Charlotte has developed
a bit of a cold and is out of sorts this morning so we have had a change
of plan. Jill and I will do the walk today and if Charlotte is
feeling better Damian and Sarah can do it tomorrow.
After breakfast Damian
dropped us off at the northern carpark of the Cross-Island Track.
While steep it wasn't too difficult as there were roots everywhere
that you could hang onto while climbing. Near Rua Manga there is a
side track (200m long) to a lookout at the base of the needle where
you could see to the coast both north and south. We had a snack at
the top to keep our strength up before heading south down a very
steep track which had ropes in a few spots to assist.
Once at the
base of the hill the track criss crossed a stream all the way to the
southern carpark. The walk was pretty strenuous in places but well
worth it.
The views from the top were amazing. One thing that has
puzzled us on Rarotonga, however, is the lack of birdlife. On the
coast the only birds we had seen were Indian Miners (apart from
chooks and roosters which are absolutely everywhere – even at the
Rua Manga). No seagulls!!!. We thought that would be different once
we got into the forest but this was not to be. We did see a couple
of white terns in the distance but that was it. Where
are the birds? Will have to ask someone.
Had a late lunch when
we got home (The across island walk took us 3½ hours with plenty of
time to “smell the roses”, followed by a rest before 'happy hour
and a half'. We then went to the Kaena Restaurant down the road
where Jill and I had had fish and chips the other day. We both had
grilled fish, Sarah, chicken and Damian, steak. While nothing to
get too excited about it was quite satisfactory for its $28 - $30
asking fee (a bit more expensive than we would expect to pay in
Australia).
