TheLoWDoWN - Rotary Down Under

TravellerEvening dining at MuriBeach Club HotelThey say time goes slower in the tropics. Crossingthe date line we had already lost a day and bythe time we arrived the sky was gloomy andovercast. By contrast, the soft, warm, salt-ladenair and the smell of jasmine and frangipanifrom the leis placed around our necks by the welcominglocals lifted our spirits, while the strumming sounds of theukuleles seemed another quaint pitch for Polynesian-styletourism. For Kiwis, this is such an easy place to holiday;just pack your swimwear, sunnies, wear the same T-shirtfor a week and no-one cares or worries. Better still, it’sNZ currency!Rarotonga is the largest of 15 islands that make up theCooks, scattered across two million square kilometres ofthe Pacific; an area larger than Europe. The main coastaland often pot-holed road covers a distance of 32km;you can catch a bus, hire a car or moped (the island’sfavourite form of transportation). Crash helmets are notrequired, just a local licence costing $20. But Rarotonga’sgreatest asset is its friendly and warm-hearted people,a proud and hospitable lot unaffected by tourism withno problems sharing their paradise. Kia orana – may youlive long – is the welcome that greets you on arrival andwherever you go.Visitors can find plenty of accommodation to suit allbudgets, much of which is situated along the island’sendless shoreline. Some of the foremost accommodationis found at Muri Beach, one of the most popular andprestigious parts because of its white sandy beachfrontand beautiful sapphire lagoon. The island shelves dropprecipitously into deep blue seas and the variety offish attracts scuba divers, serious snorkellers, big-gamefishermen and passive observers in glass-bottom boats.But for those wanting a more peaceful, adults-onlyretreat look no further than the Muri Beach Club Hotel. Ittakes full advantage of its setting with 30 spacious rooms(12 beachfront), each with stunning views of Muri Beachand the Muri Lagoon. Rooms come with airconditioning,flat-screen TVs with satellite and in-house movies, freeWi-Fi, security safes, hair dryers, ironing facilities, mini bar,refrigerator and tea and coffee-making facilities.Hotel amenities also include an a la carte restaurant,cocktail bar, room service, lounge, small library, conferenceroom with audiovisual technology, free internet, gift shop,swimming pool, complimentary snorkelling gear andkayaks and a his and hers health spa where guests canexperience a traditional Polynesian massage.Our daily routine quickly fell into place, a threekilometrewalk along the beach each morning beforebreakfast, later a picnic alone on a white sandy beachand then drifting over the lagoon snorkelling in the warm,crystal-clear water. The only noise was the occasionalbarge motoring past with the Polynesians singing theirhearts out.Life in paradise each day is an adventure, and whenthe sun and relaxation got too languid we managed todrag ourselves off to a sun lounger where we floppedwearily for a quiet snooze. As the sun goes down it fadesto black. There is no dusk and the stars and the moon casttheir light on the still lagoon.After walking barefoot along the beach we couldlisten to the roar of the outer ocean thrashing thereef, the steady breeze rustling the palm leaves andthe occasional rooster crowing. We probably couldhave reeled in our dinner from Silver Sands restaurant,but it wouldn’t have been appreciably fresher thanthe one served along with a variety of tastes andlocal flavours from the menu, washed down with aNew Zealand chardonnay.www.rotarydownunder.org 53