Dream Vacation....CoOk IsLanDs!

Our 10 year anniversary trip......Cook Islands, Rarotonga....ahhhh! The most gorgeous place on Earth. Seems like a dream, but I swear I was there, I know because I consumed all the ice cream bars on the island! (they were so creamy, luscious, Yum yum) Don served 5 months of his mission back in 1997 on Rarotonga, the rest in New Zealand. We always talked about some day going there. Honestly...I thought we would be geezers if we ever actually went. I feel so blessed to have spent a week in one of the most amazing places in the world.

This is our post card of Rarotonga! It's so tiny, you can drive around the island in about 30 minutes. The local Islanders are so friendly everywhere. This place is REAL, no commercialized tourist traps.

The beach at our Resort... heading out in the blue Lagoon in a kayak to explore close islands and the really awesome, unbelievable reef!

The gas prices are So SO So expensive, everyone rides a scooter. The mama's TIE there kids to them with a sarong and away they go. I saw one kid who had to be barely 2 & not tied on!

Don & our treasure trove of shells from the Reef! I saw these same shells all polished in gift shops for about $10-&15. The reef is about a mile from shore. The lagoon is smooth, blue and predator free. The waves are huge out past the reef. The reef can only be experienced it's hard to explain.

I so wanted to bring this TINY van home with me. They were everywhere. So cute!

Out in the Lagoon off Rarotonga in our paddle boat!

Cultural Market! They do this every Saturday to sell their produce and crafts to the locals and the tourists. They start with the sunrise and close the whole town at noon.

What a life..."no worries"

Last night at the resort waiting for the Cook Island dancers to entertain us. Little did we know that we would both be pulled on stage to try out the dancing. Um....not so great!

This is our post card of Aitutaki! It looks just like this from the plane. No digital touch up needed. This place is BEAUTIFUL! We flew here for a day tour, snorkeled, ate fish, explored. The population is just over 200 people.

This building.....Is the airport!

This place is a breathtakingly, amazingly, beautiful place. The pictures don't do it justice! The water is so many shades of blue, next to the other 100 shades of blue in the sky! The sand is white, the water is so clear like a bathtub or a pool and so very warm.

We walked out to a sand bar about 1/2 a mile out from the island we docked at. It was that shallow the whole way. They have weddings here & the newlyweds plant a coconut tree on the sand bar, so we checked it out.

A few of the flowers on the island. They all smelled amazing and looked pretty cool. Vibrant colors, crazy shapes, amazing smells.

SO...tell me now that I have convinced you to go to the Cook Islands, I feel like I'm telling you about my new secret hideout, but the truth is....we want to go with you! Careful though, don't drink the water from the tap. A bottle of water is about $2.50-$3.00 same as a can of pop. Whatever Don says about the "fizzy drink" L&P, he's crazy...it's gross. Don't eat at the nice restaurants, yucky! Find a burger joint or small dairy/cafe They are yummy and TONZ cheaper. I should be paid for this long advertisement. 581 pictures were hard to choose from. If you want me to sell you more on the Cook Islands, ask me and i'll show you the rest!