Where on earth is Tim ?

Captain Cooks Needle in a Haystack

The Cook Islands are a tiny set of 15 tiny islands in the middle of the Pacific ocean. They happened to be named in honour of Captain Cook who managed to stumble across the Islands when he was on his way to New Zealand and Australia during 1773. Which is pretty impressive really. They are a few tiny spots in the vast expanse of the Pacific Ocean.

Rarotonga, the largest of the Islands is only around 9km in diameter. Its only main road, which circumvents the island, is only some 32km long. Its home to some 9,000 people which is less than you'll find attending Brentford United Football Club, the closest to my london home, on a Saturday afternoon. And last time I checked, Brentford were languishing in the lower tables of the English Football League. I even had the pleasure of watching the Cook Island news this evening, with the headline being 'A tourists camera was stolen from a parked motorbike in town this afternoon. A canon IXUS which is silver and looks like this...' Yes this is a pretty small place.

The Queens Representatives residence. Not a bad job if you can get it!

I have to say, however, that I am in Paradise. It balmy climate, white sandy beaches, blue lagoons and tropical reef make it an ideal place to unwind before facing the rigours of work. Which is exactly why I am here.

Paradise

That said its done nothing by rain while I have been here. Which, in a strange way, is proving to be a perfect relaxation tonic. Top it with some excellent Windsurfing and a rather nice hostel, I don't want to leave. That has put paid to my plans to visit some of the other islands in the cook islands.

The first thing I did when I arrived was to hire a Scooter to get around. To do this I had to apply for a Cook Islands driving licence. This involved driving five metres down the road without falling over, at which point the officer presented me with a rather posh looking plastic driving licence, complete with my photo on it. Apparently, if I had fallen over, I would have been given another chance, and then another chance, until I got it right. Oh and I did have to line the Cook Islands coffers with a $20 note for the privilege.

I then went for a drive around the Island, sticking to the 50 km/h speed limit which is actually only 40km/h if you don't wear a helmet. Which is irrelevant as no-one wears one and there must be only a few on the island. It didn't take long to get around:

And as a result, being a small dot in the Pacific, you won't find the prairie plains of Iowa here. Most things have to be imported, such as fresh milk, which costs a whopping $10 a pint. So I stuck to UHT which is only $3 a pint.

I've also worked out that every time I search the internet, I've realise that I am in fact searching for google.co.ck. Thankfully I've not been inundated by a Porn storm just yet, but it still does makes me smile every time I log on. Speaking of surfing, the reef breaks here are pretty spectacular. Quin, a fellow traveler, who just happens to only be traveling in the cook islands, seems to be be getting a scar a day as he rides the waves and hits the reef. My next break is an Air New Zealand flight to San Francisco, to rejoin the working world on my way back to San Francisco.

January 5th 2010: Groundhog Day

I've just got off a plane to the Cook Islands from New Zealand. The air hostess told us that we are going across the international date line. For those that are wondering its not some hotline to hook you singletons up with international chic's or even international chap's for you chic's.

No. Through some magic trickery conjured up by early British mariners I've arrived in the Cook Islands some 20 hours before I left. So tomorrow is actually today, groundhog day, and I'll get to relive January 5th 2010 again.

No where should I start ?

A Global Warning

I've just checked the BBC news and its all doom and gloom in the UK. The weatherman is predicting that the south of the UK is about to face its coldest night ever (on record), with lows of -20C. And for the past few days I've had a stream of Family and Friends pinging me about the snow and ice that has enveloped the UK. Rod even got me to look at his webcam pointed at his front garden, which is in balmy Ealing (West London) and is now covered in snow. Thats quite a few snowfalls for London this winter, isn't it ?

I'm in the Cook Islands, which is almost the other side of the world, drinking a beer on the beach and in the sun. But as it happens the Cook Islands are now particular worried about a typhoon. Apparently the Sea's temperature is critical; Hit 29 degrees C and cyclones start kicking off. Its at 27C and rising. A couple years ago they had 5 typhoons in one week. Considering the average is one typhoon every 5 years its about 175% above average.

Cyclone Bearing down on the Cook Islands in 2005

Yet I'm now reading The Rough Guide to Climate Change (On a rather nice beach with a rather nice beer). Apparently there are people out there who still deny Global Warming ? They must be mad, delusional or just simply greedy.