The Star: May 11, 2017
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<strong>The</strong> <strong>Star</strong> 33<br />
Travel<br />
Latest Christchurch news at www.<br />
Island paradise is picture perfect<br />
.kiwi<br />
Thursday <strong>May</strong> <strong>11</strong> <strong>2017</strong><br />
• By Mike Yardley<br />
LAZING ON sugar-white beaches,<br />
fanned by coconut palms,<br />
while gazing at the gin-clear<br />
lagoon that lassoes the island, is<br />
why the reality of Rarotonga is as<br />
perfect as the postcards.<br />
Drinking in that crisp lagoon<br />
palette of electric blues and<br />
turquoise hues, and basking in<br />
its bath-warm gorgeousness, is<br />
central to Rarotonga’s perennial<br />
stature as a fly-and-flop destination.<br />
A great new way to explore<br />
the underwater world of Muri<br />
Lagoon, is to join a Sea Scooter<br />
Safari with Ariki Adventures.<br />
<strong>The</strong>se ingenious hand-held machines<br />
are shaped like a torpedo<br />
and battery-powered to pull along<br />
you through the water at 4km/h.<br />
Kitted out with a mask, snorkel<br />
and fins, I noticed my water speed<br />
almost doubled when I used the<br />
fins. After a group safety briefing<br />
and short play in the water,<br />
my guide led us through some<br />
of the most abundant marine<br />
snorkelling spots in the lagoon,<br />
swimming amid techni-coloured<br />
schools of fish. (Arki also runs<br />
extra-adventurous tours beyond<br />
the reef on their Ocean Safari.<br />
You’ll need to be comfortable in<br />
the open sea, a competent swimmer,<br />
and not prone to freaking<br />
out if an occasional reef shark<br />
comes into view. <strong>The</strong> Ocean safari<br />
takes you out to a century-old<br />
shipwreck.)<br />
If you’ve got a GoPro, you can<br />
mount your device on the front of<br />
the sea scooters. You can also hire<br />
wetsuits if you’re anxious about<br />
rubbing up against coral in the<br />
SAFARI: Explore Rarotonga’s underwater world with a sea scooter, it will pull you along at speeds of up to 4km/h. Right – <strong>The</strong><br />
beachfront at Moana Sands.<br />
thriving coral canyons.<br />
Avoid all red and yellow corals<br />
– and fire coral is aptly named for<br />
the painful sensation it wreaks,<br />
if you brush up against it. I’m<br />
not the most practical of people,<br />
but the scooters are effortless to<br />
master.<br />
Each handle has a throttle button<br />
which should be held down in<br />
tandem, for optimum propulsion.<br />
And the steering system faithfully<br />
follows the direction you point it<br />
in, including nose-diving down<br />
to the lagoon floor, for intimate<br />
encounters with coral gardens<br />
and giant clams.<br />
During our safari we crossed<br />
paths with a lagoon cruise, as they<br />
were attracting the sea life with<br />
food. Suddenly, the sheer size of<br />
the schools of fish frenetically exploded<br />
before our eyes, including<br />
the welcome presence of larger<br />
specimens, like trevally, joining<br />
the feeding frenzy.<br />
<strong>The</strong> kaleidoscope of marine life<br />
COLOUR:<br />
<strong>The</strong> awardwinning<br />
show<br />
at Te Vara Nui<br />
Village.<br />
RESTFUL:<br />
Inside a<br />
villa at Moana<br />
Sands.<br />
is full of surprises. Keep a look<br />
out for moray eels slinking about<br />
the rocky depths, or the graceful<br />
joy of seeing eagle rays and<br />
sea turtles breezing through the<br />
lagoon.<br />
Ariki Adventures are the only<br />
sea scooter safari operator on<br />
Rarotonga, and their innovative<br />
90min tour reveals so many<br />
eye-popping treasures within the<br />
lagoon. www.arikiholidays.com<br />
On my latest visit to Rarotonga,<br />
I finally made a date with the<br />
nation’s multiple award-winning<br />
island night show at Te Vara Nui<br />
Village.<br />
Launched in 2010, an old taro<br />
swamp was spectacularly transformed<br />
into a show-stopping<br />
performance space, wrapped in a<br />
floating garden, lustily showcasing<br />
Rarotongan music and dance<br />
in style.<br />
<strong>The</strong> thoughtfully-designed<br />
seating layout wraps around the<br />
elaborate overwater stage, creating<br />
a potently atmospheric arena.<br />
<strong>The</strong> lavish buffet dinner includes<br />
a generous spread of signature<br />
dishes, including that sterling<br />
icon of Rarotongan cuisine, ika<br />
mata.<br />
Anticipation reaches its crescendo<br />
as the heavy drums beat<br />
with greater and greater intensity.<br />
<strong>The</strong> production’s exceptional<br />
sound and lighting elements,<br />
complete with flaming torches,<br />
electrifies proceedings.<br />
Suddenly I felt like Las Vegas<br />
had descended on Muri Beach.<br />
Group upon group of beautiful<br />
local dancers throng the multilevel<br />
stage, to celebrate the legend<br />
of Tangaiti and the settlement of<br />
Rarotonga. <strong>The</strong>ir artistry, choreography,<br />
energy and stamina is<br />
mind-blowing.<br />
I have seen my fair share of<br />
cultural shows, but nothing has<br />
come even close to the exhilarating<br />
spectacle at Te Vara Nui. I<br />
recognised one of the performers,<br />
Chris, who had earlier in the<br />
day joined me on a Buggy Tour.<br />
Straight after that, he was slogging<br />
his guts out, playing a top-level<br />
club game of rugby league. And<br />
now he was dancing up a storm<br />
on stage. Where do these people<br />
get their energy from?<br />
Te Vara Nui is undeniably the<br />
mother of all island nights. www.<br />
tevaranui.co.ck<br />
FAST FACTS<br />
•If you prefer a quiet<br />
and more boutique<br />
accommodation experience,<br />
Moana Sands Beachfront<br />
Villas ticks all the boxes. <strong>The</strong><br />
villas are extra-generously<br />
spacious, with enough<br />
room to house a passing<br />
vaka sailing crew. Superbly<br />
equipped with full kitchen<br />
facilities, you’ll enjoy all<br />
the home comforts with<br />
flat-screen TV, DVD player,<br />
couches, dining area and<br />
balcony. <strong>The</strong> absolute<br />
beachfront garden and<br />
barbecue area allows you<br />
to slink onto the sand, within<br />
steps from your villa. Free<br />
private parking is available<br />
on site and a variety of<br />
water sports equipment,<br />
including snorkelling gear<br />
and kayaks are available for<br />
complimentary use. You’ll<br />
love this Rarotongan roost in<br />
Vaimaanga.<br />
http://moanasands.co.ck/<br />
Look who moved into<br />
our new retail precinct.<br />
<strong>The</strong>re’s plenty of food, fashion<br />
and fun on offer at Faringdon’s very<br />
own South Point retail precinct.<br />
Stage 19 now available.<br />
Sections 401 to 831m 2 from $159,000.<br />
Call Bruce Harvey 0800 667 849<br />
or visit www.faringdon.co.nz<br />
Visit our info centre, corner<br />
Goulds and East Maddisons Roads,<br />
Wednesday to Sunday, 12pm - 4pm.<br />
You’re home.<br />
FRD30195-90x260