Cook Islands Travel Journal - Day 4

Dear Diary,

We woke up to yet another gorgeous morning on the isle of Aitutaki.  Mick again started his day with fishing off the jetty, getting 'smoked' by an illusive fish who taunted him!

I had a lie in (until nearly 8am), then a quiet coffee in bed, overlooking the gorgeous lagoon on our doorstep.  Another tropical breakfast, this time blessed with cappuccino and flat white coffees - instant was killing us!  And then back to the bungalow for more fish and reading 'relax-ment'.

Cook Islands Travel Journal - Day 3

Dear Diary,

It was still dark when I woke to find Mick creeping in from the balcony.  I wondered what crazy hour of the night it was, but was pleasantly surprised to find out it was 6.30am - the sun rises here at 7am.

Mick had been woken by the splashes of super-sized bonefish chasing baitfish around the pylon of our bungalow.  In a flash, he had a line in the water - the first 2 casts each returned a trevally - a pretty good start to the day from my perspective!  But, of course, having never had enough of fishing, Mick persisted and was soon rewarded with a good-sized sweet lip - victory!

We had breakfast at the Bounty Restaurant - our included tropical breakfast was fantastic!  While Mick satisfied his hunger with his absolute favourite, pancakes, I was delighted with my muesli and fruit which came served in a coconut!  Does this place ever cease to amaze??

A Quick and Easy Travel Journal

I have always been one to keep a journal when I travel.  I have done this lots of different ways over the years, such as a diary, a scrapbook, a digital photo book, and last year I even published part of my Cook Islands travel journal on my blog!  This week we are going to Exmouth in Western Australia to spend some time with my beautiful sister-in-law and her hubby and our gorgeous nephew. 

Travel Tip - How to Pack Shoes in Your Suitcase

A quick and easy idea for keeping the dirty bases of your shoes off the rest of your clothes while packed in the suitcase...

Shower caps!! Genius!!  I bought a pack of 5 from my IGA for under $2!!

Camping - Meal Planning & Food Preparation

I blogged last year about camping organisation here and here.  I wrote my Ultimate Camping Checklist, and also How to Organise Camping Supplies.  The other key to a relaxed trip is to plan your meals.  I always try to meal plan at home (you can read about that here), but it is absolutely necessary when going camping. When you have limited space, refrigeration and cooking options, it is essential to plan ahead.  I created this template, which you can download here, to record a variety of meals for each meal of the day that you are away.  

Picnic or Camping Lunch Tip - Hot Dogs

Today I have a super-easy lunch idea for people on the run.  I can't remember where I heard this idea, but it was many years ago now, and has certainly satisfied our lunch hunger on many camping trips, picnics or days out and about.

Organising Camping Supplies

To follow on from my Camping Checklist post, I thought I would discuss how I organise our camping gear.  We have some boxes dedicated to housing our camping gear.  We have kitchen utensils that stay packed in these boxes, items we have acquired over the years.  Lots of the items were my Granny's, such as pots and pans, knives, cutlery, etc.  We also have lots of items we purchased cheaply over the years, such as a strainer, measuring cup, cutting boards, can opener, etc.

Cook Islands Travel Journal Day 2 (Part 2)

By now it was 3pm and we were starving from the big day of adventure that we had had thus far.  We wandered down to the Flying Boat Bar and Grill and ordered a chicken and bacon pizza and our first drinks at Aitutaki.  We positioned ourselves on the front of the deck area, over the water, enjoying another exquisite view of the turquoise blue water of the lagoon.

Cook Islands Travel Journal - Day 2 (Part 1)

Dear Diary,


After only 5 hours of sleep, we crawled out of bed to explore Muri.  

Muri Lagoon

Cook Islands Travel Journal - Day 1

Dear Diary,


We had an event-free morning finalising our packing before Mum and Dad arrived to take us to the airport.  As (my sister) Nicky and (her partner) Simon are living with us at the moment due to their house renovations, we left our home in their capable hands...


We were excited to see our friends Tim and Jennie at the International airport when we arrived.  They were the reason we were going to the Cook Islands - at attend their wedding!  Their gorgeous 2 year old son, Jakob, was already keeping them on their toes, running here, there and everywhere.  I was exhausted just watching them chase him!  Next we saw the rest of Tim's family, at the Air New Zealand terminal.  We said goodbye to my Mum and Dad, and we were on our way to checking in for our holiday in paradise.


- Regular baggage checked in and boarding passes collected - CHECK
- Fishing rods checked in at oversized baggage terminal - CHECK
- Last Australian dollars cashed in for New Zealand dollars - CHECK


Next we went downstairs through Customs - where I was scanned and set off the alarm for 'explosive devices'!  A second scan of my body and my bag, and I got the all clear to go on my merry way.  The customs officer said to Mick, "You already knew she was explosive"...


Time for a coffee and sandwich with the Veivers crew (our friends), followed by a beer and wine to celebrate :)  Before we knew it, it was time to board the 3 hour flight to Auckland, for the first leg of the journey. Both flights, Brisbane to Auckland and Auckland to Rarotonga, were quite uneventful.  We were kept entertained by the movie channel and the abundance of food and drinks offered by our 'Works' package.  The mini ice-cream desserts were my highlight!  Chocolate Choc-Chip on the first flight, and Vanilla-Raspberry on the second - yum!

Cook Islands Travel Journal

I remember when I was a little girl and we were on a family holiday at Bribie Island, I kept a scrapbook-journal of our trip.  I remember collecting leaves when we went on walks and sticking them in,  along with writing about our adventures of the day.  We had lots of wonderful holidays growing up, but I always remember this holiday more vividly, I think it is because I had the journal to look back on for years to come.  So, when we went to the Cook Islands recently, I decided to try to keep a Travel Journal.

Handbag Organisation

We girls all love to carry lots of bits and pieces with us everywhere we go!  I got this beautiful new handbag and matching purse for my birthday this year. 

While I just loved the colours and the sparkles, functionally, I was struggling with it.  It was like a big bottomless pit, and I could never find anything inside, plus the sides were 'caving in', from the weight of all of my goodies in the side pockets.  Not the best designed handbag from my perspective, but I was determined to make it work.

Packing for Paradise

We recently had the luxury of going on holiday to the Cook Islands for our friends' wedding.  Seriously, that place is paradise!  Before the wedding on Rarotonga, we had a quiet escape on Aitutaki.  We were lucky enough to stay in these Overwater Bungalows - this place is heaven...

 

Yes - I took this photo myself.  It is not out of a travel brochure!