If you're really interested in blasting off into outer space, but can't afford riding with Richard Branson, then head to Mangaia instead. Mangaia is part of the Cook Islands, but it may as well be another planet. We have a great deal through WestJet: only $18 dollars Canadian, round trip from Rarotonga on little used interline partner Air Rarotonga. Mangaia is so off the tourist map, the population has dropped in half over the last few decades: from 1200 to 600 souls. Take the cave tour with Tere, the master story-teller, stay at Ara Moana (one of only two accommodations on the Island) and get ready for an incredible local experience.
Julia and I, and four Swedish tourists, were guests of honour at their annual talent/model show, which featured more than half of the women on the catwalk portrayed by men in drag. Pack a couple bottles of wine from Rarotonga and enjoy them by moonlight at the "lookout," a short walk from Ara Moana. Watch a lonely fisherman walk the reef and swing a flashlight to and fro in the blissful moonlight. Listen to the adults and children sing beautiful songs in the poetic Maori language, and drum on upside down plastic pails. Yes, Mangaia is so "out there" they may have to ration electricity; but no mind, a flashlight and some propane makes everything better. Say "hi" to Ruff, the Ara Moana dog who dutifully slept outside our bungalow door every night. Tu and her sister Oko love a good chat, and if Jason is still there, thank him for the wonderful meals, especially the fried bread and roasted chicken. (Free range of course).
Mangaia is a gem. Where elso will you find pristine beaches with barely twenty footprints over the past ten years, and coral that is broad and healthy just a few feet from shore? This is the Garden of Eden.
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