll.
Eventually we drove to the airport to return the car and boarded our flight back to Auckland. We were to spend the night there for our trip to Tonga the next day.
