1) Near Bligh’s first landing site, Aitutaki
When Captain William Bligh let go the anchor of the Bounty off the west coast of Aitutaki a few days before the famous mutiny, he beheld an island and a culture far different than we can possibly understand today. He did not visit the whole island, but rather only [...]
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Harar street scene: Photo by Jack McGory
The hyenas circled the perimeter of the alley, audibly gnashing their teeth and giving voice to low, guttural growls. Their feet padded softly on the dirt, but the animals’ smell overwhelmed even the fetid stink from the narrow alleyway, where night soil from an open sewage canal ran through [...]
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Many avian species make their homes around the Cook Islands, or, in the case of the pelagic varieties, stop by to nest. Here are a few examples:
Pacific reef heron
White terns
Red-tailed tropic birds (nesting)
Brown noddy
Pity I couldn’t get any pics of the endangered Blue lorikeet, a parrot endemic to Aitutaki. They are easy to find, [...]
Filed under: Travel, birds | Tagged: Aitutaki, Brown noddy, Cook Islands, Pacific reef heron, Red-tailed tropic bird, White tern | Leave a Comment »
When we departed Aitutaki at 7:15 pm, we headed south to Rarotonga and were fortunate to be seated on the starboard side of the turboprop aircraft. A psychedelic sunset over the South Pacific Ocean marked our passage:
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How is a person supposed to travel from a place where the sky dwarfs our very imaginations, from the South Seas back to the gloom and rain of the American Pacific Northwest?
Personally, I don’t have an answer.
Filed under: Travel | Tagged: Aitutaki, Cook Islands | Leave a Comment »
