Kittens Wed 8th Jan

Today was something of a rest day as the weather was forecast to really pack in, so our planned dive experiences had all been cancelled earlier in the week. We made a list of things we each thought we'd like to do while we were here and tried to get through them (didn't quite, but it was a decent attempt!)

First stop was the shop / workshop for skincare brand Rito. This is another example of cottage industry in Rarotonga, and is very professionally run. The products are made at the home, and the shop/workshop includes all the owner's measuring bowls and weighing machines etc. Coconuts are sourced from local farmers and the owner husks them and extracts the coconut flesh. There is a big stainless steel bench with a fire inside to dry the coconut, which is then pressed to deliver coconut oil. The rounds of pressed coconut are returned to the coconut farmer for feeding to the pigs and the husks are used by locals for garden mulch or firewood. The business is run very sustainably and the business owner was really proud to talk to us about it.

Next stop was Te Ara Cook Islands Museum, which was a small museum and craft outlet quite near us at Muri. The displays were mainly scrolls and signs with lots of text - interesting text to be sure, but you sort of had to be quite focused and disciplined to read it all. More artefacts and things to look at, or maybe things to touch and engage with, might have raised our enthusiasm. However, the material presented added to our understanding of the history of the Cook Islands that had been provided on our cycle tour yesterday. I have to say the missionaries don't come out looking too flash, definitely a lot of trying to stamp out the native culture in order to 'civilise the savages'. There were quite a few similarities with NZ's history of European influence.

Next stop and absolute highlight of the day was the Paws and Claws Cat Sanctuary. This is run by a self-confessed crazy cat lady (who has 40 adult cats in her house, including 10 that sleep on her bed). However the set-up was quite extensive, clean and very well run. A very chatty volunteer showed us around the different parts of the facility and then we spent a very happy hour cuddling with teeny tiny kittens who must surely have only been about 4 weeks old. The lady who runs the sanctuary doesn't receive any 'funding' other that what she can raise herself through donations etc, but in the couple of years she's been running, she reckons she has desexed around 80% of the cats on the island. After desexing, the cats get a little ear tattoo so it's clear who has or hasn't had 'the op', and then they return to wherever they came from. When she gets kittens dropped in, she feeds them as necessary (as often as two-hourly for the youngest ones) and then they eventually make their way into the sanctuary and usually end up being adopted. She covers the cost of desexing but they can be adopted for free. Were it not for NZ customs, we may well have left with a backpack full :)

We popped home for lunch and then went out looking for the next activities on our list. First stop was the supermarket to review the Inka situation (restocked!) and to buy a few more groceries for tonight's chefs.

The Bergman art gallery, part of the Beachcomber complex, was next on our to-do list. The complex is just fantastic, not sure what it was originally designed for, but it has big wooden beams and a high ceiling and just a really interesting design - but definitely not tropical-rain-proof. When we arrived, it was raining heavily and we had to run through ankle deep water into the reception area. Even one of the gallery areas had water leaking onto the floor - not ideal for works of art with (admittedly optimistic) five-figure price tags! We wondered how much money you would need to have in order to buy a $20k painting on impulse while on holiday here. In any case, we each 'chose' the painting we would most like to receive from our miraculous benefactor. Actually for the most part, along with the money, you would also need some specific type of home to house the art in - which we would also be relying on our benefactor to supply!

We had hoped to visit "The Cafe", also part of the same complex, which is famous not just for its coffee but for playing classic vinyl records while you enjoy your coffee. Unfortunately, we arrived after its published opening hours, and then also discovered that they were closed for the holidays until next week anyway.

We had also planned to visit the 'actual' museum here, but by the time we stopped for afternoon tea we were too late for that too. We did a quick driveby of the Power Station (who hasn't done that while on holiday) and then headed home, looking for a a fruit stall on the way (the supermarket mainly stocks 'normal' fruit like apples and oranges, not the local produce like mangos and passionfruit). The shop we found also had a takeaway counter attached, selling the highly recommended 'Island fries', which are a mixture of kumara, cassava and taro. Honestly they all tasted pretty much like fries to me, yummy, but I couldn't identify the individual veges.

Home to cheese and crackers before Kat and Amelie cooked us burgers for tea. We played a couple of board games then it was time for a quick 'canon' bomb in the pool (very quick as it was raining and the water did NOT feel warm tonight).

Tomorrow we are meant to be going on a lagoon cruise. It hasn't yet been cancelled, but the weather would need to settle quite a bit overnight. We remain hopeful :) Kat remains hopeful that it will be cancelled and she can go back to the Cat Sanctuary to see her new career goal in action once more.

Doesn't quite show the full picture - but it's definitely wet!