Local kids perform at the Punanga Nui market. Photo / Jim Eagles
Local kids perform at the Punanga Nui market. Photo / Jim Eagles
Sun, sea, swimming and fishing add up to a perfect gathering for Jim Eagles and his far-flung family.
Where in the world would a dog catch a pretty little fish in the sea and present it to a 7-year-old girl as if to console her for being unable to go snorkelling?
Where but Rarotonga, one of the family-friendliest places on the planet, which is why we chose it for a get-together of family members from three countries ranging in age from 7 to 70. It worked out even better than we hoped ... thanks to locals like the fishing dog.
The place we stayed at, Lagoon Breeze Villas, was just across the road from the beautiful Aroa Lagoon Marine Reserve and provided free snorkelling equipment.
We met the fishing dog one morning as five of us traipsed across the road laden with masks, snorkels and flippers, accompanied by a couple of non-snorkelling supervisors and Molly, the youngest, who couldn't find a mask to fit her.
Any disappointment quickly vanished when this dog raced down the road to join us on the beach and Molly watched entranced as it stalked fish in the shallows. Suddenly, the dog pounced, catching an Indian toby, which, after a bit of mouthing was deposited on the sand near Molly. She, of course, was delighted at this jewel-like gift from the dog and took some persuading that it would be better to get a photo than to take the fish home as a souvenir.
The author's granddaughter Molly with a dog at the beach. Photo / Jim Eagles
The snorkelling, whether close to the beach or out by the reef, was excellent, offering thrills such as spotting a starry moray eel making a rare foray out of its hole and being surrounded for several minutes by a thick school of raccoon butterfly fish that seemed to be finding snacks in my beard.
Lagoon Breeze Villas also provided kayaks, which offered another easy way to explore the delights of the lagoon . . . especially with an energetic youngster paddling in the bow.
The resort, with its 18 individual villas of different sizes, was an ideal venue, allowing the right mix of privacy and togetherness for the various family branches.
The grounds were great for games of cricket, the pool was perfect for aquatic volleyball - though umpiring was a demanding job - and the barbecues were ideal for evening meals.
Fortunately for the barbecue chefs, there were a couple of pleasantly casual eateries within walking distance where, if nothing on the menu appealed to fussy young palates, chefs would happily discuss other options until something agreeable emerged.
As you'd expect, with most things having to be imported, food in the islands is not particularly cheap, but Cook Islands' duty free is very good value, so every evening we enjoyed a low-cost extended happy hour.
Rarotonga is the sort of place where you should throw your watch away when you arrive. But, just in case anyone should sleep in, the villas had a couple of magnificent roosters nearby to issue suitably melodic wake-up calls.
You do also need to keep an eye on toast-pinching hens.
It's an easy island to get around. The round-the-island bus services - one clockwise, the other anticlockwise - are cheap and simple to use to visit, say, the Punanga Nui Market in the big town of Avarua to fill up with mango smoothies and watch the culture group perform.
The author on the cross-island trail. Photo / Jim Eagles
The driver for most of our journeys was a one-man variety show with an endless patter of jokes, songs and tourist information.
Or you can hire bikes, scooters or cars - we got all three - to make excursions to places as different as an ancient marae with its forbidding lines of volcanic rock, Wigmore's Superstore, which serves fantastic icecreams, the garden, which marks the traditional departure point of seven of the canoes which took Maori to New Zealand, the fascinating Whale and Wildlife Centre or Wigmore's Waterfall where, if you're lucky, you'll find beautiful Cook Islands fruit doves plus local youngsters diving in the pool.
The waterfall is the start point for the famous Cross Island Walking Track which is rough but leads through beautiful bush and views.
Perhaps best of all, Rarotonga is quiet ... so a granddad pleasantly tired after playing with enthusiastic grandchildren has no difficulty enjoying a nice afternoon nap.
